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Addo terminates North Carolina Courage deal days before NWSL Challenge Cup

Ghana Women's National Team captain Elizabeth Addo has terminated her contract with NWSL side North Carolina Courage, just days before the U.S seasons starts, and has signed for Djurgården in Sweden's Damallsvenskan.

Addo, 27, was set to play for the Courage in the NWSL Challenge Cup on Saturday April 10th, after signing with the club as recently as January this year.

Addo, who played for the then-Seattle Reign in 2018, signed a Djurgården deal that is set to expire at the end of the season, but according to Goal, there is an option to extend for one additional year.

Addo told her new club's official website: "It feels very good to be able to come to Djurgården. This is not the first time I have come to Sweden because I have played for Kvarnsveden before and it is fun to come back.

"I am ready to work hard and help us reach as high as possible in the table."

She previously scored seven goals in 29 appearances over the course of 2016 and 2017 for Kvarnsveden.

The versatile Addo is capable of playing upfront, but Djurgården women's sporting director Jean Balawo has explained that he intends to use her in the midfield.

Balawo said: "This will be the last piece of the puzzle for us. We knew quite early on that we would need an extra option in midfield. Now, we [have supplemented the midfield] with Elizabeth Addo, who will contribute with much leadership, ball skills and drive.

"Last time she was in Sweden, she was one of the players who produced the most assists and I hope she can continue with that in Djurgården as well."

After beginning her career in Ghana as a youngster with Tesano Ladies FC, Addo moved on to Athleta Ladies FC before moving to Nigeria's Rivers Angels FC in 2012. After two league titles there, she earned a move to ŽFK Spartak Subotica in Serbia.

Following a successful spell at Ferencvárosi TC in Hungary, which saw her win the league-and-cup double, Addo joined Kvarnsveden. After two Damallsvenskan seasons, she moved on to the NWSL, where she played for the Reign in 2018.

After a brief stint with the Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2018/19 W-League season, Addo moved to Jiangsu Suning in April 2019. She won the Chinese Women's Super League, Women's FA Cup, FA Tournament, and the Women's Super Cup during her time there, but saw her stint cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a short-lived stint at Apollon Ladies in Cyprus, Addo was due to return to the NWSL, but instead opted for a second shot at life in Sweden.

She unites with Ghana teammate Portia Boakye, with whom she shared a vital moment in the history of women's football in her country, with Addo captaining the team to third place at the 2016 Africa Cup of Nations.

Djurgårdens finished ninth in the 2020 Damallsvenskan and will hope that the experience of Addo can help them avoid another relegation battle.