From Right to Dream to MLS: How Different Paths Led Two Grads to the Same Pro Dream

Photo: Nashville SC

Ten years ago, Shakur Mohammed and Maxwell Woledzi were teammates at Right to Dream Ghana, sharing pitches and chasing their dreams.

This month, they stood side by side again. Not as academy players, but as professionals in Major League Soccer, celebrating a goal together for Nashville SC.

And in that moment, everything came full circle.

When Shak made his debut, he marked it with a goal. Moments later, Maxwell Woledzi sprinted across the pitch. They embraced, both in tears.

It was a moment over a decade in the making.

Same start, different journeys

Shak and Max came through the same environment and started in the same place at Right to Dream Ghana, but from there, their paths went in different directions until they met again at Nashville SC.

Shak graduated from the academy at age 16 to pursue the international student-athlete pathway, combining elite football with world-class education in the US. He joined Millbrook School then joined Duke University before getting drafted in the MLS.

📍 Right to Dream ➡️Millbrook School ➡️ Duke University ➡️ MLS.

On the other hand, Max followed the pro football pathway at age 18, developing through FCN before moving to other clubs in Europe and building his way to the MLS.

📍 Right to Dream ➡️ FC Nordsjælland ➡️ Vitória ➡️ Fredrikstad ➡️ MLS.

What This Moment Really Represents

For us, that’s the real story.

It’s not just about two players making it to MLS. It’s about making it their way and still arriving together, to pursue their dreams.

At Right to Dream, we’ve never believed there’s only one way to “make it”.

We don’t frame education as a backup plan. We don’t treat professional contracts as the only definition of success.

The question isn’t: Which pathway is better?

The question is: Which pathway is right for that individual?

Because the reality is: Development isn’t one-size-fits-all.

While the world often tries to force talent into a single lane, we choose to build more.

Because when you create multiple pathways, you expand outcomes. And you give more talent a real chance to reach the top; in different ways, on different timelines.