Nearly a year after New York City FC sold Kwadwo Poku to Miami FC, the forever fan favorite still misses New York.

“I miss the fans and the players, but especially the fans,” Poku told The Post over the phone last week. “Every time I stepped [onto the field]. … I felt like I was playing for them. The fans would get excited, they were happy to see me play and happy for me to make an impact.”

The lone remembrances of one of NYCFC’s true cult heroes lie on the backs of fans’ jerseys. In his year and a half at NYCFC, Poku, now 25, often was used in late-game situations as a substitute off the bench, when he provided energy and seemingly bulldozed his way between the opposition’s midfielders. It wasn’t always pretty, but that was the beauty in Poku’s play.

He thrived in 26 games in his first season, but after former coach Jason Kreis was fired, Poku didn’t fit in the plans of Patrick Vieira. He scored just one goal in 268 minutes before he was sold in June 2016 to Miami FC, an expansion franchise in the revamped North American Soccer League, which is below MLS, on the second tier of American soccer.

Vieira defended his decision to part ways with Poku — a charismatic Ghanaian midfielder who exemplified that New York toughness — saying it was in Poku’s best interests because he wanted more playing time. And Poku had difficulty with Vieira’s European style of play, so dropping down to the NASL served as a platform to play daily and further develop his game.

“I respect every decision [Vieira] made because he was the coach, he’s the boss and his decision was final,” Poku said. “He was just trying to teach me a lot of things because as everyone knows, New York plays a whole different football. It was very different for me. I can understand [Vieira’s] point of view because it’s hard to teach players who are not into or have never been in those kind of positions, but for me, in my career, it was still a learning process for me.”

Poku said at least one other MLS team was interested in him, but he couldn’t refuse the prospect of joining Miami FC and being coached by Italian legend Alessandro Nesta. Nesta and Miami FC made Poku their marquee signing, giving him the largest contract in the NASL, and the move has worked out for all parties. Poku has started all 14 matches this season, notching three goals and two assists, while leading Miami FC past the San Francisco Deltas in a 7-0 dismantling Saturday, which secured the team’s first hardware: the NASL first-half title.

“When I first came here, [Nesta] really talked to me. We sat down and talked for a little bit,” Poku said. “He told me what he’s seen in me and what he thinks I can do better of, what makes me, you know, what makes me Poku.

“I think he just tried getting the best out of me and let me do, well me, especially on the attacking third. … I think if you get someone who believes in you and knows what you are capable of, it makes it more and more easier, and you feel like you’re playing when you’re the highest paid, you want to give everything.”

Give everything. That’s something Poku has done at every turn, perhaps nowhere better than in the US Open Cup. In 2013, while playing for fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League side Georgia Revolution, Poku scored a hat trick in a 3-2 shocker over the New England Revolution of MLS. A year later, with the Atlanta Silverbacks, he scored a stoppage-time winner to beat another MLS heavyweight, Real Salt Lake. He even flashed class in losses, scoring an over-the-head bicycle kick in NYCFC’s first Open Cup match against the Cosmos in 2015.

This year’s installment is no different. Miami FC, which is set to take on FC Cincinnati at home Wednesday in a matchup of Cinderella quarterfinalists, already had skirted past one MLS side (Orlando City on June 14) before Poku continued his US Open Cup heroics. On June 28, he scored a 93rd-minute, stoppage-time winner that vaulted Miami past Atlanta United, 3-2. Cincinnati defeated the Chicago Fire of MLS in an instant classic when goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt saved three penalty shootout attempts to push the side from the United Soccer League — also a part of American soccer’s second tier — into the quarterfinals.

Nesta thought about subbing Poku out at the end of the match, but he thought better and was rewarded. A win against Cincinnati would be something special for Poku. But for now, his move away from NYCFC might be exactly what he needed.

“I thought I was doing well in New York. But coming to Miami, people knew who Poku was because of playing in the Open Cup and we played MLS teams. I’m still fighting hard to win those games,” he said. “Getting the opportunity to play a lot of games can show people what you are capable of doing. … You know, people still have doubts. But if you play week-in and week-out, you give people the opportunity to their eyes to see what you are.”