Amobi Okugo
American soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amobi Chidubem Okugo (born March 13, 1991) is a Nigerian-American former professional soccer player, athlete entrepreneur, strategist, and speaker. He is known for his work in athlete entrepreneurship, personal finance, career transition, sports business and marketing, and social impact. Okugo played as a midfielder and defender in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the USL Championship.
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Okugo during 2011 preseason training with the Union | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amobi Chidubem Okugo | ||||||||||
| Date of birth | March 13, 1991 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hayward, California, United States | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | IMG Soccer Academy | ||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 2009 | UCLA Bruins | ||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Philadelphia Union | 117 | (5) | ||||||||
| 2015 | Orlando City SC | 15 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2015 | Sporting Kansas City | 3 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 1 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Portland Timbers | 14 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Portland Timbers 2 (loan) | 5 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Austin Bold | 74 | (3) | ||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||
| 2007 | United States U17 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2008–2011 | United States U20 | 15 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2012 | United States U23 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 6, 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals as of March 27, 2012 | |||||||||||
Career
College
Okugo grew up in Sacramento, California, attended Rio Americano High School and Jesuit High School. He played one year of college soccer at UCLA in 2009, where he was named the 2009 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and to the NCAA All-Freshman Team. He was a two-time Parade High School All-American and was ranked as the top high school prospect for the 2009 class by TopDrawer.
Professional
Okugo was drafted in the first round (6th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Philadelphia Union.[1] He made his professional debut on March 25, 2010, in the opening game of the 2010 MLS season against Seattle Sounders FC.[2] Over the next two seasons, he became a regular starter for the Union, anchoring the backline and occasionally playing as a defensive midfielder.
In December 2014, Okugo was traded to Orlando City SC.[3] He later had stints with Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls II, and Portland Timbers. He signed with Austin Bold FC[4] on February 11, 2019, where he was a regular started until his retirement in 2022.
International
Okugo represented the United States at various youth levels, including the U-14 to U-23 teams. He participated in the 2009 CONCACAF Championships with the U-20s and the 2009 Australian Youth Festival with the U-18s. He was also part of the U-23 Olympic squad that competed in the 2012 Olympic qualifying campaign.
Career statistics
- As of April 26, 2019[5]
| Club | Season | League | MLS Cup/Playoffs | US Open Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Philadelphia Union | 2010 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2011 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| Total | 117 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 6 | |
| Orlando City SC | 2015 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Sporting Kansas City | 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| New York Red Bulls II | 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Portland Timbers | 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Portland Timbers 2 (loan) | 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Austin Bold | 2019 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| 2020 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 162 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 177 | 6 | |
Personal
Okugo was born to Nigerian parents and grew up admiring Nigerian international players like Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, and John Obi Mikel. In addition to his soccer career, Okugo mentors young soccer players and runs a website called "Frugal Athlete " which promotes financial literacy and prudent financial practices among athletes and the general public.
Okugo earned a bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership and Development with a minor in Business Administration and a Master's in Legal Studies [Sports Law] from Arizona State University. In 2021, he was named to Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for his work with Frugal Athlete.
Currently, Okugo is a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, building ventures across sports, business, health and wellness, hospitality, and media. He also founded The Ok U Go Foundation, which focuses on providing underserved youth with access to soccer development, financial literacy, and after-school programs.