Chituru Odunze
American soccer player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chituru Ethan Odunze (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship on loan from Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chituru Ethan Odunze[1] | ||
| Date of birth | October 14, 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | ||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Phoenix Rising FC (on loan from Charlotte FC) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007 | Kingfishers | ||
| 2008 | Thames Moorings | ||
| 2009–2010 | Royal Greenwich | ||
| 2010–2013 | Chelsea | ||
| 2014 | Calgary Villains FC | ||
| 2015 | Calgary Blizzard SC | ||
| 2015–2016 | Calgary Foothills FC | ||
| 2017–2019 | Vancouver Whitecaps | ||
| 2019–2023 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2025 | Crown Legacy | 23 | (0) |
| 2024– | Charlotte FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Phoenix Rising FC (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | United States U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2020 | United States U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023– | United States U23 | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 26, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of November 11, 2020 | |||
Early life
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina,[2] Odunze moved to London, England as a child and played for local youth teams before spending time in the Chelsea academy.[3][4] He moved to Calgary, Alberta when he was eleven and played for local sides Calgary Villains FC and Calgary Blizzard SC.[2] During this time, he went on trial with Welsh side Cardiff City, training with the first team despite only being fourteen.[2][5] In January 2019, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy from Calgary Foothills.[4] Later in the same year, Odunze signed with English side Leicester City.[6] He went on to train with the senior squad.[7]
Club career
On August 2, 2023, Odunze signed a professional contract with Crown Legacy FC in MLS Next Pro.[8]
Odunze signed with the Charlotte FC first team on January 18, 2024. His Major League Soccer contract is guaranteed through 2027 with a club option for 2028.[9]
In February 2026, Odunze was loaned from Charlotte FC to USL Championship side Phoenix Rising ahead of the 2026 season.[10]
Personal life
International
Odunze is eligible for the United States, England, Canada, and Nigeria. He was called up to the Canada under-15 side in 2017 but has represented the United States at under-17 and under-20 levels.[12] He represented the United States at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, playing in two group-stage games.[2]
In November 2020, Odunze was called up to the senior United States national team for the first time.[13][14]