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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.


Career


College

Okugo grew up in
Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
, attended
Rio Americano High School Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is a public high school in Arden-Arcade, California, just outside Sacramento, California, Sacramento, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. ...
and Jesuit High School. He played one year of
college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...
at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
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 The 2010 MLS SuperDraft was the eleventh annual MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America, NSCAA Conv ...
by
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...
. He made his professional debut on March 25, 2010, in the opening game of the 2010 MLS season against
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
. 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 Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
. He later had stints with
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
,
New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. Hi ...
, and
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
. He signed with
Austin Bold FC Austin Bold FC (ABFC) was an American professional association football, soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort ...
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

A. OKUGO


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 ports Lawfrom 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.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okugo, Amobi 1991 births Living people American men's soccer players UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Philadelphia Union players Orlando City SC players Sporting Kansas City players New York Red Bulls II players Portland Timbers players Portland Timbers 2 players Austin Bold FC players Sportspeople from Hayward, California Soccer players from Alameda County, California Soccer players from Sacramento, California University of California, Los Angeles alumni Philadelphia Union draft picks Major League Soccer players USL Championship players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players African-American soccer players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Men's association football midfielders Men's association football defenders Sacramento Gold FC players 21st-century American sportsmen Jesuit High School (Carmichael) alumni