Dominic Oppong (born January 21, 1986) is a Ghanaian-born Canadian former
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player.
Career
College and amateur
Oppong grew up in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, attended
St John Henry Newman CHS (Cardinal Newman CHS at the time), and played two years 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 the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
, before transferring to the
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
prior to his junior year. He was an All-MAC Second Team selection in 2008.
During his college years Oppong also played for the
Toronto Lynx
Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes D ...
in the
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...
. He made his Lynx debut on June 15, 2007, in a 4–0 defeat to the
Michigan Bucks
Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two.
The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, playing in Saginaw, and began playing in 1996. In ...
, and in 2008 helped the Lynx reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season.
Professional
After leaving college, Oppong signed with
Buffalo City of the
National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...
in 2009. He appeared in 19 matches and recorded one goal and added six assists for the team.
Oppong was among the new additional signings made by
North York Astros
The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Ca ...
head coach
Vladimir Klinovsky midway through the
2009 CSL season to strengthen his squad as it attempted to qualify for the playoffs, but left the team after making only two appearances. He later played briefly for the
Edmonton Drillers in the
Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League.
On April 8, 2010, Oppong signed with the
Harrisburg City Islanders
Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...
of the
USL Second Division
The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...
. He made his debut for Harrisburg on May 7, against the
Charlotte Eagles
The Charlotte Eagles is an American amateur soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
The team plays its home games at the ...
coming on as a substitute for
Kai Kasiguran. After Harrisburg failed to secure a postseason berth he signed with
Portugal FC of the
Canadian Soccer League
The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...
for the remainder of the 2010 season.
Oppong signed with the new
FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 t ...
side of the
North American Soccer League
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to
1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
on March 3, 2011. The club re-signed Oppong for the 2012 season on October 12, 2011.
After spending 2014 with Finnish side
AC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish professional football club based in Oulu, currently playing in Finland's premier division, ''Veikkausliiga''. Formed in 2002, the club have played six seasons in Finland's highest football league Veikkausliiga and 16 seasons ...
, Oppong returned to North America and signed with
NASL side
Atlanta Silverbacks
The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...
on February 5, 2015. He made his debut for Atlanta on April 4 against
Indy Eleven
Indy Eleven is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2014, b ...
.
International
Oppong made his debut for the
Canada U-20 men's national soccer team
The Canada U-20 men's national soccer team (also known as Canada Under-20s or Canada U-20s) represents Canada in international soccer at this age level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Canad ...
on December 6, 2005, in a game against
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
at the
Francophone Games
The Jeux de la Francophonie (Canadian English: ''Francophonie Games''; British English: ''Francophone Games'') are a combination of artistic and sporting events for the Francophonie, mostly French-speaking nations and former colonies of France, ...
, and went on to appear in all three matches of their group stage.
Managerial career
In 2019, Oppong became an academy coach for Sole Soccer Camp.
Club Statistics
Personal
Oppong's brother Victor was long-time member of several youth teams from
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...
and played for many teams in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
including
SV Waldhof Mannheim
SV Waldhof Mannheim is a multi-sports club, located in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. It is most known for its association football team; however, there are also professional handball and table-tennis sides. The club today has a membership of ov ...
,
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (), commonly known as Sonnenhof Großaspach, is a German professional Football team, football club based in Aspach, Baden-Württemberg, Aspach, Baden-Württemberg. The club is currently playing in the Regionalliga Südwes ...
,
SV Sandhausen
Sportverein Sandhausen 1916 e.V., commonly known as simply SV Sandhausen or Sandhausen, is a Football in Germany, German association football club that plays in Sandhausen, immediately to the south of Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. It is Ger ...
,
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. Fußball-Club Saarbrücken () is a German Football in Germany, football club based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club plays in the 3. Liga, which is the third tier of football in Germany.
History
The club began its existence as the footbal ...
and
VfR Mannheim
VfR Mannheim is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg formed in 1911 out of the fusion of Mannheimer FG 1896, Mannheimer FG 1897 Union, and FC Viktoria 1897 Mannheim. The club captured the n ...
. In 2017, he served as an assistant coach under
Julian de Guzman
Julian Bobby de Guzman (born March 25, 1981) is a Canadian association football, soccer executive and former professional player and coach who currently serves as the Sporting Director for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.
A midfie ...
for
USL
USL may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project
* Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool
Companies
* United Spirits Limited, India
* Former United States Lines shipping company
C ...
side
Ottawa Fury FC
Ottawa Fury Football Club was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competed in the North American Soccer League and USL Championship and played its home games at TD Place Stadium.
The Ottawa Fury FC were di ...
. After professional soccer he was employed as a
personal trainer
A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, providing m ...
for Propel Performance Institute.
References
External links
Harrisburg City Islanders bioCanadaSoccer player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oppong, Dominic
1986 births
Living people
Men's association football midfielders
Black Canadian men's soccer players
Buffalo Bulls men's soccer players
Ghanaian emigrants to Canada
Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players
Canadian men's soccer players
Cincinnati Bearcats men's soccer players
FC Edmonton players
Penn FC players
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
North York Astros players
Toronto Lynx players
University at Buffalo alumni
USL League Two players
USL Second Division players
Canada men's youth international soccer players
Atlanta Silverbacks FC players
SC Toronto players
Footballers from Kumasi
National Premier Soccer League players
AC Oulu players
Ykkönen players
21st-century Canadian sportsmen
Expatriate men's footballers in Finland