Marius Obekop (born 19 December 1994) is a Cameroonian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Moldovan Liga The Moldovan Liga, officially known as Liga 7777.md for sponsorship reasons, is an association football league that is the top division of Moldovan football league system. The competition was established in 1992, when Moldova became independent ...

club

Bălți Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...

Career

Early career

Obekop spent the majority of his youth career with Arsenal de Yaounde before joining Renaissance FC de Ngoumou in the

Elite One The Championnat du Cameroun de football (also known as MTN Elite One since 2007 for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of professional association football league system in Cameroon, governed by the Cameroonian Football Federation sin ...

, Cameroon's top division. He made his debut with Renaissance on 19 December 2010 in a match against Caiman Douala scoring on a shot from outside the box. Upon joining the club Obekop forced his way into the starting lineup and was a key player in helping Renaissance maintain its top flight status. In the 2012 season Obekop played 18 games for Renaissance in the league while also scoring five goals.

New York Red Bulls

In November 2012 scouts from

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

went to observe the top young Cameroonian players as selected by the

Cameroonian Football Federation The Cameroonian Football Federation () is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Cameroon. It is known as FECAFOOT. On 11 December 2021, the acting-president of FECAFOOT, former Cameroonian international striker Samuel Eto'o, was e ...

. Obekop impressed the American talent evaluators and earned a trial with

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

in January 2013. On 18 March 2013 the Red Bulls announced that they had agreed to terms with Obekop. Obekop then made his professional debut with the team on 17 April 2013 against

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

Obekop was loaned to affiliate side

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 ...

during the 2015 season and made his debut as a starter for the side in its first ever match on 28 March 2015 in a 0–0 draw with

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

. On 4 April 2015 Obekop scored his first goal for New York Red Bulls II, converting from the penalty spot to help the club to a 4–1 victory over

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as we ...

, the first victory in club history. On 27 June 2015 Obekop scored the opening goal for the club in a 4–1 victory over

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wide ...

. On 2 August 2015 Obekop scored the first goal of the match for New York in a 2–1 victory against

. On 29 August 2015 Obekop scored his fifth goal of the season for NYRBII in a 2–0 victory over

Wilmington Hammerheads FC Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...

Orlando City B

On 13 January 2016, Obekop signed with

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

Orlando City B Orlando City B (or OCB for short) is an American soccer club that began play in 2016 and currently plays in MLS Next Pro. Owned by Orlando City SC and based at the Orlando City training facility in Kissimmee, the club plays its home games at ...

. In his one season in Orlando Obekop appeared in 19 matches for the side.

International career

Obekop has represented Cameroon at the Under-17 and Under-20 levels. In 2010, he made his debut with the U-17s and scored 12 goals in 15 matches. The following year he appeared in 15 U-17 Cup of Nations qualifiers and scored 4 goals. In 2012, he appeared in 2 matches for the U-20s.

Career statistics

References

External links

*
WestAfricanFootball.com profile
1994 births Living people Cameroonian men's footballers Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Renaissance FC de Ngoumou players New York Red Bulls players New York Red Bulls II players Orlando City B players FC Zimbru Chișinău players Nantong Zhiyun F.C. players China League One players Masafi Club players FC Bălți players Al-Diriyah Club players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Moldovan Super Liga players UAE First Division League players Saudi First Division League players Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Yaoundé Expatriate men's footballers in Moldova Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Cameroon men's youth international footballers 21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen Cameroon men's under-20 international footballers Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in China Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia {{Cameroon-footy-midfielder-stub