Nathaniel Opoku is a Ghanaian 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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

or an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

Early life

Opoku started playing football in Ghana with the FDM Field Masters where he was a teammate of

Kamal Sowah Kamal Sowah (born 9 January 2000) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Dutch club NAC Breda and the Ghana national team. Club career Leicester City After a successful trial, Sowah signed his first professional co ...

Career

College in United States

Opoku played for

Lindsey Wilson College Lindsey Wilson College is a private, United Methodist-related college in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 as a training school, the college now offers in-person and online degree programs, offered at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and ...

Columbia, Kentucky Columbia is a home rule-class city just above Russell Creek in Adair County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,452 at the 2010 census. Columbia is the seat of its county. History The area was settled by Daniel Trabue. The post o ...

, where he scored 19 goals and five assists in 19 games in 2021. In 2022, Opoku transferred to

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, where he became a prominent striker in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

under head coach

Ian McIntyre Ian McIntyre (9 December 1931 – 19 April 2014) was a British BBC Radio producer, journalist, broadcaster and author. who was Controller of BBC Radio 4 from 1976 to 1978 and then Controller of BBC Radio 3 between 1978 and 1987. After joinin ...

. He helped

Syracuse Orange men's soccer Syracuse Orange is the NCAA College soccer team for Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. They are a Division I team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Syracuse is currently coached by Ian McIntyre who has brought the team to the National ...

team win the

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in the

2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament The 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 64th edition of the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, a postseason tournament to determine the national champion of the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The tournament sta ...

, scoring in the final before they defeated eight-time NCAA Champions Indiana 7-6 on penalties. He totaled 11 goals and eight assists in 25 matches for Syracuse. At the end of the 2022 season, Opoku was named to United Soccer Coaches’ Third-Team All-America and All-ACC First Team as well as he was the NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player, 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team honoree.

Ventura County Fusion

Opoku played for

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

USL League Two 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 ...

in 2022. He played and was named as the MVP as Fusion defeated the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Mit ...

to win the USL League Two championship in 2022. Opoku scored 11 goals in 16 appearances in 2022 for Ventura County Fusion.

Leicester City and loan to Belgium

In January 2023, Opoku was reported to have signed for Premier League club

and loaned to Belgian club

OH Leuven Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise (emotion), surprise. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * Oh! (Girls' Generation album), ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010 * Oh! (ScoLoHoFo album), ''Oh!'' (S ...

. According to Sky Sports News, Opoku rejected the opportunity to be a top pick in the

2023 MLS SuperDraft The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was the 24th edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. It was held on December 21, 2022, becoming the first SuperDraft to be held in December, but retained the 2023 branding. The draft was conducted via ...

in favour of the European move. Opoku scored his first league goal for Leuven on April 8, 2023 in a 4–1 home win against

KV Mechelen Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen (), often called KV Mechelen (, KVM) or simply by their former French name Malinois /ˌmalɪˈnwɑː/, is a Belgian professional association football, football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp (pr ...

. In April 2024, he suffered a double leg fracture playing for Leuven against

Westerlo Westerlo () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns: * Westerlo centrum * * Tongerlo * Heultje * Voortkapel * Oosterwijk * In 2021, Westerlo had a total population of 25,288. Th ...

Personal life

Opoku is from

Accra, Ghana Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population ...

Honours

Syracuse University * Atlantic Division regular season:

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

* ACC men's soccer tournament:

* NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament:

; Ventura County Fusion *

Individual * USL League Two Championship MVP:

* USL League Two All-League Team:

* USL League Two Western Conference Team:

* NCAA Division I Most Outstanding Offensive Player:

* NCAA All-Tournament Team: 2022 * All-ACC First Team:

* NCAA Third Team All-America:

References

External links

Syracuse Athletics bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opoku, Nathan All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Belgian Pro League players Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Ghanaian men's footballers Leicester City F.C. players Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders men's soccer players Living people Oud-Heverlee Leuven players Syracuse Orange men's soccer players Ventura County Fusion players USL League Two players 2001 births 21st-century Ghanaian sportsmen Expatriate men's footballers in England