Chituru Odunze
| 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(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlotte FC | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| 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– | Crown Legacy | 23 | (0) |
| 2024– | Charlotte FC | 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, correct as of October 26, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 11, 2020 | |||
Chituru Ethan Odunze (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC.
Early life
[edit]Born in Raleigh, North Carolina,[2] Odunze moved to England as a child and played for local youth teams before spending time in the Chelsea academy.[3][4] He moved to Canada 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
[edit]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]
Personal life
[edit]Chituru is of Igbo Nigerian descent.[citation needed]
International
[edit]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.[10] 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.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. October 31, 2019. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Frain, Riley (November 6, 2020). "November Camp Spotlight: Chituru Odunze". onegoal.us. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Player Bio - Chituru Odunze". ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Profile". whitecapsfc.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Sousa, Justin (May 27, 2020). "After a long youth journey, Odunze progressing at Leicester City". americansoccernow.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Sigal, Jonathan (August 9, 2019). "Vancouver Whitecaps transfer goalkeeper Chituru Odunze to Leicester City". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Kemble, Jamie (November 22, 2019). "'Role models' - Leicester City youngster on long road from America to England... and facing Jamie Vardy in training". leicestermercury.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ FC, Crown Legacy. "Crown Legacy FC Signs U.S. Youth International Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze from Leicester City". Crown Legacy FC.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Signs Crown Legacy FC Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze and Defender João Pedro". CharlotteFootballClub.ccom. Charlotte FC. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Tomes, Elliott (April 16, 2019). "Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze a star in the making for Vancouver Whitecaps FC". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Tolmich, Ryan (November 3, 2020). "Pulisic joined by newcomers Reyna, De la Fuente & Musah in latest USMNT squad". goal.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (November 3, 2020). "Gio Reyna among 10 players who could make US debuts at Wales". sfchronicle.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.