Oguchi Onyewu facts for kids
.jpg)
Onyewu with the Philadelphia Union in 2017
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 13, 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Washington, D.C., United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Center back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | IMG Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Metz | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | → La Louvière (loan) | 24 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2009 | Standard Liège | 139 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | A.C. Milan | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → Twente (loan) | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Sporting CP | 17 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Málaga (loan) | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Charlton Athletic | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Philadelphia Union | 22 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 247 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | United States U17 | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | United States U20 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2014 | United States | 69 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Orlando City B (sporting director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | R.E. Virton (secretary general) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | United States Soccer Federation (assistant sporting director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oguchi Onyewu (born May 13, 1982) is an American former soccer player. He played as a defender for many clubs around the world. He also played for the United States men's national soccer team.
Oguchi Onyewu is now the Vice President of Sporting for the United States Soccer Federation. He used to be a sporting director for other soccer clubs.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in College and Moving to Europe
Onyewu grew up in Maryland, near Washington, D.C.. He went to Sherwood High School. He also joined a special U.S. soccer training program. After high school, he played college soccer at Clemson University for two years.
In 2002, he moved to Europe to play professionally. He signed with Metz in France. In 2003, he was loaned to La Louvière in Belgium.
Playing for Standard Liège and Newcastle
Onyewu joined Standard Liège in Belgium in 2004. He played so well that he was named one of the best players in the Belgian league in 2005. Many clubs wanted him to play for them.
In 2007, he went on loan to Newcastle United in England. He played 11 games for Newcastle. After this, he returned to Standard Liège.
His performance kept getting better at Standard Liège. He helped his team win the Belgian league title in 2008. He was again named one of the league's best players. In 2009, he helped Standard Liège win the league title for a second time.
During his time in Belgium, Onyewu faced some difficult moments. He experienced racism from some fans. In one game, an opposing player, Jelle Van Damme, was accused of using hurtful words. Onyewu decided to take legal action to fight against racism in soccer. Later, the two players met, and Van Damme apologized. The case was then dropped.
Time with Milan and Twente
In 2009, Onyewu signed with A.C. Milan, a famous club in Italy. However, he got a serious knee injury while playing for his national team. This injury kept him from playing for Milan for a long time. He only played one game for the club.
In 2010, Onyewu and his teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović had a fight during practice. They were separated by other players. The club said they later made up.
In 2011, Onyewu was loaned to FC Twente in the Netherlands. He played 14 games for them. He also helped Twente win the KNVB Cup, which is a big competition in the Netherlands.
Playing in Portugal and Spain
.jpg)
In 2011, Onyewu moved to Portugal and joined Sporting CP. He quickly became an important player for the team. He played 31 games and scored five goals in his first season. He helped Sporting CP reach the cup final.
In 2012, Onyewu was loaned to Málaga in Spain. He scored his first goal for Málaga in a cup game. He also scored against his old team, A.C. Milan, in a Champions League match. However, he didn't play much for Málaga and only appeared in nine games.
He left Sporting CP in 2013.
Back to England and America
.jpg)
Onyewu returned to England in 2013, signing with Queens Park Rangers. He didn't play any games for them. Later, he joined Sheffield Wednesday and played 18 games.
In 2014, he signed with Charlton Athletic. He played three games before leaving the club in 2015.
In 2017, Onyewu came back to the United States. He signed with the Philadelphia Union in MLS. He was a key player for the team, playing 22 games and scoring one goal. He left the Union at the end of the 2017 season.
Retirement from Playing
In September 2018, Oguchi Onyewu announced that he was retiring from professional soccer. He had a career that lasted 15 years.
International Career
Onyewu was a very important player for the United States men's national soccer team. He played for the U.S. in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
He played for the U.S. youth teams before joining the senior team. His first game for the senior national team was in 2004. In 2005, he scored his first international goal. It was the winning goal in the semifinal of the Gold Cup. He was named one of the best players in that tournament.
Onyewu played in all three U.S. games at the 2006 World Cup. He was voted the 2006 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He was the first defender to win this award since 1995.
In the 2009 Confederations Cup, Onyewu played a big role. He helped the U.S. team win against Egypt and Spain. This helped them reach the semifinals.
In 2009, he got a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifying game. This injury kept him out of action for a long time.
At the 2010 World Cup, Onyewu played in the first two group matches. He played the full game against England.
Personal Life
Oguchi Onyewu's parents moved to the United States from Nigeria. They are from the Igbo people group. Oguchi has two brothers and two sisters. He also has Belgian citizenship.
He can speak several languages, including English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. Onyewu is a Catholic.
He is very tall for a soccer player, standing at 6 feet 4 inches. He is one of the tallest outfield players ever for the U.S. national team.
Business Interests
In 2017, Onyewu helped open a sports training center in Virginia. This center helps athletes improve their performance.
Honors
La Louvière
- Belgian Cup: 2002–03
Standard Liège
- Belgian First Division: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Belgian Supercup: 2008
Twente
- KNVB Cup: 2010–11
United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2005, 2007, 2013
Individual Awards
- NCAA: All-American: NSCAA Second Team: 2001
- Belgian First Division: Best XI: 2004–05, 2007–08
- Belgian First Division: Best Foreign Player: 2003–05
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2006
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2005
Images for kids
-
Onyewu with Málaga in 2012
-
Onyewu with the Philadelphia Union in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Oguchi Onyewu para niños
