Oguchi Onyewu facts for kids

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Oguchi Onyewu

Onyewu with the Philadelphia Union in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Oguchialu Chijioke Onyewu
Date of birth	(1982-05-13) May 13, 1982 (age 43)
Place of birth	Washington, D.C., United States
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Position(s)	Center back
Youth career
1999	IMG Academy
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Clemson Tigers	43	(12)
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)
International career
1999	United States U17	5	(2)
2001	United States U20	4	(0)
2004–2014	United States	69	(6)
Managerial career
2018–2020	Orlando City B (sporting director)
2021–2022	R.E. Virton (secretary general)
2023–	United States Soccer Federation (assistant sporting director)
Medal record Representing  United States FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2009 South Africa Team CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2005 Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013 Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 Men's Soccer
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Oguchialu Chijioke Onyewu (born May 13, 1982) is a former American 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. After retiring, he became the Vice President of Sporting for the United States Soccer Federation.

During his career, Onyewu played in France, Belgium, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. He played over 60 games for the U.S. national team. He also represented the United States in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

Club Career Highlights

Starting in College and Europe

Oguchi Onyewu grew up in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. He went to Sherwood High School. He also joined the U.S. residency program for soccer players in Florida. After high school, he played college soccer for two years at Clemson University.

In 2002, he moved to Europe. He signed with FC Metz in France. The next year, he was loaned to La Louvière in Belgium.

Success with Standard Liège

Onyewu joined Standard Liège in Belgium in 2004. He quickly became a key player for the team. In 2005, he was named the Belgian league's Best Foreign Player. He was also chosen for the league's Best XI team.

In January 2007, he went on loan to Newcastle United in England. He played 11 games for them. After this loan, he returned to Standard Liège.

His performance continued to improve at Standard Liège. He helped the team win the Belgian league title in 2008. They went on a 29-game unbeaten streak that season. He was again named to the Belgian league Best XI. In the 2008–09 season, he helped Standard win their second straight league title.

Time with Milan and Twente

In July 2009, Onyewu signed a three-year contract with A.C. Milan in Italy. He made his debut in a Champions League game. However, he got a knee injury while playing for the national team. This injury caused him to miss most of the 2009–10 season.

After his injury, Milan extended his contract for another year. He even asked for no salary for this extension. In November 2010, he had a disagreement with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović during practice. The club reported that they later resolved their issue.

In January 2011, Onyewu was loaned to FC Twente in the Netherlands. He played 14 games for them. He also helped Twente win the KNVB Cup that season.

Playing in Portugal and Spain

Onyewu with Málaga in 2012

In June 2011, Onyewu moved to Sporting CP in Portugal. He signed a three-year deal. He became a regular starter for Sporting CP. He scored his first goal for the team in September 2011.

He played 31 games and scored five goals in his first season. He helped Sporting CP reach the Portuguese Cup final.

In August 2012, Onyewu was loaned to Málaga in Spain. He made his debut in a Champions League match against his former club, A.C. Milan. He scored two goals for Málaga in the Copa del Rey cup competition. However, he only played nine games for Málaga that season.

He returned to Sporting in 2013, but his contract was ended by agreement.

Back to England and America

In October 2013, Onyewu signed with Queens Park Rangers in England. He did not play any games for them. In January 2014, he joined Sheffield Wednesday. He played 18 games and scored one goal.

In October 2014, he signed with Charlton Athletic. He played three games before being released in May 2015.

Onyewu with the Philadelphia Union in 2017

In 2017, Onyewu returned to the United States. He signed with the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He became a regular starter, playing 22 games and scoring one goal. He was released by the Union at the end of the 2017 season.

Retirement from Soccer

In September 2018, Oguchi Onyewu announced 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. at different youth levels, including the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He first played for the senior national team on October 13, 2004.

He scored his first international goal in the 2005 Gold Cup. He scored the winning goal in the semifinal against Honduras. He was also named to the tournament's Best XI team.

Oguchi played in all three of the United States' games at the 2006 World Cup. He was voted the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2006. 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, which helped them reach the semifinals. He also played very well in the 2–0 win against Spain in the semifinal.

In October 2009, he suffered a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifying game. This injury kept him out of play for a long time.

He returned to play in the 2010 World Cup. He started in the first two group matches for the United States.

Personal Life

Oguchi Onyewu's parents moved to the United States from Nigeria. They are from the Igbo people group in Nigeria. 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, standing at 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm). He is one of the tallest outfield players in the history of the U.S. national team.

Onyewu is a Global Ambassador for Grassroot Soccer. This organization uses soccer to teach young people about health and life skills.

Business Interests

In 2017, Onyewu helped open a sports training center in Richmond, Virginia.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Onyewu goal.

List of international goals scored by Oguchi Onyewu

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	July 21, 2005	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	Honduras	2–1	2–1	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2.	June 2, 2007	Spartan Stadium, San Jose, United States	China	4–1	4–1	Friendly
3.	February 6, 2008	Reliant Stadium, Houston, United States	Mexico	1–0	2–2	Friendly
4.	March 26, 2008	Stadion Miejski, Kraków, Kraków, Poland	Poland	2–0	3–0	Friendly
5.	October 11, 2008	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States	Cuba	6–1	6–1	2010 World Cup qualifying
6.	October 9, 2010	Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, United States	Poland	2–1	2–2	Friendly

Awards and 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 National Team

• 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

See also

In Spanish: Oguchi Onyewu para niños