Tesho Akindele facts for kids
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Akindele with Canada in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tesho Akindele | ||
| Date of birth | March 31, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward, winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Des Moines Menace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013 | Real Colorado Foxes | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2018 | FC Dallas | 133 | (24) |
| 2019–2022 | Orlando City SC | 104 | (19) |
| 2022 | → Orlando City B (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2024– | Des Moines Menace | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 139 | (44) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009 | Canada U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2021 | Canada | 19 | (3) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Tesho Akindele (born March 31, 1992) is a Canadian and American former professional soccer player. He played most of his career for FC Dallas and Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer (MLS). Tesho was known for being a forward and a winger.
Contents
Tesho Akindele's Soccer Journey
Starting Out in Soccer
Tesho Akindele was born in Canada. His father was from Nigeria and his mother was Canadian. When he was eight years old, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in Thornton, Colorado.
Tesho was a great player at Northglenn High School. He even turned down a chance to join the Colorado Rapids soccer academy. He wanted to focus on his schoolwork instead.
College Soccer Star
Tesho played college soccer for four years at the Colorado School of Mines. He became the school's top goal scorer ever, with 76 goals! He was named an All-American four times.
In 2012, he scored 22 goals, which was the second-highest in the whole country. He was also named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year. Tesho was the first player in his college conference to score three "hat tricks" (three goals in one game) in a row.
Before joining a big team, Tesho also played one game for a club called Real Colorado Foxes in 2013.
Playing for FC Dallas
On January 16, 2014, FC Dallas chose Tesho in the first round of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. He was the highest-chosen player from a smaller college division (NCAA Division II) in MLS history.
Tesho played his first professional game on April 12, 2014. He scored seven goals in 26 games during his first year. Because of his great performance, Tesho was named the MLS Rookie of the Year. This award goes to the best new player in the league.
Time with Orlando City
On December 9, 2018, FC Dallas traded Tesho to Orlando City SC. He scored a goal in his very first game for Orlando City, which was a 2-2 tie against New York City FC.
In 2021, Tesho made history for Orlando City. He scored a goal just 31 seconds into a game against FC Cincinnati. This was the fastest goal ever scored for Orlando City at that time!
Tesho played for Orlando City until November 2022. He was second in the number of games played for the club and sixth in goals scored. In December 2022, Tesho announced that he was retiring from professional soccer.
Playing for Des Moines Menace
In April 2024, Tesho decided to play soccer again. He joined Des Moines Menace for a match in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.
Tesho's International Career
Representing Canada
Tesho first played for Canada's U-17 national team in 2009. He played in a friendly game against Costa Rica.
Later, in 2014, there was talk that Tesho might play for the United States. However, in April 2015, Canada's coach said Tesho would "99.9 percent" play for Canada.
Tesho officially joined the Canada national team in June 2015. He played his first game for Canada on June 11 against Dominica. He scored his first goal for Canada on June 16 in the next game against Dominica. Canada won that game 4-0.
He scored his second goal for Canada in June 2016, during a 1-1 tie with Azerbaijan. In 2021, Tesho was called up to play for Canada in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He helped Canada reach the semi-finals.
Tesho's Life Off the Field
Tesho Akindele is married to Taylor, who is an accountant. They have two children together. Tesho has two college degrees: one in engineering and another in finance.
Tesho is also interested in how cities are built and grow. He supports ideas like mixed-use development (where buildings have both homes and shops) and making housing more affordable for everyone. He often shares his ideas about these topics on social media.
Awards and Achievements
Team Awards
FC Dallas
- Supporters' Shield: 2016 (This award goes to the team with the best record in the MLS regular season.)
- U.S. Open Cup: 2016 (A yearly knockout soccer competition in the United States.)
Orlando City
- U.S. Open Cup: 2022
Individual Awards
- MLS Rookie of the Year: 2014 (Award for the best new player in Major League Soccer.)
See also
In Spanish: Tesho Akindele para niños
