Amro Tarek
Amr Tarek Abdel-Aziz (Arabic: عمرو طارق; born May 17, 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a defender. Tarek has also been capped for the Egyptian national team.
![]() Tarek with the New York Red Bulls in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Amr Tarek Abdel-Aziz | ||
Date of birth | May 17, 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States | ||
Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
1999–2009 | Asyut Cement | ||
2009–2010 | ENPPI | ||
2010–2011 | 1. FC Magdeburg | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011–2012 | SC Freiburg II | 15 | (0) |
2012–2013 | VfL Wolfsburg II | 20 | (1) |
2013–2015 | El Gouna | 45 | (0) |
2015–2016 | Betis | 0 | (0) |
2016 | → Columbus Crew (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2016–2017 | ENPPI | 23 | (0) |
2017–2018 | Wadi Degla | 11 | (0) |
2018 | → Orlando City (loan) | 20 | (1) |
2019–2021 | New York Red Bulls | 46 | (1) |
2019 | New York Red Bulls II | 1 | (0) |
2021–2022 | El Gouna | 24 | (1) |
2022–2023 | Al Masry | 7 | (0) |
2023 | Austin FC | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2011 | Egypt U20 | 2 | (0) |
2017– | Egypt | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 September 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 October 2018 |
Club career
Early career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Tarek moved to Egypt at early age, settling in Asyut. After being coached by a German manager at Asyut Cement, he joined ENPPI Club in 2009, aged 17; at that time he was mainly used as a striker.[1]
In May 2010 Tarek moved to Europe, joining German side FC Magdeburg. Initially on a trial basis, he was subsequently offered a contract and was assigned to the under-19 squad.
In the 2011 summer Tarek joined SC Freiburg, being assigned to the reserves in Regionalliga.[2] He scored the first in a 6–0 victory over Serbian side OFK Beograd in the 2011 Lev Yashin Cup final, also featuring regularly during the campaign; he was also converted initially to a left winger and later to a left back in the process.
On 3 May 2012 Tarek signed for another reserve team, VfL Wolfsburg II.[3] Despite extending his contract with the club roughly a year later,[4] he moved to Hajduk Split in August on a trial basis,[5] and after nothing came of it, he returned to the United States in September and played 82 minutes in a 4–1 MLS Reserve League win for Chivas USA Reserves against Portland Timbers Reserves.
El Gouna
After an unsuccessful trial with German side Bayern Munich, Tarek signed with El Gouna in January 2014. He made his debut for the club on 9 January, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 home loss against Smouha.
Tarek played 15 games in his first season, as his side finished fifth. He was also an undisputed starter in his second, before the league was put on hiatus due to political issues. In November 2014, Tarek underwent a trial with Swiss Super League side FC Luzern.[6] He was also linked to fellow league team Al Ahly SC,[7] but nothing came of it.
Betis
On 6 July 2015, Tarek signed a four-year deal with Real Betis, newly promoted to La Liga, for an undisclosed fee.[8]
On 13 June 2016, Real Betis announced the termination of Amro Tarek’s contract by mutual consent.[9]
Columbus Crew
On 2 February 2016, Betis announced that Tarek had joined Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer on loan until June 2016 with the option to extend the loan until December 2016.[10] Tarek struggled for playing time with Columbus, and was released by the club on May 5, 2016, after just a single substitute appearance.[11]
ENPPI
On 15 June 2016, just two days after his contract termination with Real Betis, Tarek returned to Egypt and signed a four-year deal with Ismaily.[12][13] However, the deal was terminated a month later before his registration was submitted, with Tarek joined fellow Egyptian Premier League side ENPPI.[14] After one season with ENPPI, Tarek terminated his deal.
Wadi Delga
In August 2017, after originally reaching an agreement to join Smouha SC, he signed with Wadi Degla SC for free instead.[15]
Orlando City
In February 2018 Tarek made his second loan move to Major League Soccer, this time joining Orlando City.[16] He made his first start in the season opener versus D.C. United and scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw against New England Revolution.
New York Red Bulls
![](../I/CINvNY_2019-05-25_-_Amro_Tarek_(47963186463)_(cropped).jpg.webp)
On 11 December 2018, it was announced that Tarek had been traded to New York Red Bulls in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[17] On 2 March 2019, Tarek made his official debut with the club, appearing as a starter in a 1–1 draw with Columbus Crew on the opening day of the season.[18] On 4 May 2019, Tarek opened the scoring for New York in a 3–2 victory over LA Galaxy. At the conclusion of the 2019 season he was named as the team's Newcomer of the Year.[19]
El Gouna
On 9 September 2021, Tarek moved to Egyptian Premier League side El Gouna on a 500k transfer + fees. [20]
Al Masry SC
On 27 September 2022, Tarek moved to Al Masry SC on a free transfer.
International career
Tarek was eligible for both the United States and Egypt. Having earned one cap for Egypt's Under-20 team, he was later monitored by the United States under-23s ahead of potential qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[23]
On March 28, 2017, he made his Egypt debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 friendly win over Togo. In May 2018, he was named in Egypt’s preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but didn't make the final 23-man roster.[24] It took 19 months for Tarek to gain his second cap and first international start, lining up against Eswatini in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 8 March 2023.[25]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | International | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
SC Freiburg II | 2011–12 | Regionalliga Süd | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
Wolfsburg II | 2012–13 | Regionalliga | 20 | 1 | — | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||
Total | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 1 | ||||
El Gouna | 2013–14 | Egyptian Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
2014–15 | 30 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||||
Total | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 0 | ||||
Columbus Crew (loan) | 2016 | MLS | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
ENPPI | 2016–17 | Egyptian Premier League | 23 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||
Wadi Degla | 2017–18 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
Orlando City (loan) | 2018 | MLS | 20 | 1 | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||
New York Red Bulls | 2019 | 20 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
2020 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
2021 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||||
Total | 100 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 105 | 2 | ||||
New York Red Bulls II (loan) | 2019 | USL Championship | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
El Gouna FC | 2021–22 | Egyptian Premier League | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||
Al Masry SC | 2022–23 | Egyptian Premier League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
Total | 32 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||||
Austin FC | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career total | 212 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 220 | 3 |
- Appearance(s) in Egypt Cup
- Appearance(s) in U.S. Open Cup
- Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
Honours
- SC Freiburg
- Lev Yashin Cup: 2011
References
- "Egyptian Youngster in German Youth Bundesliga". Egyptian Players. 5 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- "Talentförderung weiter im Fokus" [Continuous focus in the development of talents] (in German). Badische Zeitung. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- "Der VfL II testet US-Ägypter und Österreich-Ukrainer" [VfL II tests American-Egyptian and Austrian-Ukrainian] (in German). Wolfsburger Allgemeine. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- "Exclusive: Amro Tarek extends stay with Wolfsburg". King Fut. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- "Hajduk prvo izbacio Turnovo, sad im želi uzeti napadača..." [Hajduk knocks out Turnovo, now they want an attacker...] (in Croatian). 24 Sata. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- "Gouna's Amro Tarek to undergo trial with FC Luzern". King Fut. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- "Exclusive: Al Ahly interested in Gouna's Amro Tarek". King Fut. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- "Amro Tarek, tercer fichaje del Real Betis Balompié" [Amro Tarek, third signing of Real Betis Balompié] (in Spanish). Betis' official website. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- "Amro Tarek leaves Real Betis by mutual consent". King Fut. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- "Amro Tarek, cedido al Columbus Crew SC" (in Spanish). Real Betis. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- "Crew SC waives defender Amro Tarek". Columbus Crew. 5 May 2016.
- "Official: Ismaily announce signing of Amro Tarek". King Fut. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- "رسمياً … الإسماعيلى يتعاقد مع عمرو طارق مدافع ريال بيتيس الإسباني" [Official: Former Real Betis' defender Amro Tarek signs for Ismaily] (in Arabic). Ismaily. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- "Amro Tarek Terminates Ismaily Contract – KingFut". www.kingfut.com. 18 July 2016.
- "OFFICIAL: Amro Tarek completes move to Wadi Degla". kingfut.com. 7 August 2017.
- "Orlando City SC Acquires Center Back Amro Tarek On Loan". February 2, 2018.
- Culver, Jordan (December 11, 2018). "Orlando City sends centerback Amro Tarek to New York Red Bulls for fourth-round SuperDraft pick". Pro Soccer USA. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- "New York Red Bulls Grab Point in Columbus". March 2, 2019.
- "New York Red Bulls Announce 2019 Team Awards". November 8, 2019.
- "New York Red Bulls Transfer Amro Tarek to El Gouna FC | New York Red Bulls".
- Austin FC Signs Defender Amro Tarek
- "Austin FC waive defender Amro Tarek". www.AustinFC.com. Austin FC. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- "Amro Tarek – A Pharaoh among Wolves". King Fut. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – Final 23-man lists". goal.com. Goal. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- "Amro Tarek". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
External links
![](../I/Commons-logo.svg.png.webp)
- Amro Tarek at the Austin FC website
- Amro Tarek at the Major League Soccer website
- Amro Tarek at Soccerway