Chituru Odunze

Chituru Ethan Odunze (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for MLS Next Pro club Crown Legacy FC.

Chituru Odunze
Personal information
Full name Chituru Ethan Odunze[1]
Date of birth (2002-10-14) October 14, 2002
Place of birth Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Crown Legacy FC
Number 26
Youth career
2007 Kingfishers
2008 Thames Moorings
2009–2010 Royal Greenwich
2010–2013 Chelsea
2014 Calgary Villains
2015 Calgary Blizzard SC
2015–2016 Calgary Foothills
2017–2019 Vancouver Whitecaps
2019–2023 Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Crown Legacy 3 (0)
International career‡
2018–2019 United States U17 5 (0)
2020 United States U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 17, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 11, 2020

Early life

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 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

On August 2, 2023, Odunze signed a professional contract with Crown Legacy FC in MLS Next Pro.[8]

Personal life

Chituru is of Igbo Nigerian descent.

International

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.[9] 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.[10][11]

References
  1. "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.
  2. Frain, Riley (November 6, 2020). "November Camp Spotlight: Chituru Odunze". onegoal.us. Archived from the original on 2020-11-06. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  3. "Player Bio - Chituru Odunze". ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  4. "Profile". whitecapsfc.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  5. Sousa, Justin (May 27, 2020). "After a long youth journey, Odunze progressing at Leicester City". americansoccernow.com. Archived from the original on 2020-05-31. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. Sigal, Jonathan (August 9, 2019). "Vancouver Whitecaps transfer goalkeeper Chituru Odunze to Leicester City". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-04. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  7. 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 2019-11-23. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. FC, Crown Legacy. "Crown Legacy FC Signs U.S. Youth International Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze from Leicester City". Crown Legacy FC.
  9. Tomes, Elliott (April 16, 2019). "Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze a star in the making for Vancouver Whitecaps FC". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  10. 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 2020-11-11. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. Blum, Ronald (November 3, 2020). "Gio Reyna among 10 players who could make US debuts at Wales". sfchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved November 11, 2020.


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