J.C. Ngando

Jean-Claude "J.C." Ngando Mbende (born 20 November 1999) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vancouver Whitecaps.

J.C. Ngando
Personal information
Full name Jean-Claude Ngando Mbende
Date of birth (1999-11-20) 20 November 1999
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Vancouver Whitecaps
Number 26
Youth career
Amiens
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2022 UNC Greensboro Spartans 38 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Amiens II 36 (3)
2020 Paris FC II 1 (0)
2022 South Georgia Tormenta 2 11 (5)
2023– Vancouver Whitecaps 2 (0)
2023– → Whitecaps FC 2 (loan) 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:38, 09 May 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Born in Douala, Cameroon, Ngando moved to France at the age of seven where he would go on to play second team football for Paris FC and Amiens SC.[1][2] With football in Europe suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic and no professional contract he evaluated his options and decided to look for a new opportunity which he later called “the best decision of my life”.[3] He then attended University of North Carolina Greensboro after being assisted into a scholarship by the FFFUSA programme.[4] He was named the 2021 South Conference Freshman of the Year, and in 2022 was the South Conference Player of the Year, and he was chosen for both the NCAA Division I All American First Team and All-South Region First Team. In 2021 he had scored 5 goals in 15 appearances, and in 2022 in 23 matches Ngando scored 4 goals and was credited with 14 assists.[5]

Career

At the 2023 MLS SuperDraft Vancouver traded with Houston Dynamo the No. 13 pick as well as $225,000 in General Allocation Money ($125,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024) in order to get the No. 5 pick with which they chose Ngando.[6] He was given a Generation Adidas contract and had the honour of being the highest ever drafted player from the UNCG programme.[7]

Ngando made his Vancouver debut against Real C.D. España, in a 2023 CONCACAF Champions League home round-of-16 tie which Vancouver won 5-0 on March 9, 2023.[8] He made his MLS debut appearing as a substitute away at Minnesota United in a 1–1 draw with Vancouver on March 25, 2023.[9]

References
  1. "Jean-Claude Ngando "The United States the land of opportunities"". Actuafoot.com.
  2. "Whitecaps FC Select Four Players in 2023 MLS SuperDraft Presented by Adidas". Oursportscentral.com.
  3. "The Vancouver Whitecaps 2023 SuperDraft Review". Lastwordonsports.com.
  4. "With FFFUSA, Basile-Marc and Jean-Claude Ngando live their "American Dream"". Actuafoot.com.
  5. "Whitecaps trade up to 5th pick to acquire Ngando in MLS draft". Area51sportsnet.com.
  6. "Vancouver Whitecaps select J.C. Ngando after MLS SuperDraft trade with Houston Dynamo". MLSSoccer.com.
  7. "UNCG's Ngando and Conley drafted in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Greensborosports.com.
  8. Karstens-Smith, Gemma (March 9, 2023). "Vancouver Whitecaps trounce Real CD Espana 5-0 in CONCACAF Champions League play". The Canadian Press.
  9. "MINNESOTA UNITED VS. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS 1-1". Soccerway. March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.

J.C. Ngando at Soccerway

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