Stephen Afrifa

Stephen Afrifa-Kodua (born February 19, 2001) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.

Stephen Afrifa
Personal information
Full name Stephen Afrifa-Kodua
Date of birth (2001-02-19) February 19, 2001
Place of birth Toronto, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Sporting Kansas City
Number 30
Youth career
0000–2019 Woodbridge Strikers
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 FIU Panthers 63 (23)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Woodbridge Strikers 2 (0)
2022 One Knoxville 10 (6)
2023– Sporting Kansas City 3 (0)
2023– Sporting Kansas City II 9 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 25, 2023

Career

Youth

Afrifa attended West Humber Collegiate Institute in Toronto,[1] also competing at club level with League1 Ontario side Woodbridge Strikers, who he made two senior appearances for in 2018.[2]

College and amateur

In 2019, Afrifa attended Florida International University to play college soccer. In four seasons with the Panthers, Afrifa made 63 appearances, scoring 23 goals and tallying 11 assists. He was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy[3] and was named an American Conference first-teamer and to the United Soccer Coaches' second-team All-American College Team.[4]

During his 2022 season, Afrifa also played in the USL League Two for One Knoxville SC, where he scored six goals in 10 regular season appearances, leading the first-year club to a first-place finish in the South Central Division and a run to the national quarterfinals.[5][6]

Professional

On December 21, 2022, Afrifa was selected 8th overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City.[7][8][9][10] Afrifa officially signed to the club's Major League Soccer roster on April 26, 2023.[6][11] He made his professional debut on May 17, 2023, appearing as a late substitute during a 1–1 draw with Los Angeles FC.[12]

Personal

Afrifa is of Ghanaian descent. He has a twin brother, Simon, who also played soccer at Florida International University alongside Stephen.[13]

References
  1. "Men's Soccer Welcomes Newcomers". FIU Athletics. May 11, 2023.
  2. "Woodbridge Strikers - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - # - Stephen Afrifa-Kodua -". www.league1ontario.com.
  3. Staff, USLLeagueTwo com (December 8, 2022). "MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists announced". USL League Two.
  4. "Stephen Afrifa - 2022 - Men's Soccer". FIU Athletics.
  5. "Newswire - Sporting KC sign first-round pick F Stephen Afrifa". next-wordpress-starter.spacejelly.dev.
  6. City, Sporting Kansas. "Sporting KC signs 22-year-old forward Stephen Afrifa". Sporting Kansas City.
  7. City, Sporting Kansas. "Sporting KC selects forward Stephen Afrifa and defender Chris Rindov in MLS SuperDraft 2023 presented by adidas". Sporting Kansas City.
  8. Bell, Thad (December 21, 2022). "Sporting Kansas City selects Stephen Afrifa with the eighth pick in the MLS SuperDraft". The Blue Testament.
  9. "Sporting KC selects Stephen Afrifa from FIU with No. 8 pick in annual MLS SuperDraft". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  10. "Canada's Bombito, Afrifa selected in top 10 of MLS SuperDraft". CBC. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  11. "Sporting KC sign first-round pick forward Stephen Afrifa". sportsnaut.com. April 26, 2023.
  12. City, Sporting Kansas. "LAFCvsSKC 05-17-2023". Sporting Kansas City.
  13. "FIU scorer Stephen Afrifa is up to speed as the Panthers' top scoring threat". Miami Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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