Emeka Eneli
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chukwuemeka Somto Eneli | ||
| Date of birth | October 18, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Lansing, Michigan, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Salt Lake | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2017 | Columbus Crew | ||
| 2017–2018 | Ohio Premier | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2022 | Cornell Big Red | 60 | (20) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019-20 | Lionsbridge | 16 | (3) |
| 2022 | Flint City Bucks | 12 | (4) |
| 2023– | Real Salt Lake | 54 | (1) |
| 2023– | Real Monarchs | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 10, 2024 | |||
Chukwuemeka Somto "Emeka" Eneli (born October 18, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.
Career
[edit]Youth and college
[edit]Eneli was born in Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Dublin, Ohio was he was eight years old.[1] He attended Dublin Coffman High School, where he played one year of varsity soccer. He also played soccer with the Columbus Crew academy between 2012 and 2017, before spending a season with Ohio Premier, who he helped to the ENPL national title in 2018 and was named to the ECNL All-American and ECNL All-Midwest teams.[2][3][4]
In 2018, Eneli attended Cornell University graduating in 2022 with a major in Biological Engineering and a minor in Business. He played college soccer, serving as team captain in his junior and senior year. In four seasons with Big Red, including a canceled 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Eneli made 60 appearances, scoring 20 goals and tallying 17 assists. In 2021, Eneli earned All-Ivy League First Team and Second Team United Soccer Coaches Men's Northeast Region honors. 2022 saw Eneli named a Second Team All-American and helped Cornell qualify for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in nearly three decades.[2] Eneli earned 2018 Rookie of the Year for the Ivy League Mens Soccer conference. https://cornellbigred.com/news/2018/11/14/eneli-tabbed-ivy-mens-soccer-rookie-of-the-year-four-named-all-league.aspx. Eneli finished the season second in the Ivy League in points (16) and goals (7).
Professional career
[edit]While at college, Eneli also competed in the USL League Two. He spent 2019 and 2020 with Lionsbridge FC, scoring three goals in 16 games.[5] In 2022, he spent the season with Flint City Bucks, making 16 appearances across the regular season and playoffs, netting four goals and adding a single assist.[6]
Following the 2022 season, Eneli was announced as an eligible player in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.[7] Eneli was drafted by Real Salt Lake with the 25th pick of the first round.[8]
Eneli made his MLS debut for RSL on March 25, 2023, starting in a 4–0 loss at home to St. Louis City SC.[9][10] Eneli scored his first career MLS goal on March 9, 2024, in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.[11] On November 2, 2024, Eneli's second goal was his first MLS playoff goal, coming in a shootout loss to Minnesota United.[12]
Personal
[edit]Eneli holds both American and Nigerian citizenship.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Harris, Jonathan (September 17, 2018). "10 Questions With Men's Soccer's Emeka Eneli". The Cornell Daily Sun.
- ^ a b "Emeka Eneli - 2022-23 - Men's Soccer". Cornell University Athletics.
- ^ "TBT: The Inaugural ENPL National Champions – Ohio Premier Boys ECNL U18/U19". December 6, 2018.
- ^ DIRENNA, FRANK. "Soccer: Ohio Premier 19U boys capture national title". The Columbus Dispatch.
- ^ "Lionsbridge FC | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- ^ "Flint City Bucks | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- ^ "MLS SuperDraft 2023 eligible players | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
- ^ "MLS SuperDraft 2023 Draft Tracker". mlssoccer.com.
- ^ Keeley, Johnny. "Trio Of RSL Debutants Reflect On Experience | Real Salt Lake". rsl.com.
- ^ "RSLvsSTL 03-25-2023 | Real Salt Lake". rsl.com.
- ^ "Eneli Nets First RSL Goal in Home Loss, Gomez Also Impresses". rsl.com.
- ^ Obinyan, Daniel. "Emeka Eneli: The Light in the Darkness". rsl.com.
- ^ "Real Salt Lake Adds First-Round Pick Emeka Eneli To First-Team Roster | Real Salt Lake". rsl.
External links
[edit]- Emeka Eneli Real Salt Lake bio
- Emeka Eneli at Cornell University Athletics
- 1999 births
- Living people
- American men's soccer players
- African-American soccer players
- American sportspeople of Nigerian descent
- Men's association football defenders
- Cornell Big Red men's soccer players
- Flint City Bucks players
- Lionsbridge FC players
- Major League Soccer players
- MLS Next Pro players
- Real Monarchs players
- Real Salt Lake draft picks
- Real Salt Lake players
- Sportspeople from Dublin, Ohio
- People from Lansing, Michigan
- Soccer players from Michigan
- Soccer players from Ohio
- USL League Two players
- 21st-century American sportsmen