Noble Okello

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Noble Okello
Personal information
Full name Noble Okello Ayo[1]
Date of birth (2000-07-20) July 20, 2000 (age 21)
Place of birth Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Toronto FC
Number 14
Youth career
North York Hearts
2012–2016 Toronto FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Toronto FC III 31 (1)
2017–2018 Toronto FC II 23 (0)
2019– Toronto FC 15 (1)
2019 → Toronto FC II 19 (0)
2020 → HB Køge (loan) 12 (1)
2021– → Toronto FC II 3 (1)
National team‡
2016 Canada U17 3 (0)
2018 Canada U20 5 (3)
2018 Canada U21 4 (0)
2020– Canada 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 7, 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of January 10, 2020

Noble Okello Ayo (born July 20, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

Early life[]

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Okello first began playing with the North York Hearts SC.[2] He was part of the Toronto FC youth system since the age of 12. On August 20, 2017, he was part of the U17 side that beat Juventus U17 to capture the inaugural International Youth Soccer Cup in dramatic fashion.[3]

Club career[]

Toronto FC[]

He played 16 games for Toronto FC III in League1 Ontario during the 2016 season and 13 games during the 2017 season, scoring once against ProStars FC.[4]

On September 15, 2017, Okello signed his first professional contract.[5] On October 6, 2017, he made his professional debut against Bethlehem Steel FC in the USL replacing Brian James in the 71st minute.[6][7]

Following the conclusion of USL season Okello was invited to train with VfL Wolfsburg. On January 10, 2018, he played a full 90 minutes for their U19 side in a 2–1 victory over Hallescher FC where he scored the equalizing goal in the 88th minute[8] On January 13, 2018, he played in a 4–1 win over BFC Dynamo at the Porschestadion and Thomas Reis described his performance as enthusiastic and satisfying.[9] He was recalled by his club to take part in first team pre season with 2017 Major League Soccer champions Toronto FC in Los Angeles starting on January 22, 2018.[10]

Okello made his first team debut on January 31, 2018, in a preseason friendly against Tijuana, coming on in the 61st minute to replace Michael Bradley in central midfield as the team was winning 3–2. The game finished in a 3–2 victory for Toronto.[11] On February 2, 2018, Okello started against Los Angeles FC in their first ever preseason game at Drake Stadium (UCLA), which finished 2–2.[12] On February 6, 2018, he travelled with the first team to Mexico for the second leg of their 2018 preseason with games scheduled against Liga MX clubs Pachuca, América and Cruz Azul.[13]

On April 6, 2018, it was reported that VfL Wolfsburg had made three separate transfer bids to sign Okello, which would see his club receive a six figure transfer fee in addition to appearance fees and sell on percentage fee. Toronto FC confirmed that an offer was received yet did not clarify why the bid was rejected.[14]

On April 18, 2018, Okello made his first start of the 2018 USL season, playing the full 90 minutes and helping his team pick up its first points of the season and clean sheet in a 0–0 draw at BMO Field.[15] He finished the game with an 87.3% pass success rate.[16]

On September 16, 2018, Okello started and played the full 90 minutes in front of 27,275 fans at Nippert Stadium against FC Cincinnati in a thrilling game that finished 4–3.[17]

Okello was promoted to the Toronto FC first team on January 22, 2019.[18] He made his first-team debut for Toronto on August 14 against Ottawa Fury FC in the second leg of their 2019 Canadian Championship semi-final series.[19]

He made his MLS debut on July 21, 2020, against the New England Revolution.[20] He got loaned to the second team for some matches in 2021.[21] He scored his first goal for TFCII on June 30, converting a penalty kick against Tormenta FC.[22] Upon completion of the 2021 season, Okello's option for the 2022 season would be picked up by Toronto.[23]

Loan to HB Køge[]

On September 25, 2020, Okello was sent out on loan to Danish 1st Division club HB Køge, the same club that his teammate Rocco Romeo was also loaned out to.[24] On September 30, he made his debut for Køge, coming on as a second-half substitute and scored a goal from 35 metres out.[25][26]

International career[]

Youth[]

Okello has represented Canada U17 and was part of their 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship campaign coached by former Werder Bremen and Tottenham Hotspur full back Paul Stalteri.[27]

In May 2018, Okello was called up to the Canadian U21 side for the 2018 Toulon Tournament.[28] On May 28, 2018, he started in the Group C game against Portugal U20 which finished 0–0.[29] In October 2018, Okello was named to the Canadian U20 squad for the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[30] He scored a brace in the tournament opener against Dominica, a 4–0 victory.[31]

Okello was named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on February 26, 2020.[32]

Senior[]

Okello was named to the Canadian senior team's provisional 40-man roster for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[33] He was named to the final squad on May 30.[34]

Okello made his senior debut on January 7, 2020, against Barbados as a substitute in a 4–1 victory.[35]

Style of play[]

Because of his height, technical ability and range of passing Okello has been likened to Paul Pogba.[36] The TFC Prospect report and former Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney describe him as having the "ability to control the ball and play short, long and fast whilst under pressure. He is calm and little seems to faze him. When Okello roams, he is capable of covering a lot of ground — with or without the ball — quickly. His technique with both feet enables him to glide past opponents without breaking stride".[37]

Personal life[]

Okello's uncle, Anthony Atine,[38] is a Brampton, Ontario resident who is originally from Uganda and has been the president of the Canada-Africa Soccer Friendship Association.[39] His cousin, Tony Awor,[38] is a UK-based soccer agent and consultant.[40] Through Awor, he is a distant cousin of Ugandan former international player David Obua.[40]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of November 21, 2021[41]
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Toronto FC III 2016 League1 Ontario 16 0 — — 1 0 — 17 0
2017 13 1 — — 0 0 — 13 1
2018 2 0 — — 1 0 — 3 0
Total 31 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 33 1
Toronto FC II 2017 USL 1 0 — — — — 1 0
2018 22 0 — — — — 22 0
2019 USL League One 19 0 — — — — 19 0
2021 3 1 — — — — 3 1
Total 45 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 1
Toronto FC 2019 MLS 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 0 0 1 0
2020 1[a] 0 0 0 0 0 — — 1 0
2021 14 1 — 3 1 — 3[b] 0 20 2
Total 15 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 3 0 22 2
HB Køge (loan) 2020–21 1st Division 12 1 — 2 0 0 0 — 14 1
Career total 103 4 0 0 6 1 2 0 3 0 114 5
  1. ^ Includes one appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament group stage.
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the CONCACAF Champions League.

International[]

As of January 16, 2020
Canada
Year Apps Goals
2020 2 0
Total 2 0

References[]

  1. ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: Canada" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 2. Retrieved May 20, 2019 – via Bernews.
  2. ^ "Notable Hearts Alumnni". North York Hearts.
  3. ^ "U-17s beat Juventus to capture International Youth Soccer Cup!". Toronto FC. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. ^ "TFC III at ProStars FC - 2017 Regular Season". league1ontario.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "Dunn, Okello, and Romeo sign first pro deals". Toronto FC. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  6. ^ "Toronto II vs. Bethlehem Steel - 7 October 2017". Soccerway. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. ^ "Noble Okello". YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  8. ^ "U19 dreht Spiel kurz vor Schluss". VfL Wolfsburg. January 10, 2018.
  9. ^ "Testspielerfolge" (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. January 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "Toronto FC Announce 2018 Preseason Roster". Toronto FC. January 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Toronto FC: 61' TFC SUBS". Twitter. January 31, 2018.
  12. ^ "LAFC tie first-ever preseason friendly 2-2 against Toronto FC". angelsonparade.com. February 2, 2018.
  13. ^ "Toronto FC's two-pronged preseason approach logical". wakingthered.com. February 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "Canadian youth international Okello attracting attention from Bundesliga". Soc Takes. April 6, 2018.
  15. ^ "Toronto II vs. North Carolina". Soccerway. April 19, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Noble Okello Ayo". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
  17. ^ "FC Cincinnati Escapes With Win Over Toronto FC II". cincinnatisoccertalk.com. Cincinnati Soccer Talk. September 16, 2018. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "Toronto FC sign Noble Okello". Toronto FC. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  19. ^ "Toronto FC 3, Ottawa Fury 0 - 2019 Canadian Championship Match Recap". August 14, 2019.
  20. ^ "Toronto FC's Noble Okello makes his MLS debut against New England". Major League Soccer. July 21, 2020.
  21. ^ "Toronto FC loan Noble Okello to Toronto FC II". Toronto FC. June 30, 2021.
  22. ^ Steiner, Ben (July 1, 2021). "TFC II finish busy stretch with a win against South Georgia Tormenta". Waking the Red.
  23. ^ "Toronto FC Announce Year-End Roster Decisions". Toronto FC. December 1, 2021.
  24. ^ HB Køge lejer canadisk landsholdsspiller i Toronto FC, hbkoge.dk, September 25, 2020
  25. ^ "Okello om flot debutmål: "Rent instinkt"" [Okello on great debut goal: "Pure instinct"]. HB Køge (in Danish). October 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "Noble Okello sparkede sig ind i HB Køges historiebøger" [Noble Okello kicked himself into HB Køge's history books]. HB Køge (in Danish). October 1, 2020.
  27. ^ "Canada announces squad for CONCACAF Men's Under-17 Championship". Canada Soccer. April 11, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  28. ^ "Canada's next generation will be on display at the Toulon Tournament". wakingthered.com. Vox Media. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  29. ^ "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi". festival-foot-espoirs.com. Festival Espoirs Football Tournoi. May 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
  30. ^ "Canada announces squad for the Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship". October 24, 2018.
  31. ^ Sandor, Steven (November 2, 2018). "Canada triumphs over Dominica in U20 Championship opener".
  32. ^ "Canada Soccer announces Provisional List for Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying". Canada Soccer. February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  33. ^ Bogert, Tom (May 20, 2019). "Canada men's national team 40-man provisional roster for 2019 Gold Cup".
  34. ^ "Together We Rise: Canada Soccer announces squad for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup". May 30, 2019.
  35. ^ "HIGHLIGHTS: CanMNT begins 2020 with a win in friendly vs. Barbados". January 7, 2019.
  36. ^ "Noble Okello". YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  37. ^ "Prospect Report: Noble Okello". mailchi.mp. The TFC Report. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Noble Okello at the Canadian Soccer Association (also available in French)
  39. ^ Maher, Eamonn (April 5, 2006). "Local students aiding Ugandan peers" (PDF). OurOntario.ca. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  40. ^ a b Martinuzzi, Edoardo (January 7, 2015). "“For me Kaizer Chiefs is one of the biggest clubs in all of Africa, so when the opportunity presented itself, we had to look at it.” – Tony Awor". Soccer Laduma. Retrieved June 2, 2019. I have some family in Uganda and coincidentally former Kaizer Chiefs player David Obua is a cousin of mine.
  41. ^ Noble Okello at Soccerway

External links[]

Retrieved from ""