Willis Forko
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 November 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Monrovia, Liberia | ||
| Date of death | 8 November 2021 (aged 37) | ||
| Place of death | Houston, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002 | South Carolina Gamecocks | ||
| 2003–2005 | UConn Huskies | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Real Salt Lake | 38 | (0) |
| 2008 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Bodø/Glimt | 60 | (0) |
| 2010 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | Houston Rangers | ||
| National team | |||
| 2008 | Liberia | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Willis Forko (12 November 1983 – 8 November 2021[1]) was a Liberian-American professional footballer who played as a left-back.
Career[]
Youth and college[]
Although born in Liberia, Forko and his family moved to Houston, Texas when he was three years old. He began his collegiate soccer career at the University of South Carolina in 2002. He played one season there before transferring to the University of Connecticut. At UConn he appeared in 65 matches, notching three goals and 15 assists, and was twice named to the Third Team All Big East.
Professional[]
Forko was selected in the second round, 14th overall, of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft by Real Salt Lake. He went on to play 38 games for RSL in their first two seasons in Major League Soccer, before leaving the club at the end of the 2007 season.
Forko signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division in 2008, but a month after signing with the Whitecaps, it was announced that Forko had been transferred to the Norwegian Premier League side FK Bodø/Glimt. He went on to spend two seasons playing in the Tippeligaen, making 60 appearances for the team.
Forko returned to Vancouver in 2010 with hopes of joining the club in its move to the Major League Soccer in 2011.[2] He made his first appearance for the Whitecaps on August 29, 2010 in a 2–2 tie with the Austin Aztex.[3]
Forko died on 8 November 2021, four days before what would have been his 38th birthday.[1][4]
Personal life[]
Forko's older brother, Sam Forko, played in Major League Soccer for the MetroStars in 2003.
References[]
- ^ a b Memorial page
- ^ "Whitecaps sign left back Forko". The Province. August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ^ "USSF Division-2 Pro League". ussf.demosphere.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Tidligere Glimt-spiller er død, Nettavisen (12 November 2021)
External links[]
- Willis Forko – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Willis Forko at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1983 births
- 2021 deaths
- African-American soccer players
- American soccer players
- Association football fullbacks
- Liberia international footballers
- FK Bodø/Glimt players
- Liberian emigrants to the United States
- Major League Soccer players
- Eliteserien players
- Sportspeople from Monrovia
- Real Salt Lake players
- Soccer players from Houston
- South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer players
- UConn Huskies men's soccer players
- Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players
- USSF Division 2 Professional League players
- Real Salt Lake draft picks
- American expatriate soccer players
- American expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- Expatriate soccer players in Canada
- American expatriate sportspeople in Norway
- Expatriate footballers in Norway
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American people