Matthew Olawale Olosunde (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Cymru Premier club The New Saints.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Olawale Olosunde[1] | ||
| Date of birth | March 7, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | The New Saints | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2012 | Princeton Futbol Club | ||
| 2012–2015 | New York Red Bulls | ||
| 2016–2019 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Rotherham United | 64 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Preston North End | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | The New Saints | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2015 | United States U17 | 30 | (0) |
| 2016 | United States U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 30, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of May 28, 2018 | |||
Club career
New York Red Bulls
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Olosunde began his career at New York Red Bulls Academy as a right-winger, and represented the club's under-16 and under-18 academy teams.[2]
On August 16, 2014, he played 71 minutes for the New York Red Bulls Reserves in a 1–0 win over the Wilmington Hammerheads in the United Soccer League.[3]
Having verbally committed to play college soccer at Duke University, Olosunde left the Red Bulls following the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to further his education.[2]
Manchester United
In January 2016, it was announced that Olosunde would join Premier League club Manchester United. It was reported that the club had offered him online courses at the University of Oxford to persuade him to join.[4] He received international clearance and officially joined the team on March 11.[5]
He initially joined the Under-18 set-up, and was promoted to the Under-23 team ahead of the 2016–17 season.[6] He made 18 appearances in his inaugural Premier League 2 campaign.[3]
In April 2017, Olosunde was nominated for the club's Goal of the Month Award for his solo effort against Real Salt Lake in the Dallas Cup.[7]
The following month, he traveled with the first team squad to Premier League games against Arsenal[8] and Tottenham Hotspur.[6] In June 2019, Olosunde was released by Manchester United.[9][10][11]
Rotherham United
On July 5, 2019, Olosunde signed a two-year contract with Rotherham United.[12][13] He scored his first goal for the club, and his first professional goal, in an FA Cup tie against Everton on January 9, 2021.[14] On June 7, 2021, it was announced that he would leave the club as a free agent at the end of the month, having turned down a new contract offer.[15]
Preston North End
On June 30, 2021, it was announced that Olosunde had agreed to join Preston North End on a two-year deal.[16] In his first year, Olosunde played in only 2 games after suffering from Achilles tendon and Groin injuries for most of the season.[17]
The New Saints
On February 16, 2024, Cymru Premier side The New Saints announced the signing of Olosunde on a one-year deal.[18]
International career
Olosunde has played for the United States at several youth levels. For the United States under-17, he played 22 matches and was part of the 21-player roster that represented United States at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. He only appeared in the team's first match against Nigeria.[19] Due to his heritage, he is also eligible to represent Nigeria at the international level.
He made his senior debut for the United States on May 28, 2018, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute against Bolivia.[20]
Career statistics
- As of August 23, 2022
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rotherham United | 2019–20[21] | League One | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| 2020–21[22] | Championship | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 1 | ||
| Preston North End | 2021–22[23] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022–23[24] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 66 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 1 | ||
References
External links
- Matthew Olosunde at Soccerway
- Matthew Olosunde at U.S. Soccer
- Matthew Olosunde – FIFA competition record (archived)
