Stephen Afrifa
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Stephen Afrifa-Kodua | ||
Date of birth | February 19, 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Toronto, Ontario Canada | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Sporting Kansas City | ||
Number | 30 | ||
Youth career | |||
Rexdale SC | |||
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 SC | 13 | (8) |
2023– | Sporting Kansas City | 21 | (3) |
2023– | → Sporting Kansas City II (loan) | 10 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 24, 2024 |
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.
College career
[edit]In 2019, Afrifa began attending Florida International University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[1] He made his collegiate debut on August 30, 2019 against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.[2] The following day, he scored his first collegiate goal, in a victory over the James Madison Dukes.[3] After his junior season in 2021, he was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and the All-Southeast Region First Team.[4][5]
Ahead of his senior season in 2022, he was named to the United Soccer Coaches Watch List and the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team.[6][7] That season, he was twice named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week.[8][9] That season, he led the in goals scored with 10 and added four assists for a total of 24 points, which were all career highs for him.[10][11] He helped FIU to win the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and was named the AAC Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player and was named to the All-Tournament team.[12][13] At the end of the season he was named to the All-AAC First Team,[14] All-East Region First Team,[15] and the All-America Second Team.[16][17] He was also named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the top collegiate player of the season.[18] Over his four seasons, he scored 23 goals and added 11 assists in 63 appearances.[19][20]
Club career
[edit]In 2018, Afrifa played with the Woodbridge Strikers in League1 Ontario, making two appearances.[21]
In March 2022, he joined One Knoxville SC in USL League Two.[22] He scored 10 goals for the side between the season and the playoffs.[23]
In December 2022, he was selected in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City.[24][25] In April 2023, he signed a professional contract with the club for the 2023 season, with club options from 2024 to 2026.[26][27] He made his MLS debut on May 17, in a substitute appearance against Los Angeles FC.[28] He also spent some time that season with the second team, Sporting Kansas City II, in MLS Next Pro, scoring his first professional goal on July 2, in a 7-1 victory over Whitecaps FC 2.[29][30]
International career
[edit]On February 26, 2024, Afrifa was named to the Canada men's national soccer team provisional roster for the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago.[31]
Personal
[edit]Afrifa is of Ghanaian descent.[32] He has a twin brother, Simon, who also played soccer with him at FIU.[23]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played August 24, 2024[33]
Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Woodbridge Strikers | 2018[21] | League1 Ontario | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
One Knoxville SC | 2022 | USL League Two | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 10 | ||
Sporting Kansas City | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
2024 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 5 | ||
Total | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 4 | ||
Sporting Kansas City II (loan) | 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
Total | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
Career total | 45 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 53 | 15 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Men's Soccer Welcomes Newcomers". FIU Panthers. August 28, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers Rout Bonnies in Season Opener". FIU Panthers. August 31, 2019.
- ^ "FIU Downs No. 17 James Madison at Home". FIU Panthers. August 31, 2019.
- ^ "FIU Men's Soccer Garners 10 All-Conference USA Selections". FIU Panthers. November 9, 2021.
- ^ "FIU Places Four Panthers on United Soccer Coaches All-Region Teams". FIU Panthers. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Afrifa Named to United Soccer Coaches Watch List". FIU Panthers. August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Three Panthers Earn Preseason All-Conference Honors". FIU Panthers. August 23, 2022.
- ^ "Afrifa and Harr Named The American Players of the Week". FIU Panthers. September 5, 2022.
- ^ "September 19, 2023". FIU Panthers.
- ^ Carmenate, Achilles (December 21, 2023). "Stephen Afrifa Selected Eighth Overall by Sporting Kansas City in MLS SuperDraft". FIU Panthers.
- ^ "Stephen Afrifa FIU profile". FIU Panthers.
- ^ Bell, Thad (December 21, 2023). "Sporting Kansas City selects Stephen Afrifa with the eighth pick in the MLS SuperDraft". The Blue Testament.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (April 26, 2023). "Sporting KC signs 22-year-old forward Stephen Afrifa". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Carmenate, Achilles (November 9, 2022). "Men's Soccer Places Five on The American's All-Conference Teams". FIU Panthers.
- ^ Carmenate, Achilles (December 8, 2022). "Afrifa and Scheckermann Named to USC All-East Region Teams". FIU Panthers.
- ^ Carmenate, Achilles (December 8, 2022). "Stephen Afrifa Named United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America". FIU Panthers.
- ^ "Ahlander, Afrifa, Fazio Earn All-America Honors". American Athletic Conference. December 9, 2022.
- ^ Carmenate, Achilles (December 7, 2022). "Stephen Afrifa Named Hermann Trophy Semifinalist". FIU Panthers.
- ^ Sperry, Daniel (December 21, 2022). "Sporting KC selects Stephen Afrifa from FIU with No. 8 pick in annual MLS SuperDraft". The Kansas City Star.
- ^ "Canada's Bombito, Afrifa selected in top 10 of MLS SuperDraft". CBC Sports. December 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "Stephen Afrifa-Kodua 2018 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Morgan-Rumsey, Camruinn (March 8, 2022). "One Knoxville Sporting Club reveals player lineup, including 5 Knoxville natives". WVLT-TV.
- ^ a b Venkataraman, Karthik (July 29, 2022). "The brotherly connection for One Knoxville SC". WBIR-TV.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (December 21, 2023). "Sporting KC selects forward Stephen Afrifa and defender Chris Rindov in MLS SuperDraft 2023 presented by adidas". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Truong, Wilson (December 21, 2022). "Sporting KC selects forward Stephen Afrifa in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". KSHB-TV.
- ^ Smith, Chad (April 28, 2023). "Dom Dwyer Not Signing, Afrifa Signs, Open Cup Opponent". KC Soccer Journal.
- ^ "Sporting Kansas City sign forward Stephen Afrifa". Major League Soccer. April 26, 2023.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (May 18, 2023). "Recap: Russell nets equalizer as Sporting extends unbeaten run in 1-1 draw at LAFC". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Belzer, Jared (July 2, 2023). "Recap: Sporting KC II wipes out Whitecaps FC 2 7-1 at Rock Chalk Park". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Becker, Connor (July 3, 2023). "Sporting KC II opens July with 7-1 blowout over Whitecaps FC 2". Lawrence Journal-World.
- ^ "Concacaf Nations League Play-In preliminary rosters announced". Concacaf.com. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Villa, Walter (September 21, 2022). "FIU scorer Stephen Afrifa is up to speed as the Panthers' top scoring threat". Miami Herald.
- ^ Stephen Afrifa at Soccerway
External links
[edit]- Stephen Afrifa at Soccerway