Chituru Ethan Odunze (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Leicester City.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chituru Ethan Odunze[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-10-14) October 14, 2002 (age 19) | ||
| Place of birth | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Leicester City | ||
| Number | 51 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2007 | Kingfishers | ||
| 2008 | Thames Moorings | ||
| 2009–2010 | Royal Greenwich | ||
| 2010–2013 | Chelsea | ||
| 2014 | Calgary Villains | ||
| 2015 | Calgary Blizzard | ||
| 2015–2016 | Calgary Foothills | ||
| 2017–2019 | Vancouver Whitecaps | ||
| 2019– | Leicester City | ||
| National team‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | United States U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2020 | United States U20 | 1 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 11, 2020 | |||
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina,[2] Odunze moved to England as a child and played for local youth teams before spending time in the Chelsea academy.[3][4] He moved to Canada when he was eleven and played for local sides Calgary Villains and Calgary Blizzard.[2] During this time, he went on trial with Welsh side Cardiff City, training with the first team despite only being fourteen.[2][5]
In January 2019, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps from the Calgary Foothills.[4]
In 2019, Odunze signed with English side Leicester City.[6] He has since trained with the senior squad.[7]
Chituru is of Igbo Nigerian descent.[citation needed]
Odunze is eligible for the United States, England, Canada, and Nigeria. He was called up to the Canada under-15 side in 2017 but has represented the United States at under-17 and under-20 levels.[8] He represented the United States at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, playing in two group-stage games.[2]
In November 2020, Odunze was called up to the senior United States national team for the first time.[9][10]
Leicester City F.C. – current squad | |
|---|---|