Francis Okaroh (born August 25, 1963 in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) is a retired

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender. Playing professionally in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, he began his career indoors with the Cleveland Force in 1987–88 before spending five seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

(1996–1997), Chicago Fire (1998–1999) and

Miami Fusion The Miami Fusion was a professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They played in Major League Soccer (MLS) for four seasons, from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one of the league's first two expansion teams, their best seas ...

(2000). He was a starting defender in the inaugural campaigns for both the Revolution and Fire, winning

MLS Cup '98 MLS Cup 1998 was the third edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. It took place on October 25, 1998, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with an attendance of 51,350 people. The ...

with the latter. He has been an assistant coach with the men's soccer program at his alma mater

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

since 2007.Francis Okaroh (biography) – Boston University Athletics.
/ref>

Player

College

Okaroh played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

in the United States at

(BU) from 1982 to 1986. He was a 1986 Second Team All American. He was inducted into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Professional

In November 1987, Okaroh signed with the Cleveland Force of Major Indoor Soccer League. He played only one season with the Force. In 1995, Okaroh played for the amateur Lowell Blues of the Luso-American Soccer Association. In 1996, in preparation for the upcoming

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

season, Okaroh signed with the

Cape Cod Crusaders Cape Cod Crusaders were an American association football, soccer team based in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1994, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyrami ...

of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In July 1996, Okaroh was called up to the

and played there for two years, until he was taken by the Chicago Fire in the

1997 MLS Expansion Draft The 1997 MLS Expansion Draft was held November 6, 1997. Two teams participated, the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion F.C., both expansion Major League Soccer clubs starting play in the 1998 season. Format Each team in the league made ten players, in ...

. During his time with the Revolution, he earned defender of the year awards in 1997 and 1998. He then helped the Fire to the 1998

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

and

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

double. In 2000, he was traded to the

and spent a season there before a trade to the MetroStars. He never played for the latter club, and was waived before the 2001 season.

Coach

In the early 1990s, Okaroh coached the Norwood High School boys' soccer team. Currently, he runs Francis Okaroh's Ultimate Soccer Academy in

New Hampton, New Hampshire New Hampton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,377 at the 2020 census. A winter sports resort area, New Hampton is home to George Duncan State Forest and to the New Hampton School, a private prepara ...

. In 2007, he became an assistant coach with the Boston University men's soccer team. With his brother Ben, he founded FC Blazers, a youth soccer club based in Massachusetts.

References

External links

Francis Okaroh's Ultimate Soccer Academy
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okaroh, Francis 1963 births Living people Boston University alumni Boston University Terriers men's soccer players Cape Cod Crusaders players Chicago Fire FC players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major League Soccer players Miami Fusion players New England Revolution players Nigerian footballers Nigerian expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in the United States USISL players Footballers from Enugu Association football defenders