Katlego "Tsiki" Ntsabeleng (born 9 February 1998) is a South African

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 ...

player who plays for FC Dallas in

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 ...

Career

Youth and college

Born in Daveyton in South Africa, Ntsabeleng spent time with various clubs in South Africa including the Stars of Africa Academy team, which he joined in 2014. Ntsabeleng also appeared for the reserve teams of

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) are a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Lords" or "Chie ...

and Mamelodi Sundowns, before attending the University of Johannesburg, where he also played soccer. In 2018, Ntsabeleng moved to the United States to play college soccer at Coastal Carolina University. In two seasons with the Chanticleers, he made 28 appearances, scoring nine goals and tallying eight assists. In his junior season, he earned All-Sun Belt First Team, Sun Belt Championship All-Tournament Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region, and the Sun Belt's Newcomer of the Year. In 2019, he was again named Sun Belt First Team All-Conference. After earning his degree, Ntsabeleng enrolled in a graduate program at Oregon State University where he played seasons with the Beavers, netting six goals and tallying ten assists in 25 appearances. He was named All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Far West Region First Team in his senior season. While at college, Ntsabeleng played with USL League Two side

Reading United Reading United AC is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club plays its home games at Don Thomas Stadium on the campus of ...

during their 2019 season. He made five appearances for the team, finishing with a single assist to his name.

Professional

On 11 January 2022, Ntsabeleng was selected 28th overall in the

2022 MLS SuperDraft The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was the 23rd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season and has been conducted via conference calls since 2020. Previously, the Su ...

by FC Dallas. On 11 February 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the club. Dallas head coach Nico Estevez cited Ntsabeleng's dynamism and dribbling: “He's very dynamic type of player. Really good energy. He plays with good tempo... and then his ability to be balanced with the ball while dribbling makes him a special player. And that’s what we saw before the draft. And this is what we're seeing so far in preseason. I think he's progressing in the right way. And he has earned his spot with us.” Estevez began converting Ntsabeleng into a box-to-box midfielder in his

4-3-3 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...

system, with Ntsabeleng playing a similar role as

Paxton Pomykal Paxton Jones Pomykal (born December 17, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. Early life Pomykal was born in Lewisville, Texas, on December 17, 1999. He attended iUn ...

and

Brandon Servania Brandon Ivan Servania (born March 12, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Career College Servania played one year of college soccer at Wake Forest University in ...

. He made his professional debut on 26 February 2022, appearing as a 77th-minute substitute during a 1–1 draw with Toronto FC. Ntsabeleng scored his first FC Dallas goal on 23 April 2022 vs

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

, an 87th minute equalizer after appearing as a substitute in a come from behind 2–1 victory for FCD. His first MLS start came as a midfielder in a 2–2 draw against

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

on April 30 at Children's Mercy Park.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ntsabeleng, Tsiki 1998 births Living people Men's association football forwards Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men's soccer players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States South African expatriate sportspeople in the United States FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players Major League Soccer players Oregon State Beavers men's soccer players Reading United AC players South African expatriate men's soccer players South African men's soccer players South Africa men's youth international soccer players University of Johannesburg alumni USL League Two players