Willis Forko (12 November 1983 – 8 November 2021
[Memorial page](_blank)
/ref>) was a Liberian professional footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
.
Career
Youth and college
Although born in Liberia, Forko and his family moved to Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
when he was three years old. Willis attended Cy-Springs High School in Cypress, TX where he graduated in 2002. He began his collegiate soccer career at the University of South Carolina in 2002. He played one season there before transferring to the University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
. At UConn he appeared in 65 matches, notching three goals and 15 assists, and was twice named to the Third Team All Big East.
Professional
Forko was selected in the second round, 14th overall, of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft by Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
. He went on to play 38 games for RSL in their first two seasons 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 ...
, before leaving the club at the end of the 2007 season.
Forko signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
of the USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...
in 2008, but a month after signing with the Whitecaps, it was announced that Forko had been transferred to the Norwegian Premier League
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
side FK Bodø/Glimt
Fotballklubben Bodø/Glimt () is a Norwegian professional football club from the town of Bodø that currently plays in Eliteserien, the Norwegian top division. The club was founded in 1916 and is frequently referred to by its original club na ...
. He went on to spend two seasons playing in the Tippeligaen
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
, making 60 appearances for the team.
Forko returned to Vancouver in 2010 with hopes of joining the club in its move to the 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 ...
in 2011. He made his first appearance for the Whitecaps on August 29, 2010 in a 2–2 tie with the Austin Aztex
The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyr ...
.
Forko died on 8 November 2021, four days before what would have been his 38th birthday.Tidligere Glimt-spiller er død
Nettavisen (12 November 2021)
Personal life
Forko's older brother,
Sam Forko, played 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 ...
for the
MetroStars in 2003.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forko, Willis
1983 births
2021 deaths
African-American men's soccer players
American men's soccer players
Men's association football fullbacks
Liberia men's international footballers
FK Bodø/Glimt players
Liberian emigrants to the United States
Major League Soccer players
Eliteserien players
Footballers from Monrovia
Real Salt Lake players
Soccer players from Houston
South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer players
UConn Huskies men's soccer players
Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players
USSF Division 2 Professional League players
Real Salt Lake draft picks
American expatriate men's soccer players
American expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
American expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people