Yann Ekra (born 10 December 1990) is a 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 plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

of the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. Born in Ivory Coast, he is a former France youth international.

Club career

Lyon

Ekra began his youth career with Esperance Paris 19ème at the age of 11. He joined

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

at the age of 12. His roommate for several years was

Karim Benzema Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...

. Ekra played two games and scored one goal for Lyon's reserve team in the 2007–08 season.

Hull City

Ekra signed with

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. In the 2009–10 season, he played 7 games for the reserve team, but did not score. To further his career, Ekra joined Greek side

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...

on loan in January 2009 until the end of the season. He played for the club's under-21 side. He did not play any first team games although he made the gameday roster in a

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

game in which Panionios beat

Asteras Tripoli Asteras Tripolis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greec ...

4–3 on 26 April 2009. On 29 May 2010, Ekra was released by Hull.

Châteauroux

For the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, Ekra played in France on the reserve team of

Châteauroux Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Ch ...

Harrisburg City Islanders

While visiting his in-laws in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2012, Ekra attended an open tryout with

Harrisburg City Islanders Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. Following a strong performance in preseason scrimmages in which Ekra scored three goals in three games, he signed with the team. He made his debut on 4 May 2012 in 2–1 loss to the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at ...

. In his first start on 19 May 2012 against

Dayton Dutch Lions Dayton Dutch Lions is an American association football, soccer team based in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the ...

, Ekra scored a

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

on his first three shots. In the 2012 regular season, he played 21 regular season games - scoring 6 goals and assisting on 1 goal. He also played 3

U.S. 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 ...

games - scoring 1 goal and assisting on 3 goals. He also played in one playoff game. In the 2013 regular season, he played 24 regular season games - scoring 4 goals and assisting on 3 goals. He also played in one playoff game and one

game. After the 2012 season, Ekra trialed with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

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 ...

Harrisburg Heat (Indoor)

In 2012–13, Ekra played his first season of

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

with the Harrisburg Heat of the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

. He made his debut on 3 November 2012 in a 6–2 loss to the Dallas Sidekicks. His most productive performance was a 2 goal, 3 assist performance in a 10–8 loss against the Chicago Mustangs. He finished the season playing 11 games, scoring 7 goals and assisting on 8 goals.

Philadelphia Union

On 13 September 2013, Ekra signed with the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

of Major League Soccer. In 2012, Ekra had been productive against Philadelphia - scoring a goal in a 12 June 2012 friendly in which

won, getting 2 assists in a 26 June 2012 5–2 U.S. Open Cup loss to the Union as well as playing as a guest player and assisting on the only goal in a D.C. United 1–0 reserve league win over the Union on 12 October 2012. He did not appear for the club and was released at the end of the 2013 season.

Return to Harrisburg City Islanders

In March 2014, Ekra returned to

Charlotte Independence

Ekra signed with the

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial ...

in December 2015.

Tampa Bay Rowdies

On 7 December 2018, Ekra moved to the

of the USL Championship ahead of their 2019 season.

International career

Ekra played on national youth teams for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

at the U15, U16, U17 and U18 levels. He played on the U17 team that won the Disney Soccer Showcase in 2005.

References

External links

* * * *
Tabelepilkarskie profileYann Ekra
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekra, Yann 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Abidjan Ivorian footballers French footballers Ivorian emigrants to France France youth international footballers Association football forwards Olympique Lyonnais players Hull City A.F.C. players Panionios F.C. players LB Châteauroux players Penn FC players Harrisburg Heat (MASL) players Philadelphia Union players Charlotte Independence players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Championnat National 2 players Championnat National 3 players USL Championship players Professional Arena Soccer League players Ivorian expatriate footballers French expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Greece Expatriate soccer players in the United States Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in England Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in the United States French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Greece French expatriate sportspeople in the United States