Patrick Ike Okonkwo (born April 23, 1998) is a Nigerian

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 lea ...

who plays as a

centre-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

Early life

Okonkwo was born in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and raised by his Aunt and Uncle, before moving to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and later to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

where he was adopted by a family in

Suwanee, Georgia Suwanee is a city in Gwinnett County and a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,355; this had grown to an estimated 20,907 as of 2019. In 2020, its population was 20 ...

in 2013.

Professional career

On June 17, 2017 it was announced that Okonkwo would sign with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

side

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...

as a Home Grown Player at the beginning of the 2018 season. In August 2017, Okonkwo signed with

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

side

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

, the USL affiliate of

and a club he'd spent time with in 2016, until the end of their 2018 season. While on loan from Atlanta United, Okonkwo scored six goals for the Charleston Battery during the club's 2018 campaign. Okonkwo was waived by Atlanta at the end of their 2019 season. On September 10, 2020, Okonkwo joined

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

side

Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Chattanooga Red Wolves SC is an American professional soccer club based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They are a founding member of USL League One in the third division of American men's soccer. The club was announced as a member of USL League One ...

References

External links

* * 1998 births Living people Nigerian men's footballers Men's association football forwards Charleston Battery players Atlanta United FC players USL Championship players Atlanta United 2 players Homegrown Players (MLS) Chattanooga Red Wolves SC players United Premier Soccer League players Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Germany National Premier Soccer League players National Independent Soccer Association players 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen {{Nigeria-footy-forward-stub