Chukwuemeka Somto "Emeka" Eneli (born October 18, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chukwuemeka Somto Eneli | ||
| Date of birth | October 18, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Lansing, Michigan, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Salt Lake | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2017 | Columbus Crew | ||
| 2017–2018 | Ohio Premier | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2022 | Cornell Big Red | 60 | (20) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Lionsbridge | 10 | (1) |
| 2022 | Flint City Bucks | 12 | (4) |
| 2023– | Real Salt Lake | 42 | (1) |
| 2023– | Real Monarchs | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 21, 2024 | |||
Career
Youth and college
Eneli was born in Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Dublin, Ohio was he was eight years old.[1] He attended Dublin Coffman High School, where he played one year of varsity soccer. He also played soccer with the Columbus Crew academy between 2012 and 2017, before spending a season with Ohio Premier, who he helped to the ENPL national title in 2018 and was named to the ECNL All-American and ECNL All-Midwest teams.[2][3][4]
In 2018, Eneli attended Cornell University graduating in 2022 with a major in Biological Engineering and a minor in Business. He played college soccer, serving as team captain in his junior and senior year. In four seasons with Big Red, including a canceled 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Eneli made 60 appearances, scoring 20 goals and tallying 17 assists. In 2021, Eneli earned All-Ivy League First Team and Second Team United Soccer Coaches Men's Northeast Region honors. 2022 saw Eneli named a Second Team All-American and helped Cornell qualify for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in nearly three decades.[2] Eneli earned 2018 Rookie of the Year for the Ivy League Mens Soccer conference. https://cornellbigred.com/news/2018/11/14/eneli-tabbed-ivy-mens-soccer-rookie-of-the-year-four-named-all-league.aspx. Eneli finished the season second in the Ivy League in points (16) and goals (7).
While at college, Eneli also competed in the USL League Two. He spent 2019 with Lionsbridge FC, scoring one goal in ten games.[5] In 2022, he spent the season with Flint City Bucks, making 16 appearances across the regular season and playoffs, netting four goals and adding a single assist.[6]
Following the 2022 season, Eneli was announced as an eligible player in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.[7]
2023, starting in a 4–0 loss at home to St. Louis City SC.[8][9]
Personal
Eneli holds both American and Nigerian citizenship.[10]
References
External links
- Emeka Eneli Real Salt Lake bio
- Emeka Eneli at Cornell University Athletics