Orlando City striker Tesho Akindele announces retirement
By Chris Smith
Tesho Akindele called time on his nine-year MLS career as he announced his retirement on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old forward spent the last four years playing for Orlando City, following a spell with FC Dallas (2014-18), who selected him in the first round of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.
Akindele hit 43 goals and 16 assists in 237 regular-season games for the two clubs combined and won US Open Cups for both - in 2016 for Dallas as part of a double with the Supporters' Shield, and in 2022 with Orlando. In 2014, the striker was named MLS Rookie of the Year (now known as Young Player of the Year) after scoring seven goals in 26 regular-season games during his first professional campaign.
At international level, Akindele picked up 19 senior caps for Canada, scoring three goals.
"I've always believed in following your intuition, and mine's telling me to start a new chapter of life - away from soccer," Akindele wrote on social media.
“Soccer gave me more than I could have ever asked for. The places I've been, the memories I've made, the people I've met. The successes and the failures. It was all a dream come true!
"Thank you to FC Dallas and Orlando City for the opportunities. To the coaches who believed in me. To my teammates for grinding every day and always laughing. And to my family, friends, and fans for the love and support!"
When I was starting my career, my mom told me, “it’s great to be known as a good soccer player, but I’d rather you be known as a good person.”
— Tesho Akindele (@Tesho13) December 20, 2022
I worked every day to live up to that ❤️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/l8cRnNFoyW
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