Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Isetsima Blaise Nkufo [1] | ||
Date of birth | 25 May 1975 | ||
Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1993–1994 | Lausanne | 2 | (0) |
1994–1995 | Echallens | 16 | (9) |
1995–1996 | Al-Arabi | 12 | (6) |
1996–1997 | Yverdon | 35 | (12) |
1997–1998 | Lausanne | 34 | (18) |
1998–2000 | Grasshopper | 18 | (4) |
1999–2000 | → Lugano (loan) | 21 | (14) |
2000–2001 | Lucerne | 19 | (7) |
2001–2002 | Mainz 05 | 42 | (20) |
2002–2003 | Hannover 96 | 9 | (0) |
2003–2010 | Twente | 223 | (114) |
2010 | Seattle Sounders FC | 11 | (5) |
Total | 442 | (209) | |
International career | |||
2000–2010 | Switzerland | 34 | (7) |
Managerial career | |||
2017- | Rino's Tigers | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Isetsima Blaise Nkufo (born 25 May 1975) is a Swiss former international footballer who played as a striker and current coach of Rino's Tigers in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League. [2]
He was born in Zaire and raised in Switzerland from the age of seven. Nkufo played professionally in Switzerland, Qatar, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States, scoring 209 goals in 442 career league appearances. Nkufo was also a member of the Switzerland national team, having won 34 caps and scored seven goals. He played for them at the 2010 World Cup.
Nkufo played for Lausanne Sport, FC Echallens, Al-Arabi, Yverdon-Sport FC, Grasshopper Club Zürich, AC Lugano, FC Lucerne, Mainz 05, Hannover 96, FC Twente and Seattle Sounders FC. [1]
In early 2010, Nkufo left Twente [3] and was linked to sign with the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC. [4] On 4 March 2010, the Sounders confirmed that they had signed Nkufo and that he would be joining the Sounders' squad on 13 July 2010 when his contract with Twente expired. [5] In his final season with Twente, Nkufo scored 12 Eredivisie goals helping the club to their first league title in their 45-year history. [6] Nkufo made 223 Eredivisie appearances for Twente, and scored 114 goals - a club record. Twente erected a statue in his honour outside of the stadium following his departure. [7]
His first appearance for the Sounders was on 18 July 2010 during a friendly vs. Celtic. [8] Nkufo was the first Sounders player to record a hat-trick in league play, doing so against the Columbus Crew on 18 September 2010. It ended a scoreless drought of 415 minutes for him after joining the club. [9] On 5 October 2010, Nkufo featured in the final of the U.S. Open Cup as the Sounders defeated the Columbus Crew by a score of 2–1. [10] On 15 March 2011, Seattle and Nkufo agreed mutually to the termination of his deal. [11] Nkufo announced his retirement thirteen days later. [12]
Nkufo made his international debut for Switzerland in 2000. [1] He was a squad member at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. [13] At the tournament, Nkufo played an influential role in helping the Swiss upset eventual world champions Spain in the group stage. [7] [14]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 May 2002 | Espenmoos, St. Gallen, Switzerland | Canada | 1–3 | Friendly | |
2 | 11 September 2007 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria | Japan | 3–4 | Friendly | |
3 | 6 September 2008 | Ramat Gan National Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel | Israel | 2–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier | |
4 | 10 September 2008 | Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland | Luxembourg | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier | |
5 | 11 October 2008 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | Latvia | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier | |
6 | 15 October 2008 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece | Greece | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier | |
7 | 1 April 2009 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | Moldova | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
Nkufo owned the Nkufo Academy Sports in the Greater Vancouver area, is managing director of the Blaise Soccer Elite Training INC, [16] and works as Head coach of Rino's Tigers in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League Premier Division. [17]
Born in Kinshasa, Zaire, Nkufo emigrated to Switzerland with his family when he was seven and became naturalised as a Swiss citizen. [18]
Nkufo is married to a woman from Vancouver, British Columbia. [7]
Nkufo has himself said in interviews that his surname is Nkufo. The incorrect version N'Kufo is often found in media. The surname is pronounced Kufo, without the N. [18]
Twente
Seattle Sounders FC
Nathan Radford Sturgis is an American former soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.
Bradley Ray Evans is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is now a color commentator for radio broadcasts of Seattle Sounders FC matches.
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker. He last played for the Major League Soccer club New England Revolution.
Sébastien Le Toux is a French retired professional footballer who spent the majority of his career in Major League Soccer, including six seasons at Philadelphia Union.
Peter Wisgerhof is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Vitesse, NEC and Twente.
Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz, known as Fredy Montero (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈfɾeðimonˈteɾo], is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. He is Seattle's all-time top scorer in official club competitions, scoring 76 goals with the club between two stints: 2009 and 2012, and since 2021. Montero has been called up to the Colombia national team five times, scoring once in an unofficial match against Catalonia.
Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez, commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for MLS club Seattle Sounders FC and the Uruguay national team.
Jhon Kennedy Hurtado Valencia is a Colombian footballer who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.
Lamar Neagle is an American professional soccer player who plays for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League. He has spent most of his career with the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer over the course of several stints; Neagle has also played for Montreal Impact and D.C. United in Major League Soccer, as well as Mariehamn in Finland.
The 2010 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's second season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of professional soccer in the United States. It was the 30th season played by a team bearing the Sounders name.
The 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was played on October 5, 2010, at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, United States. The match determined the winner of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup, a tournament open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. This was the 97th edition of the oldest competition in United States soccer. Seattle Sounders FC won the match, defeating the Columbus Crew 2–1 in front of a sellout crowd of 31,311, the highest attendance at a U.S. Open Cup final. Kevin Burns scored first, giving the Columbus Crew an early lead. Sanna Nyassi then scored both goals for Seattle Sounders FC as it became the first team since 1983 to win two consecutive U.S. Open Cup championships.
The 2012 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's fourth season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. For the Sounders FC organization, it was their fourth year of existence, and including all previous clubs, it was the 32nd season of a soccer team bearing the Sounders name.
Erik Hurtado is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.
The 2014 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's sixth season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. Including previous Seattle Sounders franchises, this was the 34th season of a soccer team playing in the Seattle metro area.
The 2015 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's seventh season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. Including previous Seattle Sounders franchises, this was the 35th season of a soccer team playing in the Seattle metro area.
MLS Cup 2020 was the 25th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and was played at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match was originally set to take place on November 7, 2020, but was postponed to December 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the adjusted MLS season schedule. The match was contested by Columbus Crew SC and Seattle Sounders FC, the defending champions from MLS Cup 2019.
The 2021 Major League Soccer season was the 26th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The 2021 season included the addition of Austin FC as an expansion club, which took the league to 27 teams.
The 2021 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's thirty-eighth year of existence, and their thirteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The team was under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his fifth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders. Seattle were the reigning Western Conference champions and lost to Columbus Crew SC in the MLS Cup 3–0.