Joe Gyau

Joe Gyau

Gyau with St. Pauli in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Joseph-Claude Agyeman Gyau [1]
Date of birth	(1992-09-16) September 16, 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth	Tampa, Florida, United States
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Winger, full-back
Team information
Current team	Las Vegas Lights
Number	7
Youth career
2001–2007	Bethesda Roadrunners
2007–2009	IMG Soccer Academy
2009–2011	1899 Hoffenheim
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2014	1899 Hoffenheim II	56	(9)
2012–2014	1899 Hoffenheim	2	(0)
2012–2013	→ FC St. Pauli (loan)	15	(0)
2013	→ FC St. Pauli II (loan)	2	(1)
2014–2016	Borussia Dortmund II	13	(2)
2014–2016	Borussia Dortmund	1	(0)
2017–2018	Sonnenhof Großaspach	46	(6)
2018–2019	MSV Duisburg	20	(2)
2019–2021	FC Cincinnati	51	(1)
2022–2023	Degerfors IF	48	(1)
2024–	Las Vegas Lights	3	(0)
International career‡
2007–2009	United States U17	28	(2)
2010–2011	United States U20	4	(4)
2012	United States U23	4	(0)
2014–2019	United States	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 3, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 26, 2021

Joseph-Claude Agyeman Gyau (born September 16, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights. From 2014 through 2019, Gyau represented the United States national team and earned three caps.

Early life

Born in Tampa, Florida, he grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, ^[2] where he played youth soccer for the nearby Bethesda Roadrunners ^[3] before joining the IMG Soccer Academy in 2009. Gyau is of third-generation pedigree of professional footballers, being the son of former U.S. international Phillip Gyau and the grandson of Joseph "Nana" Gyau, a former Ghanaian international.

Club career

Gyau Signed for Hoffenheim with teammate Charles Renken in 2009. The two were under the age of 18 and could not participate in any matches and were loaned to the Vancouver Whitecaps where they were a part of a residency program from 2009 to 2010. After the season in Canada It was agreed upon that the two would start out playing for Hoffenheims U19 squad. Shortly after arriving and leading the team in minutes Gyau was moved up to Hoffenheims U23 in 2011. Gyau, only 18, made numerous appearances catching the eye of the first team and was soon moved up once again. Gyau made his Debut for the first team in a DFB pokal match against Greuther Furth in 2011 at the young age of 19. In April 2012 Gyau would sign His first team contract and In August 2012, Gyau was loaned to 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the entire season, with an option for another season. ^[4] He made his League debut for Hoffenheim in April 2014, coming on in the final 21 minutes of a 0–0 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt. ^[5] In June 2014, Gyau joined Borussia Dortmund. Initially this would only be for the U23 but shortly after he was moved up to the first team to participate in their preseason. Gyau scored a last minute game winner in a friendly match against Heidenheim. Post preseason Gyau remained with the first team and was a regular in the 18 man roster. ^[6] On September 24, 2014, he made his first team debut for Borussia Dortmund against VfB Stuttgart, coming on in the 74th minute of the match which ended in a 2–2 draw. ^[7] After being out with injuries for nearly two years, he made his return with Borussia Dortmund II as a substitute on October 29, 2016. ^{[8] [9]}

Following Gyau's return to match fitness in January 2017, Gyau moved to 3. Liga side SG Sonnenhof Großaspach on an 18-month deal. During those 18 months Gyau was able to return to form scoring 6 goals and adding 4 assists, earning himself a summer transfer ^[10]

Gyau moved to MSV Duisburg for their 2018–19 season in Germany's 2nd Bundesliga, tallying 2 goals and 1 assist during the campaign. ^[11]

On August 8, 2019, it was announced that Gyau had signed for Major League Soccer side FC Cincinnati. ^[12] Gyau went on to make 51 total appearances for the club.

Gyau signed with Las Vegas Lights on February 16, 2024. ^[13]

International career

Gyau has been capped for the United States at the U-15, U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels. In March 2012, Gyau was called into the US U-23 team for Olympic qualifying matches. ^[14] The team did not qualify for that year's Summer Olympics.

In November 2012, Gyau was called up to the United States national team. ^[15] His first start for the US was on September 3, 2014, against the Czech Republic in a friendly match. ^[16] Gyau made his second start for the national team on October 10, 2014, in a friendly match against Ecuador. After playing less than 15 minutes, he came off the pitch with a suspected sprained left knee and was replaced by Bobby Wood. ^[17] On October 12, it was announced that Gyau had torn his lateral meniscus and suffered a bone bruise. ^[18]

In June 2019, Gyau made his first United States national team appearance since 2014 in a friendly match against Jamaica. ^[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played November 8, 2020 ^[20]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1899 Hoffenheim II	2010–11	Regionalliga	7	0	—		—		7	0
	2011–12	Regionalliga	22	2	—		—		22	2
	2013–14	Regionalliga	27	7	—		—		27	7
	Total		56	9	0	0	0	0	56	9
1899 Hoffenheim	2011–12	Bundesliga	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2012–13	Bundesliga	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2013–14	Bundesliga	2	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
FC St. Pauli (loan)	2012–13	2. Bundesliga	15	0	1	0	—		16	0
FC St. Pauli II (loan)	2012–13	Regionalliga	2	1	—		—		2	1
Borussia Dortmund	2014–15	Bundesliga	1	0	—		—		1	0
Borussia Dortmund II	2014–15	3. Liga	11	2	—		—		11	2
	2015–16	Regionalliga	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2016–17	Regionalliga	2	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		13	2	0	0	0	0	13	2
Sonnenhof Großaspach	2016–17	3. Liga	16	1	—		—		16	1
	2017–18	3. Liga	30	5	—		—		30	5
	Total		46	6	0	0	0	0	46	6
MSV Duisburg	2018–19	2. Bundesliga	20	2	0	0	—		20	2
FC Cincinnati	2019	Major League Soccer	8	0	—		—		8	0
	2020	Major League Soccer	21	1	—		1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	22	1
	Total		29	1	0	0	1	0	30	1
Career total			184	21	2	0	1	0	187	21

1. Appearance(s) in MLS is Back Tournament

References

1. "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019– via Bernews.
2. Steven Goff (January 10, 2013). "Silver Spring's Joe Gyau rising up European soccer ranks". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
3. "Joe Gyau Latest on Injury Rehab, Memories of Playing in DMV". DMV Soccer. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
4. "Gyau loaned out to FC St. Pauli". TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
5. Seltzer, Greg (April 26, 2014). "American Exports: John Anthony Brooks gets back on USMNT radar; Joe Gyau makes Bundesliga debut". Major League Soccer. MLSSoccer.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
6. Floyd, Thomas (June 30, 2014). "Borussia Dortmund signs U.S. prospect Joe Gyau". Goal.com Edition: America. Goal.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
7. "Borussia Dortmund 2 - 2 Stuttgart Match report - 24/09/2014 Bundesliga - Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
8. Joseph, Brendan (October 29, 2016). "Joe Gyau makes return from injury". Stars and Stripes FC. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
9. Stejskal, Sam (September 22, 2016). "Nearly two years since his injury, USA's Joe Gyau nearing match fitness". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
10. "Joseph-Claude Gyau spielt zukünftig für den Dorfklub". Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
11. ""Ein sehr spannender Neuzugang": Joseph-Claude Gyau wird ein Zebra". Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
12. "Club acquires midfielder Joseph-Claude Gyau". fccincinnati.com. August 8, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
13. "Las Vegas Lights FC welcomes three new signings for 2024 season".
14. "Caleb Porter Names 19 Players to U-23 Men's National Team Training Camp Roster". US Soccer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
15. Goff, Steven (November 12, 2012). "U.S. roster for Russia friendly". washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
16. "U.S. MNT Earns First Victory Against Czech Republic to Open New World Cup Cycle". ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
17. "At half: Donovan exits, Diskerud scores, Gyau injured in busy half -". nbcsports.com. October 10, 2014. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
18. Gianni Verschueren. "Joe Gyau Injury: Updates on Borussia Dortmund Star's Knee and Return". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
19. "USMNT Falls 1-0 To Jamaica In Washington, D.C." www.ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
20. Joe Gyau at Soccerway. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

External links

• Joe Gyau at Soccerway
• Joe Gyau at WorldFootball.net