Matthew Olosunde

Matt Olosunde

Personal information
Full name	Matthew Olawale Olosunde [1]
Date of birth	(1998-03-07) March 7, 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	The New Saints
Youth career
2005–2012	Princeton Futbol Club
2012–2015	New York Red Bulls
2016–2019	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Manchester United	0	(0)
2019–2021	Rotherham United	64	(0)
2021–2023	Preston North End	2	(0)
2024–	The New Saints	0	(0)
International career‡
2013–2015	United States U17	30	(0)
2016	United States U20	3	(0)
2019	United States U23	1	(0)
2018	United States	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 30, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of May 28, 2018

Matthew Olawale Olosunde (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Cymru Premier club The New Saints.

Club career

New York Red Bulls

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Olosunde began his career at New York Red Bulls Academy as a right-winger, and represented the club's under-16 and under-18 academy teams. ^[2]

On August 16, 2014, he played 71 minutes for the New York Red Bulls Reserves in a 1–0 win over the Wilmington Hammerheads in the United Soccer League. ^[3]

Having verbally committed to play college soccer at Duke University, Olosunde left the Red Bulls following the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to further his education. ^[2]

Manchester United

In January 2016, it was announced that Olosunde would join Premier League club Manchester United. It was reported that the club had offered him online courses at the University of Oxford to persuade him to join. ^[4] He received international clearance and officially joined the team on March 11. ^[5]

He initially joined the Under-18 set-up, and was promoted to the Under-23 team ahead of the 2016–17 season. ^[6] He made 18 appearances in his inaugural Premier League 2 campaign. ^[3]

In April 2017, Olosunde was nominated for the club's Goal of the Month Award for his solo effort against Real Salt Lake in the Dallas Cup. ^[7]

The following month, he traveled with the first team squad to Premier League games against Arsenal ^[8] and Tottenham Hotspur. ^[6] In June 2019, Olosunde was released by Manchester United. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Rotherham United

On July 5, 2019, Olosunde signed a two-year contract with Rotherham United. ^{[12] [13]} He scored his first goal for the club, and his first professional goal, in an FA Cup tie against Everton on January 9, 2021. ^[14] On June 7, 2021 it was announced that he would leave the club as a free agent at the end of the month, having turned down a new contract offer. ^[15]

Preston North End

On June 30, 2021, it was announced that Olosunde had agreed to join Preston North End on a two year deal. ^[16] In his first year, Olosunde played in only 2 games after suffering from Achilles tendon and Groin injuries for most of the season. ^[17]

The New Saints

On February 16, 2024, Cymru Premier side The New Saints announced the signing of Olosunde on a one-year deal. ^[18]

International career

Olosunde has played for the United States at several youth levels. For the United States under-17, he played 22 matches and was part of the 21-player roster that represented United States at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. He only appeared in the team's first match against Nigeria. ^[19] Due to his heritage, he is also eligible to represent Nigeria at the international level.

He made his senior debut for the United States on May 28, 2018, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute against Bolivia. ^[20]

Career statistics

As of August 23, 2022

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rotherham United	2019–20 [21]	League One	32	0	3	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	39	0
	2020–21 [22]	Championship	32	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	33	1
	Total		64	0	4	1	2	0	2	0	70	1
Preston North End	2021–22 [23]	Championship	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	2022–23 [24]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
Total			66	0	4	1	3	0	2	0	75	1

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy.

References

1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. February 2, 2018. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
2. "New York Red Bulls youth product Matthew Olosunde wowing Manchester United". MLSsoccer.com. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
3. "M. Olosunde". Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
4. Kelly, Ciaran (May 18, 2017). "Meet the straight A student who could make his Manchester United debut on Sunday". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
5. "Matt Olosunde". ManUtd.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
6. Luckhurst, Samuel. "Who is Matthew Olosunde? Manchester United player profile". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
7. "Vote for Matt Olosunde for Man United's Goal of the Month". Once A Metro. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
8. Luckhurst, Samuel (May 7, 2017). "Manchester United squad vs Arsenal revealed". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
9. Luckhurst, Samuel (June 8, 2019). "Manchester United release 15 players in summer transfer window". Manchester Evening News . Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
10. Henry, Larry Jr. (June 7, 2019). "Manchester United release American defender Olosunde". SBI. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
11. "Juan Mata: Manchester United offer midfielder new contract". BBC Sport. June 7, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
12. "SIGNING | USA international checks in at New York". Rotherham United F.C. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
13. "Matthew Olosunde: Rotherham United sign USA full-back on two-year deal". BBC Sport. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
14. "Everton 2-1 Rotherham". BBC. January 9, 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
15. "Olosunde set for AESSEAL New York Stadium departure". Rotherham United F.C. June 7, 2021. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
16. "Olosunde: "I'm Excited To Start This New Journey"". Preston North End F.C. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
17. "Preston summer signing Matthew Olosunde has suffered yet another injury blow". October 28, 2021. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
18. "The New Saints FC secure signing of former Manchester United and Preston North End defender, Matthew Olosunde". The New Saints F.C. February 16, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
19. "Richie Williams Names 21-Player Roster for FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile". US Soccer. United States Soccer Federation. October 2, 2015. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
20. "U.S. MNT vs. Bolivia - International Friendly". US Soccer. United States Soccer Federation. May 28, 2018. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
21. "Games played by Matthew Olosunde in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
22. "Games played by Matthew Olosunde in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
23. "Games played by Matthew Olosunde in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
24. "Games played by Matthew Olosunde in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved March 4, 2024.

External links

• Matthew Olosunde at Soccerway
• Matthew Olosunde at U.S. Soccer
• Matthew Olosunde – FIFA competition record (archived)