Tsiki Ntsabeleng

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Tsiki Ntsabeleng
Personal information
Full name Katlego Ntsabeleng
Date of birth (1998-02-09) 9 February 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Daveyton, South Africa [1]
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [2]
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
 FC Dallas
Number 16
Youth career
Stars of Africa
Kaizer Chiefs
Mamelodi Sundowns
University of Johannesburg
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2018–2019 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 28 (9)
2020–2021 Oregon State Beavers 25 (6)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019 Reading United 5 (0)
2022– FC Dallas 26 (1)
International career‡
2017 South Africa U20 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:24, 15 October 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:05, 27 February 2022 (UTC)

Katlego "Tsiki" Ntsabeleng (born 9 February 1998) is a South African soccer player who plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.

Contents

Career

Youth and college

Born in Daveyton in South Africa, Ntsabeleng spent time with various clubs in South Africa including the Stars of Africa Academy team, which he joined in 2014. [3] Ntsabeleng also appeared for the reserve teams of Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, before attending the University of Johannesburg, where he also played soccer. [4] [5] [6]

In 2018, Ntsabeleng moved to the United States to play college soccer at Coastal Carolina University. In two seasons with the Chanticleers, he made 28 appearances, scoring nine goals and tallying eight assists. In his junior season, he earned All-Sun Belt First Team, Sun Belt Championship All-Tournament Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region, and the Sun Belt's Newcomer of the Year. In 2019, he was again named Sun Belt First Team All-Conference. [7]

After earning his degree, Ntsabeleng enrolled in a graduate program at Oregon State University where he played seasons with the Beavers, netting six goals and tallying ten assists in 25 appearances. He was named All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Far West Region First Team in his senior season. [8]

While at college, Ntsabeleng played with USL League Two side Reading United during their 2019 season. He made five appearances for the team, finishing with a single assist to his name. [9]

Professional

On 11 January 2022, Ntsabeleng was selected 28th overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. On 11 February 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the club. [10] Dallas head coach Nico Estevez cited Ntsabeleng's dynamism and dribbling: “He's very dynamic type of player. Really good energy. He plays with good tempo... and then his ability to be balanced with the ball while dribbling makes him a special player. And that’s what we saw before the draft. And this is what we're seeing so far in preseason. I think he's progressing in the right way. And he has earned his spot with us.” [11] Estevez began converting Ntsabeleng into a box-to-box midfielder in his 4-3-3 system, with Ntsabeleng playing a similar role as Paxton Pomykal and Brandon Servania.

He made his professional debut on 26 February 2022, appearing as a 77th-minute substitute during a 1–1 draw with Toronto FC. [12] Ntsabeleng scored his first FC Dallas goal on 23 April 2022 vs Houston Dynamo, an 87th minute equalizer after appearing as a substitute in a come from behind 2–1 victory for FCD. [13] His first MLS start came as a midfielder in a 2–2 draw against Sporting Kansas City on April 30 at Children's Mercy Park. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ "A UJ soccer star has signed with an American club". 19 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "Tsiki Ntsabeleng". FC Dallas. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Meet UJ football maverick Katlego 'Tsiki' Ntsabeleng •". varsitysportssa.com. 7 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Ntsabeleng: Former Kaizer Chiefs youngster joins MLS side FC Dallas | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  5. ↑ "Farouk Khan: Ntsabeleng signing at FC Dallas an indictment on SA scouting". TimesLIVE.
  6. ↑ "Johannesburg to Dallas: How Tsiki Ntsabeleng Forged Pro Career Despite Naysayers | FC Dallas". fcdallas.
  7. ↑ "Tsiki Ntsabeleng – Men's Soccer". Coastal Carolina University Athletics.
  8. ↑ "Tsiki Ntsabeleng – Men's Soccer". Oregon State University Athletics.
  9. ↑ "Reading United AC | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
  10. ↑ "FC Dallas Signs 2022 MLS SuperDraft No. 28 Overall Pick Tsiki Ntsabeleng | FC Dallas". fcdallas.
  11. ↑ Dallas, F. C. "Johannesburg to Dallas: How Tsiki Ntsabeleng Forged Pro Career Despite Naysayers". FC Dallas. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "DALvsTOR 02-26-2022 home | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  13. ↑ "Comeback season! FC Dallas snatch Texas Derby win from Houston Dynamo FC | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  14. ↑ mlssoccer. "SKCvsDAL 04-30-2022 Recap | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
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