# Nelson Akwari > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nelson_Akwari > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nelson_Akwari.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Akwari > Source revision: 1323926458 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American soccer player Nelson Akwari Personal information Full name Nelson Ndukwe Akwari Date of birth (1982-02-04) February 4, 1982 (age 44) Place of birth Houston, Texas, United States Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Position Defender Youth career 1998–1999 Bradenton Academy College career Years Team Apps (Gls) 2000–2002 UCLA Bruins Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 2002 MetroStars 7 (0) 2003–2004 Columbus Crew 30 (0) 2003 → Cincinnati Riverhawks (loan) 6 (0) 2005–2006 Real Salt Lake 41 (0) 2007 Charlotte Eagles 20 (0) 2008–2009 Charleston Battery 59 (0) 2010 Vancouver Whitecaps 23 (1) 2011 Los Angeles Blues 22 (0) International career‡ 1999 United States U17 6 (0) 2001 United States U20 4 (0) * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of August 13, 2011 ‡ National team caps and goals as of April 2, 2010 **Nelson Ndukwe Akwari** (born February 4, 1982) is an American former [soccer](/source/Association_football) player. He began his career with the United States national team youth academy in [Bradenton, Florida](/source/Bradenton%2C_Florida), and played for several professional clubs in various U.S. leagues. ## Career ### Youth and college Akwari attended [Strake Jesuit College Preparatory](/source/Strake_Jesuit_College_Preparatory), a private school in [Houston](/source/Houston), before attending [USSF](/source/United_States_Soccer_Federation)'s [Bradenton Academy](/source/Bradenton_Academy), where he trained with other Under-17 [national teamers](/source/United_States_men's_national_soccer_team) like [Landon Donovan](/source/Landon_Donovan), [DaMarcus Beasley](/source/DaMarcus_Beasley), and [Bobby Convey](/source/Bobby_Convey). Although he considered turning pro, Akwari instead went to [UCLA](/source/UCLA) to play [college soccer](/source/College_soccer_in_the_United_States). He stayed at UCLA two years, starting every game as a freshman in 2000, and being named second-team All-Pac-10 as a sophomore. He returned to UCLA after completion of his soccer career and earned Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees in engineering.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ### Professional Akwari left college after his sophomore year to pursue opportunities in Europe, but when nothing came of them, he signed a [Project-40](/source/Project-40) contract with MLS late in the 2002 season. Akwari was put into a lottery, which the [MetroStars](/source/MetroStars) won; Akwari appeared in seven games and was traded during the offseason to the [Columbus Crew](/source/Columbus_Crew). Akwari saw little playing time in 2003, appearing in 11 games but starting only five for the Crew, while spending a lot of time on loan to [A-League](/source/USL_First_Division)'s [Cincinnati Riverhawks](/source/Cincinnati_Riverhawks). In his third year in the league, Akwari began to show much more of the promise that he had as a youth national teamer - he took possession of the starting right back position midseason, and remained there for the rest of the year, ending the season with 16 starts as the Crew won the [MLS Supporters' Shield](/source/MLS_Supporters'_Shield). After the 2004 season, Akwari was selected tenth overall by [Real Salt Lake](/source/Real_Salt_Lake) in the [Expansion Draft](/source/2004_MLS_Expansion_Draft), reuniting him with old coach [John Ellinger](/source/John_Ellinger). Akwari played 41 games over the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Akwari signed for [USL Second Division](/source/USL_Second_Division) side [Charlotte Eagles](/source/Charlotte_Eagles) in April 2007, and scored on his debut against [Crystal Palace Baltimore](/source/Crystal_Palace_Baltimore) on April 20, 2007. He then signed for [Charleston Battery](/source/Charleston_Battery) in 2008, spending two seasons with the club including a run to the final of the [2008 US Open Cup](/source/2008_US_Open_Cup). Akwari signed on 26 January 2010 for the Canadian club [Vancouver Whitecaps](/source/Vancouver_Whitecaps_(1986%E2%80%932010)) a one-year contract.[1] He scored his first professional goal for Vancouver on April 29, 2010, in a game against the [Portland Timbers](/source/Portland_Timbers_(2001%E2%80%9310)).[2] On October 19, 2010, the Vancouver Whitecaps released Akwari. Akwari joined the expansion [Los Angeles Blues](/source/Los_Angeles_Blues) in the [USL Pro](/source/USL_Pro) league for the 2011 season.[3] Akwari retired following the 2011 season and settled in Charleston, where he works as a senior engineering director for [Boeing](/source/Boeing) and is a frequent commentator on Battery game broadcasts. ### International Akwari has represented the United States at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels, playing at the [1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship](/source/1999_FIFA_U-17_World_Championship) in [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand), and the [2001 FIFA World Youth Championship](/source/2001_FIFA_World_Youth_Championship) in [Argentina](/source/Argentina). ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ['Caps add centre back Nelson Akwari](http://www.whitecapsfc.com/archive/feature01261001.aspx)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Portland Timbers vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2:1"](http://ussf.demosphere.com/stats/2010/1634160.html). U.S. Soccer Federation. April 29, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Los Angeles Blues Ready for Historic Inaugural Match"](http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4184613). OurSports Central. April 14, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2017. ## External links - [Vancouver Whitecaps bio](https://web.archive.org/web/20100216051908/http://www.whitecapsfc.com/men/roster/players/nelson_akwari.aspx) - [Charleston Battery bio](https://web.archive.org/web/20090205181247/http://charlestonbattery.com/team_roster.asp?pid=2317) - [Nelson Akwari](https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/nelson-akwari) at [Major League Soccer](/source/Major_League_Soccer) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nelson Akwari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Akwari) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Akwari?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.