Gale Agbossoumonde Explained

Gale Agbossoumonde
Fullname:Gale Agbossoumonde[1]
Birth Date:17 November 1991
Birth Place:Lome, Togo
Position:Defender
Youthyears1:200?–2007
Youthclubs1:Syracuse Blitz
Years1:2009–2010
Clubs1:Miami FC
Caps1:6
Goals1:0
Years2:2010
Clubs2:Braga (loan)
Caps2:0
Goals2:0
Years3:2010–2012
Clubs3:Estoril
Caps3:0
Goals3:0
Years4:2011
Clubs4:Djurgården (loan)
Caps4:8
Goals4:0
Years5:2011–2012
Clubs5:Eintracht Frankfurt II (loan)
Caps5:1
Goals5:0
Years6:2012
Clubs6:Carolina RailHawks (loan)
Caps6:17
Goals6:1
Years7:2013–2014
Clubs7:Toronto FC
Caps7:13
Goals7:0
Years8:2014
Clubs8:Colorado Rapids
Caps8:0
Goals8:0
Years9:2015
Clubs9:Tampa Bay Rowdies
Caps9:11
Goals9:0
Years10:2016
Clubs10:Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Caps10:29
Goals10:1
Years11:2017
Clubs11:Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Caps11:11
Goals11:0
Totalcaps:96
Totalgoals:2
Nationalyears1:2009
Nationalteam1:United States U18
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2008–2011
Nationalteam2:United States U20
Nationalcaps2:30
Nationalgoals2:2
Nationalyears3:2010
Nationalteam3:United States
Nationalcaps3:1
Nationalgoals3:0

Gale Agbossoumonde (born November 17, 1991) is a retired soccer player who played as a defender. Born in Togo but was raised in Benin (and later the United States), he represented the United States at international level.

Early life

Agbossoumonde was born in Togo, but his family fled to Benin when he was an infant.[2] At the age of eight, his family moved to Syracuse, New York with the help of a church charity.[3] Agbossoumonde attended Christian Brothers Academy until the 9th grade, leading them to a NYS Soccer Championship runner-up finish that year.[4]

Club career

After a semester with the U17 national team, Agbossoumonde was invited to join U.S. Soccer Development Academy club IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[5] He emerged as a force at centerback, earning high praise for his soccer IQ and his ability to effectively use his already large frame.

Agbossoumonde signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Traffic Sports Marketing and Miami FC on August 6, 2009.[6] His professional debut shortly followed and he made six appearances during the 2009 USL season. On January 7, 2010, he moved to Sporting Braga of the Portuguese Liga on a six-month loan that included an option to buy.[7] Braga declined the purchase option when the loan spell ended.

Agbossoumonde was sent on loan to Allsvenskan team Djurgårdens IF in 2011. On April 15 he started his first match and went the full 90 minutes for Djurgårdens IF, against Malmö FF, having won "Man of the Match" honors.[8] Agbossoumonde played eight games for Djurgårdens IF during spring 2011, but Djurgården decided not to use their option to buy him out of his contract, and Agbossoumonde left the club at the end of July 2011.[9]

In August 2011, Agbossoumonde was loaned to 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.[10] Gale received official clearance to play for Eintracht in the beginning of October 2011, and made his debut for the Eintracht reserve squad in a match on October 8 against SGS Großaspach. However, the loan to the German side proved short, too.

In February 2012, Traffic Sports announced that Agbossoumonde was going on loan to Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League.[11] [12]

In December 2012, Agbossoumonde joined Toronto FC, after he was entered into a weighted lottery to allocate him to a team in Major League Soccer.[13] Agbossoumonde made his debut for Toronto on April 6 due to an injury to starter Danny Califf, the game ended in a 2–2 home draw to FC Dallas.[14]

On May 8, 2014, Agbossoumonde was involved in a three-team trade when the Colorado Rapids traded Marvin Chávez to Chivas USA for Luke Moore, who was immediately traded by Colorado to Toronto FC for Agbossoumonde.[15] At the conclusion of the 2014 season, Colorado declined Agbossoumonde's contract option for 2015.[16]

Agbossoumonde signed with Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League in December 2014.[17] He was released in October 2015.[18]

In December 2015, Agbossoumonde signed with Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL.[19] In 2017 he signed for Pittsburgh Riverhounds. His contract was not renewed following the 2017 USL season, and has since not played professionally.

International career

Agbossoumonde was a member of the United States U-20 team and participated in the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Trinidad & Tobago, helping the U.S. to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. In the tournament in Egypt, although only 17 at the time, he started all games for the Americans.

Agbossoumonde received his first senior national team cap on his birthday, November 17, 2010, against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup.[20]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Miami FC2009USL-1600060
2010D2 Pro League000000
Total600000000060
Braga (loan)2009–10Primeira Liga0000000000
Estoril2010–11Liga de Honra00000000
2011–12Liga de Honra00000000
2012–13Primeira Liga00000000
Total000000000000
Djurgården (loan)2011Allsvenskan8020100
Eintracht Frankfurt II (loan)2011–12Regionalliga Süd1010
Carolina RailHawks (loan)2012NASL1712010201
Toronto FC2013MLS13000130
2014000000
Total13000000000130
Colorado Rapids2014MLS000000
Tampa Bay Rowdies2015NASL11000110
Fort Lauderdale Strikers2016NASL29140331
Pittsburgh Riverhounds2017USL11000110
Career statistics962800000101052

International

Honors

United States U20

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009™: List of Players: United States. FIFA . 22 . October 6, 2009 . July 26, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091013164551/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/01/10/28/62/fwyc_2009_squadlists.pdf . October 13, 2009 .
  2. News: FourFourTwo Staff. Sandals, suitcases and snow: The rise of Gale Agbossoumonde. FourFourTwo. Future plc. October 20, 2021. June 27, 2013.
  3. News: Schaerlaeckens. Leander. Regrets, he's had a few. ESPN.com. ESPN Inc.. October 20, 2021. November 17, 2010.
  4. News: Kramer. Lindsay. Former CBA soccer star Gale Agbossoumonde settles into role in NASL. The Post-Standard. Advance Publications. October 20, 2021. July 13, 2016.
  5. News: Woitalla. Mike. The Soccer Life: Soccer Smoothes the Path. Soccer America. October 20, 2021. September 7, 2007. limited.
  6. Web site: Traffic Sports strengthens U.S. player development initiative by signing Gale Agbossoumonde . oursportscentral.com . August 6, 2009 . May 7, 2010.
  7. Web site: Brian . Sciaretta . Agbossoumonde Off To Portuguese Leaders . https://web.archive.org/web/20100112023849/http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=5673 . usurped . January 12, 2010 . Yanks-Abroad.com . January 7, 2010 . May 7, 2010.
  8. News: Under-20 prospects making a splash; more Americans Abroad. April 19, 2011 . CNN.
  9. Web site: Ingen fortsättning för Gale Agbossoumonde. July 17, 2011. dif.se. Djurgårdens IF Fotboll. sv. July 17, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723045854/http://dif.se/2011/07/17/ingen-fortsattning-for-gale-agbossoumonde/. July 23, 2011. mdy-all.
  10. News: Stats, scores and schedules . The Washington Post . August 31, 2011.
  11. Web site: News . Carolina RailHawks . December 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329073834/http://www.carolinarailhawks.com/index.php?id=111&newsid=1693 . March 29, 2012 . dead .
  12. News: Morris. Neil. The enigmatic Gale Agbossoumonde talks about his soccer odyssey and why he joined the Carolina RailHawks. Independent Weekly. Carolina Independent Publications, Inc.. October 20, 2021. February 7, 2012.
  13. Web site: Agbossoumonde signs with MLS, to be placed in lottery . Soccerbyives.net . December 20, 2012 . December 20, 2012 . September 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924103201/http://www.soccerbyives.net/2012/12/agbossoumonde-signs-with-mls-to-be-placed-in-lottery.html . dead .
  14. Web site: MLS: Toronto FC rallies to tie FC Dallas The Star. thestar.com. April 6, 2013. en. 2019-07-16.
  15. Web site: Daniel Boniface. Rapids trade Marvin Chávez, acquire Gale Agbossoumonde from Toronto in three-team deal . The Denver Post . October 27, 2012 . May 22, 2014.
  16. Web site: Out with the old? Colorado declines options on Buddle, Wynne, LaBrocca, but won't rule out returns. November 25, 2014.
  17. Web site: Rowdies Add Defender Gale Agbossoumonde and Tampa Bay Native Darnell King to Roster. 2014-12-22. OurSports Central. en. 2019-07-16.
  18. Web site: Rowdies Remove Salgado and Agbossoumonde from Roster | Tampa Bay Rowdies . 2015-10-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151011205023/http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news/2015/10/09/rowdies-remove-salgado-and-agbossoumonde-from-roster . October 11, 2015 . mdy-all .
  19. Web site: Strikers Ink Quartet of Experienced NASL Players | Fort Lauderdale Strikers . December 29, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160413212040/http://www.strikers.com/news/2015/12/29/strikers-ink-quartet-of-experienced-nasl-players . April 13, 2016 . dead .
  20. Web site: Bradley Names 18-Man Roster to Face South Africa on Nov. 17 in Cape Town . U.S. Soccer . December 20, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121003151903/http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2010/11/Bradley-Names-18-Man-Roster-to-Face-South-Africa-on-Nov-17-in-Cape-Town.aspx . October 3, 2012 . mdy-all .