| Stephen Afrifa | |
| Fullname: | Stephen Afrifa-Kodua |
| Birth Date: | 19 February 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Sporting Kansas City |
| Clubnumber: | 30 |
| Youthclubs1: | Rexdale SC |
| Youthclubs2: | Woodbridge Strikers |
| Collegeyears1: | 2019–2022 |
| College1: | FIU Panthers |
| Collegecaps1: | 63 |
| Collegegoals1: | 23 |
| Years1: | 2018 |
| Clubs1: | Woodbridge Strikers |
| Caps1: | 2 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022 |
| Clubs2: | One Knoxville SC |
| Caps2: | 13 |
| Goals2: | 8 |
| Years3: | 2023– |
| Clubs3: | Sporting Kansas City |
| Caps3: | 20 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Years4: | 2023– |
| Clubs4: | → Sporting Kansas City II (loan) |
| Caps4: | 10 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | July 21, 2024 |
Stephen Afrifa-Kodua (born February 19, 2001) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.
In 2019, Afrifa began attending Florida International University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[1] He made his collegiate debut on August 30, 2019 against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.[2] The following day, he scored his first collegiate goal, in a victory over the James Madison Dukes.[3] After his junior season in 2021, he was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and the All-Southeast Region First Team.[4] [5]
Ahead of his senior season in 2022, he was named to the United Soccer Coaches Watch List and the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team.[6] [7] That season, he was twice named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week.[8] [9] That season, he led the in goals scored with 10 and added four assists for a total of 24 points, which were all career highs for him.[10] [11] He helped FIU to win the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and was named the AAC Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player and was named to the All-Tournament team.[12] [13] At the end of the season he was named to the All-AAC First Team,[14] All-East Region First Team,[15] and the All-America Second Team.[16] [17] He was also named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the top collegiate player of the season.[18] Over his four seasons, he scored 23 goals and added 11 assists in 63 appearances.[19] [20]
In 2018, Afrifa played with the Woodbridge Strikers in League1 Ontario, making two appearances.[21]
In March 2022, he joined One Knoxville SC in USL League Two.[22] He scored 10 goals for the side between the season and the playoffs.
In December 2022, he was selected in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City.[23] [24] In April 2023, he signed a professional contract with the club for the 2023 season, with club options from 2024 to 2026.[25] [26] He made his MLS debut on May 17, in a substitute appearance against Los Angeles FC.[27] He also spent some time that season with the second team, Sporting Kansas City II, in MLS Next Pro, scoring his first professional goal on July 2, in a 7-1 victory over Whitecaps FC 2.[28] [29]
On February 26, 2024, Afrifa was named to the Canada men's national soccer team provisional roster for the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago.[30]
Afrifa is of Ghanaian descent.[31] He has a twin brother, Simon, who also played soccer with him at FIU.[32]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Woodbridge Strikers | 2018 | League1 Ontario | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| One Knoxville SC | 2022 | USL League Two | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 10 | |||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 4 | |||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 4 | |||
| Sporting Kansas City II (loan) | 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 44 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 15 | |||