FC Edmonton striker Tomi Ameobi is set to reach a major milestone in his Eddies career.
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The 28-year-old is one appearance away from reaching 100 caps in all competitions for FC Edmonton, and is currently the third-longest tenured player in the history of the club since its inception in 2010.
Ameobi will become the third player to join the century club for the Eddies, with only Albert Watson (127) and Daryl Fordyce (109) having featured more times for FC Edmonton than Ameobi. After signing in Alberta’s capital in 2014, the Newcastle, England product had a breakout season during the 2015 campaign when he went on to lead the Eddies in scoring with 11 goals – an impressive tally considering he only made 22 appearances due to injury.
“It’s amazing, especially at this level of football with players bouncing around a lot,” Ameobi said. “But to be given the opportunity to be here for the past four seasons is a great honour. If I play Sunday, it’s something I will definitely appreciate.”
Ameobi has seen plenty of change since signing in Edmonton four seasons ago. The striker is one of four players who currently remain on the Eddies roster (Farago, Fordyce, Watson, Ameobi) from when he first signed with the club. With changes to the roster and the front office, Ameobi has been able to see first hand the transformation of the club both on and off the pitch.
“The quality of players has got better every season and we just brought in a new player Ben [McKendry] and he looks amazing already,” Ameobi added. “I know off the field, in terms of the fans, we had a full house last game and hopefully that can continue and we can start to put together some good performances for the Fall Season.”
Ameobi has been a steady figure in Colin Miller’s lineup this season and the striker admits the team could have had a much better Spring Season. The Eddies claimed 13 points through 16 matches and currently sit 11 points shy of a post-season spot. Despite having to make up a lot of ground in the Fall Season, Ameobi is confident that his teammates and himself can achieve great things in order to secure a spot in the post season for the second year in a row.
“Of course, we have every chance of making playoffs and its down to us to do the right things on the pitch and it’s what we’ve been working during this little break,” Ameobi said. “The guys came back after the four days, we did a bit of fitness and now we are all looking fresh and ready to go.”
FC Edmonton resume play on Sunday, July 30 at 2:00 PM MT when the Eddies kick off the NASL Fall Season at Clarke Stadium. Tickets are available at tickets.fcedmonton.com. Secure your seat at Clarke Stadium for nine NASL Fall Season matches for as low as 11/match! Go #AllTheWayUp this fall and experience professional soccer right here in your backyard with the Fall Season Seat Deal. Details here.