Sean, but his friends call him Ugo, Okoli made his professional debut with the Seattle Sounders, but on Saturday night in Cincinnati, the 2016 USL MVP and FC Cincinnati legend wanted to make it known where his heart is. When he took the field ahead of the match to pull the sword and open the festivities in FCC’s Matchday Day 21 game against the Seattle Sounders, he was wearing Orange and Blue.
Okoli, a member of FC Cincinnati’s first-ever squad back in 2016, took to the field at TQL Stadium for the first time on Saturday night, making his return to Cincinnati after 10 years away. The Washington native, who won the Golden Boot, USL MVP and scored the first-ever goal in club history in his only season with FC Cincinnati, played all his home matches at Nippert Stadium, so his arrival at TQL Stadium was a debut of sorts.
But to FC Cincinnati supporters, it was far more of a welcome home. Okoli, who has his friends call him Ugo, and by virtue of being an FC Cincinnati supporter, you’re a friend, so Ugo it is, was welcomed home by FCC fans. The Bailey had had him lead the march, then gave him one of the loudest crowd pops in recent memory when he took to the field to pull the sword.
It was a Hero’s Welcome for a Club Legend.
“It just feels amazing. Thinking about the days back in 2016, everything was so new, but I just love that we're able to come together as a club, and not just as a team, and build something special with the community, with the city,” Okoli said in a conversation with FCCincinnati.com pitchside prior to him joining the prematch festivities. “Obviously to see it become what it is now is amazing and it brings a lot of pride. Even though it's been 10 years since I wore a jersey, it feels like I have a part in all of this success.”
Okoli joined FC Cincinnati in 2016 as a key piece as the team geared up for a debut season. He first broke through as a professional with the Sounders, a standout in their academy, but also attended Wake Forest, where he played three college seasons before returning to the pros. In 2015, Okoli was traded to New England Revolution but never caught on, only appearing in five matches for the side.
At the end of that season, he was released by New England and was at an inflection point in his career. He joined FCC and quickly broke out as a star in USL, and through his success, earned a contract with NYCFC the following year. But in his time with FC Cincinnati, he helped start a project that burns bright to this day.
“You look around at where the club is now, and I only played a small part in it, but it’s a sight to behold. It’s something to take pride in,” Okoli shared. “The stadium alone, if you're going to start a project and build something like this – the amount of detail that went into this club, into this stadium – I think it's for a reason. I think the city loves soccer. I think the fans are very passionate about the game and the club. So it's very fitting to see a world-class stadium match that type of energy.”
“It’s such a beautiful thing. I know the way teams are coming into the league now, but Cincinnati is such a unique story, and it kind of takes on what football represents worldwide,” Okoli continued. “Maybe you have to start a little bit lower down the pyramid, but with enough passion, hard work and enough consistency, real dreams can happen. The fan base here Cincy accelerated all that a lot quicker than anyone could expect. But credit to everyone involved with the club, the badge, because it really is a beautiful story that's being built…and I’m just glad I get to have a small part in it.”
After leaving FC Cincinnati in 2016, Okoli continued his soccer career in MLS, then played in Sweden, Norway and Austria before returning to the United States and playing in USL until his retirement in 2023.
Since then, the first FC Cincinnati MVP has gone back to school, earned a degree in Computer Science from Wake Forest, and begun his new career as a Software Engineer. He has started a company called “Victory,” which is developing software tools to help young athletes track their athletic development and reach the next level of performance with transparent coaching tools for players and their parents.
The project seeks to blend his two passions, tech and soccer, with the hope of making an impact at the grassroots level of the game in the way he feels he is most able to.
“It's been a lot of work and I’ve just been keeping my head down and grinding through it, but I'm really enjoying the process,” Okoli explained. “I’m just really trying to make an impact with software and blend my two domain expertises together.”
Looking back on his time with FC Cincinnati, there were a lot of great memories. His awards, his crazy scissor-kick goal that marked the first-ever goal in club history and earned a spot in the SportsCenter Top 10 that night, and a playoff run in the club's first-ever season all come to mind. But the best memories that come to mind are those he shared with his teammates.
“The group of guys in that locker room that very first year, the way we stuck together through every single game, every single challenge, that’s the thing I think of most,” Okoli remembers. “I think it brought the best out of everyone, and I also thought it just brought the best out of me. I felt like that was a big moment in my career where I had to take some responsibility, not just for the club and my team, but for the city as well, and I think every single one of us in that locker room took that same responsibility on, and we did it together.”
In his return to FC Cincinnati, Okoli says he was struck by just how much the FCC Supporters, The Bailey and beyond responded to his presence and to his memory of his time at the club. On the Friday night before the match, the Legendary FCC forward posted a picture on social media announcing his intention to attend the Saturday night match against Seattle.
What followed was an outpouring of support in response to the post, which made Okoli emotional and even more grateful for the FC Cincinnati faithful
“It was just a very emotional interaction, a very emotional relationship I have with the fans and the club,” Okoli explained. “Me coming to Cincinnati during that time was a big moment in my career, and sometimes all players really need is just that support, and Cincinnati, The Bailey, the fans, the community, the club, everyone just provided that for me specifically in a way that's changed who I am to this very day.”
“So I've always been very grateful to the fans here. I still feel like we have a strong connection but it was just so good to see that reaction yesterday. But I'm looking forward to trying to be around more and continuing to collaborate and be around together even more going forward.”
Okoli has continued to be an FC Cincinnati fan and track the team, particularly after he retired from professional soccer and was able to take a step back. As one of three FC Cincinnati players to win an MVP award in the club's history, he says one part of Saturday’s game he’s particularly looking forward to watching is current FC Cincinnati superstar, Evander, who he feels is making a case to being the next member added to the FC Cincinnati MVP club.
“I think it's possible! I’ve been watching the team for years, obviously, and obviously the form Evander is in right now is fantastic,” Okoli said. “So a big credit to him, but also, big credit to the team and the coaching staff for putting him in positions to be himself and excel. It’s a full club effort to get a player to that level, and it's a real joy to watch the form he's in. The way he can strike a ball, the way he understands and moves without the ball, it's a joy not just for myself and the rest of the Cincy fans, but I'm sure the boys in the locker room are finding a little extra boost when he's out there playing the way he is.
“So I think it's possible. MVP, I mean, I think the Cincinnati fans have to get some credit for that too, because they're able to make players really feel at home and feel good on the field. And I think any player can tell you that's important if you want to play well.”
As FC Cincinnati continues and grows towards its next generation of success, looking back at those who were there from the start is both fun and nostalgic, but it’s also an important reminder of where you’ve been and where you’re going. Ugo Okoli was there from the start and now, 10 years later, says he’s just grateful to be a part of it.
"It's just going to be good to be back in this energy and see the fans. I don't really know what to expect, but I think that's the joy in it. Just going out there, having fun, and just being grateful that I get to be a part of it,” Okoli said.
