Playing position Position Defender | Name Ryan Adeleye Date joined January 27, 2015 Role Soccer player | |
Full name Ryan Alexander Hezekiah Adeleyeריאן אלכסנדר חזקיה אדלי Date of birth (1987-04-28) April 28, 1987 (age 28) Number 13 (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) Education | ||
Ryan Adeleye // Highlight Reel
Ryan Alexander Hezekiah Adeleye (Hebrew: ריאן אלכסנדר חזקיה אדלי; born April 28, 1987 in Elizabeth, New Jersey) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the United Soccer League.
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Early life
Adeleye was born to Manny Adeleye and Lori Herzig. His father is a Nigerian who converted to Judaism, while his mother is a Jew from Connecticut. Adeleye attended Newark Academy for high school where he received all-state, all-conference, all-prep and all-county honors in soccer.
College
Adeleye attended Davidson College from 2005 to 2006. Afterwards, he transferred to the University of North Carolina where he was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team. Adeleye's goal for the Tar Heels in a 2007 match against Duke earned him ACC player of the week. After college, Adeleye entered the 2009 MLS SuperDraft where he went undrafted. That same summer, Adeleye was named to the US men's squad for the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Israel
As part of the US Maccabiah team, Adeleye featured in a friendly match against Israeli Premier League side, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Adeleye managed to impress manager, Guy Azouri, and joined Be'er Sheva on trial at the conclusion of the men's tournament along with teammate Daniel Schultz.
After being signed, Adeleye counted as a foreigner for the club as they awaited his naturalization via the Law of Return. Adeleye made his professional debut for Be'er Sheva in a Toto Cup match against Hapoel Petah Tikva on August 18, 2009. The result was a 1–0 loss.
During a training session, Adeleye collapsed causing panic within the club. He returned to regular training a week later with the permission of the medical staff. The event was scary for Be'er Sheva as it was a tough reminder of former player Chaswe Nsofwa, who died during a training match. About a month later, on December 5, 2009, Adeleye made his league debut coming on for Shimon Harush in the 86th minute in a 2–0 victory over Hapoel Petah Tikva.