FC Edmonton's Tomi Ameobi Surpassing 2015 Expectations

FC Edmonton forward Tomi Ameobi’s objective for the 2015 season was to eclipse his personal-best, seven-goal output from 2014. The 6-foot-3 Englishman has already tied that number with three games remaining in the NASL Spring Season. Ameobi rallied off seven goals in seven matches played across all competition leading up to Sunday’s match, with two of them coming against Major League Soccer (MLS) competition. 

In the Eddies’ 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks, Ameobi again contributed to the attack, this time by heading a perfectly placed cross to teammate Richie Jones before Jones himself redirected the ball into the net. The assist was the latest display of Ameobi’s recent success up front for the Eddies. 

“I’m happy with the way things have been the last couple of weeks, but obviously I can’t take all the credit myself,” Ameobi cautioned. “If it wasn’t for my teammates, I wouldn’t be getting goal-scoring opportunities. The players we’ve got on the team who are playing behind me and the players waiting to come into the team as well, there’s bags of quality there, and they make the game so much easier for us attackers. You can ask Daryl Fordyce, Frank [Jonke], Sadi [Jalali]. The work the guys behind us put in is phenomenal.”

Sunday’s win leapfrogged the Eddies into sixth place with eight points. Despite a winless streak that lasted five matches across all competition, the team’s resilient attitude and high-octane attack should keep them in the hunt for a postseason berth all season long.

“I think the vibes around the team this year are even better than last,” Ameobi remarked. “We get along well, on and off the pitch, which makes for good team cohesion. On the pitch, things haven’t always gone our way, but we’ve sort of got this don’t-die attitude.”

Ameobi looked to be a contributor off the bench heading into the 2015 campaign with second-year Eddies forward Frank Jonke looking primed to deliver up front. After another injury setback for Jonke, however, opened the door for Ameobi, who has pounced on his starting opportunity and has not looked back. He is one of the most in-form players in the NASL at the moment. His top-level play is reminiscent of his two brothers Shola and Sammy, who have both had notable careers in the English Premier League.  

“From his background and his family’s background, he’s one that could have an arrogance or an air of arrogance about him, but he genuinely doesn’t,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller explained. “He’s setting such a high standard that if he continues that, the world is his oyster. He is showing pace and athleticism that he didn’t before. He is a true Ameobi, if you like.”