WINDSOR, Colo. – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC announced today the club has signed fullback Lucky Onyebuchi Opara, pending league and federation approval.
“Lucky is one that I’m super excited about,” head coach Eamon Zayed said. “He’s young, and he’s spent the last four years in top divisions in Europe.”
For most of that timeframe, the 23-year-old took on Latvia’s top competition. Through 47 matches with FK Spartaks, he fired off five goals and tallied 10 assists.
Those flashes of brilliance bought him half a season on loan with FC Lugano of the Swiss Super League. And for the uninitiated, “you have to be a top player to play in the Swiss top league,” Zayed said.
Opara scored a goal in his final match there. His loan ended on the last day of June 2021. Two weeks later, though, another one started. The Nigerian found himself out on loan again, this time in Finland.
Over the next six months, he wreaked havoc on the Veikkausliiga, the country’s top league. Playing primarily left wing-back, Opara put up five goals, including one in each of his first two games. In his final Finnish match, he netted an equalizer just before halftime and helped AC Oulu avoid relegation.
A potential game-breaker, Opara’s prepared to break through in America for the first time.
“I have always wanted to play in the U.S.,” Opara said. “I look forward to bringing my experience from Europe to help the team win the championship.”
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The future home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex, will feature 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium, 2,500-seat Future Legends Field, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com