Yann Ekra

Yann Ekra (born 10 December 1990) is a French-Ivorian footballer who plays for Tampa Bay Rowdies as a forward and a winger.

Yann Ekra
Personal information
Full name Yann Ekra
Date of birth (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Playing position(s) Striker / Second striker / Winger
Club information
Current team
 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Number 7
Youth career
2001–2007 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Lyon B 2 (1)
2008–2010 Hull City 0 (0)
2009 → Panionios (loan) 0 (0)
2010–2012 Châteauroux 0 (0)
2012–2013 Harrisburg City Islanders 45 (10)
2013 Philadelphia Union 0 (0)
2014–2015 Harrisburg City Islanders 54 (3)
2016–2018 Charlotte Independence 69 (3)
2019– Tampa Bay Rowdies 16 (0)
National team
France U15
France U16
France U17
France U18
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:35, 24 October 2019 (UTC)

Career

Lyon

Ekra began his youth career with Lyon in 2002.[1] His roommate for several years was Karim Benzema.[2] Ekra played two games for Lyon's reserve team in the 2007–2008 season - playing two games and scoring one goal.[3]

Hull City

He signed with Hull City at the beginning of the 2008–09 Premier League season.[4] In the 2009-10 season, he played 7 games for the reserve team, but did not score. On 29 May 2010, Ekra was released by Hull.[5]

Panionios

To further his career, the young striker, who also holds a French passport, joined Greek side Panionios on loan in the January transfer window until the end of the season.[6][7][8] He played on the team's U21 team. He did not play any first team games[9] although he made the gameday roster in the 26 April 2009 Greek Super League game in which Panionios beat Asteras Tripoli 4–3.[10]

Berrichonne de Châteauroux

For the 2010 - 2011 and 2011 - 2012 seasons, Ekra played in France on the reserve team of Berrichonne de Châteauroux.[11]

Harrisburg City Islanders

While visiting his in-laws in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2012, Ekra attended an open tryout with Harrisburg City Islanders of USL Pro.[12] Following a strong performance in preseason scrimmages in which Ekra scored three goals in three games,[13] he signed with the team. He made his debut on 4 May 2012 in 2–1 loss to the Charlotte Eagles.[14] In his first start on 19 May 2012 against Dayton Dutch Lions, Ekra scored a hat trick on his first three shots.[12] In the 2012 regular season, he played 21 regular season games - scoring 6 goals and assisting on 1 goal. He also played 3 U.S. Open Cup games - scoring 1 goal and assisting on 3 goals. He also played in one playoff game. In the 2013 regular season, he played 24 regular season games - scoring 4 goals and assisting on 3 goals. He also played in one playoff game and one U.S. Open Cup game.

After the 2012 season, Ekra trialed with D.C. United of Major League Soccer.[15]

Harrisburg Heat (Indoor)

In 2012 - 2013, Ekra played his first season of indoor soccer with the Harrisburg Heat of the Professional Arena Soccer League.[16] He made his debut on 3 November 2012 in a 6–2 loss to the Dallas Sidekicks. His most productive performance was a 2 goal, 3 assist performance in a 10–8 loss against the Chicago Mustangs.[17] He finished the season playing 11 games, scoring 7 goals and assisting on 8 goals.[18]

Philadelphia Union

On 13 September 2013, Ekra signed with Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.[19][20] In 2012, Ekra had been productive against Philadelphia - scoring a goal in a 12 June 2012 friendly in which Harrisburg City Islanders won,[21] getting 2 assists in a 26 June 2012 U.S. Open Cup 5–2 loss to the Union[22] as well as playing as a guest player and assisting on the only goal in a D.C. United 1–0 reserve league win over the Union on 12 October 2012.[23] He did not appear for the club and was released at the end of the 2013 season.

Harrisburg City Islanders, redux

In March 2014, Ekra returned to Harrisburg City Islanders.[24]

Charlotte Independence

Ekra signed with Charlotte Independence of United Soccer League in December 2015.[25]

Tampa Bay Rowdies

On December 7, 2018, Ekra moved to USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies ahead of their 2019 season.[26]

International career

Ekra played on national youth teams for France at the U15, U16, U17 and U18 levels.[27] He played on the U17 team that won the Disney Soccer Showcase in 2005.[28][29][30]

References
  1. "Google Translate". translate.google.gr.
  2. "City Islanders beginning to get plugged in as playoff date with Charlotte approaches". pennlive. 20 August 2013.
  3. "Football Olympique Lyonnais Effectif CFA 2007/2008". stat2foot.com. Stat 2 Foot. 28 May 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  4. "Player Profiles – Yann Ekra". The Tigers Official Website. Hull City A.F.C. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. "Youngsters Offered Pro Deals". The Tigers Official Website. Hull City A.F.C. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  6. "Hull's Ekra joins Panionios". Sky Sports. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  7. "Panionios lands Ekra from Hull City on loan". wsn.com. World Sports Network. 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  8. http://fr.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1013335.html
  9. "Google Translate". translate.google.gr.
  10. http://www.espnfc.com/us/en/gamecast/statistics/id/266482/statistics.html?soccernet=true&cc=5901
  11. "Châteauroux B 2012". www.footballdatabase.eu.
  12. "City Islanders' Yann Ekra, awarded his first start, needs less than an hour to post first hat trick". pennlive. 20 May 2012.
  13. "City Islanders turn back Drexel, improve preseason record to 2-0-2". 5 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  14. "Charlotte Eagles at Harrisburg City Islanders 2:1". Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  15. Goff, Steven (10 September 2012). "Stats, scores and schedules". The Washington Post.
  16. "Indoor soccer: Yann Ekra, Tom Mellor and Brian Ombiji, fresh from the outdoor Harrisburg City Islanders, trying indoor game". pennlive. 16 November 2012.
  17. "WebPages | Pointstreak Sites". pasl_site.stats.pointstreak.com.
  18. "WebPages | Pointstreak Sites". pasl_site.stats.pointstreak.com.
  19. "News | Philadelphia Union".
  20. "City Islanders' Yann Ekra has signed with Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union". pennlive. 14 September 2013.
  21. http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/636566.html
  22. "Recap: Union down affiliate City Islanders 5–2 in USOC quarterfinals | Philadelphia Union".
  23. Shatzer, Martin (13 October 2012). "D.C. United Reserve League Highlights: Trialist Yann Ekra Assists To Stephen King". Black And Red United.
  24. "Talented Forward, Yann Ekra Returns to the Islanders for 2014". cityislanders.com. Harrisburg City Islanders. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  25. "Midfielder Yann Ekra Signs With Independence For 2016 Season". charlotteindependence.com. Charlotte Independence. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  26. Staff, USLChampionship com (7 December 2018). "Rowdies Bring In Experienced Ekra, Felix". USL Championship.
  27. PennLive, Derek Meluzio | Special to (31 May 2012). "Upper 90 Q&A with City Islander Yann Ekra". pennlive.
  28. "French U-17 team wins Disney's Soccer Showcase". ESPNFC.com.
  29. "U.S. U-17 '90s Fall 2-0 to France". ussoccer.com. U.S. Soccer. 3 January 2006. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  30. "Football Equipe de France Selection Juniors B2 2005/2006". stat2foot.com. Stat 2 Foot. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.