Fitting into a group has never been a problem for Chidozie Awaziem. The 27-year-old defender from Nigeria has played all over the globe and has represented his national team on the world's biggest stages. From Enugu to Porto to Nantes to Madrid and Split, ‘Chido’ has laced up his boots and got himself stuck in no matter where he has played and made a name for himself no matter the culture or location.
In fact, acclimatizing to a new culture and doing all he can to be part of a team is a speciality of sorts. A welcome trait as FC Cincinnati introduced Awaziem as the newest member of the club on a permanent transfer Thursday morning, signing him for an undisclosed fee from Portuguese first division side Boavista FC for the remainder of 2024 and 2025 with options for 2026 and 2027. Awaziem will join the club’s roster and become eligible pending receipt of his P-1 visa.
A welcome addition to The Orange and Blue as Awaziem not only adds to an injury riddled center-back group but raises the quality of the squad as a whole, bringing world-class talent to FCC as a player who has featured prominently for the Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup and multiple times at the African Cup of Nations.
“We’re delighted to have Chidozie join the club,” Chris Albright, FC Cincinnati General Manager said in a press release today. “He's a talented defender with extensive experience at the European and international level. His quality, character and leadership will be a valuable addition to our group, and I’d like to welcome him to Cincinnati.”
A 6’2” defender, Awaziem’s speed, poise on the ball, and passing stand out. Also, having played in both a back two and a back three center-back group makes him uniquely prepared to come in and make a difference for The Orange and Blue as he has a diversity of experience in playing styles and tactics. The Nigerian star describes himself as a player who plays with a sense of calm, but has an aggression in the way he goes about pursuing the game and defending.
“I've been following up Major League Soccer for quite a number of years now,” Awaziem said to FCCincinnati.com. “When I spoke to Cincinnati, it was really an amazing time and it was a wonderful conversation on what I could be with this club.”
“I had heard a lot about Cincy, and I watched their games (Awaziem would correct himself to say ‘our games’ with a smile) and how they've been performing in Major League Soccer and which is very, very good. And I see that support so I'm here right now to give my own support and help to the team.”
But his play on the field speaks for itself. He’s made over 100 appearances in the top leagues in Europe, made a UEFA Champions League appearance with FC Porto and has won cup titles in Portugal and Croatia. His qualities as a teammate, though, are what make his addition exciting for a potential immediate impact.
As a polyglot, at each stop in his professional career Awaziem has learned the language necessary to speak with his teammates and coaches. Now he speaks four languages and has learned each of them to better communicate with his teammates, so when on the field and training ground with FCC there is no language barrier he cannot bridge. As a Nigerian native he knew English, but when he moved to Portugal as a youngster to join the FC Porto Academy he learned Portuguese. When he went on loan to La Liga’s CD Leganés in Spain he learned Spanish to better communicate with his coaches and teammates, but the transition was “easier” because he had already learned Portuguese. When he again went on loan to French club FC Nantes in Ligue 1, he learned French, again using his understanding of romantic languages to pick up another language and used that to talk to his new teammates and coaches in the north-west of France.
At every stop, Chidozie Awaziem has done all he can to make sure he can integrate himself into the team culture. But with FCC he will already have a leg up, even beyond being able to speak every language on the team.
“I've had lots of conversations with Obinna Nwobodo,” Awaziem said of his fellow countryman and FC Cincinnati star midfielder. “He's my friend, we’ve played together and against each other in Turkey.”
Nwobodo and Awaziem both grew up in Enugu, a city in the southeastern part of the African nation. While it is a major city with a population of over 2,700,000 during the most recently available census date, it is the ninth largest city in Nigeria. So the soccer community is big, but small enough to create a ‘small world’ effect. Prior to Awaziem leaving home and joining the FC Porto Academy, the duo played together and ran in similar social circles. Nwobodo would make his senior team debut with the local club, Enugu Rangers, before trekking off to Hungary, Turkey and ultimately Cincinnati, but when they did depart, they remained in touch.
“I’ve known him for quite a while and he's an amazing guy,” Awaziem added. “He told me about the club and the culture and the atmosphere. When we had spoken in the past, he had told me a lot of things, he's always been asking me to come (to Cincinnati) and I told him ‘yeah, someday we're going be together’ and here we are. So, I hope that it's going to be an amazing road in front of us together.”
The draw to FC Cincinnati became an easy one from there. While he was looking for a team fit in terms of role and style, and one with The Orange and Blue became apparent, the atmosphere and culture built at TQL Stadium and Mercy Health Training Center grabbed Awaziem’s interest and drove his desire to sign with FCC.
“It's been a wonderful time I’ve had talking with Cincinnati. We’ve had a wonderful conversation on the project the club has ongoing and I see the love the fans and everybody has for soccer,” Awaziem said. “I see all the games that Cincinnati have been playing and this has motivated me a lot to be part of this team, to feel what it is to be a player for FC Cincinnati and represent this wonderful and amazing club.”
The addition of Awaziem, who had earned the nickname “La Roche” or “The Rock” in his time with FC Nantes of Liga 1 in France for his stalwart defense and leadership abilities, comes at an excellent time for The Orange and Blue. With Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund out for the season, and Miles Robinson away at the Olympics for a time, Awaziem (when he is able to play after receiving work authorization) can entrench himself in the lineup quickly and augment the FC Cincinnati defense. Which was, per Head Coach Pat Noonan, a point of emphasis in this transfer window. With Leagues Cup 2024 set to kick off in just one week from his announcement, it is not yet clear when he will make his debut, but when he does, we know he will wear number six (6).
The Nigerian center back has not yet met with the coaching staff since his signing became complete. But he says he understands the standard that he will have to play with, in part because of his relationship with Nwobodo. But he does know how he wants to apprise himself to FCC supporters.
“I want them to know that I'm here to give my best. I'm here to give my 200 percent every time,” Awaziem said. “Every opportunity that I've got to represent Cincy, I’m always going to give my best and make sure we all will be happy at the end.”
