The men’s soccer team enjoyed one its most successful seasons in recent memory thanks in large part to defender Korede Aiyegbusi, who helped push his team to the championship game of the ACC Tournament with his inspired play in front of the goalie.
“Aiyegbusi was one of the most dedicated on the team,” senior defender Tyler Lassiter said of his former teammate. “He could always keep us fired up. He was always energetic. He never was down. It could be the 90th minute and we would be down 4-0, but K would be in your ear trying to give you encouragement to keep playing.”
In addition to what he brought to the table as a leader and motivator, Aiyegbusi’s speed provided players like Lassiter with more freedom than they would had playing alongside other defenders.
“He had excellent balance and speed and he was good with the ball,” Lassiter said. “He played right next to me and whenever I played, I knew I could let more space be between us because he was so fast and could cover more ground than anyone I knew.”
With such attributes in mind, The Kansas City Wizards of the MLS took Aiyegbusi, originally from London, England, with the 20th overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
“It was definitely exciting,” Aiyegbusi said. “When I got drafted, I knew that I could probably make it, but I didn’t know that close and I didn’t know I was respected quite that much. Of course I had an adrenaline rush and I was happy that I was going to be given the chance.”
The Wizards’ selection of Aiyegbusi in January represented the coming to fruition of a dream he kept alive throughout his adjustment from life in England to life in America.
“I’m pumped for him,” Lassiter said. “I know he has worked hard his whole life and is always on the ball. He had a great opportunity to come to the United States and look where he is now. He is doing great things.”
Once he moved to the States, Aiyegbusi soon had another adjustment to make, as he transferred to State after two years playing for Essex Community College in Baltimore, Md. He said the doubts he faced along the way have made the opportunity he now has all the more satisfying.
“This has been a great journey for me because at some parts of my career when I was growing up, it looked like maybe it was an unrealistic dream,” Aiyegbusi said. “But I’m lucky enough that the Lord had blessed me with the opportunity to be on this stage. I have the opportunity now and it is mine to lose.”
And he very nearly squandered that opportunity shortly after his professional debut. After logging 10 minutes in his team’s first game, Aiyegbusi temporarily lost his spot on the 18-man active roster for playing passively.
“The first game I got a 10 -minute run,” Aiyegbusi said. “But after that, things went downhill, and were like a storm. They tested my character. That period helped me realize why I am going pro and what I needed to do.”
Aiyegbusi said the time he spent with his roster spot in jeopardy has helped him return to the field with a renewed aggression, one that has resulted in increased playing time in his team’s recent matches.
“Being off the 18-man roster challenged me and brought a stronger and more aggressive side out in me that I had at N.C. State and lost when I got here,” Aiyegbusi said. “It brought it back and in the past two games, I got a 30-minute run, which was much better than the 10-minute run that I got at the beginning of the season. And in my last game, I got a 40-minute run. It seems like things are better and are going well for me. One thing they recognize now is that I am a worker and that I’m there to work hard. Now that I have settled down, I have been able to get back to my game of hustling and working hard. I recognize now that I cannot lose that and that I also need to try to sharpen up my technical play.”
Should Aiyegbusi remain focused, Lassiter said he can think of nothing out of reach for his speedy former teammate.
“I think he has unlimited possibilities,” Lassiter said. “He is from England, so that gives him a little bit of help. Maybe we will see him overseas, or maybe he will see him on the national team. With his speed, not many people can play as athletically as him.”
The Wizards drafted Aiyegbusi after he started in all 22 of his team’s games as a senior, a season after starting in 19 during his first year with the Pack.
Aiyegbusi is one of five former Wolfpack players since 2006 to be taken in an MLS draft, and is the first taken since 2008, when Chivas USA selected El Hadj Cisse. Cisse made it three years in a row, dating back to 2006, that at least one Pack player was drafted. Both Aaron King and John Queeley were selected in 2006, and Utah took Haddon Kirk in 2007.