Harambee Stars midfielder Richard Odada made his debut for Scottish top-tier side Dundee United on Friday, a month after parting ways with Danish second-tier side AAB Aalborg, where he was on loan from his parent club, Major League Soccer (MLS) club Philadelphia Union.Odada played 45 minutes as Dundee drew 2-2 against Luton Town before being replaced by Vicko Sevelj at the start of the second half.David Babunski and Louis Moult scored for Dundee, while Jordan Clark and Alfie Doughty found the back of the net for Luton.##NAJAVA_MECA_8234534##The Kenyan international’s move to the Terrors was confirmed on Friday after the match, with the midfield dynamo signing a two-year contract with an option for an additional year, subject to both international and SFA clearance.Beginning his career with AFC Leopards, Odada quickly caught the eye of various elite-level European clubs.He subsequently embarked on trial stints with Inter Milan, Juventus, and later Red Star Belgrade, which succeeded when he penned a deal with the 35-time Serbian champions at the age of 19.To further his development with regular first-team action, the defensive midfielder initially joined partner club Graficar Beograd for the 2019/20 campaign, then Metalac Gornji Milanovac for the following season.The extraordinary rise of Richard Odada: From trial at Inter to a debut for Red StarHis loan stints across the Serbian pyramid afforded him over half a century of senior appearances during his formative years.Seeking a new challenge upon the expiry of his Red Star deal, Odada headed Stateside to team up with the Philadelphia Union.He balanced his time between the club’s senior and reserve sides during his debut year in the United States, then temporarily joined Aalborg BK for 2023/24 to aid their efforts to return to the Danish SuperLiga at the first time of asking.The towering 23-year-old became a regular for De Røde immediately upon his arrival last August, anchoring their title-winning midfield while also contributing four goals to the promotion push.⚔️🇰🇪 Coming soon to #DUFC’s midfield pic.twitter.com/2ldpdy6QA1— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) July 26, 2024 Commenting on his move, Odada said, “It feels nice to be wearing this shirt. As soon as I heard there was interest at the end of the season, I just said, ‘make it happen!’ to my agent.”The demands placed on the team both by the fans and ourselves as players are exciting—it’s a mentality I’m happy to work with.”I’m looking forward to working hard and giving my best for the club, my fans, and my teammates. I’m here to push us on to achieving our goals for the season.”Richards Bay confirms signing of Ian Otieno from Zesco UnitedWanyama features in Montreal’s defeatFormer Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama was substituted at halftime in CF Montreal’s 4-1 loss to Orlando in a Canadian League Cup match staged on Saturday morning.Dagur Dan Porhallsson, Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique, and Martin Ojeda scored for Orlando, while former Inter Miami striker Josef Martinez grabbed a consolation for Montreal.The result leaves Montreal at the bottom of Group East 2 with zero points after one match.
