Toronto FC Striker Approached By NFF, Akinola Named To MLS Team Of The Week

The 20-year-old Toronto FC striker Ayo Akinola has been named to the latest Major League Soccer Team of the Week, following the conclusion of the Round 1 of group games from the MLS is Back Tournament, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

The United States U20 international of Nigerian parentage netted his first career brace as a professional as Toronto and DC United shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

In the 12th minute, he took his chance to perfection as he unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from just outside the area to open the scoring, and doubled his team's advantage just before half-time, blasting the ball into the net from close range after another assist from Alejandro Pozuelo.

Akinola earned rave reviews for his two goals and Major League Soccer took notice by naming him as the starting center forward in its Team of the Week.

The youngster has been approached by the Nigeria Football Federation to switch his international allegiance to the Super Eagles after contacting his mom during the 2017 U17 World Cup in India and he has admitted that he is open to playing for any country so long as he is not cap-tied to his country of birth, United States.

Akinola has totaled 12 appearances in the American top-flight since making his debut against Minnesota United in July 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel