Simi Awujo

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United have confirmed the signing of Simi Awujo. The 20-year old midfielder started two games at the Paris Olympics.

From the Canada Olympics website:

Simi Awujo earned her first senior cap for Canada in September 2022 in a friendly against Australia. She scored her first international goal in December 2023 in another friendly versus the Matildas.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Awujo began her international career representing the United States before making the switch to play for Canada at age 18. As a junior, she won bronze with Canada at the 2022 Concacaf U20 Championships, which secured Canada’s spot at the FIFA U20 World Cup later that year. She played every minute for Canada at the 2022 U20 World Cup.

Awujo was part of Canada’s inaugural Concacaf Gold Cup team in 2024 as the team reached the semifinals. She had made her first start at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup, helping Canada to a fourth-place finish. She was part of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup team that lost in the final on penalties to the USA.

Awujo plays collegiately at USC where she is a two-time All-PAC 12 First Team selection as well as a PAC 12 All-Freshman Team honoree.

A Little More About Simi

Getting into the Sport: Started playing organized soccer at age 7… 2022 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year recipient… Outside Interests: Studying at the University of Southern California, planning to major in neuroscience… Would like to be a pediatric surgeon in the future…

Awujo has described herself as ”a very physical player and I use my body in everything that I do. I like to win headers, to dribble and take people on, and I like defending."



 
Simi Awujo:
“To say that I’m a professional footballer for Manchester United is insane. I’m so excited for the season ahead, what the future holds here and just to be a Red Devil.

“I cannot wait to play in front of the great Manchester United fans.”
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Marc Skinner:
“Simi is an exciting young talent who we are delighted has chosen to continue her football journey with us here at Manchester United.

“Our wonderful fans can expect a midfielder with international pedigree, who will only develop further in our competitive English game.”
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Can't say I know a lot about her, but after the departures of Zelem and Guerrero it is nice with additions in midfield. Has anyone watched her play and can say a bit about her?
 
OsloRed said:
Can't say I know a lot about her, but after the departures of Zelem and Guerrero it is nice with additions in midfield. Has anyone watched her play and can say a bit about her?
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I've only seen some highlight reels and some snippets from Canada's matches. Looks really strong on the ball, great at receiving the ball in tough positions and getting away from her opponent.

She lists her favourite players as Pogba, Iniesta and Busquets which is an interesting trio.

Not sure what her long passing is like - looks she's used to playing quickly to a nearby player in a better (more space, more room to attack) position. Could be a really dynamic addition in the right setup. Fingers crossed eh.
 
jojojo said:
I've only seen some highlight reels and some snippets from Canada's matches. Looks really strong on the ball, great at receiving the ball in tough positions and getting away from her opponent.

She lists her favourite players as Pogba, Iniesta and Busquets which is an interesting trio.

Not sure what her long passing is like - looks she's used to playing quickly to a nearby player in a better (more space, more room to attack) position. Could be a really dynamic addition in the right setup. Fingers crossed eh.
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Thanks! That is an interesting trio indeed. Hopefully she actually gets some gametime this season, but I'm not expecting much.
 
I hope with her, Clinton and Miyazawa we can solve a midfield puzzle with a Katie Zelem-shaped hole in it, where players like Jackie Groenen, Vilde Bøe Risa and Irene Guerrero haven’t really been fitted in before.
 
Grande said:
I hope with her, Clinton and Miyazawa we can solve a midfield puzzle with a Katie Zelem-shaped hole in it, where players like Jackie Groenen, Vilde Bøe Risa and Irene Guerrero haven’t really been fitted in before.
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I think Bøe Risa would have been really good for us now that Zelem has left.
 
Well it certainly reads as though Simi is an enthusiastic hard worker, hopefully that means she'll compete for minutes and be competitive on the pitch, while ensuring the same from teammates fighting for minutes or to keep their space in the team. Good stuff!
 
She was playing for Canada in the Olympics, but she's with the team now:

 
top1whoisman said:
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Nice to see that she's ready for action. A shame that we're not allowed to see them play!

Incidentally - anyone else think the black shorts with the red banding doesn't look nearly as rubbish as the white short version of the design? Or, maybe it's just on Simi.
 
jojojo said:
Nice to see that she's ready for action. A shame that we're not allowed to see them play!

Incidentally - anyone else think the black shorts with the red banding doesn't look nearly as rubbish as the white short version of the design? Or, maybe it's just on Simi.
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No, it doesn't look as bad. I'm still not convinced by it though.
 
I agree that the black shorts look better than white this year, but the nearly orange-ness of the stripe definitely doesn't quite sit right.
 
top1whoisman said:
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That's a really interesting video. I have never really thought about the differences between Collegiate "soccer" in the States and the pathways for our girls through Academies. It's hard to imagine English footballers juggling football commitments with a doctorate in marine biology or a double major in neuro science.

Thanks for posting.
 
Would be nice to see her on the pitch again, she looked promising early on. Would probably offer more offensively than Janssen.
 
I've only just seen that Simi was presented with the Breakout Star Award at the World 7s Tournament

I'm pleased for her and she fully deserves it. Hopefully she'll get some serious game-time this season, especially with us being in the WCL.
 
Demon Barber said:
I've only just seen that Simi was presented with the Breakout Star Award at the World 7s Tournament

I'm pleased for her and she fully deserves it. Hopefully she'll get some serious game-time this season, especially with us being in the WCL.
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I didn't know there was such an award, but it certainly describes Awujo at the Sevens. As the tournament unfolded, most matches tended to settle into six one-on-one matchups all over the field, so the players that were most effective were those who (1) were good at both attacking and defending, and (2) had the size, strength, and speed to win one-on-one challenges. It turns out that she fit the bill perfectly.

Thinking about how she might fit into our midfield going forward, it seems to me she might be a like-for-like sub for Grace Clinton, as compared to Janssen (primarily a defender) and Toone (primarily an attacker).
 
Lobster11 said:
I didn't know there was such an award, but it certainly describes Awujo at the Sevens. As the tournament unfolded, most matches tended to settle into six one-on-one matchups all over the field, so the players that were most effective were those who (1) were good at both attacking and defending, and (2) had the size, strength, and speed to win one-on-one challenges. It turns out that she fit the bill perfectly.

Thinking about how she might fit into our midfield going forward, it seems to me she might be a like-for-like sub for Grace Clinton, as compared to Janssen (primarily a defender) and Toone (primarily an attacker).
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Yea, or with either, depending on what tram we play. It’s a good multifacetedness to possess either way.
 
Skinner has a habit of giving new players a year to bed in before actually using them properly, so I’m hoping that will be the case with Awujo. I initially thought she was purely a defensive midfielder, but I reckon she has the qualities can play any role in midfield, and is still very young too so hopefully she can adapt to whatever we need from her and she can get plenty of game time next season.
 
Maestro14 said:
Skinner has a habit of giving new players a year to bed in before actually using them properly, so I’m hoping that will be the case with Awujo. I initially thought she was purely a defensive midfielder, but I reckon she has the qualities can play any role in midfield, and is still very young too so hopefully she can adapt to whatever we need from her and she can get plenty of game time next season.
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My thinking, based on the Sevens tournament, is that she looks like an ideal #8 or "box-to-box" midfielder. I'm not sure she has the skills or experience (at least yet) to play as a #10. (And, as you said, she obviously can play at the #6.)
 
Lobster11 said:
My thinking, based on the Sevens tournament, is that she looks like an ideal #8 or "box-to-box" midfielder. I'm not sure she has the skills or experience (at least yet) to play as a #10. (And, as you said, she obviously can play at the #6.)
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#8 is the most obvious fit, I think, but I'm pretty sure she could play as a #6 or #10. She seems so accomplished and versatile that I reckon she could cover Bizet at #7 too.

As @Maestro14 said, it looked like she was bought as a defensive midfielder, yet in the Sevens she was an attacking threat, scoring three good goals, plus a penalty in the shootout, and at least one assist. I know 11-a-side is a totally different beast, but at least we know she is an attacking threat.

It's also true, to an extent, that Skinner does give players time to bed in if they are bought as cover. In Awulo's case she needed time to adapt to the pace and power of the WSL, having come straight from the US college game.
 
According to Casey Stoney not selecting Awujo for Team Canadas next national team games because of inury Awujo has had a MLC knee injury and thats why she has been out so long! I am glad that she can stay in Manchester to work on her fitness rather than going overseas to play for team canada.

For everyone that watched Awujo in that small pitch tournament its a shame she picked up that injury as she looked confident and possible finding herself a place within the team!
 
Lightbringer said:
According to Casey Stoney not selecting Awujo for Team Canadas next national team games because of inury Awujo has had a MLC knee injury and thats why she has been out so long! I am glad that she can stay in Manchester to work on her fitness rather than going overseas to play for team canada.

For everyone that watched Awujo in that small pitch tournament its a shame she picked up that injury as she looked confident and possible finding herself a place within the team!
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She did - I'm hoping we are still riding the wave of confidence when she returns, so she can come into a positive team. Her and Rolfo together would be able to cover the whole midfield in about three steps too.
 
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