By Ryan Makuch
In 2018, Joseph Stanley Okumu touched down for the first time at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Coming off a stint with Free State Stars F.C. of the South African First Division, the defender was already a known entity as a Kenyan national, having made an appearance in 2016 against Sudan, just days after his 19th birthday. But no one was prepared for what was to come.
Eric Rudland had received a tip from Joe Lennarz of Ascension Athletes in 2017 at an MLS Combine about Okumu. The word was that Okumu was interested in coming over to the U.S. and getting into “whatever team and level he could get into”. Rudland watched the footage, and, as he says, “Of course, I was sold right away.” He continues, describing the process, “We saw some footage of matches when he was in South Africa, and Boyzzz [Khumalo] had some connections to due some due diligence on that end, and all boxes were checked on that end.”
From December 2017 to April 2018. That’s how long it takes to sign the best defender a league has ever seen.
Joseph Stanley Okumu now wakes up, four years later, almost to the day, in the Belgian capital of Brussels, ahead of the 2022 Belgian Cup Final. He now plays for KAA Gent in Belgium, and over four years Okumu’s stock in world football has leaped from starring in the cavernous world of non-professional American soccer to thriving in a top European league.
But to get to where we currently are, in Brussels, we must remember that summer of 2018 when Okumu came to Ann Arbor.
Chapter One: Michigan
The early days of the pre-professional season can be full of experimentation. Collegiate players set to come in for the summers are still at their universities in spring, everyone is still getting to know one another, and ideas about what formation works best for the given personnel are being worked through. And culture shock is very real.
Boyzzz Khumalo, current Women’s Head Coach and a Men’s Assistant Coach in 2018, was very close with Okumu during his time at the club. “From day one, he was a professional,” Khumalo said. However, the early days in the U.S. were not the easiest ones. One massive dilemma was food.
Khumalo took Okumu and some of the team after training one day to get some pancakes. “They didn’t even touch the food,” Khumalo says. “So I took Stanley and some of the team to Jamaican Jerk Pit in Ann Arbor. And the guys ate away, licking their fingers.”
Frequent battles with Khumalo were also regularly on the training docket, with one moment standing out in Khumalo’s head in particular.
“I remember one time he kicked my ankle and I said, ‘Hey dude take it easy’ and Stanley being Stanley said, ‘If you don’t want to be touched, go play tennis.’”
But Khumalo shared that it was sometimes him with the last laugh, too, saying, with a chuckle, “It was funny because whenever I got the ball he would kick me because he couldn’t get the ball away from me.”
Khumalo described lining up against Okumu as “fun”, which is the same word that Men’s Head Coach (and Men’s Assistant Coach in 2018 alongside Khumalo) Rod Asllani used to describe coaching him. Now the head man for the men, Asllani was, in 2018, primarily tasked with strengthening the already-stout AFCAA defense. Of course, as the history books show, Asllani succeeded, as The Mighty Oak finished as the top defensive side in the NPSL in Okumu’s lone season – where Okumu also earned the 2018 TopDrawerSoccer.com NPSL Player of the Year Award as an individual.
“It was fun working with him and the other defenders that season,” said Asllani. “They always pushed to be better and made things easier in terms of executing what was asked of them, but it was also challenging for me as a coach because I always had to come up with drills that would keep them engaged and challenge them.”
Former teammate, and the latest of several 2018 AFCAA stars to make their professional debuts, Stephen Turnbull bore the fruits of Asllani’s coaching labors and helped make the magic happen on the field alongside Okumu. He was able to play at ease and freely alongside his same-sided CB. “He put the team at ease with his calm and collected composure, and also raised the atmosphere with a crunchy tackle or a big defensive play,” Turnbull said. “The confidence and composure he had were what helped our team be so successful; we knew he had our backs.”
On the field, Okumu was a force at the NPSL level. Anchoring a defense that started the season with a 488-minute shutout streak, Okumu was wowing offensively and defensively. Almost immediately, Okumu began spraying excellent long balls out to the feet of his attackers, frequently shocking them with the quality of his passing range in the early goings of the season as he sparked attacks quickly, allowing AFCAA to shift from defense to offense with one outlet ball.
His end-of-season stats include just ten NPSL matches, but the numbers themselves are stunning. 5.3 tackles, 7.4 interceptions, 5.8 clearances, and a jaw-dropping 8.5 headers won are just some of the superb per-game statistics that Okumu logged. These all came together on June 10, 2018, at Keyworth Stadium, when AFC Ann Arbor took on Detroit City FC in one of the most memorable meetings of the two sides in the clubs’ storied rivalry.
At the time, this author was an independent writer with an interest in AFC Ann Arbor. Here is the passage that yours truly dedicated exclusively to Okumu in my analysis of that match.
As for the man of the match, Stanley Okumu played one of the best performances at center-back you will see in an NPSL game. Combined with [CB partner Jack] Cawley, any header seemed to cause AFC fans no trouble, as you just expected it to be cleared. Okumu made clearance after clearance and thumped long balls away if they were immediately troubling, or saw them out of play if he could. At this moment, I would say that Stanley Okumu is the best center-back in the Great Lakes Division, without question. I would go as far to say he is the best player, period, in the division, and perhaps in the entire NPSL Midwest Region. His passing range is outstanding, his size and jumping ability allow him to get any header in the air he chooses. Additionally, he has incredibly long legs, which [combined with his size and jumping ability] allow him to lift them higher than some players' heads for clearances, and today he made a clearance in the final minutes to make sure AFC saw all three points.
Later that week, with the season starting to really pick up steam following the date with DCFC in Hamtramck, I spoke to then-Men’s Head Coach, and current Club Sporting Director, Eric Rudland, who said, “He's got some intuition, he's got good passing range, and at the end of the day when you look at a player like that you can see the athleticism, you can see the technical range, but what drives him is just his internal motivation. Blocking shots and throwing his head in front of balls that not many would do, has been impressive. And it's not like he's doing it at this game and taking a game off, he's doing it in training day in and day out he's done it every game, day in, day out."
Asllani, also in present-day, echoed that sentiment from Rudland in 2018. “The drive, the hunger, the focus to be at his best whether in training or games,” Asllani said when asked about what set Okumu apart from other players. “He had this look in his eyes that told you everything about him as a player and person.”
Speaking again to Rudland back in the present day, he highlights the match away to Detroit City as Okumu’s finest in AFCAA colors. Highlighting Okumu’s partner Cawley, as well, Rudland noted the duo's exceptional ability in the air, and also noted Okumu’s stunning goal-saving clearance in the late stages of the match.
Okumu had just logged 13 interceptions, 12 clearances, ten tackles, and won eight headers in one of the most unique and imposing locals in American soccer, and he did it comfortably. And he sure wasn’t a slouch in the other seven NPSL regular season matches he appeared in. What else was there to do in Ann Arbor?
Okumu would trial with a non-Real Monarchs USL side, emphasizing the interest around him even mid-season, leaving him out of the remainder of the regular season. However, a return for the playoffs meant he could see the season out with the team he started, and even contribute an assist to the cause, his lone goal-contribution with The Mighty Oak.
If you’ve followed AFCAA to this point, you probably know the story from here. Okumu would move to Real Monarchs and then make a USL record move to the Swedish side IF Elfsborg, who would then subsequently move him to Gent in Belgium, with whom AFCAA will receive a FIFA solidarity payment in the weeks to come.
Chapter Two: Belgium
Okumu’s 2021-22 in Belgium has been similar to his lone season with IF Elfsborg, and as dominating as AFCAA fans would expect given his performances with the side; with the exciting caveat of playing in the European competition that he earned with the Swedish side that he helped to finish second in the 2020 Swedish Allsvenskan (the highest level in Swedish football) and earn a spot in the Europa Conference League, the third-tier of European club competition.
Like in Sweden, Okumu’s intangibles jump off the screen watching him in the run of the competition, but Okumu’s stats in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League (the highest level of Belgian football) have been eye-popping, especially for a player in his first season in the league.
Praise from Okumu has come from far and wide. Highly-popular football statistic and player rating website WhoScored lists Okumu in their Belgian team of the season, topping out as the second-highest rated CB throughout the season, with an average match rating of 7.0 (out of 10.0). Likewise, the widely-used football statistic app and website FotMob have deemed Okumu to be the top CB in Belgium with an average match rating of 7.44, second amongst all players primarily employed as defenders, and 24th in the Belgian First Division.
These rating metrics can be arbitrary and vary from person to person, but the raw stats Okumu has put together have made it very clear that he is one of the finest in his country at the moment.
Okumu’s 17 successful dribbles are the second-most of any CB. Additionally, Okumu’s three unsuccessful dribbles are the fewest unsuccessful attempts of any CB with at least ten successful dribbles. Among Belgium’s CBs, Okumu ranks seventh in key passes (8), fifth in accurate long balls (150), and 10th in passes (1,343, with the fewest minutes, played in the top ten). Okumu also sits 24th among all players in the league with most passes per game, averaging 50.2.
However, Okumu is not simply an attacking CB, and his defensive statistics back that up. Among all players in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, Okumu finished 10th in blocks per game, averaging just under one per game. He would also come in at 24th in clearances per game (3.3), 30th in tackles (2.1), and 34th in interceptions (1.6). Perhaps Okumu’s most impressive stat, though, is that he sits 187th in fouls committed, committing just over one foul every two games.
If these stats are not enough, consider the fact that (as of 3/30) Okumu is in the 100th percentile out of all Belgian CBs in defensive duel success rate. Okumu sits comfortably above most Belgian CBs in every defensive stat.
As will also come as a surprise to few who watched him over that summer in Ann Arbor, Okumu is one of the finest attacking CBs in the Belgian First Division. He also ranks in the 81st percentile in dribbles, the 91st percentile in forward passes, the 85th percentile in progressive passes, and the 69th percentile in successful attacking actions.
The road to get here, at this current juncture that Okumu sits with Gent, started on July 25, 2021, with Okumu’s debut for the club. Despite a 2-1 loss to St. Truiden, Okumu made an instant impact, completing the most passes in the match (72 on an 85% success rate) and logging nine ball recoveries. His second full 90 minutes in the league would come on August 9, and despite another loss, a 1-0 defeat to Oostende, he won the most duels of the match (9) and logged ten more recoveries. Gent started the season slowly, but it was clear that their Kenyan CB was a star in the making.
A brief detour away from impressive defending occurred in the third round of Europa Conference League (ECL) qualifying, away from home, in Jurmala, Latvia. With the tie level at 2-2, thanks to a 2-2 draw at home, in the 73rd minute, Okumu opened his European scoring account in the biggest way. A towering header off a second ball cross after a free-kick meant Okumu could lift his side past Latvia’s FK RFS and into the next European qualifying round, getting one step closer to playing in a European competition group stages.
The next week would be a great one for Okumu and Gent. On August 26, a 3-0 home thumping of Rakow Czestochowa, where Okumu played all 90 minutes, sent Gent into the group stage of the ECL. Then, just days later, on August 29, with his side struggling in the league, Gent laid a 6-1 beating down on bitter rivals and Champions League participants Club Brugge. Okumu played a full 90 and it had started to become clear that, despite the growing pains, he would factor into the Gent defense in a crucial way.
Things had begun to click, but in late October they would truly cement themselves in stone favorably for Okumu. On October 17, Okumu finds himself staring down the barrel of a stretch that playing American non-professional soccer was surely able to assist him with. Between 10/17 and 10/27, Gent would partake in four games, and Okumu would star in all four.
On 10/17 he put in a man-of-the-match caliber performance against Eupen, making a whopping 16 recoveries to go with five clearances, five interceptions, and seven duels won. FotMob awarded him with an 8.4 rating, and Gent won 2-0.
On 10/21, Gent would travel to Serbia to square off with Partizan. A nation notoriously hostile to opposing teams, and facing an eight-time Serbia Super Liga champion, Okumu stood firm in a back four at CB, paired with Cameroonian and fellow star CB Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui to walk out with a 1-0 victory, to continue a perfect 3-0-0, unscored upon, start to the group stage of the ECL.
On 10/24, Okumu’s Gent thumped Genk away from home by a score of 3-0. Okumu made 67 touches of the ball, nine clearances, seven recoveries, three tackles (the most in the match), and he won nine duels on the ground and in the air.
Finally, on 10/27, Okumu tops off the good times with a goal in a 4-0 Belgian Cup victory over fourth-division side Belisia in the Round of 32 in the Belgian Cup.
It’s a stretch that would, and has, defined Okumu’s season. His durability to play full games, and several in short succession, when fit makes him a valuable asset at any level of the game.
From here, Okumu’s season would sort of settle into a rhythm. November 4 sees them clinch a trip to the ECL Knockout Stage with a 1-1 home draw over Partizan. Later in the season, on February 6, Gent would beat Club Brugge again, with Okumu featuring for 61 minutes and logging five clearances in the process. Then, in the Belgian Cup Semi-Finals Second Leg, not even a month later, Gent would again embarrass their hated foes, earning a trip to the Belgian Cup Final with a 3-0 away victory.
Most recently in Europe, despite a 2-1 loss to Greek side PAOK knocking them out of the ECL, Okumu turned in a sparkling performance out of position at right-back, making four tackles, making eight recoveries, winning 14 duels (ten on the ground, four in the air), playing 53 accurate passes (82% success rate), and making 88 touches.
That versatility, including the ability to play RB, is something that Rudland knows to be an Okumu staple. When talking about what impressed him playing at Gent, Rudland said, “I’ve really been impressed with his versatility to play on the left or the right, to play in a back three or four. He’s a player that’s so flexible and so open-minded, and I think that’s really helped his career to progress.”
This takes us to today’s successes in the Belgian Cup Final. Gent and Okumu, who played at RB in the final once again, toppled Anderlecht in penalties and secured Europa League football (a step higher than the ECL). It’s yet another step forward for Okumu, who earned rave reviews amongst Gent fans during and following the game, and it’s a fitting reward of silverware for his performances this season.
Born in Kenya, molded in Ann Arbor, and finding his footing well and truly in Belgium, Joseph Stanley Okumu is a fully-fledged star for Gent; tackling the opposition and the pressure, and doing it with the typical calm intensity that the AFCAA Family knows and loves.
