It isn’t easy coming in on loan to a side on top of the table, but that’s the challenge facing David Egbo.
“I came here knowing I wasn’t going to be handed a starting job, and I didn’t want to be handed one,” Egbo said. “I wanted to work for it. I wanted to show what I can do. That hunger of being a professional athlete, if everything’s too easy then it’s too good to be true. When you work for it, it feels a lot better. I just came here to work for what I can do.”
Egbo joins Rising on a deal from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. While he could remain in the desert through the remainder of the 2021 season, he is subject to recall from his parent club.
The moves sees him link up with Tobi Adewole, who he has known for years due to a friendship with the defender’s younger brother.
“He has that physical presence,” Adewole said of Egbo. “He’s very technical, and he’s powerful. He’s a good hold-up striker, and he has the ability to run behind. So, a lot of promise coming out from the young lad.”
It isn’t just Adewole who serves as a familiar face for the youngster: he previously played alongside Ben Lundt, and already knew several other members of the Phoenix squad.
“I thought it was awesome to just come here and just be with those guys,” Egbo said. “I haven’t played with Ben in a long time, and I know what Ben can do. I love Ben. Then, me and Tobi go way back, so it was a very easy decision for me to make to just come here [with] a couple of guys that I know. They’re going to make the transition for me a lot easier.”
The 22-year-old Nigerian striker was selected as the ninth overall pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, after recording 21 goals in 56 appearances at the University of Akron. Egbo is the third Akron alumnus to be named to Rising’s 2021 roster, after Aodhan Quinn and Lundt.
“We are very excited to add a player of David’s quality,” Rising coach Rick Schantz said in a press release. “He is extremely athletic and very skillful. David’s ability to get in behind defenders with speed will give us a different option up front.”
With Rising’s starting spot up top currently locked up by Azerbaijani striker Rufat Dadashov, it might be a tall task for the loanee to crack the starting lineup.
“I think if he keeps working and puts his head down, his opportunity will come,” Adewole said. “When that comes, I expect him to make the most of it. But [Rufat Dadashov] is doing very well right now, so it won’t be easy.”
But for Egbo, getting the number nine role isn’t the be-all and end-all: he just wants to get out on the pitch in whatever way he can.
“I’m not really here to take Rufat’s job or anyone’s job,” Egbo said. “I’m just here to support the team the best way I can and to win games. I don’t care wherever the coach puts me, I don’t. Up top, left wing, right wing, center mid: I don’t care where I play as long as I’m on the field and we’re winning.”
Rising’s next match is against San Diego Loyal at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be the first full-capacity match at Wild Horse Pass.
Want to hear more? Preview Saturday’s game with Rising Matchday – streaming at 9 a.m. Saturday morning on YouTube and Facebook, and available on demand shortly after.