Forward Madison’s Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu has had a successful soccer career filled with lots of accomplishments that has led him here to Madison. After growing up in Bellingham, Massachusetts, Wheeler-Omiunu attended Ivy League school, Harvard University, where he continued his education while pursuing a soccer career at the division one collegiate level. During his time in college, Wheeler-Omiunu was selected to attend the MLS Combine and was drafted to Atlanta United during the MLS SuperDraft.
“You get split into four teams of 20,” Wheeler-Omiunu mentioned when describing his experience at the combine. “You go out and play against each other and all the scouts and coaches are there evaluating you. You do some athletic testing, and you do interviews with teams that might be interested in drafting you. The experience was awesome. I was really grateful. You go there, you play with a bunch of really good footballers and in your free time you’re in the hotel playing ping pong and video games. It’s something that I’m really grateful and appreciative that I got to be a part of.”
While Wheeler-Omiunu was at Atlanta United, he was fortunate enough to win an MLS Cup as part of the roster. After defeating Portland Timbers 2-0 at Mercedes Benz Stadium, Wheeler-Omiunu ended his time with Atlanta on a high note.
“I look back really fondly on my two years in Atlanta. I’m so grateful to the organization for giving me the opportunity to play at that level and I’m eternally grateful for the head coach Tata Martino. They allowed me to fulfill my dream of playing at the highest level in this country but also finish my education which was massive for me. I learned so much from just paying attention and learned a lot from my teammates. I can’t be anything but grateful for having been a part of that environment for two years and very, very grateful to have won the MLS Cup.”
After his time in Atlanta, Wheeler-Omiunu played for FC Tucson in USL League One, then Phoenix Rising and Sacramento Republic in USL championship before finding himself here in Madison.
“It’s [soccer] what I loved to do the most back then, and I still love it. The way in which I love it has changed and evolved over time though. I was fortunate enough to be selected to continue and every year that someone is crazy enough to pay me money to kick a soccer ball, I consider myself to be very fortunate to continue.”
Outside of soccer you will often find Wheeler-Omiunu at a coffee shop taking online classes or taking a walk outside. Given his career, he is very used to an active lifestyle and enjoys productive days.
“Right now I’m taking a couple classes so I’m either going to the library or to a coffee shop to work on those. I go for walks almost every afternoon to parks around where I live. I just try to be productive. When I’m not doing those things, I love jigsaw puzzles. I have a 1000 piece puzzle on the floor right now, and I play piano as well. I have a keyboard in my apartment that I enjoy playing while singing.”
Being in his second season with the Flamingos, Wheeler-Omiunu’s Madison experience has been a positive step in his professional career.
“I mean, the coaching staff, they’re my favorite coaches I’ve ever had the chance to work with. I’m grateful for the relationships that I have with each person. They care about the individuals as people on this team, not just as footballers. As far as the team you don’t always get the opportunity to make real deep connections with so many of the teammates and I’m really fortunate that I’ve had a couple of teammates in my two years here where I can think to myself ‘these are going to be relationships that I’m able to sustain hopefully for a long time in my life,’ and if I can get one of those every 10 years of my life, I’m profoundly appreciative.”
