Nouhou Tolo

Nouhou Tolo
Nouhou with Seattle Sounders FC in 2017
Personal information
Full name Nouhou Tolo
Date of birth 23 June 1997
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Seattle Sounders FC
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Rainbow Bamenda
2016 Seattle Sounders FC 2 24 (0)
2017– Seattle Sounders FC 146 (1)
2017–2018 → Tacoma Defiance (loan) 8 (1)
International career‡
2017 Cameroon U20 1 (0)
2019 Cameroon U23 1 (0)
2017– Cameroon 23 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Cameroon
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place 2021 Cameroon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 02:02, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 April 2023

Nouhou Tolo (; born 23 June 1997), sometimes known mononymically as Nouhou, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer and the Cameroon national team. He represented Cameroon at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Nouhou began his career in 2015 with Rainbow Bamenda, where he played for one season. A contract dispute over who owned his rights between teams in Cameroon initially blocked his transfer to the United States, but in April 2016, Nouhou signed with Seattle Sounders FC 2. He made 24 league appearances and lead the team in minutes played.

Nouhou signed with Seattle Sounders FC on 26 January 2017, earning his first team contract after performing admirably for S2 in 2016, according to General Manager Garth Lagerway. Nouhou scored his first professional goal while loaned down to S2 on 15 April 2017, the second goal in a 2–1 away win over LA Galaxy II.

Nouhou made his Seattle Sounders FC debut on 31 May 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 loss to Columbus Crew. He quickly became a fan favorite amongst Sounders FC supporters, often known for his showmanship during matches. Nouhou was named to the 2021 MLS All-Star Game roster. He scored his first goal for the Sounders against the Houston Dynamo on 4 September 2022. He also registered an assist in the game, earning Man of the Match honors.

International career

In February 2017, Nouhou was called up to represent the Cameroon U20s in the 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Zambia. Nouhou made his under-20 debut on 27 February 2017, starting at left back in a 3–1 loss against South Africa in the first group stage game of the tournament.

Nouhou made his debut for the Cameroon national team in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 2–2 tie with Zambia on 11 November 2017.

On November 9, 2022, Nouhou was named in Cameroon's final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He started all three matches for his country, including their historic 1-0 victory over Brazil.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 October 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Seattle Sounders FC 2 2016 USL 24 0 — — — 24 0
2017 USL 6 1 — — — 6 1
2018 USL 1 0 — — — 1 0
Total 31 1 — — — 31 1
Tacoma Defiance 2019 USL 1 0 — — — 1 0
Seattle Sounders FC 2017 MLS 19 0 2 0 — 5 0 26 0
2018 MLS 28 0 — 1 0 2 0 31 0
2019 MLS 22 0 1 0 — 2 0 25 0
2020 MLS 22 0 — 2 0 4 0 28 0
2021 MLS 19 0 — — — 19 0
2022 MLS 30 1 1 0 7 0 0 0 38 1
Total 140 1 4 0 10 0 13 0 167 1
Career total 172 2 4 0 10 0 13 0 199 2
  1. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
  2. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League

International

As of match played 29 March 2022
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Cameroon 2017 1 0
2021 5 0
2022 8 0
Total 14 0

Personal life

Nouhou is Muslim.

Honours

Seattle Sounders FC

Cameroon

Individual