William Akio
William Akio (born 23 July 1998) is a South Sudanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Valour FC and the South Sudan national team. Early life. Akio was born in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya to South Sudanese parents who had fled the Second Sudanese Civil War. He later immigrated to Canada with his family, where he grew up in Calgary. Club career. Early career. In 2016, Akio attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, where he scored eighteen goals in nineteen appearances over two years. In 2018, he transferred to the University of Texas  Rio Grande Valley, where he went on to score eighteen goals in 41 appearances. Akio played for Calgary Foothills in USL League Two from 2017 to 2019, scoring 13 goals in 29 games, adding another 1 goal in 6 playoff games. In 2019, he would score 11 goals in 12 appearances. Valour FC. On 5 May 2021, Akio signed his first professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Valour FC. On 27 June 2021, he made his debut as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Forge FC. He scored his first professional goal on June 30th in a match  against HFX Wanderers. Valour started the season off very strong, aided by home field advantage as the first segment of the season was played only in Winnipeg due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When this part of the season ended, the team began to struggle midway through the season and fell out of a playoff position. However, Akio helped lead a resurgence near the end of the season, pushing Valour right into the thick of the playoff race, with performances such as his two goals and an assist in a crucial match against Cavalry. But despite Akio and the rest of  the team's efforts, Valour just missed out of the playoffs. Overall Akio had a strong first professional season, finishing with eight goals and three assists, and was in especially excellent form in October and November, being named in the CPL Team of the Week twice. In January 2022, Valour announced they had picked up Akio's contract option, keeping him at the club through 2022. International career. In 2021, Akio received his first call-up to the South Sudan national team, but did not make an appearance. A month after signing his first pro contract with Valour FC, he  received another call-up for a friendly against Jordan. After the 2021 CPL season ended, Akio was again called up by South Sudan for friendlies against the Gambia and Algeria. Akio eventually made his international debut on 27 January 2022 in a friendly defeat to Uzbekistan.