STARS ABROAD Why Richard Odada, Wanyama's Harambee Stars heir is yet to establish himself at Philadelphia Union

The "Victor Wanyama successor" to the Harambee Stars defensive midfield throne has yet to make an appearance for Philadelphia.

For almost five years now, Richard Odada has long been touted as the heir to the Victor Wanyama defensive midfield throne at Harambee Stars.

When Jacob Ghost Mulee gave him his international debut in a 1-1 draw with Uganda in the 2022 World Cup qualifier back in September 2021, he was full of praise for the youngster, describing him as the future of Kenyan football.

"We have had different players coming in, and new players who are making their debut. I was impressed with Odada, meaning he has solved our problem in the midfield department. He is just 20 and has a lot to offer," Mulee said.

Since then, he has earned six caps for Kenya and scored once, a match-winning penalty over Rwanda in November 2021.

It is easy to see why, after all, this is a player who was signed by Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade from AFC Leopards Youth even before he had turned 18, which implied that the midfielder was destined for greatness before he had kicked a ball in the Kenya Premier League. 

He was also part of the junior national team squads, having played for the Under 17 and 20 sides.

Now 22, Odada played for Laiser Hill Academy before joining AFC Cubs In July 2018. His performances were so good, he earned a call-up to the senior team. 

On 30 January 2019 after a successful trial, Odada joined Red Star Belgrade before being initially assigned to the club's under-19 side. To later get playing time at the senior level, Odada was initially loaned to Grafičar Beograd in 2020, an affiliate club of Red Star often used for thedevelopment of its younger players.

He made his debut on 29 February 2020 in a 3–0 victory against Radnički Pirot, where he played all 90 minutes.In the 2019–20 season, he played seven matches, recording one assist in a 5–0 victory over Sinđelić Beograd in 20 June 2020.

In the 2020–2021 season, while remaining on loan with Grafičar Beograd through January 2021, Odada played 14 matches in the First League, during which he recorded an assist against Radnički Pirot on 30 August 2020. He also played one game in the Serbian Cup against Voždov.

Odada returned to Red Star in January 2021, and remained there through the end of the season. He made his SuperLiga debut as a substitute on 28 February 2021 in a 4–0 victory over Proleter Novi Sad. On 2 March 2021, he also made a substitute appearance in a 4–1 victory over Mladost Lučani.

During the 2021–22 season, Odada was loaned to Metalac Gornji Milanovac in the SuperLiga. He went on to play 27 games, including 17 starts, during the season, in addition to one game in the Serbian Cup.

After the conclusion of his loan to Metalac Gornji Milanovac, Red Star had planned to loan Odada again to Grafičar Beograd for the 2022–23 season, with his contract set to expire on 31 December 2022. Instead of starting the season with a return to Grafičar Beograd, Odada switched player agencies in July 2022 to help explore transfer opportunities.

One month later, Odada joined Philadelphia Union in a transfer from Red Star on a two-and-a-half-year contract. With the transfer, he was to occupy an international roster slot.

He joined Philip Mayaka, Abdi Salim, and Victor Wanyama as Kenyans currently plying their trade in the Major Soccer League (MLS). 

The most notable is obviously CF Montreal midfielder Wanyama, who joined the league at age 28 from Tottenham Hotspur while he served as Kenya’s captain. The powerhouse central midfielder is unsurprisingly someone Odada grew up watching.

Head coach Richard Curtin had spoken in glowing terms about how Odada would be a useful option to have and had “a lot of potential” in the defensive midfield positions when he arrived.

“Richard Odada will come in and join us now and give us some depth at the defensive midfield position. [He] can also play on the side of the diamond, but he’s predominantly a young No. 6 that has a skill set that we think we can get in here and develop,” Curtin said.

“As always when a new player comes in, we tell him, it’s not on him to impress us,” Curtin said. “He’s here for a reason. It’s up to his teammates and the coaching staff to make him feel comfortable. So just do the things that he’s used to. … (He’s) strong, physical, good ball-winner and can really pass the ball.

“Whether it’s at the 6, he is outside of the diamond, he can play multiple spots for us in midfield, and he’s a good young kid. He’s fit in really well with the locker room. So I think there’s a lot of potential there. It’s still early and he’s going to work hard, but I'm happy with the first impressions so far, ” Curtin said in 2022.

Initially, the Visa paperwork took a long time to process, but since being cleared to play, he has not featured at all. He is yet to make a single appearance, only making the bench ten times out of the 45 games that the club has played since his arrival at the club, which is concerning.

“It’s very good,” Odada told the Daily Times upon joining. “The people, the players, the staff, everybody is positive. I enjoy it, and I feel like I’m part of this,” he added.

The midfielder has only been limited to the side’s affiliate team, the Philadelphia Union II, the side with whom he has featured more often. In one of his Facebook captions, Odada spoke about “life being tough” and recognizing those who “care about you”

“Life's tough. recognize the ones who really care about you and hold on tight to them. Respect and more love my people,” he said.

Odada implies that he accepts that his work is cut out to become an MLS regular. However, he will be hoping he can turn the bench appearances with the senior side into minutes, as his coach has shown his faith in him given his words back in September.