Talented former Pacific FC centre back Amedume joins Griffins, will be eligible to play Oct. 6

EDMONTON – A boost to the lineup is on its way for MacEwan men's soccer as centre-back Paul Bello Amedume has signed with the team following the Sept. 1 transfer window closure.

The talented BTB Academy product will be eligible to play for the Griffins Oct. 6 after his 365-day sit rule finishes from when he last appeared on a professional game scoresheet.

Amedume made 24 appearances for Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League from 2021-24.

It's clear he will be a big addition to the MacEwan back line once he is eligible.

"Big strong centre-back – athletic, physical," said Griffins head coach Adam Loga. "He's one centre-back we've been looking for for a long time to fill that void."

The 6-foot-1 defender, who also played League One for BTB in 2025, also has a high-level highlight on his resume – being named to the 60-man provisional Canadian U-20 team for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

He was also loaned to FC Dallas reserve team North Texas SC in 2022, scoring his first goal against the Tacoma Defiance. 

Amedume will be right at home with several players he grew up playing with or against as he was involved with Edmonton Internazionale and St. Nicholas Soccer Academy in his youth. He also joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency program in 2017 and in 2019 played with FC Edmonton U20 in the Alberta Major Soccer League.

"Him coming in, you either strengthen the back end with a Lucio (Rivera), Chance (Carter), Liam (Van Laar), etc. or you can now promote Chance back up top. We need Chance to steady things there, but once Paul comes in, to have that ability to bump him up and create with guys like Ali (Yildiz) and Macky (Mahfouz) backed by sturdy midfield with guys like Azar (El Khallaa) and Jakob (Sievert). To have Paul as an anchor in the back with (the other guys), it's exciting."

Amedume will be in his third year of eligibility with the Griffins based on a rule where any pro action you see in a season after Aug. 16 in the year you turn 20 (in his case, the 2023 and 2024 CPL seasons) counts as a year of U SPORTS eligibility.