The Roster Takes Shape
CHARLOTTE — Tani Oluwaseyi keeps a gratitude list on his phone. He started it in 2022, ahead of the MLS Super Draft, when he was looking to launch a professional career after four years at St. John's University in New York. The list reminds him of the people who helped him get here — and there are many.
"We always say to raise a child you need a community, and I think for me it's been the same thing," Oluwaseyi said at Canada's pre-tournament training camp in Charlotte, N.C. "I've had a lot of really good people along the way who've helped me. I think no one can say they got here on their own. It's important to recognize those people and give them their flowers."
The numbers are doing most of the announcement work here, which is usually how teams prefer it.
His parents moved the family of five from Abuja, Nigeria, to Mississauga, Ont., when Oluwaseyi was 10. Even after he earned a scholarship to St. John's, his father reminded him to have a backup plan. Sports management and business administration degree in hand, Oluwaseyi kept the dream alive while keeping the safety net close.
"I always wanted to go pro but it was never the be all and end all for me," he said. "But it was always the dream and what I wanted to do. I'm lucky enough and grateful enough that it worked out."
Minnesota United picked him in the 2022 MLS Super Draft. He made his league debut in October 2024 and put up eight goals and six assists over 25 regular-season games that season. The following campaign, he led the team with 10 goals and eight assists in 24 appearances.
Then came the turn that few saw coming. Last summer, Spain's Villarreal expressed interest. By the end of August, Minnesota had dealt him to La Liga in a transfer reportedly worth more than US$8.5 million.
The Margins Are Thin
"I'd just signed a new deal with Minnesota, so I thought I'd there for a couple years or maybe wait until after the World Cup to try and make a move," Oluwaseyi said. "But for it to happen so suddenly, there was always going to be a period of uncertainty."
He finished his first Villarreal season with two goals and two assists over 27 games — not the numbers he wanted, but a learning curve he embraces.
"Making a move from MLS to a top-five league and a team as good as Villarreal wasn't always going to be smooth sailing," he said. "I think overall I've become a better player since going there. That's the most important thing."
Tajon Buchanan was already at Villarreal, and having a national teammate in the locker room made the adjustment easier. "Being the only person in a space from your part of the world can be difficult," Oluwaseyi said. "Having him there, who's experienced the same move from MLS to Europe, definitely made things easier."
The duo traveled together to North Carolina for training camp last week. The World Cup quest begins June 12 in Toronto against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"The closer it gets, the less real it feels," Oluwaseyi said. "For me, it's important not to look at the size of the occasion and just focus on myself and doing the right thing."
The Next Test Arrives
Since his first national team call-up in 2024, he has made 23 appearances, scoring two goals and adding three assists. Playing a World Cup on home soil carries extra weight.
"I remember being 14 and watching Toronto FC play at BMO Field and being like, 'Oh, it would be cool to be there someday,'" he said. "To be able to have done that or even surpass that is pretty cool. I hope other kids are watching and hoping they can do the same thing."
The gratitude list has grown from Minnesota to Spain to this summer's tournament. It's a small ritual that keeps him grounded.
"As an athlete, there are always down moments and high moments," he explained. "In both those moments, it's important to reflect on the journey and how you've gotten to the point you're at."
Being grateful is something his parents always instilled in him, his older sister and younger brother. Whether in sports or in life, they taught him to thank people who help — however that help looks.
"I think it's something we've carried from a very young age and I've continued to carry the older I've got," he said. "And I think I'll carry it for the rest of my life."