Joey Akpunonu

Joey Akpunonu
Personal information
Full name Joseph Akpunonu[1]
Date of birth (2001-12-21) December 21, 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Toledo, Ohio, United States
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Center-back
Team information
Current team
 Charleston Battery
Youth career
2018–2020 Pacesetter SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Bowling Green Falcons 48 (8)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2022 Toledo Villa 22 (1)
2023 FC Cincinnati 1 (0)
2023 FC Cincinnati 2 23 (0)
2024 → Hartford Athletic (loan) 14 (0)
2024 → Huntsville City FC (loan) 8 (0)
2025– Charleston Battery 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 14, 2025

Joseph Akpunonu (born December 21, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for the USL Championship side Charleston Battery.

Club career

Akpunonu went to high school at St. John's Jesuit High School, where he was a three-year letter winner. He played college soccer with the Bowling Green Falcons from 2020 to 2022, where he received 2022 Academic All-America First Team honors in his final year.[3] In the summers, he played with USL League Two side Toledo Villa.[4] In December 2022, he was one of 44 players invited to the 2022 adidas MLS College Showcase.[5] He was drafted 22nd overall in the first round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft on December 2, 2022, by FC Cincinnati.[6] First assigned to their reserves, he made his professional debut with FC Cincinnati in a 1–0 U.S. Open Cup win over Louisville City FC on April 27, 2023.[7]

On February 6, 2024, Akpunonu joined USL Championship club Hartford Athletic on a season loan for the 2024 season.

Akpunonu signed with Charleston Battery of the USL Championship on January 13, 2025.[8]

Personal life

Akpunonu is of Nigerian descent.[9] He studied biology at Bowling Green State University, and intends to become a doctor, like his father (Basil Akpunonu),[10] mother (Elizabeth Hoffman),[11] and brother (Peter Akpunonu).[12]).[3] He had a 4.0 grade-point average, and was named to an 11-man Academic All-America First Team just prior to leaving Bowling Green State University.[2]

Honors

FC Cincinnati

Individual

References

  1. ^ "2022 adidas MLS College Showcase to feature 44 top college prospects | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  2. ^ a b "Joey Akpunonu | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  3. ^ a b "Joey Akpunonu - Men's Soccer". Bowling Green State University Athletics.
  4. ^ Staff, Toledo Villa FC (December 20, 2022). "Interview with Joey Akpunonu". Toledo Villa FC - USL L2.
  5. ^ "Invitees Announced for 2022 adidas MLS College Showcase | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  6. ^ "MLS SuperDraft: FC Cincinnati selects Bowling Green defender Joey Akpunonu". The Enquirer.
  7. ^ "FC Cincinnati moving on in Open Cup with win against Louisville City FC | Replay". The Enquirer.
  8. ^ "Battery sign defender Joey Akpunonu". CharlestonBattery.com. Charleston Battery. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  9. ^ "Akpunonu, Eneli drafted to MLS by Super Draft". Score Nigeria. December 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "The University of Toledo Physicians". University of Toledo Physicians. June 14, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman, MD – Sylvania, OH | Internal Medicine on Doximity". Doximity. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "UK College of Medicine". Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Staff Reports (April 24, 2023). "Over a dozen Falcons honored at Ziggy Awards".