Joey Akpunonu

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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 Center-back
Team information
Current team
 Charleston Battery
Number 22
Youth career
2018–2020 Pacesetter SC
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2022 Bowling Green Falcons 48 (8)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2022 Toledo Villa 22 (1)
2023–2024 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 26 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 25, 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.

Contents

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. 1 2 "Joey Akpunonu | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  3. 1 2 "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".
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