FC Cincinnati might have found a late first-round steal in the MLS SuperDraft ahead of the 2023 season.
Picking later in the first round than ever before at No. 22 after the best season in club history, FC Cincinnati selected Bowling Green center back Joey Akpunonu.
Akpunonu is a Generation Adidas signing, which means he was a prominent prospect signed to a professional deal in Major League Soccer before the draft. His salary won't count against FC Cincinnati's annual salary cap, and he was one of 11 "GA" players in the draft.
![Bowling Green's Joey Akpunonu, left, and University of Akron's Henrique Cruz battle for possession during the first half on Sunday, March 7, 2021 in Akron, Ohio. The Zips won the game 2-0. [Phil Masturzo/ Beacon Journal]](https://cdn.cincylink.com/pub/content/uploads/sites/27/2022/12/FC-Cincinnati-drafts-Bowling-Green-defender-Joey-Akpunonu.jpg)
He might not have figured to be available to Cincinnati in the latter stages of the first round but in sliding down, Akpunonu helped FC Cincinnati fill a position of need.
2023 MLS schedule:FC Cincinnati will host Seattle Sounders, travel to St. Louis CITY SC
For Akpunonu, he could have a chance to compete for significant minutes in his rookie season in MLS due to FC Cincinnati reworking its back line personnel-wise.
Akpunono, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior, was a decorated collegian at Bowling Green. He started 42 out of 48 of the matches he played in and scored eight career goals. He was an all-Mid-American Conference (MAC) first-team selection.
2nd, 3rd round picks
With the No. 51 overall pick, FC Cincinnati landed on goalkeeper Hunter Morse, who most recently played at Western Michigan and transferred there from Michigan State.
Morse logged more than 1,900 minutes over 21 games this past season at Western Michigan. Only 10 goals were scored on him, and he notched 11 shutouts.
Morse also attended an overnight combine event for goalkeepers hosted by FC Cincinnati the weekend prior to the SuperDraft. Paul Rogers, FC Cincinnati's head of goalkeeping, and his goalkeeping colleagues staged the event.
With the 80th pick, FC Cincinnati selected London Aghedo, a defender out of Air Force where he was named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2022.
Aghedo started in all 58 of the matches he appeared in at Air Force. He notched six goals and six assists to round out his counting statistics.
A mock draft conducted by MLSSoccer.com had Aghedo listed as a projected mid-first-round pick, although it's unclear if military commitments could have an impact on his availability.
Draft day highlights
Clemson product Hamady Diop was selected No. 1 overall in the draft by Charlotte FC, which acquired the pick via a trade from expansion side St. Louis CITY SC.
Locally, Xavier Musketeers goalkeeper Cole Jensen was selected at No. 18 overall by Inter Miami CF.
In a deviation from recent SuperDraft history, few teams opted to "pass" on their picks. Only a handful of available selections went unused in this iteration of the draft. This is likely due to draft picks being available to clubs' MLS Next and MLS Next Pro sides.
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