Columbus Crew SC select midfielder Edward Opoku with the 32nd overall pick

With the 32nd overall selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, Columbus Crew SC select Generation Adidas signee and former University of Virginia midfielder Edward Opoku.

The diminutive midfielder, 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, started in 53 matches during his three seasons at UVA. Playing in both the midfield and as a forward, Opoku scored 16 goals during his career as a Cavalier.

Opoku was a highly touted prospect as a high school player, winning the co-MVP of the 2014 High School All-America Soccer Game. As a freshman in 2015, Opoku was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-freshman team and was also named to the All-ACC Third Team. In 2016, the Cavalier was second-team All-ACC as well as second-team All-American by the NSCAA. Opoku was also named second-team All-ACC in 2017.

As a Generation Adidas player, Opoku will not count against Crew SC’s roster in terms of senior roster slot or salary cap. He is the first Generation Adidas player drafted by Columbus since Dilly Duka in 2010.

Born in Ghana, and a graduate of the prestigious Right to Dream program, Opoku joins fellow Ghanaians Harrison Afful, Mohammed Abu, Lalas Abubakar, and Jonathan Mensah.