Opoku Signs Generation Adidas Contract
Jan. 11, 2018
Official MLS Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia junior Edward Opoku (Millbrook, N.Y.) signed a Generation adidas contract offer from Major League Soccer (MLS). The offer makes him eligible as an underclassman for the Jan. 19 MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia.
Opoku will forego his final year of NCAA eligibility at Virginia and begin his professional career.. He is one of seven underclassmen to sign Generation Adidas contracts and the third from the ACC (Ema Twumasi – Wake Forest & Mo Adams – Syracuse).
Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas in which a handful of the top collegiate underclassmen and select youth national team players are signed to MLS contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. Generation adidas players do not count against an MLS team’s salary budget.
“We’re proud of him and all that he has accomplished in his time at Virginia,” said head coach George Gelnovatch. “His backstory is unbelievable, to be where he is today is nothing short of amazing. It’s a testament to how hard he’s worked and putting himself in the right position to achieve his goals.”
Opoku will join former Cavalier teammates, Jeff Caldwell and Pablo Aguilar at the combine this weekend in Orlando. The league will hold its annual combine from Jan. 11-17 at Orlando City Stadium, with representatives from all 23 MLS clubs scouting the top college prospects ahead of the SuperDraft
“It’s a huge honor for me to have received a Generation adidas offer and to be a part of Major League Soccer,” said Opoku. “I truly thankful for this opportunity and want to thank my coaches, teammates and professors at the University of Virginia who have helped facilitate my growth. UVA will always have a special place in my heart.”
In three seasons, Opoku has been honored by the ACC three times, including a Second Team selection in 2017. As a sophomore, he was a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region honoree. He tallied 41 points (16g, 9a) in 56 career games for the Cavaliers.