UNC GREENSBORO ATHLETICS

Joey Skinner of Charlotte, who earned All-Southern Conference last year as a UNC Greensboro freshman before transferring to Clemson, earned Generation adidas recognition by MLS.

The Carolinas’ presence in Major League Soccer’s 2023 Generation adidas class includes a Charlotte connection.

Clemson defender Joey Skinner is one of three Carolinas players among eight underclassmen named to Generation adidas eligible for the Dec. 21 SuperDraft. Skinner, a Tigers sophomore and Cox Mill alumnus, played in every game for the Tigers in 2022, scoring twice and notching an assist. Skinner transferred from UNC Greensboro, where he was a first-team All-Southern Conference pick as a freshman in 2021.

Skinner scored four goals and racked up seven assists with the Spartans, who led the nation is best goal differential (38).

Owen O’Malley of Cary helped Creighton to a berth in the 2022 national title game in which the sophomore midfielder scored eight goals and six assists to earn All-Big East first-team honors. In 2021, he played in 18 games (10 starts), totaling 936 minutes and an assist for the Blue Jays.

Duke midfielder/forward Shakur Mohammed scored a team-high 10 goals in 2022 and was named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.

Mohammed, a sophomore from Kumasi, Ghana, earned first-team All-American and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. The Kumasi, Ghana, native chalked up multi-goal games and earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice. The year before, Mohammed scored three goals and seven assists to earn ACC Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference.

The other five players named to the Generation adidas class are: Joey Akpunonu (Bowling Green), Joshua Bolma (Maryland), Moise Bombito (New Hampshire), C.J. Fodrey (San Diego State) and Ilijah Paul (Washington).

Seven players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup began their MLS careers through the Generation adidas initiative, including U.S. national team members Sean Johnson (2010 SuperDraft), Cristian Roldan (2015), and Walker Zimmerman (2013), as well as Canadian national team players Tajon Buchanan (2019), Cyle Larin (No. 1 overall in 2015), Richie Laryea (2016), and Dayne St. Clair (2019).

Charlotte FC picked 2021 Generation adidas player Ben Bender of Maryland with the top pick in last year’s SuperDraft.

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