Geoffrey Acheampong

Geoffrey Edwin Acheampong (born January 28, 1997) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who most recently played for AC Kajaani in the Ykkönen.

Geoffrey Acheampong
Personal information
Full name Geoffrey Edwin Acheampong
Date of birth (1997-01-28) January 28, 1997
Place of birth Sunyani, Ghana
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 AC Kajaani
Number 6
Youth career
Cate School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 22 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Bastia 2 (0)
2016–2017 → Bastia II (loan) 11 (1)
2017 Veracruz 0 (0)
2018–2019 LA Galaxy II 36 (5)
2020– AC Kajaani 8 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 August 2020

Early life and education

Acheampong was born in Sunyani, Ghana, on January 28, 1997, to Alice and Henry Acheampong.[1][2] He was a part of the Right to Dream Academy and would ultimately move to the United States.[3] He played high school soccer at Cate School in Carpinteria, California, and made worldwide headlines with a goal scored from a distance of 60 yards.[4][5]

A highly touted prep, Acheampong was rated as the 24th best collegiate soccer prospect in the class of 2015.[6] He continued his soccer career and announced his intention to enroll at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[7][8] In his only year with the Gauchos, Acheampong made 22 appearances and scored 3 goals.[9] Playing alongside Nick DePuy, he 10 assists he recorded were the highest on the team.[9] The Big West Conference announced Acheampong as the 2015 Freshman of the Year.[10] Despite having played only one year, he was already being highly considered as a top Major League Soccer prospect.[11] He left school after his first season with the Gauchos to pursue a professional soccer career.

Professional career

In June 2016, it was announced that Acheampong had signed with SC Bastia of Ligue 1.[12][13] On September 18, 2016, Acheampong made his professional debut upon entering as a substitute for Allan Saint-Maximin in a match against AS Saint-Étienne.[14][15]

Acheampong signed with Veracruz for the 2017–18 Liga MX season.[16][17]

On March 1, 2018 it was announced that Acheampong had signed with LA Galaxy II.[18]

In June 2020, Acheampong moved to Finnish Ykkönen side AC Kajaani.[19] He made his debut for Kajaani on 27 June 2020 against FF Jaro, where he scored both goals in a 2-2 draw.[20]

Awards and honors

Individual

References
  1. "Geoffrey Acheampong Player Profile – ESPN FC". ESPN FC. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  2. "Geoffrey Acheampong – UC Santa Barbara". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  3. Bouillon, Sophie (July 15, 2016). "Football and education are the goals at Ghana's Right to Dream Academy". www.AWorldAtSchool.org. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  4. Corless, Liam (February 12, 2015). "Watch spectacular goal as US high school student scores from his own half". Daily Mirror. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  5. Foss, Mike (February 13, 2015). "High school soccer player scores insane goal from midfield". USA Today. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  6. "Class of 2015 (High School Seniors)". www.CollegeSoccerNews.com. February 22, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  7. "Top 25 Rankings, Youth National Team Players Highlight Signing Day". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. February 4, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  8. Eskilson, J.R. (June 16, 2014). "Boys Commitments: UCSB lands local HS star". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  9. "2015 UC Santa Barbara Season Box Score". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  10. "Big West Unveils 2015 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team" (PDF). Big West Conference. November 3, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  11. Kennedy, Paul (November 19, 2015). "Top MLS prospects to watch in NCAA Men's Tournament". Soccer America. Oakland, California. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  12. Darkwah, Frank (June 30, 2016). "Ghana youngster Geoffrey Acheampong signs for French side FC Bastia". GhanaSportsOnline.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  13. Dove, Ed (June 30, 2016). "Boateng, de Jong celebrate Acheampong contract". Goal.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  14. "St Etienne 1 FT 0 Bastia". ESPN FC. September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  15. "Saint-Étienne veut se lancer Bastia souhaite confirmer". La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Tours. September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  16. Morales, Jesús (September 7, 2017). "¡El africano Geoffrey Acheampong llegaría al Tiburón!". www.xeudeportes.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  17. "Registra Veracruz al ghanés Acheampong". www.mediotiempo.com (in Spanish). October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  18. "LA Galaxy II sign midfielder Geoffrey Acheampong". LAGalaxy.com. LA Galaxy Communications. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  19. https://ackajaani.fi/uutiset/
  20. https://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2020/06/27/finland/ykkonen/ac-kajaani/ff-jaro-js-pietarsaari--jakobstad/3275325/
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