Geoffrey Edwin Acheampong (born January 28, 1997) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who currently plays for Sliema Wanderers in the Maltese Premier League.

Early life and education

Acheampong was born in Sunyani, Ghana, on January 28, 1997, to Alice and Henry Acheampong. He was a part of the Right to Dream Academy and would ultimately move to the United States. He played high school soccer at Cate School in

Carpinteria, California Carpinteria (; es, Carpintería, meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 U ...

, and made worldwide headlines with a goal scored from a distance of 60 yards. A highly touted prep, Acheampong was rated as the 24th best collegiate soccer prospect in the class of 2015. He continued his soccer career and announced his intention to enroll at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In his only year with the Gauchos, Acheampong made 22 appearances and scored 3 goals. Playing alongside

Nick DePuy Nicholas "Nick" Brady DePuy (born November 14, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC. Career College DePuy played four years of college soccer at UC Santa Barbara be ...

, the 10 assists he recorded were the highest on the team. The Big West Conference announced Acheampong as the 2015 Freshman of the Year. Despite having played only one year, he was already being highly considered as a top

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

prospect. 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 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

. On September 18, 2016, Acheampong made his professional debut upon entering as a substitute for

Allan Saint-Maximin Allan Irénée Saint-Maximin (born 12 March 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Newcastle United. He previously played for Saint-Étienne, Monaco and Nice. Early life Saint-Maximin was born in Châtenay-Mal ...

in a match against

AS Saint-Étienne Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (), commonly known as A.S.S.E. () or simply Saint-Étienne, is a professional football club based in Saint-Étienne in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The club was founded in 1933 and competes in ...

. Acheampong signed with Veracruz for the

2017–18 Liga MX season The 2017–18 Liga MX season (known as the Liga BBVA Bancomer MX for sponsorship reasons) was the 71st professional season of the top-flight football league in Mexico. The season is split into two championships—the Torneo Apertura and the T ...

. On March 1, 2018, it was announced that Acheampong had signed with LA Galaxy II. In June 2020, Acheampong moved to Finnish Ykkönen side AC Kajaani. He made his debut for Kajaani on 27 June 2020 against FF Jaro, where he scored both goals in a 2–2 draw. In March 2021, Acheampong signed with Ghana Premier League side Elmina Sharks as a free agent. In July 2021, Acheampong returned to Finland for Veikkausliiga club Rovaniemen Palloseura.

Awards and honors

Individual * Big West Conference Freshman of the Year: 2015 *Vuoden jalkapalloälykkö: 2021 *

References

External links

Geoffrey Acheampong
at

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

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Geoffrey Acheampong
at USL Championship
Geoffrey Acheampong
at UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Geoffrey Acheampong
at the Malta Football Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Acheampong, Geoffrey 1997 births Living people Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers Men's association football midfielders People from Sunyani District UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players SC Bastia players LA Galaxy II players C.D. Veracruz footballers AC Kajaani players Elmina Sharks F.C. players Rovaniemen Palloseura players Mosta F.C. players Sliema Wanderers F.C. players Ligue 1 players USL Championship players Ykkönen players Maltese Challenge League players Maltese Premier League players Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in France Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Malta Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Malta