Source: Kiara Jacobs / Radio One Charlotte OE
Charlotte Sports Today was joined this morning by Charlotte FC’s number one overall draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft and former Clemson defender, Hamady Diop. The young defender talks about his strengths as a player, the goals he wants to achieve with the club and even which position he thinks he fits best on the back line.
“At center back, I can read the game really well and I can make passes that make the game,” said Diop. “At full-back I’m really good at defending one on one attacks, I can defend a lot going forward. I like making passes, and breaking lines and that’s something I really enjoy doing when I play in the back. I’m comfortable doing both and I’m definitely going to enjoy it.”
In his time at Clemson, Diop won the 2021 NCAA College Cup, clinching Clemson’s third national title alongside current Charlotte FC goalkeeper George Marks. Diop anchored a Tigers backline that pitched nine shutouts across his 20 starts, while also contributing three goals and three assists. The versatile defender was named to the second-team All-ACC team in both his sophomore (2021) and junior (2022) seasons. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2020. He also came through Monteverde Academy, the same school that produced current Charlotte FC forward Andre Shinyashiki.
The club traded the No. 20 pick and $450,000 of General Allocation Money in a trade with St. Louis to move up to #1 overall to select Diop on Wednesday night as part of a busy evening overall. Prior to the SuperDraft, the team signed midfielder Brandon Cambridge from the Vancouver Whitecaps for $50,000 in General Allocation Money and then traded up to the No. 12 pick by sending $100,000 of General Allocation Money to select Patrick Agyemang out of Rhode Island.
The squad also grabbed Washington forward Nick Scardina with the 40th pick overall (Second Round) & Penn State midfielder Andrew Privett with the 69th pick (Third Round).
