Bell, Duggan, Okiyoshi invited to the showcase
Marshall University Men’s Soccer student-athletes Matthew Bell, Morris Duggan and Taimu Okiyoshi were invited to the 2023 adidas Major League Soccer Showcase on Tuesday, as announced by the MLS.
They are three of 44 players invited to the event set for December 6 through December 9 in Phoenix, Arizona, to give MLS technical staffs a chance to scout top collegiate prospects ahead of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft which is set for December 19.
Previously, only players who were collegiate seniors and above, along with Generation adidas signees, were eligible for selection. College players will also still be able to sign Generation adidas contracts (freshmen and above).
A player who is drafted by an MLS club and has remaining college eligibility will have the option to return to school and further their development but will not be draft-eligible in the future. A player who is selected but elects to go back to college or does not sign a contract will have their SuperDraft Priority held by the drafting club for about two years following the SuperDraft, culminating on December 31 of the second year.
A player with remaining college eligibility who appears on the draft-eligible list but is not selected in the SuperDraft may return to school and can be nominated for the following year’s draft.
Bell was named the SBC Offensive and Player of the Year as he tallied a single-season program record 12 assists and 10 goals for 32 points. Bell, a first-team all-conference honoree, became just the second player in program history to register multiple seasons of 10 or more goals and is the only player in program history to record at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a season.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta was a stalwart in goal for Marshall during the 2023 season being named the conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year and first-team all-conference. The Paraguayan graduate student started all 21 of Marshall’s games in goal, played all but 6 minutes and led the SBC with 11.5 shutouts and 18 wins, setting a Marshall program record as an individual and a team record for regular season victories.
Duggan captained and anchored a defense that had the most shutouts with 11 during the season to earn the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honors. The senior played over 1,200 minutes on the backline, tallied a pair of goals during the season with one at Georgia Southern (Oct. 1) and one at then-No. 5 WVU (Oct. 18). The German defender also registered a pair of assists with one each against High Point (Sept. 8) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 13).
Okiyoshi, a captain of the 2023 squad, played the most minutes of any field player on the team at over 1,600 minutes being named second-team all-conference. The native of Kobe, Japan, tallied a goal and an assist with 12 shots, including four on target. The midfielder’s goal was a screamer from outside the 18-yard box in a win at then No. 9 James Madison (Sept. 16) with his assist coming in a win against Cleveland State (Sept. 12).
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**Press release from Marshall University – HERDZONE – 12/5/2023 12:26:00 PM | Men’s Soccer