Nine Demon Deacons Earn Roster Spots as 2024 MLS Campaign Begins
2/23/2024 11:26:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Wake Forest alums signed to MLS rosters ahead of opening weekend includes four members of the 2023 ACC Atlantic Division championship team.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 2024 Major League Soccer campaign has kicked off with nine Demon Deacons rostered to begin the year including four rookies that played a role in the 2023 ACC Atlantic Division title last fall.
The first slate of action featuring these Deac alums will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (Feb. 24), including a clash between former MAC Hermann Trophy finalists Garrison Tubbs (D.C. United) and Ian Harkes (New England Revolution).
Brandon Servania | Toronto FC
The Birmingham, Ala., native is set to kick-off his second campaign with the Canadian club after being traded from FC Dallas last February. Last season, he scored his first goal for Toronto in the 94th minute to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United. He has logged five goals and eight assists in 95-career MLS regular season appearances with 64 starts.
In Servania's lone season at Wake Forest, he earned ACC All-Freshman honors after tallying 17 points on three goals and 11 assists. His 11 assists that season is tied for the Wake Forest freshman record along with fellow professional Jack Harrison (2015). He also helped lead the team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Omir Fernandez | Colorado Rapids
After five seasons with New York Red Bulls, Fernandez is set to begin the next chapter of his career with the Colorado Rapids after signing a three-year contract with the club as a free agent back in December. He is coming off of a career season in New York, where he finished with six goals and three assists in 30 appearances. In total, Fernandez has racked up 15 goals and 13 assists in league play throughout his career.
A two-year player with the Deacs, Fernandez is tied for 28th all-time in program history with 47 career points. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as a MAC Hermann semifinalist and a first-team All-American, as he led the conference with 30 points on a team-high 12 goals and six assists in 2018.
He also was selected to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2017 and helped the Deacs reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Ema Twumasi | FC Dallas
The 11th-overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft is entering his seventh professional season, all with FC Dallas. He has played a major role on Dallas' backline since becoming a starter in 2021. He scored his first-career goal in the final game of the 2023 regular season, as he gave Dallas the lead in the 13th minute in a 4-1 victory against the LA Galaxy.
In two years at Wake Forest, he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team (2016), first-team All-ACC First Team (2017) and the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team (2016). He was a crucial piece of the 2016 squad that made the finals of the College Cup. During his Demon Deacon career, he tallied 43 points on 16 goals and 11 assists, including a 27-point season his sophomore year in 2017.
Calvin Harris | Colorado Rapids
Set to enter his second season with Colorado, Harris is primed for his breakout campaign according to MLS Analyst Matthew Doyle. After being acquired by the Rapids from FC Cincinnati in December of 2022, the Englishman tallied three assists and a goal in 18 appearances during the 2023 season.
With the Deacs, the 2021 second-overall pick appeared in 32 matches with 25 starts across the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He logged 10 goals and 13 assists throughout his career and earned ACC All-Freshman honors in 2019.
Ian Harkes | New England Revolution
One of the most decorated players in Wake Forest history, Harkes is on an opening day MLS roster for the first time since 2018 after spending five years in Scotland with Dundee United. Last July, he signed with New England and scored twice in nine appearances for the club. He spent his first two MLS seasons with DC United in 2017 and 2018 after signing a Homegrown contract.
In 2016, Harkes became the second Wake Forest player in program history to win the MAC Hermann Trophy. He also became the first player in history to win ACC Midfielder of the Year, ACC Championship MVP and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the same season. That year, he led the Deacs to the finals of the College Cup. The four-year starter served as an anchor of the midfield for his entire career. He made 82 career starts, finishing with nine goals and 18 assists.
Hosei Kijima | St. Louis City SC
Having already grabbed the attention of St. Louis City SC fans everywhere, Kijima was drafted by the club with the 17th-overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and scored the winner in the 90th minute of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Match against the Houston Dynamo on Tuesday. He inked a one-year deal with options for 2025-27 earlier that day.
In his four seasons in Winston-Salem, Kijima appeared in 64 matches with 53 starts to record 28 points from nine goals and 10 assists. In 2023, he was named a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region first-team selection and an All-ACC second-team honoree.
Garrison Tubbs | DC United
A week after signing a Homegrown Contract with Atlanta United, Tubbs was traded to DC United on Dec. 21, 2023. This comes off the back of a senior season at Wake Forest in which he was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, ACC's Defensive Player of the Year, the only defender selected to the All-ACC First-Team, a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American and a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region first-team selection.
For his career with the Deacs, Tubbs appeared in 72 matches with 70 starts to record 15 points off of seven assists and four goals, all of which were game-winning tallies. The Deacs also logged 28 clean sheets in his four seasons in Winston-Salem.
Roald Mitchell | New York Red Bulls
On Jan. 14 of this year, the two-time All-ACC selection signed a Homegrown Contract with the New York Red Bulls. As a junior this past fall, Mitchell earned All-ACC second-team honors and a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region third-team selection as he scored a career-high nine goals with three assists.
In his three seasons in Winston-Salem, Mitchell appeared in 60 matches with 39 starts, recording 51 points off of 21 goals and nine assists. Six times the Montclair, N.J., native scored game-winning goals as he led the Deacs in goals each of his final two seasons. His 21 goals ranks tied for the 18th most in program history.
Jahlane Forbes | Charlotte FC
Staying in the state of North Carolina, Forbes was selected by Charlotte in the second round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Last fall, he finished second on the team with 17 points on five goals and was tied for the team-high with seven assists.
Throughout his four-year career in Winston-Salem, Forbes appeared in 70 matches for the Demon Deacons with 59 starts, recording 35 points from 19 assists and eight goals. A two-time All-ACC selection and a 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-South Region second-team selection, Forbes' 19 career assists is tied for 19th in program history.
The first slate of action featuring these Deac alums will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (Feb. 24), including a clash between former MAC Hermann Trophy finalists Garrison Tubbs (D.C. United) and Ian Harkes (New England Revolution).
Brandon Servania | Toronto FC
The Birmingham, Ala., native is set to kick-off his second campaign with the Canadian club after being traded from FC Dallas last February. Last season, he scored his first goal for Toronto in the 94th minute to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United. He has logged five goals and eight assists in 95-career MLS regular season appearances with 64 starts.
In Servania's lone season at Wake Forest, he earned ACC All-Freshman honors after tallying 17 points on three goals and 11 assists. His 11 assists that season is tied for the Wake Forest freshman record along with fellow professional Jack Harrison (2015). He also helped lead the team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Omir Fernandez | Colorado Rapids
After five seasons with New York Red Bulls, Fernandez is set to begin the next chapter of his career with the Colorado Rapids after signing a three-year contract with the club as a free agent back in December. He is coming off of a career season in New York, where he finished with six goals and three assists in 30 appearances. In total, Fernandez has racked up 15 goals and 13 assists in league play throughout his career.
A two-year player with the Deacs, Fernandez is tied for 28th all-time in program history with 47 career points. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as a MAC Hermann semifinalist and a first-team All-American, as he led the conference with 30 points on a team-high 12 goals and six assists in 2018.
He also was selected to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2017 and helped the Deacs reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Ema Twumasi | FC Dallas
The 11th-overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft is entering his seventh professional season, all with FC Dallas. He has played a major role on Dallas' backline since becoming a starter in 2021. He scored his first-career goal in the final game of the 2023 regular season, as he gave Dallas the lead in the 13th minute in a 4-1 victory against the LA Galaxy.
In two years at Wake Forest, he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team (2016), first-team All-ACC First Team (2017) and the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team (2016). He was a crucial piece of the 2016 squad that made the finals of the College Cup. During his Demon Deacon career, he tallied 43 points on 16 goals and 11 assists, including a 27-point season his sophomore year in 2017.
Calvin Harris | Colorado Rapids
Set to enter his second season with Colorado, Harris is primed for his breakout campaign according to MLS Analyst Matthew Doyle. After being acquired by the Rapids from FC Cincinnati in December of 2022, the Englishman tallied three assists and a goal in 18 appearances during the 2023 season.
With the Deacs, the 2021 second-overall pick appeared in 32 matches with 25 starts across the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He logged 10 goals and 13 assists throughout his career and earned ACC All-Freshman honors in 2019.
Ian Harkes | New England Revolution
One of the most decorated players in Wake Forest history, Harkes is on an opening day MLS roster for the first time since 2018 after spending five years in Scotland with Dundee United. Last July, he signed with New England and scored twice in nine appearances for the club. He spent his first two MLS seasons with DC United in 2017 and 2018 after signing a Homegrown contract.
In 2016, Harkes became the second Wake Forest player in program history to win the MAC Hermann Trophy. He also became the first player in history to win ACC Midfielder of the Year, ACC Championship MVP and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the same season. That year, he led the Deacs to the finals of the College Cup. The four-year starter served as an anchor of the midfield for his entire career. He made 82 career starts, finishing with nine goals and 18 assists.
Hosei Kijima | St. Louis City SC
Having already grabbed the attention of St. Louis City SC fans everywhere, Kijima was drafted by the club with the 17th-overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and scored the winner in the 90th minute of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Match against the Houston Dynamo on Tuesday. He inked a one-year deal with options for 2025-27 earlier that day.
In his four seasons in Winston-Salem, Kijima appeared in 64 matches with 53 starts to record 28 points from nine goals and 10 assists. In 2023, he was named a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region first-team selection and an All-ACC second-team honoree.
Garrison Tubbs | DC United
A week after signing a Homegrown Contract with Atlanta United, Tubbs was traded to DC United on Dec. 21, 2023. This comes off the back of a senior season at Wake Forest in which he was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, ACC's Defensive Player of the Year, the only defender selected to the All-ACC First-Team, a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American and a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region first-team selection.
For his career with the Deacs, Tubbs appeared in 72 matches with 70 starts to record 15 points off of seven assists and four goals, all of which were game-winning tallies. The Deacs also logged 28 clean sheets in his four seasons in Winston-Salem.
Roald Mitchell | New York Red Bulls
On Jan. 14 of this year, the two-time All-ACC selection signed a Homegrown Contract with the New York Red Bulls. As a junior this past fall, Mitchell earned All-ACC second-team honors and a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region third-team selection as he scored a career-high nine goals with three assists.
In his three seasons in Winston-Salem, Mitchell appeared in 60 matches with 39 starts, recording 51 points off of 21 goals and nine assists. Six times the Montclair, N.J., native scored game-winning goals as he led the Deacs in goals each of his final two seasons. His 21 goals ranks tied for the 18th most in program history.
Jahlane Forbes | Charlotte FC
Staying in the state of North Carolina, Forbes was selected by Charlotte in the second round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Last fall, he finished second on the team with 17 points on five goals and was tied for the team-high with seven assists.
Throughout his four-year career in Winston-Salem, Forbes appeared in 70 matches for the Demon Deacons with 59 starts, recording 35 points from 19 assists and eight goals. A two-time All-ACC selection and a 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-South Region second-team selection, Forbes' 19 career assists is tied for 19th in program history.
Players Mentioned
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