Position: Forward
Birthdate: 5/24/1996
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Previous Club: El Paso Locomotive FC
College: California Baptist University
Height: 5-9
Aidan Apodaca (Ah-pu-DOCK-ah) enters his second season with the Black and Yellow in 2023.
Aidan’s first campaign with the Battery saw him lead the team with 34 matches played across all competitions. The forward tallied six goals and two assists, including a brace against New York Red Bulls II. He was also the co-leader in chances created (32, tied with Andrew Booth).
The 26-year-old first arrived in Charleston following a 2021 campaign where he made 20 appearances with El Paso Locomotive FC and Orange County SC. Apodaca featured in 15 games during the regular season with Orange County and was part of the team during their USL Championship title-winning run.
Before making the move to El Paso, the California native enjoyed a productive two-season tenure with Reno 1868 FC from 2019 to 2020, tallying eight goals and three assists. In 2020, Apodaca led Reno with a minutes-per-goal average of 72.7 as they claimed the top spot in the regular season that year.
Apodaca was selected 55th overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by Philadelphia Union and later signed with affiliate Bethlehem Steel FC.
By making the move to Charleston, Apodaca reunites with former Bethlehem teammate AJ Paterson, who was also with the Pennsylvania side in 2018.
Before going pro, Apodaca had a prolific collegiate career at California Baptist University. The forward led all divisions of NCAA soccer with 29 goals in 2017 and was subsequently named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, along with numerous Pacific West Conference awards. That scoring mark included three hat tricks, one of which was a five-goal effort that set a new single-game scoring record for CBU.
Following his four years with the Lancers, Apodaca had rewritten the school’s record books. He became the all-time leader in goals (48), points (108), shots (143), multi-goal games (11) and hat tricks (four). Apodaca also set new single-season records for goals (29), points (62), shots (111), multi-goal games (eight), and hat tricks (three).
