Bring on the fresh meat
The 2005 seniors have been drafted and the juniors who didn't jump ship early are getting ready to step into the leadership role in the small spring season. But those depleted teams are going to need some fresh blood in the fall and the talent has decided where to go.
Soccer America has put together a master list of the young guns and where they're going to school. As you look through this list remember the big club teams we talked about earlier. You know the kids from Chicago Magic and Dallas Texans were highly recuited and should feature at their new school in the fall. Also look for the U.S. U-17 residency program label. These are the kids who have lived and breathed soccer for the past two years in Florida at the special center for gifted American players. These are the guys who are already on Bruce Arena's radar as well as the radar of most MLS coaches.
On paper UCLA has one of the top, if not the top, class of incoming freshman in the country. Some people thought Kyle Nakazawa would go to MLS and a generation adidas contract, others thought he'd go abroad to a club youth program, but he ended up with the Bruins. After a good performance in the U-17 World Championships, people expect a lot from Nakazawa. Add in three players from top 20 club program Pateadores of California and you've got a strong group. Three players from the Bruins' 2005 defensive unit are making a go of it in MLS, so there are some holes to fill. Returning players and this batch of freshman are going to be fighting it out for playing time.
Indiana University continues their legacy as the top college program in the country. Letting the College Cup slip through their hands was obviously very tough on a program that typically wins it. Don't let the small freshman class fool you, signing Kevin Alston and Ofori Sarkodie is huge for the Hoosiers. Ofori is a standout player who had options to go to MLS and abroad. Ofori and Kevin are teammates from the FIFA U-17 World Championships.
You can look through SA's list of recuits and see who got big classes, lots of guys from the top clubs and cross reference this US Soccer website to see who is from the residency program.
Soccer America has put together a master list of the young guns and where they're going to school. As you look through this list remember the big club teams we talked about earlier. You know the kids from Chicago Magic and Dallas Texans were highly recuited and should feature at their new school in the fall. Also look for the U.S. U-17 residency program label. These are the kids who have lived and breathed soccer for the past two years in Florida at the special center for gifted American players. These are the guys who are already on Bruce Arena's radar as well as the radar of most MLS coaches.
On paper UCLA has one of the top, if not the top, class of incoming freshman in the country. Some people thought Kyle Nakazawa would go to MLS and a generation adidas contract, others thought he'd go abroad to a club youth program, but he ended up with the Bruins. After a good performance in the U-17 World Championships, people expect a lot from Nakazawa. Add in three players from top 20 club program Pateadores of California and you've got a strong group. Three players from the Bruins' 2005 defensive unit are making a go of it in MLS, so there are some holes to fill. Returning players and this batch of freshman are going to be fighting it out for playing time.
Indiana University continues their legacy as the top college program in the country. Letting the College Cup slip through their hands was obviously very tough on a program that typically wins it. Don't let the small freshman class fool you, signing Kevin Alston and Ofori Sarkodie is huge for the Hoosiers. Ofori is a standout player who had options to go to MLS and abroad. Ofori and Kevin are teammates from the FIFA U-17 World Championships.
You can look through SA's list of recuits and see who got big classes, lots of guys from the top clubs and cross reference this US Soccer website to see who is from the residency program.
posted by Bonji at
8:34 AM
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