Names To Watch Come January...

The US college soccer season is in full swing and next month we'll be watching as conference tournaments crown new champions before the big dance crows a national champ. Last season's national champs, Wake Forest, continues to dominate having won all of their games aside from a hard fought draw against ACC rival Duke. Wake has chalked up convincing wins against perennial powers Maryland, UCLA, UCSB, Clemson and more. At this point it seems like their high powered offense will roll against all opponents, however we know what happens in single elimination tournaments and someone else could come up and knock them off.

Here is the latest College Soccer News Top 30. The ACC isn't nearly as prevalent in the top 10 as in previous years. Is the power being distributed across more schools? Is MLS' popularity encouraging more college programs to win? It is hard to say but I think we can all agree that it is great to see a diverse group of schools cracking the Top 30.

And how about my team, Michigan! The soccer team appears to be making up for the Maize and Blue on the football field. Michigan chalked up big wins against Indiana and Notre Dame recently. Unfortunately some recent losses against State and Akron have brought the Wolverines back to ground. Hopefully they can make some noise in the Big 10 tourney coming up.

College Soccer News has a nice piece about some of the better team mate combinations out there. Senior forward Marcus Tracy was a player I hoped to see in the 2008 MLS draft as a GA player, but after another strong season the 6' 1" marksman has further proven his abilities. He and strike partner Cody Arnoux are tearing up the charts with 21 goals and 8 assists between the two in fifteen games.

O’Brian White isn't having a senior season to match his junior but he'll still be in the draft pool come January.

Andre Akpan will certainly be on people's minds after his Junior season at Harvard wraps up. Will he forsake a final year in school for a big money GA offer, if one is available?

Omar Gonzalez has been a highly watched prospect through his career and he has played at different levels within the US National team set up. At 6'5" and 200 pounds he is a physical presence on defense that many MLS teams want. Will he leave Maryland early if a nice GA contract is put out there? He was the ACC defender of the year in 2007, as a sophomore.

Brian Shriver is leading the North Carolina Tar Heels in scoring with 12 goals and 1 assist. If his Heels can continue to fly high he'll certainly get the attention of some professional scouts as the college season wraps up. He participated in the 2004 adidas ESP camps, putting his name on my list.

Jonathan Villanueva's Virginia Cavaliers are going to be looking for some post season magic as they haven't had the greatest of seasons. Can the junior midfielder propel his team to new heights before making the jump to the pros that his pedigree anticipates?

Nelson Becerra made my list when fellow blogger Ives profiled him awhile back. Now he leads his team in points and has helped the Red Storm to a #3 national ranking. He played for the regional power St. Benedict's Prep in high school and now in his junior year. Will the local Red Bulls come calling come January?

Speaking of the Red Bulls and Ives, freshman Matt Kassel is having a strong season for Maryland. He has played in and started all 15 of the Terps' games this year and is co-leader of the team in assists with 6. Maryland is currently ranked #6 nationally. If I recall correctly, Kassel will be a Red Bull if he chooses to leave school early. Is one college season enough for this youth star?

So there you go folks. As conference tourneys kick off I'll do my best to keep you all updated. I'll also be sure to update the players to watch margin item soon, it has been too long.