I watched a bunch of college highlights on YouTube. You(can)Too: He's an interesting player. Clearly a knack for goal. Isn't someone who blows you away with his natural grace or speed. But he seems to have pretty clean feet and likes to take people on or make runs to get in position. He's playing on a team with Curt Onalfo's (thread-eligible) son, so I figure someone knows about him...
Zico Bailey (00), who once caused a bit of excitement on this forum, is playing at Cal State Fullerton, where he's a freshman. He scored a cracker of a goal last night. Early strikes in each half give @FullertonMSOC a 2-0 victory over #CalPoly.6' Mark Hernandez plays around, then gets serious.48' Zico Bailey 🚀 for his 1st collegiate goal.#TusksUp Saturday night for Senior Night, vs #SacState, 7pm PT. #PlayBig 🐘⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ryDVwD0Hn0— Big West M-Soccer (@BigWestMSOC) October 11, 2018
Thanks for posting this. I really like his off the ball movement in that video. And that he uses both feet to pass and shoot. I doubt he's a future national team player but he looks like someone who can play pro soccer.
The American Lukaku scored again for UVa last night. That's four goals his past four games. I think if he hadn't been hurt and missed the first few games of the season, he'd have more goals and we'd be talking more about him.
Playmakers are always a commodity, though few from the NCAA ever translate to MLS. Illinois-Chicago has an interesting one in junior Jesus Perez, a 97 from the Fire academy. In 12 games he has 3 goals and 10 assists, which is tied for second in the country. If US Soccer has a camp for college players like they did four years ago, he'd be one to look at. https://uicflames.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5949
Andy Novakovich's little brother Rade is scoring goals in bunches for NCAA D3 Milwaukee School of Engineering. His current tally, 11, would appear to make him the top goalscoring American freshman in NCAA soccer, across all levels, at this point in the season. Sure, it's D3. Who cares? His MSOE bio page says, of his high school career: High School: Played soccer. https://go-raiders.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/bios/novakovich_rade_wnf1?view=bio And he was in the stands in Cary when his mom became a celebrity. How can you NOT root for this guy?
I believe the head coach of Milwaukee School of Engineering is former US World Cup defender Jimmy Banks.
TDS has posted its midseason list of top freshmen, which starts with Aboubacar Keita (U-Va./Columbus) and goes from there. https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer/college-national-freshmen-top-100/men The first name I came across pertinent to this thread and which which I was entirely unfamiliar was the aptonymic Benji Kikanovic of Sacramento State. http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/bios/kikanovic_benji_9tfy
Zico Bailey does not have level for a call with the U20? I find it strange that he has not been to any camp after the U15
A few random updates. Central Florida 97 Cal Jennings, a Jr., had a hat trick against Florida Gulf Coast tonight and is now second in D-I (and the top American) in scoring with 17 goals and 4 assists. In 12 games. Again, he was with Georgia United as a youth player and that academy got absorbed by Atlanta United but I don't know if HG rights carried over. They have in the past with MLS expansion teams, but it's MLS so ya never know. American Lukaku Daryl Dike scored again for Virginia against Radford. That's 3 straight games with a goal and 5 in his past 5. As a reminder, he missed the first few games with an injury and only has 7 starts. JJ Williams, Kentucky's big (6-4), Jr. F who's a 98, scored again tonight against Ohio State and now has 11 goals and 3 assists in 13 games. Mini Machete Danny Trejo scored for Cal State Northridge over the weekend and now has 9 goals and 4 assists in 14 games. Saint Mary's, the little school in the Bay area, is the only team in D-I that has won all of its games and they lead college soccer in goals-scored and fewest goals allowed. Their attack is led by a 6-3 Jr. F from Fort Collins, CO named Jake Rudel, a 97 (per ODP) who, like Dike, Trejo and Williams, didn't play USSDA ball. Rudel has 12 goals and 3 assists in 13 games. How many good players is the USSF missing because they don't play USSDA soccer. We only know about these dudes because they are putting up good numbers. Does USSF even scout ODP anymore? In a normal country, these dudes would be allowed to declare for the MLS draft or get signed by a USL team with an eye toward selling them. Alas, we don't seem to live in that country. Not all these dudes are gonna pan out, but damn it's frustrating to think they'll toil in college because there aren't the proper mechanisms to get them into pro soccer. Wake Forest has a slew of YNT-eligible players putting up good numbers. 99 So. Omir Fernandez has 10/4 in 15 games; Fr. Aristotle Zaris (99) 4/4 in 14; So. Justin McMaster (99) 4/3 in 12; Fr. Kyle Holcomb (00), 3/2 in 14; Fr. Isaiah Parente (00) has 1/6 in 15.
No surprise Big East commissioner Val Ackerman (U.S. Soccer BOD member): “no appetite” from admin. side of NCAA for extending soccer season to spring. “DOA.”— Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) October 19, 2018
Hundley has 5G, 5A in 833 minutes. Leads UCLA in both of those categories. He should be playing in MLS for Colorado next season. He has nothing left to prove in college soccer. He shouldn't have been playing in college soccer to begin with. He should've been signed for the 2018 season. He was absolutely tearing up the DA last season.
I watched him against Syracuse on Saturday and he looked good. He's really good when he gets a head of steam and can run at guys 1-v-1 and draw a defender and make a good pass. His game has limitations, but that part of it is very good.
I hear reports he plays both RW/RB. What does he usually play? What position was he when you were watching him. Seems like an interesting player hopefully he goes pro next year
So with the U20 qualifying roster set to be announced tomorrow, thought I'd update this as a means of comparison. U20 Franky Amaya (00), Fr. M, UCLA - 12 games, 8 starts, 2 goals, 1 assist Simon Becher (99), Fr. F, Holy Cross - 14 games, 13 starts, 5 goals, 1 assist Gideon Davis (99), Fr. M/D, Denver - 15 games, 10 starts, 0 goals, 2 assists Griffin Dorsey (99), So. F/M, Indiana - 14 games, 13 starts, 4 goals, 3 assists Justin Garces (00), Fr. GK, UCLA - 9 games, 9 starts, 0.99 GAA, .679 save pct. Siad Haji (99), Jr. F, Va. Commonwealth - 14 games, 13 starts, 5 goals, 8 assists Jack Maher (99), Fr. D, Indiana - 15 games, 15 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists George Marks (99), Fr. GK, Clemson - 4 games, 4 starts, 0.89 GAA, .667 save pct. Justin McMaster (99), So. F, Wake Forest - 13 games, 8 starts, 5 goals, 3 assists Glademir Mendoza (99), Fr. D, New Mexico - 1 game, 0 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists Trey Muse (99), So. GK, Indiana - 15 games, 15 starts, 0.61 GAA, .795 save pct. Manny Perez (99), So. D.M, NC State - 13 games, 12 starts, 1 goal, 5 assists Justin Rennicks (99), So. M/F, Indiana - 15 games, 15 starts, 5 goals, 0 assists Aedan Stanley (99), Fr. D, Duke - 14 games, 14 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists Seth Stiebel (99), Fr. GK, Saint Louis - 7 games, 5 starts, 0.61 GAA, .750 save pct. Greg Tracey (99), Fr. M, Portland - 13 games, 13 starts, 1 goal, 4 assists Carson Vom Steeg (99), So. D, UC Santa Barbara - 10 games, 10 starts, 1 goal, 0 assists Aristotle Zarris (99), Fr. M, Wake Forest - 15 games, 8 starts, 4 goals, 5 assists Sean Zawadzki (00), Fr. M, Georgetown - 14 games, 6 starts, 0 goals, 1 assist U19 Jake Arteaga (00), Fr. D, Portland - 12 games, 10 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists Charlie Asensio (00), Fr. D, Clemson - 14 games, 14 starts, 0 goals, 1 assist Alex Budnik (00), Fr. GK, Dartmouth - 1 game, 1 start, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 save pct. Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus (00), Fr. D, California - 13 games, 13 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists Kyle Holcomb (00), Fr. F, Wake Forest - 15 games, 7 starts, 3 goals, 2 assists Matt Hundley (00), Fr. M, UCLA - 13 games, 9 starts, 5 goals, 6 assists Aboubacar Keita (00), Fr. D, Virginia - 13 games, 13 starts, 1 goal, 0 assists Declan McGlynn (00), Fr. M, Seattle Univ. - 14 games, 10 starts, 5 goals, 4 assists Isaiah Parente (00), Fr. M, Wake Forest - 16 games, 2 start,s 1 goal, 6 assists Johan Penaranda (00), Fr. GK, Pittsburgh - 13 games, 13 starts, 1.43 GAA, .600 save pct. Jeremy Rafanello (00), Fr. F, Penn State - 14 games, 12 starts, 3 goals, 1 assist Carlo Ritaccio (00), Fr. D, Akron - 12 games, 12 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists AJ Seals (00), Fr. M, NC State – 6 games, 4 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists
And, of course, not listed above because he hasn't been called into a camp this year, is Wake Forest soph. Omir Fernandez, a 99 who has 10 goals and 5 assists and is the highest-scoring U20-eligible player in college soccer.
He's played both in the three games I've watched him this year, sometimes in the same game. Not sure where he projects as a pro but to me he looks like a right mid.
We're about to start the NCAA tournament, so season stats are basically final for most teams. Of note: Cal Jennings finished as the highest thread-eligible D1 goalscorer with 20; there may have been other TAs in the top 50 but I don't believe there were any freshmen UIC Jr. Jesus Perez, a '97 with some YNT cups of coffee, was tied for first in the nation in assists with 12 with Wright State Jr. Jackson Dietrich, who may also be a '97 but I'm not 100% sure Sidenote: The D3 goals leader was Ramapo's Joseph Fala, a New Jerseyite who apparently grew from 6' 5" to 6' 7", adding 40-odd pounds in the doing, while in college, during which he decided to focus on soccer after playing three sports in high school. It seems he's breaking the goalscoring records set by on Rob Santaniello, who you heard of if you happened to have read the college forum at the right time, or follow D3 soccer... Another Ramapo great, for you old timers: Nansha Kalonji!
NCAA tournament time!!!! If folks want to know the brackets, here they are: THE BRACKET 😎📰: https://t.co/0fsWXe3OCI#NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/6oOtKBspM4— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 12, 2018 As an FCD fan, I'm looking at the following players Lots of potential homegrown signings here (also on non-NCAA tournament teams not listed). A guy that's off of radars? Probably fullback Cole Guindon, who played in every game this year as a freshman at Kentucky. Philip Ponder, Eddie Munjoma, and Sevon Pendergrass - Southern Methodist University Giovanni Montesdeoca, Martin Salas, and Mark Salas - University of North Carolina Brayan Padilla - University of Maryland Brandon Terwege - University of California, Los Angeles Ben Hale - Furman University Charlie Furrer - Stanford University Tosh Yasuda and Alex Radilla - Grand Canyon University Daniel Evans and Cole Guindon - Kentucky Jalen James, Adrian Morales, and Matt Karasinski-Campbell Alex Bautista-NC State
RBNY - just the tourney guys Kevin O'Toole - Princeton was beat on PK's by Marcelo Borges - Michigan Jared Gilbey - Stanford Ethan Lochner, Zach Knudson, Kyle Zajec - Georgetown Omir Fernandez - Wake Forest
The national championship game is set with Akron facing Maryland. Maryland is a "who's who" of names that we know. By the way, Donovan Pines is indeed homegrown eligible for DCU. Saw an article from Steven Goff that mentioned that. USYNTer Donovan Pines scored the death blow for Maryland against IU last night. An 80th minute goal from @DCUyouth & @hcpss_rhhs alum Donovan Pines has @MarylandMSoccer in cruise control with a 2-0 lead on the night!#RepDMV | #GoTerps 🐢🐢 pic.twitter.com/lAYVo8EX9z— DMV Soccer (@DMVSoccer96) December 8, 2018 Akron whipped poor Michigan State 5-1 in their semifinal. I saw one of the goals by USYNTer Carlo RItaccio. [I think we used to call him Matteo Ritaccio.] I think he's the kid that played for a little bit at Liverpool for a little while. Or maybe I'm completely off base here. THE ZIPS TAKE A 2-0 LEAD!#CollegeCup pic.twitter.com/nvVtwXKSQk— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 8, 2018