YNT-eligible lower-division pro players: 2018 In-season thread

ledezma subbed in due to injury and scores. very kuzain-y

 

Here's the Ledezma goal. Good, patient, professional run, and he did a nice job of sending the 'keeper the wrong way. Only seen him 3 or 4 times now, but it always strikes me how unhurried he looks. pic.twitter.com/kEIgq9GeFU

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) June 5, 2018

 

The RSL complex is amazing. Dell Loy Hansen isn't going to spend the way a Toronto, Galaxy, Atlanta, LAFC, etc. will on players, but the investment he's made in the club infrastructure is incredible in a market like Salt Lake.

 

Glademir Mendoza and David Ochoa are on the bench for Real Monarchs again. Making his first appearance in the 18 is an '00 midfielder named Sammy Tojaga.

RGV has a number of YNT-eligibles, too. Robert Castellanos and Jesus Enriquez are starting. Soccerway also claims that Wilmer Cabrera '00 is on the bench. The coach's son actually spent the last DA season with IMG Academy, but I guess he's with the Dynamo now?

 

Assist for Ledezma

 

Where on the field is he playing?

 

Played mostly as a #8.

 

Glademir Mendoza came on in the 85th minute for the Monarchs and Wilmer Cabrera in the 83rd minute for Rio Grande Valley.

Ledezma is not officially credited with an assist on the USL website though.

Mendoza had a couple decent chances late in which are in the highlight video.

 

It's ABQ; they are playing at the AAA stadium there.

 

Ah, I see what you are saying. That's possible, but I suspect it's more likely that they are just keeping their options open about naming the club "New Mexico ______" or "Albuquerque _______".

That said, Las Cruces sounds like a prototypical D3 target city.

("______" = "FC", "United", or "United FC" given that we are in the Non Creative Era of American soccer team names.)

 

Las Cruces is practically a suburb of El Paso. I think it's about 40 miles away. Not sure if that's far enough away for the area to have a USL and USL2 team but I also know ********-all about the soccer culture in that area that I could be wrong. (I do know that Edgar Castillo is from Las Cruces.)

 

My understanding, living here and being somewhat interested, is that it is going to be Albuquerque area (incl Rio Rancho). Wouldn’t make a whole ton of sense to do it anywhere else honestly.

 

AAA stadium? What does that stand for? We have an Albuquerque Academy which has a field (private well funded high school), we have the UNM stadium, etc., right now the PDL team plays at a different high school but I am not familiar with AAA stadium?

 

It refers to Triple-A baseball; the press release said they'd play at Isotopes Park.

 

Also worth noting that amongst the ownership group is a Ben Spencer which sounds familiar i wonder if he is a relation of former u-20 target striker Ben Spencer.

 

Oh, they are going to play at Isotopes Park? Great minor league baseball venue sounds a little awkward ala Nycfc

 

Tosh Yasuda, the former academy star at FCD and sporadic USYNTer, is from Las Cruces. Also Aaron Herrera, the homegrown at RSL. I think he's from Las Cruces.

That whole El Paso-Las Cruces-Juarez metropolitan area is arguably the most underestimated metro area in the US as it straddles the border. That's a bigger metro area than San Antonio.........................

And soooooooooooooooo much talent comes from there. FCD has really done a good job trying to tap into that talent, but there's so much more to be mined. SKC has been trying. I remember them bringing Alexis Quevedo (and others) to their academy from down there.

 

Goslin and Carranza both started today. Carlos Asensio ('00) made the bench for the first time, as did Dylan Gaither ('00). Neither played. Crain was serving a suspension today. Atlanta once again lost, and didn't score.

 

North Carolina FC 0 FC Cincinnati 2
D.J. Taylor went the distance at right back for North Carolina FC.
Stats


Bethlehem Steel 0 Louisville FC 0
Anthony Fontana and Matthew Real both went the distance for Bethlehem. Fontana picked up a yellow card.
Ben Ofeimu ('00 Defender) subbed on in the 19th minute, Matt Rafanello ('00 Forward) came on in the 64th minute, and Tonny Temple ('00 Forward) was subbed in during the 77th minute by Bethlehem.
Stats


Indy Eleven 2 Atlanta United II 0
Jose Carranza went the distance, Chris Goslin was subbed off in the 61st minute, and Yosef Samuel was subbed off in the 80th minute.
Stats


New York Red Bulls II 4 Charlotte Independence 2
Sam Vines went the distance for Charlotte and assisted on their opener.
Jordan Baillon ('00 Defender) started and went 72 minutes for NYRB II
Stats


Colorado Springs Switchbacks 0 Swope Parks Rangers 1
Felipe Hernandez and Roman Knox ('99 Mid) went the distance for Swope Park Rangers.
Will Little ('98 Mid) came off the bench in the 69th minute and Sean Karani ('00 Mid) was subbed in during the 90th minute.
Stats

 

Penn FC 3 Toronto FC II 2
Ayo Akinola started and went 79 minutes for TFC II. He scored the opener and picked up a yellow
Stats


Rio Grande Valley FC 0 Portland Timbers II 1
Jeremy Ebobisse subbed in during the 62nd minute and Augustine Williams came on in the 70th minute for the Timbers.
Jesus Enriquez started and went 80 minutes for RGV.
Stats


Tulsa Roughnecks 0 Saint Louis FC 3
Brandon Servania went the distance and Jesus Ferreira started and played 75 minutes for Tulsa.
Aedan Stanley went the distance and Jack Maher ('99 midfielder) came on in the 84th minute for Saint Louis.
Stats


Reno 1868 FC 1 Fresno FC 1
JT Marcinkowski was in goal for Reno.
Tarran Campbell came on in the 61st minute for Fresno.
Stats


Sacremento Republic FC 0 Phoenix Rising FC 0
Evan Waldrep came on in the 79th minute for Phoenix.
Stats

 

Ryley Kraft signed for OKC Energy.

https://www.energyfc.com/news_article/show/925467?referrer_id=2614757

Tulsa signed a local kid, D.J. Dean. He's a '98 forward.

https://www.roughnecksfc.com/news_article/show/925586?referrer_id=2689357