There's no media announcement but it appears Portland Fr. F/M Jacobo Reyes has (re)joined the U20 system of Monterrey in Mexico. There are several clues... ¡EL REGRESO DE UN CANTERANO!Jacobo Reyes, canterano campeón de la Sub-17 y Mundialista en 2017 con @ussoccer, aparece registrado para el Apertura 2020, por lo que será elegible para el torneo.Jacobo migró a Estados Unidos al finalizar el Clausura 2018.¡Bienvenido de nuevo! pic.twitter.com/5LXYGjimyi— DLPTLV (@dlptlv) January 13, 2020 1237214772325576704 is not a valid tweet id https://ligamx.net/cancha/jugador/98212/jacobo-reyes-murillo Reyes, a member of the 2017 US U17 WC team, had been with Monterrey's youth system before going to Portland last fall. He was invited to the MLS College Showcase at the College Cup but either didn't get a GA offer or didn't like the offer he got.
Probably gonna see a bunch more of these in the next few weeks. With the America East season cancelled, New Hampshire rising (redshirt) senior defender Josh Bauer, a two-time All American, has elected to turn pro. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCweR6QJ0mF/?igshid=6d8x5tfxdq25 No word as to where Bauer turns pro but hard to blame him for doing so.
Have had the pleasure of watching Jake several times. He's not a conventional center back - probably too much of a basketball build for some - but he is a leader and a highly effective player. Will follow with interest.
Another apparent casualty of no college soccer this fall as Indiana (would-be) rising sophomore MF Josh Penn has signed with Indy Eleven of the USL Championship. Joshua Penn has signed a multi-year professional contract with #USL side Indy Eleven, sources tell @TheAthleticSCCR.The left winger began studying at the Univ. of Indiana last summer & was seen as a possible Generation Adidas candidate. Made 5 USL apps in 2019 on amateur deal.— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) August 24, 2020
Bauer ended up signing with Birmingham Legion of the USL Championship. https://www.bhmlegion.com/news_article/show/1118554
The Covid-induced defections continue. This time it's Stanford forward Arda Bulut who, with his senior season cancelled, has opted to sign a pro deal with Louisville of USL-C. https://www.loucity.com/news_article/show/1119372
I missed it when it happened, but Radford's Senegalese forward Amadou Macky Diop gave up his final two seasons of eligibility last winter when he signed with Atlanta United 2 of USL. https://radfordathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/amadou-macky-diop/6264
Here's an updated list of players who left early - that I know about. Odds are there have been random players sign with USL clubs or smaller teams in Europe, etc. Raul Aguilera, Jr. M, North Carolina - Orlando City B (USL) Josh Bauer, R-Jr. D, New Hampshire – Birmingham (USL) Joe Bell, Jr. M, Virginia (New Zealand) - Viking (Norway) Sebastian Berhalter, Fr. M, North Carolina - Columbus Crew (Homegrown) Blake Bodily, Jr. M, Washington - Portland (Homegrown) Arda Bulut, Jr. F, Stanford – Louisville (USL) Jake Dengler, Jr. D, Connecticut - Loudoun United (USL) Abdoulaye Diop, Fr. M, Eastern Florida State JC, (Senegal) - Atlanta United 2 (USL) Amadou Macku Diop, So. F, Radford (Senegal) – Atlanta United 2 (USL) Daryl Dike, So. F, Virginia - Orlando (Generation Adidas) Milan Iloski, Jr. F, UCLA - Real Salt Lake (Homegrown) Henry Kessler, Jr. D, Virginia - New England (Generation Adidas) Ben Kikanovic, So. F, Sacramento State - Reno 1868 (USL) David Loera, Jr. M, NC State - Orlando City (Homegrown) Jack Maher, So. D, Indiana - Nashville (Generation Adidas) Blake Malone, Fr. D, North Carolina - Orange County SC (USL) Aidan Morris, Fr. M, Indiana - Columbus Crew (Homegrown) Patrick Nielsen, R-Jr. D, Michigan State - (MLS SuperDraft) Josh Penn, Fr. M, Indiana – Indianapolis (USL) Ryan Raposo, So. M/F, Syracuse (Canada) - Vancouver (Generation Adidas) Jacobo Reyes, Fr. F/M, Portland - Monterey (Mexico) Robbie Robinson, Jr. F, Clemson - Miami (Generation Adidas) Jonathan Rosales, R-Jr. D, South Florida - Orlando City B (USL) Abdou Samake, R-Jr. D, Michigan (Canada) - Pacific FC (CPL) Aedan Stanley, So. D, D - Portland Timbers 2 (USL) Daniel Steedman, So. M, Virginia - Atlanta United 2 (USL) Duncan Turnbull, R-Jr. GK, Notre Dame - Houston (MLS SuperDraft)
I don’t have the specifics apart from he’d appeared to have signed a pro contract with Dinamo Zagreb in 2015, but never featured for the first team. There were questions surrounding his eligibility during his first year, which seemed to be an open secret in and around the league that an investigation would deem him ineligible. I think that intensified and then Radford chose to not play him as a way avoid an investigation into his eligibility. I’m not sure whether one was actually done or not so I suppose technically he may not have had his eligibility taken from him, but he wasn’t going to be able to play college soccer anywhere.
Another COVID-ualty. SMU's Nicky Hernandez, who would have been a senior this academic year, has left the program and signed a teal North Texas of USL-1. North Texas is FC Dallas' reserve team so presumably this gives him a path to staying in North Texas when he's ready for MLS. https://3rddegree.net/north-texas-sc-signs-smu-midfielder-hernandez I'm still surprised there haven't been more players say "******** it" and sign pro deals instead of seeing what might happen with college soccer. And I suspect when the dust dies down we'll learn of more players that have done so.
An interesting one from the Ivy League. Don't think it's technically early at this point? But still. NEW MEXICO UNITED ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF ALBUQUERQUE NATIVE ALEX TOUCHE (newmexicoutd.com)
Yeah, one of the reasons I haven't done a new list for this year is I don't quite know how to characterize this years.
Parente a very solid player. Crew are high on this one. https://medina-gazette.com/news/247988/2018-medina-grad-isaiah-parente-signs-with-columbus-crew/
I've not heard anything about any of them returning. There are apparently five early enrollees from the incoming recruiting class on campus right now. Also, as a slight clarification: 4 starters from the fall. McMaster was still rehabbing from injury and DeShields (who would've been a starter) was hurt in the exhibition game against Pitt. Wake's down its keeper, one CM, and both outside attackers from the fall squad. EDIT: Not to belabor the point too much, but this Wake senior class was initially Machop Chol, Omir Fernandez, Mark McKenzie, Justin McMaster, Andrew Pannenberg, and Brandon Servania, and that's without Matt Real making it to campus (signed a pro deal out of HS). I think Bobby Muuss will be fine this spring.
That's an impressive class; would have been amazing to see them if they had stayed around. But kudos to them for becoming professionals. With Mark McKenzie now at Gent, Wake Forest has 2 players in Europe with Jack Harrison at Leeds. So many choices now for young good players is obviously changing the look and meaning of college soccer.