MLS D.C. United

D.C. United Academy Officially Announces 2012 University Commitments

Published on February 1, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
D.C. United News Release


Washington, D.C. (February 1, 2012) - D.C. United Academy today announced that ten of its U-18 players have committed to play soccer at eight different universities for the 2012 fall season. The list includes commitments to perennial collegiate powerhouses Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia, among others.

"We're proud to announce the ten university commitments our Academy players have made for the coming fall season," said D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper. "Playing soccer at the collegiate level is a great accomplishment and a major goal that we pride ourselves in helping our players achieve. We look forward to following their collegiate careers and wish each the very best of luck."

"We're excited for each of these individuals and are proud of the success they have had, both on the field and in the classroom," said D.C. United U-18 Head Coach Nolan Sheldon."This achievement is a culmination of many years of hard work and dedication and we're confident each of them will have terrific collegiate careers."

The following players today announced their official university commitment:

Damilola Adetola - Villanova University Date of birth: May 31, 1994

Position: M/F

Tenure at D.C. United: Two years Previous youth clubs: Potomac Academy, Olney Rangers, Freestate Bravehearts

Honors/awards: ESPN Rise mention 2011; captain of high school Maryland State Champion (2011); three-year varsity player.

Jannik Eckenrode - Radford University Date of birth: December 13, 1993

Position: Forward

Tenure at D.C. United: One year Previous youth clubs: Annandale United and McLean

Honors/awards: Captained Annandale United to back-to-back state championships in 2010 and 2011; 2011 Patriot District Player of the Year; 2011 First Team All-Met selection.

Ryan Harmouche - George Mason University

Date of birth: November 15, 1993

Position: Midfielder

Tenure at D.C. United: Two years Previous youth clubs: Annandale United, Arlington Venom, BRYC Boca

Honors/awards: 2010 All-Met honorable mention; Two-year member of Virginia ODP team; 2010 State Cup regional semifinalist.

Peter Lee - U.S. Army

Date of birth: August 30, 1994

Position: Defender

Tenure at D.C. United: Three years Previous youth clubs: Waldorf MD United

Sam Legg - Radford University

Date of birth: June 11, 1994

Position: Goalkeeper

Tenure at D.C. United: Two years Previous youth clubs: Herndon FC, Mclean Premier Soccer, Loudoun Soccer

Honors/awards: Member of Virginia ODP team; District and Regional Championship winner in high school.

Robert Maffei - Manhattan College Date of birth: January 16, 1994

Position: Goalkeeper

Tenure at D.C. United: One year Previous youth clubs: Team America '93

Honors/awards: 1st Team All-Liberty District

Jalen Robinson - Wake Forest University

Date of birth: May 8, 1994

Position: D/M

Tenure at D.C. United: Three years Previous youth clubs: Bethesda Arsenal

Honors/awards: Member of U.S. Youth National Teams at U-14, U-15 and U-20 level.

Marcus Salandy-Defour - University of Virginia

Date of birth: December 13, 1993

Position: M/F

Tenure at D.C. United: Three years Previous youth clubs: MSC Dragons, Crystal Palace USA, Potomac Cougars

Honors/awards: Four caps with U.S. U-18 Men's National Team; MLS SUM Cup winner; U.S. Development Academy select team; three-time IAC first team; two-time First Team All-Gazette; All-Met honorable mention; three-year member of Maryland ODP team; two-time Region I ODP team.

Michael D. Russo - University of Central Florida

Date of birth: April 5, 1994

Position: Midfielder

Tenure at D.C. United: Three years Previous youth clubs: McLean Premier Soccer, Olney Rangers

Honors/awards: Four-year letter winner at McLean High School (Liberty District champions, 2010 state qualifier); two-time team captain; Member of Maryland ODP team at District, State, Regional level; member of U.S. U-14 and U-15 Men's National Team.

Edgar Zepeda - George Mason University

Date of birth: March 3, 1994

Position: Defender

Tenure at D.C. United: Two years Previous youth clubs: Team America 93

Honors/awards: All-district, all-region, all-area player; U.S. club nationals winner.

Weekend scrimmage recaps: D.C. United's academy teams were also active this past weekend, as the U-18s defeated McLean Academy 3-0 (goals by Jannik Eckenrode, Edgar Zepeda and OJ Porteria) on Saturday. The U-16s played two scrimmages on the weekend, falling to Vienna 4-0 on Saturday, before beating McLean Academy 3-0 (goals from Chrysthian Najar [2] and Graydon Hester) on Sunday. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming Development Academy season, which begins March 10, in conjunction with the beginning of the MLS regular season. Both the U-16 and U-18 teams will face the New England Revolution in their first games.

Check out the D.C. United Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from February 1, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central