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USL United Soccer League Championship

PDL names top seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen

November 4, 2017 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - With the 2017 college regular season wrapping up and the postseason beginning in earnest, many PDL players continue to make an impact - including veterans leading their teams in their third or fourth seasons on campus.

Based on their combined performances in PDL competition over the summer, as well as throughout the 2017 collegiate campaign, a total of 40 upperclassmen have been chosen as the top representatives of their respective classes.

Carolina Dynamo and Wake Forest forward Jon Bakero leads the 20-player seniors list after being named the No. 2 PDL Top Prospect from the final list of the PDL season and a spectacular college campaign. Another pair of Top Prospects from the most recent list shined, as 2017 PDL MVP Brian White (New York Red Bulls U23/Duke) and 2017 PDL All-Western Conference Team selection Jose Carrera-Garcia (FC Golden State Force/California) join Bakero as senior representatives.

The junior list is headlined by Michigan Bucks standout and University of Michigan forward Francis Atuahene, as the No. 4 Top Prospect led the Wolverines to a Big Ten regular-season title. Joining Atuahene from the previous Top Prospect list are Tate Schmitt (FC Tucson/Louisville), Brad Dunwell (Michigan Bucks/Wake Forest), Ryan Williams (Charlotte Eagles/John Brown), Santiago Patino (SIMA Aguilas/Florida International), James Pyle (Charlotte Eagles/UNC-Chapel Hill) and Ryan Sierakowski (Chicago FC United/Michigan State).

The PDL Top Prospects list, created in 2015, has identified numerous standout players within the league before they made their professional debuts, including Philadelphia Union talents Keegan Rosenberry and Adam Najem, New York Red Bulls midfielder Arun Basuljevic and Chicago Fire defender Brandon Vincent. The Top Prospects list, which includes 24 scouts across North America, serves as a valuable resource for professional clubs who are interested in identifying and scouting high-level players.

The USL Scouting Network, which includes coaching directors, technical directors and head coaches, provides the PDL with insight on Under-23 players based on their performance within the league, their technical and tactical qualities and their potential to play professionally.

Check out the top-10 seniors and juniors below and click here to view the full lists for all classes.

Top 10 Seniors

Jon Bakero - Forward - Carolina Dynamo/Wake Forest Brian White - Forward - New York Red Bulls U23/Duke Jose Carrera-Garcia - FC Golden State Force/California Alan Winn - Forward - Tobacco Road FC/UNC-Chapel Hill Foster Langsdorf - Forward - San Francisco City FC/Stanford Jeff Farina - Forward - Chicago FC United/Notre Dame Marvin Hezel - Defender - FC Miami City/FIU Joshua Morton - Defender - Burlingame Dragons FC/California Christopher Lema - Midfielder - New York Red Bulls U23/Georgetown Arthur Bosua - Forward - Long Island Rough Riders/Columbia Top 10 Juniors

Francis Atuahene - Forward - Michigan Bucks/Michigan Tate Schmitt - Forward - FC Tucson/Louisville Bradley Dunwell - Midfielder - Michigan Bucks/Wake Forest Ryan Williams - Midfielder - Charlotte Eagles/John Brown Edward Opoku - Forward - AC Connecticut/Virginia Santiago Patino - Forward - SIMA Aguilas/FIU James Pyle - Goalkeeper - Charlotte Eagles/UNC-Chapel Hill Ryan Sierakowski - Forward - Chicago FC United/Michigan State Mitchell Osmond - Defender - Thunder Bay Chill/Rio Grande Alex Comsia - Defender - North Carolina FC U23/UNC-Chapel Hill FULL LIST FOR ALL CLASSES

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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.


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