PDL Feature
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
TopDrawerSoccer.com has released its preseason Top 100 player rankings for NCAA Division I Upperclassmen, with PDL players from across the country being named as players to watch this coming fall. Sixty-one of the players named have previously played in the PDL, with two being named to the 2013 All-League Team, and five being honored as All-Conference selections this summer.
PDL Young Player of the Year Pete Caringi, who led the league with 16 goals this past season for the Baltimore Bohemians, is named to the list as he prepares to play his senior season for UMBC, and he is joined by fellow All-League selection Axel Sjoberg of the Thunder Bay Chill, who played a key role in his club reaching the PDL Championship Game before returning to Marquette this fall.
Two of Sjoberg’s fellow All-Central Conference selections, the Chicago Fire PDL’s Bryan Ciesiulka and the Michigan Bucks’ Matthew Walker, were also named, while Portland Timbers U-23s standout Zach Barnes, who was named to the All-Western Conference team, returns to Creighton to try and help the Bluejays return to the College Cup.
Overall, seven of the Top 10 players named, and 15 of the Top 25, have gained experience in the PDL, led by No. 1 overall player Patrick Mullins. The Maryland standout and 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy winner played three seasons in the PDL, most recently in 2012 as he scored seven goals in 12 appearances for the New Orleans Jesters.
Reading United standout Steven Neumann, who led Georgetown to its first College Cup appearance in 2012, checks in at No. 3, and is one of nine Reading alumni named to the list. Also selected is the Carolina Dynamo duo of Boyd Okwuono (No. 4) and Sebastian Ibeahga (No. 6), the 2012 PDL Defender of the Year.
The Real Colorado Foxes’ Kyle Venter sits between the two Dynamo standouts, with the Portland Timbers U-23s’ Bryan Gallego (Akron) and Chicago Fire PDL’s Chris Ritter (Northwestern) rounding out the seven selections.
Other notable players in the Top 25 include 2012 PDL All-League selections Kevin Cope of the Michigan Bucks (Michigan State) and Mark Sherrod of the Portland Timbers U-23s (Memphis). Sherrod’s Portland teammate Eric Miller is also selected as he gets set to re-connect with Barnes at Creighton. The Carolina Dynamo’s Alex Martinez, who had two goals and five assists this summer, will also be a player to watch as he returns to North Carolina State.
The NCAA Division I season kicks off on August 30, with players from across the PDL set to star for their college sides after competing during the summer in the top developmental league in North America.