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Top Five to Watch by Position

By USLLeagueTwo.com Staff, 05/01/19, 3:00PM EDT

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The top players to watch at each position this year


Bruno Lapa of North Carolina Fusion U23 is one of the top forwards to watch this year. Who else made the list?

With the 2019 USL League Two season starting this Friday with San Francisco City FC at Santa Cruz Breakers FC, who are the best players to watch this year? Scroll down to check out who we see as the top five at each position this year.

Goalkeepers

GK

Andres Cases

North Carolina Fusion U23 | Age: 21

Started 20 of the 21 games for Wake Forest in the fall of 2018 and finished with a 17-3 record on the season. In 2017 he broke the school record for GAAvg. posting a mark of .49. Good with his feet and should allow comfort in playing out of the back for NC Fusion U23 this summer.

GK

Paul Kruse

Chicago FC United | : AGE 21

6-4 GK who has played within the German Youth National Team system, he posted solid stats at Creighton in the fall boasting a .64 GAAvg. Will be an important factor for Chicago FC United throughout the season.

GK

Carlos Mercado

Corpus Christi FC | Age: 19

One of the younger GK's on this list who is also 6-4, looking to build off a solid year with Des Moines last year and help Corpus Christi FC fight for the top spot in the Mid South Division.

GK

Wesley Storm

Cincinnati Dutch Lions | Age: 21

Young talented prospect who was vital last season for Cincinnati Dutch Lions in the 12 games that he played in. Wesley returns to Cincinnati again this summer to build upon the impressive season he posted in 2018.

GK

Andrew Thomas

San Francisco City FC | Age: 20

6-2 GK from Stanford who was named to the 2018 Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Freshman First Team and listed on the 2018 All-Pac-12 First Team as a redshirt freshman. Finished the season with a .63 GAAvg., who will look to continue in his great form with San Francisco City FC.


Defenders

D

Tanner Beason

San Francisco City FC | Age: 22

Team Captain at Stanford and earned top honors across the board during the 2018 season. Tanner was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 Player of the Year, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, and was also a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.

D

Ivan Blaskic

Reading United AC | Age: 23

Has the stature, athleticism, and ability to become one of the Top Prospects. In 3 years for Umass-Lowell, Ivan has started 49 of the 50 games and boasts 8 goals and 4 assists along with 10 shutouts as a team in 2018.

D

Michael Desheilds

Treasure Coast Tritons | Age: 21

Another young talented prospect from Wake Forest who will surely bring a solid technical element to the backline for Treasure Coast this summer.

D

Carlo Ritaccio

New York Red Bulls U23 | Age: 19

Oustanding freshman season at Akron, was named the National Freshman of the Year in 2018 by Top Drawer Soccer along with being named to the United States U-19 Men's National Team in Sept. Will be a key contributor for the Red Bulls U23 this summer.

D

Patrick Seagrist

Chicago FC United | Age: 21

Adding to the depth on the defensive side for Chicago FC United, Patrick was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2018 with 3 goals and 6 assists.


Midfielders

M

Giuseppe Barone

Flint City Bucks | Age: 20

Was an outstanding candidate for the 2018 Generation Adidas class last year, very technical player who can change the game in an instant. At Michigan State he started all 23 games and was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year while earning First Team All-Big Ten Honors.

M

Jackson Dietrich

Dayton Dutch Lions | : AGE 22

Jackson Dietrich has started 50 of the 56 games he's participated in at Wright State. Was listed on our 2018 Top College Prospects List and will look to continue as a leader for Dayton in 2019.

M

Matthew Harter

Charlotte Eagles | Age: 22

Charlotte will be lead in the midfield this summer by Matthew Harter of Akron. He appeared in all 24 matches for Akron in the fall and was selected to the All-MAC First Team as well as the All-Tournament team at the 2018 College Cup.

M

Rey Ortiz

Portland Timbers U23 | Age: 22

In 2018, Rey was listed as the #10 prospect in our Top 50 Prospects List. Has been a part of the U.S. U-15 National Team in the past and looks to once again lead the Timbers U23 attack in the Northwest Division.

M

Luka Prpa

Chicago FC United | Age: 20

Luka has been involved with the U.S. U-17 National Team in the past, and in 2018 at Marquette he was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team while earning all-league accolades for the third time. He was on the Top 50 Prospects List last season and will look to climb that list this summer.


Forwards

F

Ifunanyachi Achara

Black Rock FC | Age: 21

Achara is a very special player and has shown that throughout his time at Georgetown. When on form he can at times be too much to handle at the college level, and he will look to carry his form over from 2018 where he posted 8 goals and 4 assists for Black Rock FC.

F

Brandon Guhl

Chicago FC United | : AGE 21

Listed on the 2018 Top College Prospects List, Brandon is a leader in the attack at Butler posting 20 goals combined in 2017 and 2018. In the summer of 2018, he lead Brazos Valley Cavalry FC to the Mid South Division Title with 10 goals and 5 assists.

F

William Herve

New York Red Bulls U23 | Age: 23

William Herve will be looking to build off the outstanding freshman season he had for the 2018 National Champions Maryland Terrapins and head coach Sasho Cirovski. He was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Best Freshman XI First Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team, along with earning the honors of College Soccer News First Team Freshman All-American.

F

Bruno Lapa

North Carolina Fusion U23 | Age: 21

Emerging as a team leader for Wake Forest in a 2018 season where he was named as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, Bruno is a player who has the game changing tools to win his team any game. Bruno started and played in all 20 games for Wake Forest and finished the season with 10 goals and 9 assists, amassing for a total of 29 points.

F

Matteo Polisi

Vancouver TSS FC Rovers | Age: 21

In the past 2 seasons at SFU, Matteo has posted 28 goals, 15 assists, and a total of 71 points. The #37 prospect on our 2018 Top Prospects List, he will surely look to get off the ground running to start the 2019 campaign at Vancouver TSS FC Rovers.


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