College soccer's preseason is just kicking into gear and that means it's time to take a look at all the New York Red Bulls Academy talent in college. This year, over 50 former New York Red Bulls Academy players will be playing in the NCAA, with programs varying from Rutgers to Stanford and from Portland to Ohio State. We here at Once a Metro will attempt to keep you up to date on all the goings-on in college soccer this year; for now, here is a complete list of all the Red Bulls Academy graduates in college. (Players are ordered by class and then alphabetically):
Seniors:
Brandon Alvarado, Midfielder, Manhattan College *
Danny Bartok, Forward, Seton Hall *
Vincent Brunetti, Forward, Cornell
Oscar Gonzalez, Midfielder, Iona
Louie Maldonado, Defender, Columbia
Adam Najem, Midfielder, Akron #
Erik Sa, Midfielder, Rutgers
Eric Sugarman, Midfielder, Brown
Juniors:
Arun Basuljevic, Midfielder/Forward, Georgetown
Ethan Decker, Forward, Rutgers *
Steven Echevarria, Midfielder, Wake Forest
Michael Kapitula, Defender/Midfielder, Michigan *
Christopher Lema, Midfielder, Georgetown
Evan Louro, Goalkeeper, Michigan
Nate Odusote, Defender, Virginia
Kevin Politz, Defender, Wake Forest
Dante Perez. Midfielder/Forward, Rutgers
Harrison Steadman, Forward, UNC Charlotte
Billy Stevens, Defender, Michigan
Joseph Swenson, Midfielder, Penn
Alex Tejera, Forward, Siena
Brandon Tetro, Defender/Midfielder, Rutgers
Anthony Viteri, Midfielder, Boston University #
Sophomores:
Jerel Blades, Forward, Penn
Marcello Borges, Defender, Michigan ^
Sam Carter, Midfielder, Loyola Maryland
Malcolm Dixon, Forward, Portland
Stephen Elias, Forward, NC State
Chris Flores, Midfielder, Northeastern
Nick Giordano, Goalkeeper, Buffalo
Cameron Harr, Forward, Marist
Tomas Lapnas, Goalkeeper, George Mason
Ethan Lochner, Forward, Georgetown
Andrew Lombard, Defender, Ohio State ^
Henry Martin, Defender, Princeton
Gideon Metrikin, Midfielder, Penn
Conrad Nowowiejski, Midfielder, Binghamton
Juan Sebastian Sanchez, Forward, Tulsa
Gabriel Viana, Defender, ASA Institute
Wesley Wade, Forward, Virginia
Kyle Zajec, Midfielder, Georgetown
Freshmen:
Samad Bounthong, Midfielder, Marist
Kyle Casey, Forward, Stanford
Rodrigo D'Andrea, Forward, Brown
Mason Deeds, Defender, Georgetown
Wojciech Gajda, Goalkeeper, Stony Brook
Jared Gilbey, Midfielder, Stanford
Callum Johnson, Midfielder, Boston College
Cristian Martinez, Defender, Monmouth
Ryan Mingachos, Midfielder, George Mason
Kyle Perno, Defender, UCSB
Brian Saramago, Loyola Maryland
Barry Sharifi, Forward, Loyola Maryland
Sean Teixeria, Defender, Villanova
*- Red Shirt
#- Hermann Trophy Shortlist
^- US U20 National Team player
Here are some quick facts on New York Red Bulls Academy graduates distribution in college.
Class:
Seniors- 8
Juniors- 15
Sophomores- 18
Freshmen- 13
Position (for clarity, players listed as two players positions count for both):
Goalkeepers- 4
Defenders- 14
Midfielders- 22
Forwards- 17
Top five colleges/universities represented:
Georgetown- 5
Michigan- 4
Rutgers- 4
University of Pennsylvania- 3
Loyola Maryland- 3
College soccer, though not the pathway to the pros it once was, still produces some exceptional talent every year. In just the last year seven former RBNY Academy players have transitioned from college soccer to the pro game.
First-year pros with academy links:
Brandon Allen, Georgetown- New York Red Bulls/NYRBII
Mael Corboz, Maryland- Wilmington Hammerheads/transfer to Europe imminent
Derrick Etienne, Virginia- New York Red Bulls/NYRBII
Anthony Matarazzo, Columbia- Orlando City B
Alex Muyl, Georgetown- New York Red Bulls
Scott Thomsen, Virginia- Richmond Kickers
Chris Thorsheim, Bucknell- Middelfart BK