Three New York Red Bulls U-23s on PDL's first Top Prospects list of 2017

The clue to the PDL's purpose and priority is in its name: Premier Development League. To support the player development goal at its core, PDL periodically puts out lists of those it regards as its top prospects based on performances during league play.

The league's pre-season watch-list included two New York Red Bulls U-23 players: Duke midfielder Brian White and Virginia Tech 'keeper Benjamin Lundgaard.

Both those players appear on PDL's first in-season list of top prospects for 2017. The list is 50 players - which is a lot, but there are 72 teams in PDL, so the total pool is something in the region of 1,500.

In the latest top 50 ranking, Lundgaard is placed 12th; White is ranked 25th; RBNY Academy product and current Wake Forest player Kevin Politz joins his RBNY U-23 teammates at 33 on the list.

New York Red Bulls U-23s have opened their 2017 PDL season with back-to-back home wins. Lundgaard, White, and Politz have started both games: a 3-2 win over Reading United and a 2-0 win over Jersey Express.

Lundgaard has tallied seven saves and one clean sheet (which required five of those seven saves to secure) over those two games. White has two goals and an assist from his two appearances to date. Defender Politz has played every minute of both games.

RBNY U-23s are currently second in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of PDL. Ocean City Nor'easters are in first, having played and won three games to date in PDL 2017. The Nor'easters have two players on the PDL Top 50 prospects list: defender Nikola Fimic is ranked 9th overall; forward Ignacio Tellechea, who has scored twice for the Nor'easters this season and was on the pre-season watch-list, is ranked 20th.

The Red Bulls U-23 team plays the Nor'easters on Saturday, May 27, at the Red Bull Training Facility. Kick-off is at 7:00 pm. Admission is free.