Ben Lundgaard and Brian White crack top 5 of PDL 2017 Top Prospects list

If you were wondering whether anyone paid attention to PDL's Top Prospects list: top-ranked Darwin Espinal vanished from the reckoning after being snapped up bu USL's Reno 1868.

Espinal's departure from PDL for a pro contract meant the third edition of this season's PDL Top Prospects ranking needed a reshuffle, and two New York Red Bulls U-23 players took big steps up the latest list.

Starting 'keeper Ben Lundgaard continued his remarkable progress in the league's estimation. He was 12th in the first edition of the Top Prospects ranking, jumped to 8th for the second edition, and is now ranked the second-hottest prospect in PDL 2017.

RBNY U-23s forward Brian White is making even more startling advances up the PDL prospects rankings. He started the year ranked 25th, bumped up to 23rd, but is now considered the fifth-best prospect in the league.

White is the currently the league's top scorer, having knocked in 13 goals in 11 appearances for RBNY U-23s in PDL 2017.

Also on the list of the top 50 prospects in PDL is RBNY Academy product Kevin Politz. The defender was ranked 33rd in the first edition of this season's list, edged up to 32nd - and remains ranked 32nd for the latest edition of the player rankings.