South Atlantic Division Prospect Team
TEAM SHEET
(Int.) International, (A) MLS Affiliated/Academy, (D) MLS Drafted
FORMATION
Overall, I felt as though the 3-4-3 would be best for the South Atlantic Division given the available players. I was impressed by the center back prospects throughout the division, so having a back three really ended up influencing the formation. As a coach that transitions from a two center back system to three depending on the situation, I really like a good 3-4-3, 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 formation. I find it valuable in order to maintain spare man central defending or press-cover type concepts in that area of the field.
Now for the player selections…
STARTING ELEVEN
Luke Hille — NCFC U-23 (CF)
In a front three where the players are given a lot of freedom, Luke Hille was a top option for the center forward position.
After spending his first three years in college at North Carolina State University, Hille transferred down the road to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ahead of this recent spring semester. During Spring Soccer Cup competition, he has had the opportunity to build some chemistry with his new team before the fall season begins.
His first real season at NC State included 6 goals and an assist in 603 minutes as a redshirt freshman. He was later invited to the MLS College Showcase ahead of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. He ultimately wasn’t nominated for a Generation Adidas opportunity that year despite having a good showing from what I’ve heard, but for the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Hille was on the eligible players list after scoring 7 goals to lead the Wolfpack in that category. He’s available as a free agent.
His value should be looked at from more than just the goal scoring aspect though. He reminds me of a Harry Kane type of center forward because he’ll drop into the midfield to help the team in their build up, venture into the wide areas to create overloads, or stay central to provide an outlet with his hold up ability. As a complete forward, there’s a lot to his game, and a lot to be taken into account.
Recent Highlights (Credit — KelkenSport)
Lucas Mauro — Salem City FC (LF)
Despite being the oldest of the professional prospects I have listed, Lucas Mauro was apparently approached by some USL clubs before he decided to play one last college season this fall, so I’m assuming he’ll still have opportunities at the end of the year as well.
The Brazilian had quite the path since coming to the United States back in 2019. Having moved from São Paulo to Arkansas City, Kansas to initially attend Cowley College, he helped them win an NJCAA Plains District Championship en route to an NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament appearance. After transferring to Barry University in the following season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 response, Mauro was on the move again, but this time, it was to the University of Central Florida where he would spend two seasons. He was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team in 2021.
From what I’ve known of him, his talents have been more clearly on display over the summers in USL League Two where he has been featured more in that setting. The first time I saw Mauro play was actually against Asheville City SC in a Southern Conference Semi-final match on July 23, 2023 when he played with Brave SC. The Buffalo won that game 1-0 before winning the Southern Conference Final later that week. Scott Wells was the coach of the Asheville City SC team that suffered the loss and he’s now Mauro’s new coach at Gardner-Webb University. In the spring season with his new team, the Bulldogs went an impressive 6-0-0 to win the inaugural Carolina Cup. With the departure of Santiago Hoyos, the boys of Boiling Springs will hope that Mauro will continue to carry on his summer success into the fall as they look to keep building their program.
Hakim Karamoko — Wake FC (RF)
It’s been a somewhat quiet summer for Hakim Karamoko in terms of statistics, but that doesn’t keep him out of the prospect starting eleven. Still only 18 years old until November, Karamoko will continue to be one of the most interesting profiles in the college game this coming season. Despite already playing his first college season where he was selected for the ACC All-Freshman Team, Karamoko is still the youngest player on this 30-man divisional prospect roster, so people should ultimately be patient. In USL League Two, Wake FC have a different style to NC State, so he’s been able to learn in a new system to further round out his game and add to his experience, even if it may not be the best system for a player of his current skills and attributes.
During the Spring Soccer Cup season a few months ago, he put up great performances against top ACC competitors Duke and Wake Forest. But since he’s a player that I have written about recently at length, for more information, here is the full write-up from the end of April —
https://www.kelkensport.org/player-profiles/hakim-karamoko-nc-state-amp-manhattan-sc
Recent Highlights (Credit — KelkenSport)
Brendan Lambe — NCFC U-23 (LCM)
Brendan Lambe was an easy choice for the midfield starting eleven, not only for his play, but for his clear future as a professional. He has already made his professional level debut at 15 years and 8 months with Atlanta United 2 back when they used to play in the USL Championship, and played the following two seasons with them before joining the University of Virginia. With the Cavaliers, he was also named to the ACC All-Freshman Team last year as his team finished their season by making it to the NCAA Division I National Championship Third Round.
The wealth of experience he has gained throughout his early career shows in his game. He’s been solid as a deep lying midfielder between his ball winning ability, range of passing and technical attributes. If you’re looking for a regista type of midfielder, that’s where he’s at his best.
It probably doesn’t mean very much towards Lambe’s overall profile in pursuit of the pros, but in the recent TST tournament hosted in his native North Carolina, he scored a hat trick against Sergio Agüero’s team. With the success of Garrison Tubbs, Atlanta has a more few pro-ready players out there in the college world, so it’ll be interesting to see what they end up doing with resources like Lambe.
Hat Trick Highlights (Credit — The Soccer Tournament)
Patrick McDonald — Salem City FC (RCM)
Similar to Brendan Lambe, Patrick McDonald is a strong distributer from the central midfield, so he’d contribute well in maintaining possession while also searching for the front three in longer range passes or switching the play to an opposite wingback. With two center midfielders like Lambe and McDonald, backed up by three diligent center backs, I’d imagine they would be good at holding the opponent in their half with a good pressing effort and overall possession.
The Greensboro native has been spending his summer in nearby Winston-Salem as he prepares for his senior season with Indiana University. With one of the top teams in the South Atlantic Division, McDonald was a big part of the team in the early stage of the season before spending time training with Toronto FC. McDonald was recently drafted by Toronto FC with the 59th overall pick, so he’s another player that will likely have a good opportunity to prove himself at the professional level when he officially signs a contract. It wasn’t just Toronto FC that was hoping to get McDonald in the draft. He was one pick away from being drafted by the Colorado Rapids, if not for Toronto, so if they end up not pursuing a deal with McDonald after this season, I’m sure he’ll have chances elsewhere.
In 2021, 17 year old Patrick McDonald signed an academy contract with the USL Championship’s Indy Eleven along with other top prospects Matthew Roou (Notre Dame), Matthew Senanou (Xavier) and Alex Svetanoff (Louisville).
With the Hoosiers, he has been a high achiever when it comes to gaining recognition, especially over the past two seasons. In 2022, he was named to the NCAA College Cup Team after nearly winning the National Championship, ultimately losing in a penalty shootout against Syracuse. He scored in the championship final that ended regulation in a 2-2 draw. Last season, he helped the Hoosiers secure the Big Ten Conference title with performances that earned him an All-Conference First Team nod.
Indiana has been consistent contender in the Big Ten, having made it to seven straight conference finals, winning four of them. They last won the National Championship in 2012, but have made it to the championship final three times since then, falling to Stanford (2017), Marshall (2020) and Syracuse (2022).
Recent Highlights (Credit — KelkenSport)
Quinton Elliot — West Virginia United (LWB)
As Indiana University make another attempt towards the summit of college soccer, Todd Yeagley has added a top MLS Academy product in Quinton Elliot as he transferred out of the University of Louisville at the end of the winter semester. In preparation for his new setting, Elliot has been playing with West Virginia United in his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia this summer. With the Hoosiers, he will join fellow Columbus Crew affiliates JT Harms, Samuel Sarver and Jack Lindimore for his junior season.
With a foundation as more of an attacking midfielder, he brings a lot of those skills to the left wingback position where he’s played for the Cardinals. Last season in that role, he contributed 2 goals and 6 assists. He’s solid in possession and has the creativity desired of the modern wingback. Yet another player that had signed an academy contract, Elliot made several appearances for Columbus Crew 2 during their MLS NEXT Pro Cup title winning campaign in 2022. Looking at some of the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro rosters, Elliot could probably already replace quite a few of his contemporaries, so whether he ends up with a deal back with the Crew organization or not, I imagine he’ll have professional opportunities in the near future.
Bryce Swinehart — Charlotte Eagles (RWB)
Bryce Swinehart finds his way into this starting eleven at the right wingback position where he has played for the Charlotte Eagles this summer. It also helps that he has shown his ability to get forward and score goals for Liberty University. In 2023, he added 5 goals, which was tied for second on the team with Gabe Findley and Michael Huss. He was also the minutes leader last season.
His advanced movements and passing combinations were additional aspects that influenced my decision to put him higher up the field despite having played center back as well. The 3-4-3 formation could also easily morph into a 4-3-3 with Swinehart moving to a more traditional right back and shifting the back three to the left.
The Charlotte native joined the Charlotte FC Academy in its early days and represented the U17 team from 2020-2021. On October 31, 2020, Swinehart scored in an appearance against Atlanta United in a game that featured a few of the guys I have listed in these divisional prospect teams such as Brendan Lambe, Nigel Prince and Cristiano Bruletti. During his senior year of high school, Swinehart was invited to train at two USL Championship clubs, so before Liberty University, he had exposure to both MLS and USL environments.
The versatile and hard working defender will lead the Flames into Ohio Valley Conference competition again this season, but they will open their campaign with exhibition matches against Gardner-Webb and Virginia Tech in mid-August.
Casey McCarthy — Charlotte Eagles (LCB)
I didn’t know anything about Casey McCarthy until this summer, but I’ve been impressed every time I’ve seen him at Charlotte Eagles. For many, he’ll be one of the lesser known players because he didn’t grow up with an MLS affiliation, but with the University of Detroit Mercy, he’s made all but one start while being named as a captain last season. Given his skill set and his overall read of the game, he could probably be more than just a center back depending on a team’s needs, whether it’s a defensive midfielder or a full back. I say this because of how McCarthy can take space on the dribble to move the opposition and find ways through the lines. I’d have to talk with him to better understand how he sees the game, but from my perspective, it appears he has great vision with how he plays.
The Titans have struggled in out-of-conference contests, only winning one of them last season against Eastern Illinois. Their 2024 schedule will continue to be tough, with away fixtures that include Dayton, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame and Western Michigan. His team had a decent Horizon League outing in 2023, but will definitely look to improve upon their 4-3-2 record from last season. Their best conference finish was third in 2019, so it’ll be interesting to see if Detroit Mercy can make the next step. I’m also looking forward to seeing more from McCarthy against the larger college programs as I continue to work on a full assessment.
Highlights from 2023 Summer (Credit — Casey McCarthy)
Jake Shannon — NCFC U-23 (CB)
Whenever I bring up Jake Shannon to other players that grew up around the Raleigh-Durham area, they all say the same thing, “Jake Shannon is a baller.” He’s been one of my favorites this summer with what he has added to the NCFC back line. Two years ago, the 6’2” central defender signed an academy contract with the USL League One team along with a couple other players that have made this divisional team in Samuel Terranova and John McDowell.
Shannon has it all — the size, the read of his opposition, the passing and distribution out of the back, the tackling and defending duels, and the technical ability.
Similar to McCarthy, he has also been named the captain for his university and has started every match since moving down to Wilmington. In his first season, he was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team and followed it up with an All-Conference Third Team selection in 2023. He’s another one who is on a team that looks to improve after only winning one conference game last season. They did however hold eventual National Champion Clemson to a 1-1 draw.
Recent Highlights (Credit — Jake Shannon)
Ryan Behrmann — Charlotte Independence II (RCB)
Ryan Behrmann initially stood out to me during a first team training session at the Charlotte Independence back in April this year. Like Shannon, Behrmann also signed an academy contract for a USL League One side after having led the Academy team to a USL Academy League title at the end of 2023.
Before he makes his way up to West Point to play for the United States Military Academy, he has valued the opportunity to train with and learn from the professionals. During the early stage of the USL League One season, the 18 year old was even named to the bench as a substitute. More recently, he has made appearances down with the USL League Two team, so I was glad to be able to add him to the starting eleven as a result. With his brother playing at Clemson, Ryan decided to pursue a less conventional route.
Wessel Speel — Salem City FC (GK)
After losing Julian Eyestone to the Brentford FC organization, Coach John Kerr ended up snagging Wessel Speel to help cover the position. The Dutchman has enrolled at Duke University to continue his education in Management Studies while hoping that the ACC competition will add some more international exposure.
He’s definitely more than just a big frame. The 6’7” goalkeeper has had a lot of success since coming to the United States from FC Utrecht. At a high level, the wins speak for themselves. In his 75 game career at Hofstra University, he went an impressive 5-2-3, 18-2-2, 14-4-3 and 14-3-5 across each of the seasons. Among all Division I goalkeepers, in his last season in Hempstead, he finished 4th in Minutes Played (2,020), 18th in Goals Against Average (.802), 7th in Clean Sheets (9) and 22nd in Save Percentage (.788) nationally. Not counting the COVID-19 season, the Pride went to the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament each of the years that Speel was in net, two of which were to the third round of the competition.
Back in 2022, he helped lead the Long Island Rough Riders to the USL League Two Final.
Adding Speel to a defense that includes Ruben Mesalles, Axel Gudbjornsson, Kamran Acito and Colton Pleasants should make them one of the more difficult units to break down.
SUBSTITUTES
John McDowell — NCFC U-23 (CM)
The 19 year old midfield pair of John McDowell and Brendan Lambe have formed quite the midfield partnership this summer, so he was one of the first names to put in the substitutes list. McDowell didn’t appear during his freshman season at the University of North Carolina, but he has put in a lot of work with NCFC this summer. He can carry out either the box-to-box or attacking midfield roles, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does this coming season.
Ahmad Al-Qaq — Wake FC (F/W)
With a variety of goals from either wing position, Ahmad Al-Qaq can certainly strike the ball to good effect. From what I’ve seen during his time with the University of North Carolina and this summer with Wake FC, he provides an additional goal scoring threat from the bench of this hypothetical team.
Recent Highlights (Credit — AA)
Aidan Morrison — Charlotte Independence II (M)
After being voted as the USL League Two Young Player of the Year last season, Aidan Morrison has made more appearances for the Charlotte Independence II this year, and has already surpassed his 3 goals that helped earn him the 2022 distinction. His 4th goal came in spectacular fashion against Wessel Speel on June 26, 2024.
I’ve heard a lot about Morrison from the East Lincoln community while I was coaching there during the fall season, but I hadn’t really watched him until this summer. As I’ve gotten to know him, he can play a variety of roles in the midfield, but I personally view him as a deeper lying midfielder going forward in his career. Overall, he’s been good in a midfield three, so it really depends on what the coach needs from him at any given time.
Morrison made his professional level debut in a couple of cameo appearances in U.S. Open Cup matches last summer as well. Looking forward, I’m actually excited to watch his William & Mary team between him, newcomer Tre Barrett (Lionsbridge FC) and returner Webb Kosich (Annapolis Blues). He made the CAA All-Rookie Team after getting 2 goals and 4 assists in 15 starts.
Aidan Morrison Goal v. Salem City FC on June 26, 2024
Bernardo dos Santos Monteiro — Charlotte Eagles (F/W)
Another international prospect who is a little on the older side is Bernardo Monteiro. The 24 year old makes the bench for his ability to play on either side of the center forward as an all around attacker. Labeled as a winger, he has good attacking awareness as he gravitates more centrally from the wide areas when the goal chances become more likely. He’s effective in staying connected, working combination plays or pulling wide to serve in crosses.
Last season in the USL League Two, he was voted into the 2023 Team of the Year. Several of the other players selected have since signed professional contracts. This season, he continues to be a threat for the Eagles, recently scoring against top division contender NCFC.
Since coming to Miami, Monteiro became an important contributor to Florida International University (FIU). In 2021, he started off by collecting Conference USA Freshman of the Year and All-Conference First Team honors, and has since made the AAC All-Conference Second Team twice. He enters his senior season after putting up consistent goal contributions throughout his time with the Panthers, who have also been consistent. They have finished the last three seasons 10-5-2 (2023), 14-5-1 (2022) and 12-4-2 (2021).
Colton Pleasants — NCFC U-23 (FB/M)
After watching Colton Pleasants play for Duke University over the spring season, I was glad to see his name pop up for NCFC U-23 part way through the summer. As a graduate transfer from UNC Wilmington, I think he’ll continue to be a great addition to John Kerr’s side this fall.
His collegiate career was derailed for a couple seasons due to injury, but Pleasants is back and performing well. He started off as a CAA All-Rookie and All-Conference First Team selection for his first two seasons with the Seahawks, so I’m excited to see what he will contribute with the the players he’ll have around him in Durham. He nearly made the starting eleven in this team because he would be great in a right wingback position in a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 system especially.
Samuel Terranova — NCFC U-23 (GK)
Samuel Terranova ended up splitting the 2023 NC State schedule between teammates Lucas Hatsios and Ben Voase where he led the group in Goals Against Average (1.80), Saves (27) despite having the least minutes (450). After Hatsios and Voase made the first 13 starts, Terranova was picked to face Clemson, Duke, High Point and Syracuse twice at the end of the season. Though they didn’t manage a win against some of the challenging teams in the country, Terranova helped earn three draws across the contests. With a new coaching staff, we’ll see who Marc Hubbard ends up utilizing this season.
As mentioned with Jake Shannon, Terranova was an academy contract signee for NCFC on two occasions (2021 and 2022).
Stewart Patnaud — Wake FC (M)
Stewart Patnaud has left UNC Asheville in hopes of more opportunities with Wofford University this fall. In 709 minutes for his former team, he managed 3 goals and 2 assists last season. Based on what I’ve seen so far, he would be able to cover midfield, wing and wingback depth. With the Terriers, it’ll be interesting to see if he earns a more expanded role.
With the transfer, Patnaud will now have the opportunity to learn from former SoCon All-Conference First Team and Furman captain Dylan Lane, who has also joined the university as an assistant coach this summer. The two faced each other as players in a 4-2 Furman win where Lane had two assists and Patnaud had a goal.
Recent Highlights (Credit — Stewart Patnaud)
Amara Kamara — Salem City FC (CB)
Amara Kamara originally entered the college ranks at the University of Dayton, but after he didn’t see any action during his freshman season, he has since transferred to Tiffin University. At Tiffin, it was the opposite experience. He started all 20 games for a total of 1,768 minutes while leading his team to a 14-3-3 record. The Liberian born defender was ultimately named as a D2CCA Third Team All-American on top of his G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team honors.
This is why you play USL League Two though. In case you didn’t know either, Tiffin University is in north central Ohio, about an hour and a half west of Cleveland. Kamara has been able to showcase his ability in a talent rich South Atlantic Division and I don’t know if he’ll end up transferring again, but if he does, he’d be a name to keep an eye out for. He’s a mobile and technical player with good passing and presence.
Cristiano Bruletti —Salem City FC (CM)
Cristiano Bruletti took over the 22 shirt from Patrick McDonald part way through the season and has done a good job since stepping into the side. Before jumping into USL League Two, Bruletti was with Brendan Lambe on Say Word FC during TST 2024. He had 2 goals and 2 assists in the 4 match group stage. The two had also played within the Atlanta United Academy and for Atlanta United 2 in the past.
Originally, Bruletti attended the University of South Carolina where he also garnered 2 goals and 2 assists in his 1,204 freshman minutes. He eventually moved back to his home state of Michigan to play for the Spartans. In the fall, he added another 1,209 minutes of midfield experience as Michigan State finished 3rd in the Big Ten Conference regular season. A few months later in the spring, Bruletti and his teammates won the College Spring League title after taking down powerhouse Marshall University in the championship game. As he works towards a degree in hospitality, apparently he’s a really good chef as well.
With his Italian fluency and ancestry, if he doesn’t already have an Italian passport, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a difficult process to obtain citizenship through descent. This would open up additional opportunities throughout the European Union.
Bruletti notably hit a wonder strike in his Salem City FC debut against SC United Bantams.
Cristiano Bruletti Goal v. SC United Bantams on June 12, 2024 (Credit - SportsEngine, Inc.)
Jack Stainrod — SC United Bantams (ST)
After 6 goals in his first 9 appearances with SC United Bantams this summer, Jack Stainrod makes the bench as one of the other consistent strikers in the division. He spent his fall season in the NAIA with Dalton State, scoring 13 goals and providing 2 assists in 1,196 minutes. The summer prior, he had 8 goals in 10 appearances as well in USL League Two.
Recent Highlights (Credit — Jack Stainrod)
RESERVES
Marco Wright — Charlotte Independence II (W/M)
Marco Wright has been an interesting player that I’ll be keeping tabs on. It seems as though he’s played all over the pitch in various positions and roles, so as I round out his profile, I’ll have more in terms of where he fits in best with a team. Last spring, Wright joined Aidan Morrison as academy contract recipients, so he’s also had opportunities to train with the professionals.
Campbell had a difficult fall season, but the Camels experienced quite the turnaround during the spring, going 4-1-0 with four clean sheets and outscoring their opponents 11-2. There’ll be more to report with more opportunities to assess his game.
Jake Spadafora — Charlotte Eagles (W/M)
As a notable college teammate to Cristiano Bruletti, Jake Spadafora was a member of that College Spring League title winning Michigan State team during the recent spring season. He’s had good success since starting his college career with the Spartans. Spadafora earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team recognition and more recently an All-Conference Second Team award as a sophomore.
Spadafora moved a few times throughout his childhood before he landed an opportunity at an MLS Academy when he joined the Philadelphia Union organization.
Guilherme Fontes — Salem City FC (W)
For starters, I love the pace of Gui Fontes. The quick left-footed playmaker from Converse University has been on display in the wide areas for Salem City FC this summer. In his previous fall season in college, his 10 assists for the Valkyries helped lead his team to a 12-4-4 season.
Recent Highlights (Credit — Guilherme Fontes)
Marqes Muir — SC United Bantams (CB)
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender moved to the United States to play for the University of Kentucky, and he brought with him a lot of high level youth league experience with four seasons of appearances between Premier League 2 and the Under-18 Premier League. For the Wildcats, he started every match that he appeared in, and he’s continued that trend with the SC United Bantams this summer. Like I said, it’s a talent rich division down here, especially at the center back position. Marqes Muir is certainly up there with the best of them.
SC United Bantams have found themselves in contention with only a few more regular season matches still to play.
Christian Cook — Charlotte Independence II (W)
Christian Cook is an exciting natural winger with a lot of pace. With a young Charlotte Independence II team that is made up of many players who are underclassmen with their respective colleges, I can’t help but to wonder how Cook would perform with a more experienced and prolific center forward.
Down in Conway, the Chanticleers have struggled lately as well. Last season, they only managed 13 goals in their 15 games, with three wins. With 26 players on the roster and only two of them starting every match while seeing over 1,000 minutes throughout the season, there was a lot of rotation as they searched to replace the kind of production that Alvaro Garcia-Pascual provided in the year prior. Cook followed up his 315 minute freshman season with only 498 as a sophomore. He’s still a prospect that I’ll be looking at more closely this fall as I analyze how a player of his talent can find more success.
Tate Lorentz — Salem City FC (W)
We’ve be able to get a deeper look into the game of Tate Lorentz this summer as he now has 4 goals in the competition after scoring a brace to secure an important win on June 26, 2024. During his freshman season with the Tar Heels, he didn’t see noteworthy minutes, which isn’t uncommon for that team, but he’s a skilled two-footed attacker to keep track of as his playing time continues to increase.
Tate Lorentz's Two Goal Performance v. Charlotte Independence II on June 26, 2024
Drew Lovelace — Wake FC (F)
Adding 5 goals for Wake FC in the first 10 games this summer, Drew Lovelace finds his way into the team sheet as a reserve. He hasn’t had many minutes at NC State over the past two seasons, but he came into the team after successful MLS NEXT showings with Wake FC at the U17/U19 levels. Down the stretch towards the end of the USL League Two season, Lovelace scored a hat trick against NCFC in a 3-1 win on July 6, 2024. Hopefully Marc Hubbard can find a way to utilize him more.
At the end of the season, he finished with 10 goals, which put him tied for 7th in the league.
Drew Kerr — Tobacco Road FC (CM)
It’s been a summer to forget for Tobacco Road FC. Through the first ten games, they find themselves at the bottom of the division, and to be honest, I haven’t watched much of them. Despite having been an academy contract signee for two straight seasons with NCFC, Kerr stuck around Durham.
Drew Kerr is an interesting player though. With 2 goals and 5 assists during his sophomore season of only 563 minutes, I have a feeling that his minutes will continue to improve as an upperclassman. It’s also kind of crazy that he’ll play his upcoming junior season entirely as a 19 year old.
In one of their most recent performances, Kerr contributed a goal in a 3-3 draw against SC United Bantams on June 25, 2024.
Yves Tcheuyap — Salem City FC (FB)
I added Yves Tcheuyap in this list because as a Canadian player who has already shown good ability at NC State during the spring season, it’s realistic that he would have an opportunity to join the Canadian Premier League at the conclusion of his college studies. He scored in the Spring Soccer Cup Final back in late April against Wake Forest.
There are a lot of good players coming out of the Greater Toronto Area. Tcheuyap jumped straight into the starting line-up down at East Tennessee State University last fall. He recorded 1,513 minutes while starting every match, and contributed to a 10th ranked defense in Goals Against Average (.755) nationally. He’ll now have the chance to further develop and showcase his game in the NCAA’s most notable conference.
Recent Highlights (Credit — FutureStar Sports)
HONORABLE MENTION
Isaac Scheer — Charlotte Independence II (CM)
I wanted to mention incoming freshman Isaac Scheer because he’ll be joining the University of West Virginia for this fall. He’ll have a season to work with a solid group of highly experienced midfielders. Ryan Baer, another Charlotte Independence product who became a Mountaineer, will be one of them.
Scheer has made several appearances for the Charlotte Independence first team between USL League One, U.S. Open Cup and USL Cup competitions. Mike Jeffries has given high praise of the 18 year old, noting his clean technical ability and line breaking capabilities.
Fraser Brown — West Virginia United (ST)
The Northeastern University forward nearly made the team sheet, and he still might if I’m able to watch more from him. On paper, he’s having the best season as a striker in this division with 8 goals after the first 9 games. With his university, he had 5 goals and an assist in 15 starts in 2023.
Recent Highlights (Credit — Fraser Brown)
NCFC and Charlotte Independence Academies
The two USL clubs really utilize the academy contract as a way of helping develop their youngsters. There are many players associated with both clubs that I’ll continue to look at even if they aren’t named here. Charlotte Independence’s Mike Jeffries has established quite the impressive career and reputation among his peers. Outside of his role as a coach, his player assessment skills have been a strong suit as well, so I assume he and his staff keep good tabs on the progress of their academy players as they rise through the ranks.
CONCLUSION
With how many talented players there are down here, it was a big challenge to narrow it down to a list of 30, and I might still even change it by the end of the summer. There will be continued features and follow-ups throughout the year as I highlight those who stand out. As a one man scouting operation, it’s not an easy task, so bear with me a little bit. I appreciate the support from all of you readers.