Boys U17 USYS National League Preview
The U.S. Youth Soccer National League PRO event in Arizona kicks off this weekend. The event features teams competing in the National League as well as showcase event in the same age groups (U15-U19). The 05 age group (U17) will…
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Continue ReadingThe U.S. Youth Soccer National League PRO event in Arizona kicks off this weekend. The event features teams competing in the National League as well as showcase event in the same age groups (U15-U19).
The 05 age group (U17) will be getting plenty of attention from scouts as college coaches look at the top 2023 and 2024 recruits from the event.
PrepSoccer will be on hand for the showcase and the national league games. Check back throughout the weekend for exclusive coverage from Arizona on the site as well as on our social media.
We talked with a few coaches prior to the event to preview the action from the U17 age group from the Legacy Sports Complex in Arizona.
Las Vegas Sports Academy is one of the most successful clubs in the country in developing players. LVSA has a long roster of alumni that includes players all the way up to the professional game.
It should come as no surprise that the club’s 05 boys team is having a terrific season and looking to make some noise this weekend in Arizona.
Head coach Jose Gomez cited the defense of the team for a reason why they have been successful so far this campaign.
“Our team defense,” Gomez told PrepSoccer in an email interview. “I feel that the boys have worked really hard to defend together as a team. All 11 players on the field work, when they lose the ball they work to win it back. They stay organized defensively and make teams work to break us down.”
The cohesive play has shown up in the results. LVSA leads Group E defensively with only three goals conceded in four games. LVSA has been tested in those games with contests against some top talent.
Gomez gave credit to the league for providing a platform that rewarded teams for their own field successes.
“The National League in my opinion is competing at the highest level in the country,” Gomez said. “Every team that is in the league has earned their place. Every game is extremely competitive and prepares the players to play every game with something on the line. There are no let down games, if you don’t come prepared any team can get beat. It also gives players the opportunity to get recruited by college coaches that attend the National League events.”
LVSA will have plenty of college coaches at their games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The squad is scheduled to face Juventus – Zoff (FL), HFC Thunder (MS), and MS Rush United 05B Premier (MS).
Gomez said that some of his defenders will be the players to watch this weekend. He highlighted Quentin Gomez, Luis Pelcastre, Justin Gerraci, and Ryan Allard. Justin Gerraci is a 2024 recruit, but the other three are top prospects from the 2023 class. Gomez is a 6’2 center back who is physically dominant on the field. He was a key part of the Palo Verde team that won the Class 5A state championship in Nevada this season.
Rafael Lucio and Jesus Vallejo, both 2023 recruits, lead the way in the midfield for LVSA. Lucio is coming off a strong high school season where he had 21 assists for Eldorado High School.
Christian Valencia is the point of the attack for LVSA. The striker earned a spot on the Nevada Preps All-Southern First Team after his junior campaign for Las Vegas. He scored 33 goals for the Wildcats.
Lucio, Valencia, and Gomez were selected to the US Youth Soccer National Championship Best XI last season.
Group F is wide open heading into the weekend. There are four teams sitting on seven points with SAC 05B Pre-Academy White (MD), Raiders FC (IL), Brausa 05 Blue (MD), and SC Wave Juniors 05 Boys (WI) all level on points before the event.
SAC 05B is a team to watch this season. The squad had a strong showing in February against ECNL and MLS Next teams. Olusiji Jolayemi and Ryan Capodanno have been standouts in the attack for SAC.
In Group D, FC Evolution N B05 (OH) is the team to watch. FC Evolution is 4-0 in National League play with 23 goals scored and 0 conceded. Forward Zsombor Onodi was part of the aforementioned US Youth Soccer National Championship Best XI last season.
“This team has been in the National League for the last three years and we have a familiarity with the level of competition,” FC Evolution coach Mike McLaughlin told PrepSoccer in an email interview. “We’ve worked really hard at keeping teams away from our goal, and we’ve also been able to generate lots of offensive opportunities that we have been able to capitalize on.”
McLaughlin appreciated the level of competition in the National League and the exposure to first-class facilities all over the country.
The experiences in the National League have generated interest in some of the top players from the club from college programs.
Ohio State commit Patrick McLaughlin is one of the top prospects at the event. The goalkeeper gave his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes early this year. He has tremendous upside with athletic shot-stopping abilities and high-level technical prowess with his foot skills.
Mike McLaughlin also cited the play of Aiden Ptacek, as another player to watch in the attack for FC Evolution. The forward has great soccer IQ and links up well with Zsombor to create a 1-2 punch for the Ohio side.
Colin Link and Justin Shreffler are the masterminds of the midfield. With a high work-rate and soccer smarts, they usually take over the game for FC Evolution.
FC Evolution will take on Fullerton Rangers Blue (CA-S), CSA Boys 05 (NY-E), and PSC Academy (NJ) during the event.