Baltimore 2021 Preseason All-Metro Boys

Nearly half of all NCAA Division I soccer signees in Maryland who play high school soccer compete in the Baltimore-based Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. It’s pretty safe to say that the MIAA is, top-to-bottom, the nation’s strongest high school conference. In fact, eight of the conference’s 10 teams have made FAB 50 national ranking appearances in the past decade, which includes a national title for McDonogh in 2013 and a national No. 2 finish for Mount St. Joseph last fall.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the entire Baltimore Preseason All-Metro Team is comprised of 11 players from the MIAA.

It should be noted, there was no MIAA league play last school year, but a handful of the Catholic schools formed a one-season Catholic League last fall that was halted about 75 percent of the way through when COVID cases spiked in the Baltimore area. Since there were few matches and some schools simply did not field teams, there’s not much in the way of 2020 accolades for the following players. Most have made their mark in the club scene.

Here’s a glance at the players to watch this fall:

FORWARDS: Jacob Murrell Jacob Murrell F McDonogh | 2022 State MD is coming off a strong club showing, which included scoring three goals at the Capelli Sport Cup in Denmark in late July. The senior committed to Georgetown and might be the state’s top senior prospect. … Calvert Hall junior Rich Monath earned all-league honors last year in Calvert Hall’s six-game schedule. … Mount St. Joseph senior Shan Chung Shan Chung F Mount St. Joseph (MD) | 2023 MD is expected to pick up the scoring in place of graduated Van Danielson, who had a breakout season in 2020.

MIDFIELDERS: Brian St. Martin Brian St. Martin M Mount St. Joseph | 2022 State MD and Jacob Murrell Jacob Murrell F McDonogh | 2022 State MD are the early favorites for the state’s player of the year honors. St. Martin has committed to Maryland, where his brother plays. St. Martin is coming off a leg injury and might see limited action early until he is match fit. He was one of seven Mount St. Joseph players, and the lone junior, who received all-league honors. …  Tyler Tucker Tyler Tucker M McDonogh School (MD) | 2023 MD recently scored the game-winning goal to lift Team Capelli USA to a championship at the Capelli Sport Cup in Denmark. The McDonogh junior is one of the top Class of 2023 prospects in Maryland. … Calvert Hall junior Cody Angelini Cody Angelini M Calvert Hall (MD) | 2023 MD and Archbishop Curley senior Enrique Schissler Enrique Schissler M Archbishop Curley | 2022 State MD were both all-league honors last fall.

DEFENDERS: Calvert Hall senior William Andrus William Andrus D Calvert Hall | 2022 State MD has been labeled by league coaches as possibly the best defender in the MIAA. For certain, he’s part of a strong backline at Calvert Hall. … McDonogh junior Trevor Grodsky Trevor Grodsky D McDonogh School (MD) | 2023 MD is another top prospect, but has yet to make an impact in high school since McDonogh hasn’t fielded a team since winning the MIAA title in 2019. … Mount St. Joseph senior Andre Isreal Andre Isreal D Mount St. Joseph | 2022 State MD was overshadowed by a cast of five NCAA Division I signees on last year’s Gaels team, but this year he will be tasked to anchor the defense.

GOALKEEPER: Slotting Jordan Eckman into this spot is a bit of a gamble. Coaches – both high school and club – say Eckman is the top keeper in the Baltimore area, but the Loyola junior is rumored to possibly skip the high school season. Since it’s the summer and we’re assuming he’s playing come September, Eckman gets the nod for now.