West Contra Costa County loaded with young talent

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">West Contra Costa County is known for having athletes, and that is true when it comes to the players on the soccer pitch. The players in this area are known for being very, very technically gifted and great with the ball at their feet. Currently, the talent seems to be leaning toward the underclassmen.</span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Richmond and St. Mary’s, the two premier programs in West County, feature a bunch of young talent. However, we start with two very young players from different schools.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Miguel Jimenez, De Anza, Freshman, Forward</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jimenez is going to impress some people this year, and he’s going to surprise others. Small in stature currently, he will be underestimated and those that do so will pay the price. He has everything you want in a striker. He has great agility and speed. he’s quick and aware and is very, very dangerous with the ball at his feet.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Harlem Clemons, Salesian, Sophomore, Wing/Forward</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Clemons might not look imposing, but much like Jimenez, underestimate him at your own peril. He’s 5-6, but is powerful and is not afraid to play physically. His natural position is outside on the right and he is fearless out there. He can be physical, he can beat you with speed and he can score from just about anywhere. He is a very gifted player for the Pride.</span> <h5 style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kevin Romo, Richmond, Junior, Center Midfield</span></strong></h5> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Romo is versatile in the sense that he is box-to-box. He can press on the attack and is not afraid to drop back, be physical and defend. He's very strong, fast with great vision and now as a junior he's even more confident.</span></p> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Fernando Villanueva, Richmond, Sophomore, Forward</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Villanueva is a young, dynamic striker who is very eager to put in a shift and to score goals. He's very skilled, but unselfish as he is known as a team-first player.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Diego Albarran, Richmond, Sophomore, Keeper</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">He's a rare keeper with size for the Oilers, and pair that with all his other skills and they have someone who can stop shots. He is mentally strong, quite confident and that's because he is athletic with great reflexes. He's also very good with the ball at his feet, and has developed into a leader for this team.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Andres Araujo, Richmond, Freshman, Midfield</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">A first-year player who could be making an impact for one of the best teams in the North Coast Section. He is very clean fundamentally, his touch is precise. He has good pace, he accelerates fast. He's a strong player, he's left-footed and can play the No. 6 or No. 10 spot.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Rafael Olivarez, Richmond, Freshman, Midfield</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Known as Bam-Bam, he's another impact freshman for the Oilers. He's small but has good strength of his size. He's fast, plays with good technique and pace. His passing is what will make him effective right away.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="6972" first="Alejandro" last="Gonzalez"], St. Mary’s, Junior, Left Back</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Gonzalez has started every game since he was a freshman. He’s a gifted left back, who can push up the field and play box-to-box and can also play in the No 6 spot. He’s a very intelligent player who reads the game very well.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colin Dalvand, St. Mary’s, Junior, Keeper</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">When the Panthers lost their starting keeper to baseball full-time, X stepped in and has done so seamlessly. He was also a baseball player, but did the reverse which was giving that up and focusing on soccer. He’s earned his position as nothing was handed to him and continues to improve.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Arjun Lyall, St. Mary’s, Junior, Attacking Midfield</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lyall is a natural No. 10. The type that is so gifted that he makes things that are hard look very easy. He can score great goals or set his teammates up with his terrific vision.</span> <h5><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Miles Rhode, St. Mary’s, Junior, Attacking Midfield</span></strong></h5> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Panthers are fortunate enough to have two gifted No. 10s, and can be creative and find a way to play them both by splitting them apart in the midfield. Rhode has very good size and he is very smooth and precise when on the ball. Meanwhile, his greatest strength is how analytical he is.</span>