Winter Soccer Classic Watch List

The Winter Soccer Classic is a longstanding tournament in Northern California's East Bay Area, with this iteration being the 26th year of its existence. This year, the tournament has just one bracket, featuring 10 teams with action starting tonight.   Despite just having 10 teams and one bracket, some of the top teams and players in the NCS will be in attendance. Here are some players from some of the teams to keep an eye on.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/11/Eli-Roth-crop-1317x865-1669754788.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-66104" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Acalanes High</figcaption></figure>   Acalanes   The Dons enter the WSC as one of the best, if not the best, teams in the tournament. The Dons are senior heavy and should have a good showing at the tournament thanks to their experience and ability. They are led by five seniors.   Riley Bonner, Senior, Midfielder   Bonner is a crafty, strong and quick central midfielder who's best quality is that he makes the players around him better. He displays deft passing skills and demonstrates very good vision.   Andrew Huchingson, Senior, Attacker   Huchingson can play any attacking position, from the No. 7 or 11, to the No. 9 or the No. 10. He's dynamic and he possesses a massive game-changing shot.   Ben Lacayo, Senior, Defender   Lacayo is a very experienced and mature defender who can play anywhere across the back line. What he will bring to the Dons defense is leadership and stability to a group that graduated three starters.   Dylan Olson, Senior, Keeper   Olson is another athletic product of a very good Acalanes system that produces good athletes and very athletic keepers. He is incredibly quick and has explosive leaping ability and is very commanding between his posts.   Eli Roth, Senior, Striker   Roth is a gifted and athletic striker who is dangerous with both feet and has a blistering shot. He is quick, strong and has great endurance, allowing him to pressure defenses for an entire shift.   Campolindo   The Cougars had a nine-win season a year ago, reached the NCS DIII playoffs and won a game as well. They won four of their last five to close out last season as they got better as the year went on.   This year, they return some good talent including several senior leaders, as Campolindo is strong down the spine and these players will be very organized and show great leadership.   It starts with the center back pairing of Jack Alcalay and Doug Ellery. Having two seniors leading your back line in the central defense is immense. They also return two very good central midfielders in Luke Olsen, a senior, and sophomore Sean Mungunshagai. They should be very impactful at the WSC, and for this entire season.   Foothill   The Falcons, admittedly, had a rough season last year, winning just three total games. They are looking to turn that around as some of their key players are now a year older and they return a key senior who was playing MLS Next.   [player_tooltip player_id='6929' first='Aidan' last='Ahmad'], Junior, Keeper   Ahmad plays with Mustang FC during the club season and should be a breakout high school star this year. He is tall, athletic and very good with his feet. He should be able to keep the Falcons in games.   [player_tooltip player_id='7065' first='Anthony' last='Bonev'], Senior, Attacking Midfielder   Bonev is very attacking minded and really loves to go at defenders and take them on. He is very skilled and is a player that really likes to look for goal and look to score.   Fernando Cavazos Garcia, Senior, Defensive Midfielder   Cavazos is also very skilled and is a crafty midfielder. He is a very good holding midfielder who knows his role is to get the ball from the backs and distributes the ball forward. He understands this and demonstrates his understanding by picking good passes and displaying great vision. He has a very high soccer IQ.   Jensen McMillan, Senior, Forward   McMillan is back with the Foothill team for his senior season after playing MLS Next the last two years. He wanted to play for his school during his last year. He is a very fast and fit player, he is constantly looking to goal and to put pressure on the defense by penetrating the back line and getting in behind. We may not see him in the WSC as he is returning from a foot injury, but he is a player to watch if he does return, and if not he is a player to watch for Foothill this season.   Zack Watson, Senior, Defender   Watson is a very big defender, who is just a ball-winner when the ball is in the air. He is a very physical player, a leader of the defense and is skilled enough with his feet to play the ball out of the back and help build up an attack.   Granada   The Matadors return a good amount of seniors and juniors who gained valuable experience last year in the always-tough East Bay Athletic League, and are looking to perform well at the WSC and set the tone for the season.   Josh Eichenberger, Junior, Central Defender   Eichenberger can play both the No. 3 or No. 4, making him a very versatile center back. He is good in the air and is a leader in the back both vocally and physically. He is the player that sets the tone defensively.   Jose Garcia, Senior, Forward   Garcia can play the No. 7, 9 or 11, playing in the attack across all three positions. He will be one of the fastest players in the league this year and should make an impact at the WSC with his speed. He is also very strong, which allows him to go at players and create scoring opportunities. He has been a varsity starter for three seasons now.   Hector Rodriguez, Senior, Defensive Midfielder   Rodriguez, also a three-year varsity starter, is a classic holding mid that is great at holding up the ball, winning tackles and acting as a bridge between the defense and the midfield. He has a lot of energy and works hard from box-to-box.   Alex Tamango, Senior, Central Midfielder   A third three-year varsity player, he is a very versatile central midfielder. He is great at distributing the ball and switching play. He moves quickly and can create opportunities for the team going forward.   Heritage   A seven-win season led to being considered for the NCS Division I playoffs as Heritage looks to build off of what should have been considered a successful season a year ago. The Patriots will be led by three players who can play in the middle of the pitch to help them have a successful WSC and catapult that into an even better season this time around.   Hatim Abumailish, Junior, Attacker   Abumuailish plays as a wide player, but can also play centrally as an attacking midfielder. He his explosive running without the ball and running at defenders. He is a dynamic player who can whip in a cross or finish well himself.   Conrad Faulkner, Junior, Central Defender   Faulkner is a center back who sees the game. He has great tactical awareness and is very good at positioning himself. He is also very outstanding in the air and wins balls consistently.   Kian Medeiros, Senior, Central Midfielder   Medieros is a very technical midfielder and does exactly what you need from a player in the center of the pitch. He gets other players involved by facilitating the ball.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/11/Talha-Ahmed.jpg?w=719" alt="" class="wp-image-66317" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Newark Memorial High</figcaption></figure>   Newark Memorial   The Cougars enter the WSC as one of the favorites. Newark Memorial is always a very good team and is looking to build off a successful 2021/2022 campaign where it went 14-5-3, reaching the playoffs before losing to the No 2 seed Richmond. They return some very key players and are going to be a team to watch.   Starting with the defense, they return three very key seniors with a lot of ability and experience in [player_tooltip player_id='8700' first='Talha' last='Ahmed'], Fabiano Guzman and [player_tooltip player_id='8776' first='Wahid' last='Salemi'], who all play at a high level of club soccer. Ahmed is returning to Newark for his senior year from the MLS Next Breakers, while Guzman plays for Newark FC and Salemi plays for Santa Clara Sporting.   They have three attacking junior players to watch out for as well, as these three could bang in a lot of goals this season. Watch out for Noel Cabrales, Sean Rante and Armando Rodriguez.   This group of players leaves coach Ricky Villa and his staff very optimistic and if they stay healthy they will be a handful in this tournament and all season long.   Schedule   Nov. 30   Foothill v. Newark Memorial   Acalanes v. Granada   Heritage v. Alameda   Livermore v. Campolindo   JFK-Richmond v. Deer Valley   Dec. 3   Heritage v. Newark Memorial   Foothill v. Acalanes   Alameda v. Deer Valley   Livermore v. JFK-Richmond   Granada v. Campolindo   Dec. 10   Acalanes v. Newark Memorial   Dec. 17   Foothill v. Deer Valley   Campolindo v. JFK-Richmond   Heritage v. Granada   Livermore v. Acalanes   (Final to be held Jan. 7)

The Winter Soccer Classic is a longstanding tournament in Northern California's East Bay Area, with this iteration being the 26th year of its existence. This year, the tournament has just one bracket, featuring 10 teams with action starting tonight.