Texas High School Boys Team Spotlight – Cinco Ranch Cougars
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The high school soccer season is reaching a critical point in the state of Texas as, after some months of district play, only the best team from each region advanced to the playoffs. During the postseason, the goal becomes making…
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Continue ReadingThe high school soccer season is reaching a critical point in the state of Texas as, after some months of district play, only the best team from each region advanced to the playoffs. During the postseason, the goal becomes making it to the State Tournament, but with only four teams per division making the cut, several battles are expected to take place over the next few weeks.
Prep Soccer will be following the action and constantly providing match reports on some of the most exciting duels and highlighting the players that are standing out for their teams. We’ll also be presenting some of the most promising teams that we get to watch live so you know them a little bit better.
Cinco Ranch Cougars
The Cinco Ranch Cougars from Katy are part of the highly-competitive UIL Division 6A – Region 3, District 19. The Cougars have been a consistent playoff team, making it to the postseason 16 times since the program was created, in 1999. They’ve competed at the State Tournament three times and, in one of them, got to play in the State Tournament Championship match, in 2015.
Players to Watch
Zacharias Padelopoulos
Zacharias Padelopoulos
A goalkeeper with good size and a strong command of the penalty box, Padelopoulos is a very vocal leader for his Cinco Ranch team. He’s very solid when asked to come off his line to collect crosses or set pieces and also uses his reach extremely well to get to well-placed shots. Because of his length, Padelopoulos does very well when challenged with long-distance shots, but he also has the reflexes to make stops from close distance. He got some quality with his feet too and often finds good long passes from the back with his punts.
Manuel Lucena
Manuel Lucena
Lucena typically occupies the right side of Cinco Ranch’s three-man backline. He’s very strong in 1v1 duels and does an excellent job of avoiding the player he’s defending to get on the ball with his ability to anticipate plays. Lucena is also strong in the air and is fairly versatile, being capable of playing as a right-back too. When in possession, he has some quality on the ball and uses his physical tools to create space too. Lucena connects good passes and shoots from distance very well.
Ossian Elgstrom Ossian Elgstrom F TX
Ossian Elgstrom Ossian Elgstrom F TX
Elgstrom plays in the middle of Cinco Ranch’s backline and has important defensive and offensive roles with the team. Very tall, he’s excellent in the air and frequently clears balls from the team’s penalty box. He’s also fairly quick and does a very good job of covering his teammates when they’re beaten. Elgstrom is also very clean in possession and connects good long passes from the back, starting the team’s buildup. He has an interesting tactical role with the Cougars, often moving up to the midfield line to help them circulate the ball.
Tomek Rusak
Tomek Rusak
Rusak is Cinco Ranch’s most active player in the midfielder. Very dynamic, he’s very involved on both sides of the ball, helping the team destroy attacking attempts from their opponents and helping the Cougars build their own. Rusak is a destroyer in front of Cinco’s defense, winning a lot of balls from his midfield position. He gets on the ball a lot when his team is in possession and contributes with his intelligent passing and with good shots from distance.
Daniel Vargas
Daniel Vargas
Cinco Ranch’s most advanced player on the field, Vargas is not the typical striker that waits for the ball to find him in the penalty box. He has an excellent offensive presence and is a lethal finisher, but often drops back to make some holdup play and combine with the midfielders. Vargas has good physical strength and pace and often beats defenders with his runs, getting easy chances to score. He also finishes very well from distance and turns to this option when he doesn’t have much success operating inside the penalty box.