Philly Area Boys Standouts: February 2024
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The month of February is ending and despite some up and down weather ended up being a soccer-filled month. Unfortunately with the Penn Fusion Girls Showcase being canceled it meant I mostly only saw boys games but here’s a look…
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Continue ReadingThe month of February is ending and despite some up and down weather ended up being a soccer-filled month. Unfortunately with the Penn Fusion Girls Showcase being canceled it meant I mostly only saw boys games but here’s a look at some players from the Philadelphia area that stood out to me in my travels over the course of the month.
Anisse is anything but an under the radar prospect but what impressed me with him this month is how he was finding different ways to score and impact a game. The Union U17s are easily the best team in the area right now so a lot of chances fall his way naturally but he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now and it’s great to see the growth.
Diarus Akoi
Diarus Akoi
Akoi was winning just about everything in the air from the part of the game I saw the FC Delco U17 team play against SYC Springfield early in February. Springfield won on a late free kick goal but it was a well fought game and Akoi’s play in the back definitely stood out.
Junior Diouf
Junior Diouf
Diouf has been lighting it up of late playing with Penn Fusion and the scary part is that it seems like he has a higher ceiling than where he’s at right now. Some additional refinement and development could see him following similar footsteps as Phelps grad Collins Oduro.
The Union U16s are a little more under the radar than their other academy teams but if you watched any of their game against Real Jersey FC earlier this month you were probably asking about the right back. Brett is so good at getting down the flank and was particularly effective at it against Real Jersey, earning a tap-in goal at the back post as just rewards for a great shift.
Brady Orendac
Brady Orendac
Brady scored on a well-taken late free kick near the top of the box for Real Jersey in a recent loss to the Union but he stood out in the game for his involvement on both sides of the ball. He was beat on one of the goals but he was at the center of a number of positive developments as well during the match.
One of the my favorite academy prospects when he was younger, Bernstein has been hit badly with the injury bug over the past couple years so it’s been great to see him not only playing but making an impact both from open play and on set plays for the Union U17s. He scored an Olimpico (with a little help from the wind) and has been impressing much the way he did when he was younger with his soccer IQ and two-way play.
The FC Delco 2008 team is a lot of fun to watch and Capretto is one of the big reasons why. Hard-nosed and relentless pursuing the ball and putting defenders under pressure, Capretto can’t be fun to mark for defenders (or goalkeepers).
Jack Illig
Jack Illig
Illig is back after spending the fall with Hertha Berlin in Germany. He played with the Union in the recent Best of Cup. Silky smooth on the ball and the type of player teammates love playing with, Illig is one to watch in the coming months as he reacquaints himself back in Pennsylvania.