High end, underrated talent in Fremont area

A lot of people outside of the Bay Area in California may not be familiar with Newark, a city in the Fremont metroplex that would include Union City as well. It is an area with nearly 400,000 people, which would lead to there being a lot of things of interest, including the soccer. There are many, many talented players here flying under the radar, including some who should be viewed as some of the best in the state. Five such players play at Newark Memorial High.   Ibrahim Ahmed, Attacking Midfielder/Forward, Class of 2025   Ahmed is an attacking player, and is very versatile as he can play the No. 10 or as a forward. He plays club for De Anza Force's 2007 MLS team and should be considered one of the best attacking players in Northern California as he can do it all. He can make plays on the ball or off. He's very comfortable on the ball, showing excellent technical skills and a smooth first touch. He will be a key player for Newark next season as they are losing talisman goal scorer Noel Cabrales and the incomparable Sean Rante.   Eriberto Bermudez, Keeper, Class of 2025   The Cougars return their keeper in Bermudez, who plays club for 1974 Newark FC on the 2007 ECNL team. He is a college level keeper, showing great tactical awareness and the ability to make tough saves. He is an active keeper, he is a leader and takes responsibility for himself and his defense.   Danny Molina, Defensive Midfielder/Central Defender, Class of 2025   Molina plays as a No. 6 and also as a center back. He played a huge role on Newark's NorCal championship team and is on the De Anza Force 2007 MLS team. He is also a top, top talent in Northern California and will be a key player for the Cougars next season. He's solid, and doesn't stand out most times because he's not flashy, but he works hard, he's tough to beat and is very quick, athletic and strong.   [player_tooltip player_id='147169' first='Anderson' last='Torres'], Central Defender, Class of 2027   Newark coach Ricky Villa called Torres the best freshman he's seen, and he played as a center back and handled himself like an upperclassmen. He was composed and skilled, acting as a dominating presence in the back. His 1974 Newark FC team is ranked highly, as he is a big part of that, and he recently attended a Regional National training camp where he landed on the radar of some MLS teams.   Lessandro Villegas, Forward/Defender, Class of 2027   Villegas is a wide player, who can play at all three levels. He plays as a wide forward, can be a wing back or an outside defender. He is an intelligent player, and shows a heightened awareness for a freshman. He was a key defender for the state title team and plays more of an attacking role for 1974 Newark FCs 2009 ECNL team. Villegas has good foot skills, vision and playmaking ability and will likely settle into more of a midfield role at Newark.

A lot of people outside of the Bay Area in California may not be familiar with Newark, a city in the Fremont metroplex that would include Union City as well. It is an area with nearly 400,000 people, which would lead to there being a lot of things of interest, including the soccer. There are many, many talented players here flying under the radar, including some who should be viewed as some of the best in the state. Five such players play at Newark Memorial High.