Players who stood out at the DLS Showcase

The De La Salle High School Soccer Showcase has become a beacon in Northern California. Talented teams and players gather in Concord at historical Owen Owens Field and the powerhouse Jesuit school, behind head coach and athletic director Derricke Brown, puts on an event that<span style="font-size: 1rem;"> brings in talented teams from all parts of the state, which included teams from the Bay Area, from Central, Northern, and Southern California.</span> Here are some players that stood out during the two-day event. <strong>Charlie Hogan, De La Salle, Senior, Attacker</strong> Hogan scored for the Spartans against a very good Cathedral team on the first day of the event, which was the prime time game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17. He was a constant attacking threat when he was up top and was asked to help out quite a bit on the defensive side of the pitch due to some knocks the Spartans team has picked up. <strong>Andrew Alexander, Serra, Senior, Attacking Midfielder</strong> Alexander knows how to find his way behind the defense and time his runs well as he was very dangerous going forward during the weekend and scored a nice goal against DLS. <strong>Kevin Carranza, Ygnacio Valley, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Carranza is your prototypical center back with good size and speed. He fits in the YV system as was apparent over the weekend as he can distribute from the back line. He showed he was good in the air and a good 1v1 defender. <strong>Alexander Bastidas, Cathedral, Junior, Winger</strong> [caption id="attachment_37008" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-37008" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/12/Alexander-Bastidas-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>Alexander Bastidas</strong> <em>Photo: Rick San-Martin </em>[/caption] Bastidas showed how skillful and dynamic he is over the weekend. He is a very, very fast player who runs hard and doesn't stop working. He scored two of the Phantoms six goals at DLS. <strong>Angel Guerra, Cathedral, Junior, Winger</strong> Guerra, a very fast player, is an attack-minded player. The Phantoms went 4-4-2 at DLS and he moved out to a wing, but he can also play forward in a 4-3-3. Guerra assisted in three goals in the Cathedral 4-1 win over the hosts. <strong>Michael Hernandez, Cathedral, Senior, Keeper</strong> The Phantoms fell to Whitney 2-1 on the second day of the Showcase, but if it weren't for Hernandez it might have been worse. Hernandez kept them in the game with four great saves and gave his team a chance until the end. <strong>Nicky McCune, California, Senior, Keeper</strong> McCune has been a stalwart for a team that has only allowed four goals in seven games after the Dec. 17-18 Showcase. He kept Cal in the game against Acalanes, coming through with big plays to keep it at a one-goal difference. He is a big, commanding presence in the box for the Grizzlies. <strong>Robbie Mora-Arias, Whitney, Senior, Midfielder</strong> Mora-Arais displayed physicality and showed how smart he was on the ball. Teams had a hard time dispossessing him and he is a big reason that Whitney won both games, including a win over Cathedral. He really controlled the play over the two days. [caption id="attachment_37002" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-37002" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/12/Diego-Reyes-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>Diego Reyes</strong> <em>Photo: Rick San-Martin</em>[/caption] <strong>Diego Reyes, Cathedral, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Reyes, a big left-footed center back who checks in at 6-2, is very technical. This is his first year as a starter but to watch him you wouldn't know that. He showed the ability to play the long ball, to possess the ball, and to play out of the back at the DLS Showcase. <strong>Angel Rico, Cathedral, Senior, Forward</strong> Rico is a three-year varsity player, a captain and on top of that is a great all-around kid. At the Showcase he was a good target man, he held the ball up well and helped to build the attack. He really stood out for the Phantoms over the weekend. <strong>Kevin Romo, Richmond, Junior, Center Midfielder</strong> Romo set the tempo of the game when he had the ball at his feet. He organized the midfield for the Oilers in their 2-1 win over Napa on Day 1 of the event. He stepped up and played the No. 10 role when needed and created and assisted on what was the second and deciding goal. <strong>Eli Roth, Acalanes, Junior, Attacker</strong> Roth was the man of the match for Acalanes in a 4-0 win over Pitman on the second day of the event, scoring two goals and assisting on the other two. He is two-footed, can play attacker from four different positions, and is able to find creases in the defense no matter where he is playing. When he's not making a run, he also has the ability to take on defenders. <strong>Matt Walner, Acalanes, Senior, Center Midfielder</strong> Walner was the man of the match against California High on the first day of the event as the Dons (Division II) beat a Division I team that beat DLS in a league game not long before the Showcase. He uses good vision, precision passing, and an understanding of being the link between the back line and the attacking front. <strong>Xavier Von Loben Sels, Serra, Junior, Striker</strong> Von Loben Sels put his full abilities on display at the DLS Showcase. He was very dangerous in the attack and showed great finishing ability with the goal that he scored against Bishop O'Dowd. <strong>Daniel Yoon, Whitney, Junior, Forward</strong> Yoon displayed great speed during the weekend and showed a great ability to get forward, with or without the ball as he was a threat to the Ygnacio Valley and Cathedral defenses. <dl id="attachment_37008" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 150px;"></dl>