Top talent emerges at Dallas Cup

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Cup XLIII is being held this week. Dallas Cup is the most prestigious youth soccer tournament in the United States. With teams from all over the world competing in the event. Dallas Cup runs from U12 up to U19 with the best of the best in each age group squaring off for a shot at history in winning the illustrious event. Wednesday’s action was the final day of group play for most of the age groups as teams looked to secure a spot in the knock-out rounds later this week with the championship games to be held over the weekend. PrepSoccer was on hand for the games at Moneygram Soccer Park and Richland College for the Boys Dallas Cup. These are the players that had standout individual performances from the games. [player_tooltip player_id="7065" first="Anthony" last="Bonev"], Santa Clara Sporting U17 - Bonev is a tall center midfielder with good vision and instincts. He moved well off the ball. He has the quality on the ball to be a contributor at the collegiate level. Alvaro Picon, [player_tooltip player_id="7282" first="Christopher" last="Coquilla"], and [player_tooltip player_id="8664" first="Shawn" last="Garlick"] were also standouts for Santa Clara. Gabriel Haggerty, Santa Clara Sporting U17 - Haggerty put in a good shift at defense in front of a few Pac-12 coaches in attendance on Wednesday. Haggerty played in a left back role. He was a fierce competitor defensively and won almost every challenge he put in. Favour Davies from Steven Gerrard Academy (ENG) will attract some interest from college coaches. He is a strong center forward that is a handful for the defense. Stone Watring, Barca Academy U19 - Watring was a standout in the midfield for Barca. He was smooth on the ball and did well distributing for his side in the 2-2 draw against Everton College on Wednesday. Abhi Rajaiyan was active in the attack and scored a goal in the game. He also had a shot off the post. [player_tooltip player_id="17631" first="Ben" last="Burns"], Barca Academy U18 - Burns has speed to burn, excuse the pun, down the channel. He had a great assist in the game on Wednesday. Burns can play as a winger or outside back on the right side. He is excellent at using his pace to get behind the defense and whip in a cross. Mauricio Camarena, Las Vegas Pros U16 - The tall center back for Las Vegas Pros helped his team to a 1-1 draw against Rush Canada. He was called on often with the heavy winds making every ball in the air a challenge to deal with defensively. Francisco Duran-Andrade did a good job sitting in front of the back four and reading the game to cut out chances. Jacob Kelling, RSL AZ North 2007 Boys EA U15 - Kelling scored the lone goal for RSL AZ in the 1-1 draw against Surf. He scored against the wind, which is even more impressive. He did not quit on the play and was rewarded for his effort. He is a high-energy winger with a nose for the goal. Jack Pease and Ricardo Rodriguez were also standouts for RSL AZ in the game. The two center backs did well against a talented Surf team. They were in the right positions and made the key plays when called upon. [player_tooltip player_id="8385" first="Nicolas" last="Axelson"], San Diego Surf 07 - Axelson plays right center back for Surf, but he is itching to join the attack. He had a shot in the first half in the draw against RSL AZ that required a good save to keep out. He strikes the ball well on the move. He has the physical presence to be a player to watch for the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="6894" first="Adam" last="Ambrus-Aikelin"], San Diego Surf 07 - Ambrus-Aiklein was trying to drive the pace of the game from the center of the field. He was forcing the issue through the center in an effort to pick up the level of his team. He found some success when he could combine with Ricky Moreno Jr. RSL-AZ did a good job keeping the center crowded and kept the Surf midfield contained. [player_tooltip player_id="8095" first="Kyle" last="Young"], AYSO United AZEC B2004 - Young hit a ball 40 yards across the field into the wind and dropped it onto a dime for his teammate. It was the best pass I saw in those conditions all day. His teammate was offside so nothing came off it, but it showed the technique the center back has on the ball. He did an excellent job at spreading the ball around between his teammates. He never settled for the same outlet pass in the build-up and showed the patience on the ball to let his teammates get into good spots before playing the pass. He is a 6-3 right footed center back with good pace. He has the quality to play at the next level. Kelii Kiilehua, Cooper Webber, and Ramon Aviles Zamora were also standouts for AYSO United. Darius Jordan, QPCC FC (TRI) 06 - QPCC is a team from Trinidad and will get some attention from scouts. They have an infectious energy. Jordan is a dynamic playmaker on the wing. The squad has a number of athletes that pop off the field.