May 3, 2013
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF men's soccer head coach Bryan Cunningham announced his program's 2013 recruiting class Friday. The deep group consists of 14 players who will compete for the Knights when they join the American Athletic Conference in July.
"We feel like this group will bring us a long way toward our goal of winning an American Athletic Conference title in the next few years," Cunningham said. "Our staff did a great job searching around the country finding players who fit our system and also fill the void of our seven seniors and three other players that we lost to the professional ranks."
During its final campaign in Conference USA in 2012, UCF spent much of last season in the top 25 nationally. The Knights appeared in the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments and have produced three MLS SuperDraft picks in the last two years. In January, Deshorn Brown was selected by the Colorado Rapids with the sixth overall pick.
UCF's 2013 recruiting class:
Joe Amico/Right Back/Columbia, Mo./Sporting KC MLS Academy
? Played on the high school level at Pike High School in Indianapolis
? Received Indiana Soccer Coaches Association All-State honors as a sophomore and junior
? Led team to sectional championship each year and a regional championship as a sophomore
? Attends Rock Bridge High School
Cunningham on Amico: Joe is going to be great. We feel comfortable with Joe coming in and contributing right away. He fits right into our system and can attack from the outside. He's a great defender and we have high hopes for him.
Elhadj Barry/Forward/Henrietta, N.Y./Monroe Community College
? Recorded five goals and nine assists as a sophomore in 2012 at Monroe Community College
? Helped Monroe reach the NJCAA Division I national tournament semifinals ? Received NJCAA All-Region 3 Team honors
? Attended Greece Olympia High School and was a first-team all-county selection as a senior
? A native of Guinea
Cunningham on Barry: He is a talented player who enjoyed success on the junior-college level. He brings experience and we expect him to contribute right away.
Leon Carby/Midfielder/West Hartford, Conn./High Point/Oakwood SC Academy
? Played in 33 games in two years at High Point
? Made 23 career starts
? As a sophomore in 2012, started 16 of 17 matches and recorded four goals and five assists for 13 points
? Recorded 35 shots, with 15 coming on goal
? In 2011, played in 19 games with seven starts
? Finished with five points on one goal and three assists
? Was a member of the U.S. U18 National Team
? Attended Watkinson High School and was a 2009 NSCAA All-American
? Recorded 139 goals during prep career and was a four-time Connecticut All-State honoree
? Helped guide Watkinson to two-straight state championships and three-straight conference titles
? Two-time member of the adidas ESP All-Star Team
Cunningham on Carby: Leon brings a ton of experience to our program. He is a talented player who will bring some veteran savvy to our team.
Javier Clavijo/Center Back/Weston, Fla./Weston FC U.S. Soccer Development Academy
? Ranked as the No. 1 player in Florida, No. 4 defender in the nation and No. 20 overall player in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com
? Earned NSCAA All-America honors in 2012
? As a junior, led Cypress Bay High School to the Florida Class 5A state title
? Recorded six assists and four goals
? In 2011, dished out seven assists and scored two goals and led Cypress Bay to the Florida Class 6A state title
Cunningham on Clavijo: He's one of those players that we've watched over the last three years and he has gotten better and better. He can play anywhere along the backline and he has the potential to be a leader over the next four years. He's very smart tactically and has the potential to step in and contribute right away.
Giovanni DiMauro/Center Back/Delray Beach, Fla./Team Boca
? A member of the top-ranked prep team in the country at Boca Raton High School
? Named the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach County Player of the Year as a senior
? Recorded 22 goals and 22 assists
? Earned Palm Beach Post All-Area First Team honors as a junior
? Tallied 12 goals and 15 assists in 2012
? As a freshman, helped Boca Raton claim the Florida Class 5A state title
? Member of Team Boca squad that finished second at the 2012 Disney Showcase
Cunningham on DiMauro: He's a good, versatile player. He can play up top or in the back and has good size and good speed.
Andre Diouf/Left Back/Huntersville, N.C./North Meck Soccer Club U.S. Soccer Development Academy
? Playing with FCAA Premier, helped team to Kepner Cup state championship
? Also played football at Southlake Christian Academy and starred as a defensive back and punter
? Received all-state recognition as a senior
? Recorded nine interceptions as a junior and earned all-county honors
? Holds school career record with 28 interceptions
? A native of Senegal
Cunningham on Diouf: Andre is a good player with a ton of potential. He can play anywhere along the left side and maybe midfield in the future. He is a great athlete and an exceptional worker with a real high ceiling which we are excited about.
Dener dos Santos/Center Mid/Joinville, Brazil/Houston Dynamo MLS Youth Academy
? A native of Brazil who attends Dulles High School in Houston, Texas
? Listed as the No. 31 player in Texas by TopDrawerSoccer.com
? At the U17 level, led team to state finals and an eighth-place finish at the national championship
Cunningham on dos Santos: Dener is a quality player who can certainly hold his own in the midfield and we expect him to compete right away for the center-midfield starting position. He's a lefty who can distribute the ball to both sides with really good vision and really fits into our system of play.
Parker Dixon/Goalkeeper/Jacksonville, Fla./Jacksonville United USSF/Orlando City U.S. Soccer Development Academy
? Led JUFC 94/95 to the 2012 Florida U17 state championship and a spot in the Southern Regional finals
? Was a member of the Florida ODP team in 2010 and 2011
? As a sophomore at Fletcher High School in 2010, received all-conference first team and all-district third team honors
Cunningham on Dixon: Parker is one of the best young goalkeepers that I have seen in the past few years. He is a hardworking and focused young man. We've had plenty of great goalkeepers come through here in the past and I put Parker right up there with them and we expect him to compete for a starting job right away.
Phil Hicks/Center Back and Midfielder/New Orleans, La./Chicago Fire Juniors Louisiana
? In 2011-12, led club team to spot in Louisiana state finals and a spot on the Region III Tournament
? Attended Jesuit High School and led team to state championship as a senior
? Named the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the year and earned all-state honors after recording nine goals and six assists
? Received all-state honors as a junior
Cunningham on Hicks: Phil is a very versatile player. He took a year off from competitive soccer, but we expect him to come in and play right away. He is a great late addition to our program.
Matt Laux/Center Back and Forward/Boca Raton, Fla./Weston FC U.S. Soccer Development Academy
? A member of the top-ranked prep team in the country at Boca Raton High School
? Finished with 14 goals and 10 assists as a senior
? Earned South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post All-Palm Beach County First Team honors as a senior
? As a junior, earned Sun-Sentinel All-Palm Beach County Second Team recognition
? A four-year all-conference selection
? Helped Team Boca finish second at 2012 Disney Showcase
Cunningham on Laux: Matt is another great athlete from Florida. He scored a lot of goals on the high school level. We expect for him to come in and contribute right away. We think he can fill some voids along our backline when necessary.
Fernando Laverde/Mid/Dallas, Texas/FC Dallas MLS Youth Academy
? Helped lead FC Dallas to the 2012 U18 Development Academy national championship
? A member of the U.S. U17 National Team residency program
? Attends Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas
Cunningham on Laverde: We are very excited that Fernando is part of this class. He is a versatile player who can play anywhere on the left side. He has great leadership abilities and is a great addition to our team.
Alex Marotta/Forward/Weston, Fla./Weston FC U.S. Soccer Development Academy
? Attended American Heritage as a freshman and sophomore
? Earned South Florida Sun-Sentinel All-Broward First Team recognition in 2011 as a sophomore after recording 19 goals and five assists at Cypress Bay High School
? Led the Patriots to a 22-5-1 mark
Cunningham on Marotta: He's a good forward and will help in replacing Deshorn Brown and McKauly Tulloch. He is a great finisher with the ball.
Soren Yuhaschek/Center Back/Orlando, Fla./Darton College
? As a sophomore, earned NJCAA All-America Second Team recognition
? In two years at Darton, led the Cavs to a 38-3-1 record and two NJCAA Final Four appearances
? In 2012, helped Darton limit its opponents to 12 goals in 20 matches
? A native of the Netherlands
? Attended Freedom High School in Orlando and graduated in 2009
Cunningham on Yuhaschek: He's going to hopefully come in and fill a void a center back. He did really well at the junior college level as a central defender. He's going to fill a vacancy that we have with our two graduating seniors and we expect Soren to play right away as a junior.
Abdi Yusuf/Right Back/Herndon, Va./DC United MLS Youth Academy
? As a junior, led Herndon High School to the AAA Concord District title
? A native of the Netherlands
Cunningham on Yusuf: Abdi is such a hard worker. We loved him from the first time that we saw him play and we are real excited to have him in our program.