Where Are They Now: 2007-08 Under-17/18 Development Academy Champion Baltimore Bays
The 2007-08 Development Academy Under-17/18 Champion Baltimore Bays (Baltimore, Md.) team exemplified success both on and off the field, and now seventeen of the members of the championship side are continuing their playing careers on Division I college teams.
Oct. 30, 2008
The Bays graduating class was led by Development Academy U-17/18 Player of the Year, Chris Agorsor, who weighed his collegiate and professional options before deciding to join fellow Bays teammate Daniel Louisignau at the University of Virginia. Though Agorsor suffered an ACL tear during his freshman season at the ACC powerhouse, Baltimore Bays Head Coach Steve Nicols sees a bright future for his former star.
“Chris could have played anywhere he wanted, college or pro,” said Nicols. “He battled whether to turn pro or go to college. Obviously, the injury he suffered is a setback but as we all saw from the Development Academy Finals Week, if anyone can recover from that, he certainly can.”
Agorsor was diagnosed with a torn MCL just days before the U-17/18 Championship at the Development Academy Finals Week last July at the Home Depot Center. After starting the game on the bench, he surprised everyone, including his coach, when he declared himself ready to enter the game after the Bays fell behind 1-0 on an early goal by LAFC. Agorsor scored the equalizer, drew a penalty kick and assisted on the go-ahead goal in overtime to lead the Bays to a hard-fought 4-2 victory in what will go down as one of the classic games in the Academy’s brief history.
“I’ve never seen a team that was so close and played so well together,” said Nicols. “The reason so many of those kids are succeeding in college is because they’re winners. You can’t trade that for anything. We realize it was a special group. They took their lead from Chris and he’s a winner.”
With three players attending Ivy League schools and many others contributing significantly to nationally ranked teams, Bay alumni have set the bar high for the younger teams who follow in their footsteps at the club. Nicols and his staff help the players make the best decision for them.
“We try to give them all the advice that we can, but we know ultimately it’s a family decision,” he said. “We have good relationships with a lot of these college coaches who will be honest with us and then we’re honest with the kids in turn. It’s their future and their life, so we give them all the information we can and try to make them as educated as possible.”
For some players, the chance to play for traditional collegiate powers is a dream come true, and another step toward a career in soccer. For others, a school like UPenn, Notre Dame or Bucknell will be a step toward fulfilling other dream careers.
“Our kids chose different schools for different reasons,” said Nicols. “But the bottom line is that they have choices and they can be the ones who decide their future. That’s what our club strives for.”
The Baltimore Bays are not the only Academy club who placed their Academy graduates in top college programs. Many of the top college programs in the country feature a significant amount of Academy alumni on their 2008/09 rosters, including St. Johns (7), UCLA (7), UNC (6), UVA (6) and Indiana (6) to name a few.
Baltimore Bays U-17/18 Players on College Rosters
Roster College Conference
Christopher Agorsor University of Virginia ACC
Christian Barreiro University of Pennsylvania Ivy League
Thomas Brandt University of Pennsylvania Ivy League
Andrew Bulls University of MD-Baltimore County America East
Miguel Calderon University of MD-Baltimore County America East
Thomas Caso Bucknell University Patriot League
Keith Cowdrey Santa Clara University West Coast Conference
Michael Deasel Loyola College (Md.) MAAC
Brent Hooper Villanova University Big East Conference
Mark Jaskolski Loyola College (Md.) MAAC
Brendan Klebanoff Bucknell University Patriot League
Christopher Lebo North Carolina ACC
Jake Levin University of Pennsylvania Ivy League
Steven Levine Towson University Colonial Athletic Conference
Daniel Louisignau University of Virginia ACC
John Raley Providence College Big East Conference
Michael Rose University of Notre Dame Big East Conference
Under-15/16 Results:
Saturday, October 25
Virginia Rush 0, AFC Lightning 0
IMG Academy 1, Birmingham United 0
Clearwater Chargers 0, Atlanta Fire United 1
Schulz Academy 1, Richmond Strikers 0
Texas SC 2, Classics Elite 1
Texas Rush AHFC 3, Lonestar 3
LA Galaxy 1, Nomads 0
San Diego Surf 2, Chivas USA 1
Santa Cruz County Breakers 1, Mustang 0
Sunday, October 26
Clearwater Chargers 2, Birmingham United 3
Virginia Rush 3, Concorde Fire 0
IMG Academy 1, Atlanta Fire United 0
Schulz Academy 3, Richmond Kickers 0
Miami FC Kendall 3, Richmond Strikers 1
Bridge FA 3, AFC Lightning 2
Texas SC 3, Lonestar 0
Texas Rush AHFC 2, Classics Elite 0
Solar 1, FC Dallas 0
Andromeda 2, Dallas Texans 0
Under-17/18 Results:
Saturday, October 25
Virginia Rush 3, AFC Lightning 2
IMG Academy 1, Birmingham United 0
Clearwater Chargers 3, Atlanta Fire United 2
Schulz Academy 1, Richmond Strikers 3
Texas SC 2, Classics Elite 2
Texas Rush AHFC 1, Lonestar 2
LA Galaxy 2, Nomads 3
San Diego Surf 1, Chivas USA 5
Santa Cruz County Breakers 4, Mustang 1
Sunday, October 26
Clearwater Chargers 2, Birmingham United 3
Virginia Rush 1, Concorde Fire 1
IMG Academy 0, Atlanta Fire United 2
Schulz Academy 3, Richmond Kickers 6
Miami FC Kendall 3, Richmond Strikers 0
Bridge FA 1, AFC Lightning 3
Texas SC 1, Lonestar 0
Texas Rush AHFC 3, Classics Elite 4
Solar 0, FC Dallas 1
Andromeda 1, Dallas Texans 3
Under-15/16 Upcoming Matches:
Saturday, November 1
Kickoff Match-up Venue
1 p.m. ET Bridge FA vs. Birmingham United Charleston Southern University
3 p.m. ET Atlanta Fire United vs. AFC Lighting Scott Hudgens Park
12 p.m. PT Crossfire Premier vs. Chivas USA Starfire Stadium
1 p.m. PT Nomads vs. Santa Cruz County Breakers Kinsell Field
2 p.m. PT Washington Premier vs. LA Galaxy Washington Premier Complex
5 p.m. PT De Anza Force vs. Cal Odyssey Santa Clara University
3 p.m. PT San Diego Surf vs. Mustang San Diego Polo Club
Sunday, November 2
Kickoff Match-up Venue
11:30 a.m. ET Concorde Fire vs. Birmingham United Georgia Soccer Park
1 p.m. ET Richmond Kickers vs. Virginia Rush Sports Backers Stadium
10 a.m. CT Classics Elite vs. Texas SC Trinity University
10 a.m. PT Washington Premier vs. Chivas USA Washington Premier Complex
11 a.m. PT Crossfire Premier vs. LA Galaxy Lake Washington High School
1 p.m. PT Nomads vs. Mustang Kinsell Field
1:15 p.m. PT San Diego Surf vs. Santa Cruz County Breakers San Diego Polo Club
Under-17/18 Upcoming Matches:
Saturday, November 1
Kickoff Match-up Venue
3 p.m. ET Bridge FA vs. Birmingham United Charleston Southern University
5 p.m. ET Atlanta Fire United vs. AFC Lighting Scott Hudgens Park
2 p.m. PT Crossfire Premier vs. Chivas USA Starfire Stadium
3 p.m. PT Nomads vs. Santa Cruz County Breakers Kinsell Field
4 p.m. PT Washington Premier vs. LA Galaxy Washington Premier Complex
3 p.m. PT De Anza Force vs. Cal Odyssey Santa Clara University
1:45 p.m. PT San Diego Surf vs. Mustang San Diego Polo Club
Sunday, Noember 2
Kickoff Match-up Venue
1:30 p.m. ET Concorde Fire vs. Birmingham United Georgia Soccer Park
3 p.m. ET Richmond Kickers vs. Virginia Rush Sports backers Stadium
12 p.m. CT Classics Elite vs. Texas SC Trinity University
12 p.m. PT Washington Premier vs. Chivas USA Washinginton Premier Complex
1 p.m. PT Crossfire Premier vs. LA Galaxy Lake Washington High School
3:30 p.m. PT Nomads vs. Mustang Kinsell Field
3:15 p.m. PT San Diego Surf vs. Santa Cruz County Breakers San Diego Polo Club
