Photo by John Dorton/ISIPhotos.com

By IVES GALARCEP

The college soccer game is changing, and for pro scouts looking for talent, the 2015 season will have its share of enticing targets, and its share of challenges.

This year’s college talent pool is loaded, though more so loaded with a strong collection of skilled underclassmen. This season’s senior class isn’t as deep as recent years, but there are some very enticing prospects in the bunch.

Georgetown’s Joshua Yaro and UCLA’s Abu Danladi both had the opportunity to turn pro last year, but they both passed on contract offers to return to school for at least one more year. Now, they’re the two players most highly-coveted by MLS for the 2016 MLS Draft.

The upcoming draft will have a good pool of midfield options, along with a handful of strong defenders, but MLS could be forced to reconsider its strategy of shrinking the Generation adidas class. With so many good underclassmen to choose from this year, we might see a return to the days of GA classes with eight or more players.

The 2015 college season will also feature a very good collection of MLS Homegrown Player prospects, with many of them very likely to be turning pro this winter. The Seattle Sounders will be praying Jordan Morris is one of those players, while the New York Red Bulls will have to choose from a half dozen quality homegrown options.

So who are the best MLS Draft prospects in the 2015 college season? Here is a look at the players to keep your eyes on:

SBI’S TOP 30 MLS DRAFT PROSPECTS

(*Generation adidas candidate)

*1. JOSHUA YARO, Defender, Georgetown, Jr.

*2. ABU DANLADI, Forward, UCLA, Soph.

*3. JAKE ROZHANSKY, Midfielder, Virginia, Soph.

*4. OMAR HOLNESS, Forward/Midfielder, North Carolina, Jr.

5. BRANDON VINCENT, Defender, Stanford, Sr.

6. PATRICK HODAN, Midfielder, Notre Dame, Sr.

*7.JULIAN BUESCHER, Midfielder, Syracuse, Soph.

8. JONATHAN CAMPBELL, Defender, North Carolina, Sr.

9. JAMES MOBERG, Midfielder, Washington, Sr.

10. MAEL CORBOZ, Midfielder, Maryland, Sr.

11. TODD WHARTON, Midfielder, Virginia, Sr.

12. BRANDON ALLEN, Forward, Georgetown, Sr.

*13. TIM KUBEL, Defender, Lousville, Jr.

*14. MICHAEL AMICK, Defender, UCLA, Jr.

*15. GUILLERMO DELGADO, Forward, Delaware, Jr.

*16. FABIAN HERBERS, Forward/Midfielder, Creighton, Jr.

*17. FRANCIS DEVRIES, Defender, St. Francis (PA), Jr.

18. MICHAEL GAMBLE, Forward, Wake Forest, Sr.

19. TIMO PITTER, Forward/Midfielder, Creighton, Sr.

20. COLE SEILER, Defender, Georgetown, Sr.

21. CALVIN REZENDES, Forward, St. Francis (PA), Sr.

22. KYLE FISHER, Defender, Clemson, Sr.

23. NATHAN INGHAM, Goalkeeper, Florida Gulf Coast, Sr.

24. JOEY CALISTRI, Midfielder, Northwestern, Sr.

25. FREDDY RUIZ, Forward, UAB, Sr.

26. ZACH CARROLL, Defender, Michigan State, Sr.

27. CALLUM IRVING, Goalkeeper, Kentucky, Sr.

28. BEN STRONG, Midfielder, Louisville, Sr.

29. DREW CONNOR, Midfielder, Wisconsin, Sr.

30. VINCENT KELLER, Defender, Creighton, Sr.

 

SBI’S TOP MLS HOMEGROWN PROSPECTS

JORDAN MORRIS (Seattle Sounders), Stanford, Forward, Jr.

DERRICK ETIENNE (New York Red Bulls), Virginia, Midfielder, Fr.

ARUN BASULJEVIC (New York Red Bulls), Georgetown, Midfielder, Soph.

KEEGAN ROSENBERRY (Philadelphia Union), Georgetown, Defender, Sr.

ADAM NAJEM (New York Red Bulls), Akron, Midfielder, Jr.

BRIAN ILOSKI (LA Galaxy), UCLA, Midfielder, Jr.

ANDREW BRODY (Real Salt Lake), Louisville, Midfielder, Jr.

COREY BAIRD (Real Salt Lake), Stanford, Midfielder, Soph.

ALEX MUYL (New York Red Bulls), Georgetown, Midfielder, Jr.

SEYI ADEKOYA (Seattle Sounders), UCLA, Forward, Soph.

ANDREW GUTMAN (Chicago Fire), Indiana, Fr.

ALEX CROGNALE (Columbus Crew), Maryland, Defender, Jr.

SEBASTIAN ELNEY (Philadelphia Union), Maryland, Forward, Fr.

ERYK WILLIAMSON (D.C. United), Maryland, Midfielder, Fr.

J.T. MARCINOWSKI (San Jose Earthquakes), Georgetown, Goalkeeper, Fr.

SERGIO CAMARGO (Toronto FC), Coastal Carolina, Midfielder, Jr.