Five for Friday: High School All-Americans and Summer Updates

Incoming Blue Devils Garner All-America Honors

A pair of incoming Blue Devils recently competed in the High School All-America Game presented by Bimbo and hosted by Chaminade High School in St. Louis. Representing Duke were midfielder Jai Bean and goalkeeper Grant Farley.

Bean and Farley both were on the East squad as Bean represented South Kent School and Farley for Gilman School. Both earned a special mention from Top Drawer Soccer as standouts in the game.

Farley has played his club soccer with Baltimore Armour since 2016, while Bean played for Black Rock FC.

Current Blue Devils Summer Update

A host of current Blue Devils are spending this summer honing their games with USL League 2 (United Soccer League 2) clubs around the country. USL League 2, formerly the Premier Development League, is the development soccer league sponsored by the United Soccer Leagues.

FC Motown
Connor Kelly is suiting up for FC Motown, playing in all seven games for a total of 278 minutes. FC Motown currently sits in a tie for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference and is one point out of third and four from second.

Reading United
Nick Pariano – The sophomore midfielder has played six games with Reading United, playing 253 minutes. He has one goal in Reading's seven games this season.

New York Red Bulls
A trio of Blue Devils is playing for the New York Red Bulls U23 squad – Amir Daley, Peter Stroud and Scotty Taylor. The Red Bulls are 2-2-1 this season and are tied for sixth in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference.

Amir Daley – Has played in three contests, amassing 252 minutes. Daley played the full 90 in two of the games and came off for the final 18 in a 3-0 blanking of Cedar Stars Rush.

Peter Stroud – Stroud has played every minute in the midfield for the Red Bulls this season.

Scotty Taylor – A junior, Taylor headlines the Red Bulls' offense with two goals and an assist in his five outings. He has played 342 minutes overall, going the distance in three of the games. He most recently had an assist in a 2-0 win at New Jersey Copa FC and registered two goals in the 3-0 victory at Cedar Stars Rush.

Westchester Flames
Eliot Hamill is on the roster with the Westchester Flames this offseason after a strong spring campaign in goal. Hamill has not seen game action in net, playing behind veteran Joseph Blasetti.

Tobacco Road FC
Cameron Kerr has played in four games for a total of 153 minutes for the 2-5-1 local club.

Whitecaps FC Acquire Brian White from New York Red Bulls

Former Blue Devil forward Brian White is making the move west after Vancouver Whitecaps FC signed White from the Red Bulls in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). The Red Bulls could also receive up to an additional $100,000 in conditional GAM.
"Brian is a player with good finishing qualities, as he has proven over the past two MLS seasons," said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC sporting director and chief executive officer. "He gives us another attacking option as we continue our roster building process and prepare for absences due to international competitions this year."

White was the Red Bulls Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and made 50 MLS appearances with the Red Bulls.

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Duke in the Pros Stateside Update

There are former Blue Devils playing at the next level all over the world, ranging from here in the United States in MLS and USL and throughout Europe. Here is a breakdown of how they and their clubs are faring.

Sean Davis (New York Red Bulls/MLS) – The club's captain for a second consecutive season, Davis has started and gone the full 90 in all seven games for the Red Bulls this season. He has one assist to his name as NYRB sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-4-0 mark.

Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers/MLS) – After having to sit out the early portion of the season due to an injury, Ebobisse has played in five games with four starting assignments. One of the club's top scorers the past couple of seasons, he is still in search of his first goal in 2021 for the 3-4-0 Timbers. Portland is in seventh place in the Western Conference.

Sebastien Ibeagha (NYCFC/MLS) – Ibeagha has played in five games with two starting assignments as NYCFC sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2-2 overall record. He has played a total of 274 minutes.

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Aedan Stanley (Austin FC/MLS) – Stanley has seen 20 minutes of action as a rookie for Austin FC this season. He made his MLS debut May 15. Austin FC is in 10th place in the Western Conference with a 2-4-2 record.

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Will Pulisic (Austin FC/MLS) – Pulisic hasn't seen time in goal yet, but was on the bench for a pair of recent contests.

Issa Rayyan (Tacoma Defiance/USL) – Rayyan, after making the move to the West Coast from Philadelphia Union 2, has played in four games for the Tacoma Defiance and started two. He's played 232 minutes overall as Tacoma sits in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 2-3-1 record.

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Carter Manley (Rio Grande Valley FC/USL) – An anchor for Rio Grande Valley FC's defense, Manley has been instrumental in helping the club to the top spot in the Mountain Division. He has played in seven games with five starting assignments and a total of 515 minutes.

Hassan Pinto (Loudoun United FC/USL) – Pinto made the move over the summer to Loudoun United and has seen 24 minutes of action with the club.

Duke in the Pros Overseas Update

James Belshaw (Harrogate Town AFC/Skybet League Two) – Belshaw continued his time with Harrogate Town after helping the club earn promotion to League Two last season. This past season, Harrogate Town captured another trophy in beating Concord Rangers, 1-0, in Wembley Stadium for Buildbase FA Trophy. Since joining the club in 2017, Belshaw has 184 appearances and 58 clean sheets.

Markus Fjortoft (Ayr United FC/Scottish Championship) – Fjørtoft recently signed on with Ayr United FC in the Scottish Championship. Prior to his current club, Fjørtoft played for Greenock Morton FC.

Watch Markus talk about his path and joining the club.

Ciaran McKenna (Partick Thistle/Scottish League One) – McKenna and Partick Thistle had an outstanding season, becoming champions of Scottish League One to earn promotion. McKenna was a mainstay for much of the season in the back for the club last season. Partick Thistle begins its play in July in the Premier Sports Cup.

Welcome Back Fans

Duke Athletics recently announced all Blue Devil venues will return to full capacity during the upcoming academic year. Duke University encourages all fans to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine prior to attending events on campus. The men's soccer schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for all of the exciting action in Koskinen Stadium this fall.

#GoDuke

Five for Friday: High School All-Americans and Summer Updates