2021 USC All-American Teams

[Ejay]

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/2021-ncaa-division-iii-mens-all-americans-announced/

K  Jack Viles Jr. Southwestern University
D  Brady Johnston Sr. Trinity University (Texas)
D  Johnny Kraemer Jr. North Central College
D  Jake Lent-Koop Jr. Messiah University
D  Jack Rawlins Sr. Washington & Lee University
D  Drew Van Andel Sr. Calvin University
M  Calvin Aroh Sr. Tufts University
M  Blake Aronson Sr. SUNY Cortland
M  Victor Gaulmin So. St. Olaf College
M  Hector Gomez* Sr. Ohio Wesleyan University
F  Evan Blow Sr. Randolph College
F  Nilton de Andrade* Sr. University of Massachusetts-Boston
F  German Giammattei* Sr. Amherst College
F  Amer Lukovic Fr. Montclair State University
F  Michael Meese Fr. Trinity University (Texas)
F  Sergio Rivas Jr. Washington University (Mo.)


K  Sid Marquardt So. North Central College
D  Emelson Barbosa Jr. University of Massachusetts-Boston
D  Jacob Galan Sr. Trinity University (Texas)
D  Jared Hecht So. Gustavus Adolphus College
D  Luke Muther Jr. Kenyon College
M  Samuel Bass Jr. Washington & Lee University
M  Luke Brautigam Sr. Messiah University
M  Josiah Crawford Jr. Montclair State University
M  Augie Djerdjaj Jr. Connecticut College
M  Michael Kutsanzira Jr. Washington & Lee University
F  Oliver Akintade So. Calvin University
F  Drake Byrd Sr. Bowdoin College
F  Ndubueze Henry Jr. Maryville College
F  Josh Hughes Sr. Hanover College
F  Will Isaac Jr. Otterbein University
F  Luke Mega Jr. University of Lynchburg
F  Hakeem Morgan So St. Olaf College


K  Griffin Potter Sr. Virginia Wesleyan University
D  Cristian Aleman Sr. Wabash College
D  Scott Cebollero Sr. SUNY Cortland
D  Ryan Kuster Sr. Alvernia University
D  Harry Nevins Sr. Swarthmore College
M  Javier Beltran Jr. Roger Williams University
M  Ben Brandt Sr. University of Chicago
M  Fraser Burns Sr. Trinity University (Texas)
M  Raonne Dias Jr. Kean University
M  Gustav Ericsson Sr. North Park University
M  Trevor Goodling Sr. Messiah University
M  Peter Novoa Sr. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M  Peder Olsen** Sr. North Park University
M  William Turrittin* Sr. John Carroll University
F  Jaggar Brooker So. Ohio Wesleyan University
F  Chase Gwynn Sr. Gordon College
F  Anthony Ruggiero Sr. SUNY Cortland


The Senior College All-region and All-America selection process begins with coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches College Services program being eligible to nominate up to four of their field players and a goalkeeper for postseason recognition. Coaches rank their players in order. After the nomination period closes, coaches begin an all-opponent voting period where they see only those players nominated from teams they played during the regular season and select up to 22 players (1st and 2nd team). An All-America formula is then applied to the voting which includes factors such as the player ranking, success of the team and total votes received from eligible voters. This system is used for NCAA Division I, II and III programs.

[blue_jays]

Scratching my head at how UChicago's Gillespie and Wada get left out as defenders. They're the two best in the UAA and are nationally-elite for a defense that played the hardest SOS in the country and shut out 13 teams...

[Gregory Sager]

Scratching my head at how UChicago's Gillespie and Wada get left out as defenders. They're the two best in the UAA and are nationally-elite for a defense that played the hardest SOS in the country and shut out 13 teams...

Absolutely, just as I was scratching my head that North Central's Enzo Fuschino and his assistants beat out Chicago's Pat Flinn and his assistants for the USC's Region VIII Staff of the Year award. That's not to take away any credit from Enzo for putting the once-moribund NCC men's soccer program into the top half of the CCIW and producing the first-ever D3 tourney appearance for the Cardinals. Those are significant achievements. But let's be honest about what he did in 2021; North Central's gaudy record this year was courtesy of a really weak schedule, and as far as getting into the D3 tourney is concerned, the Cards got there in large part because Wheaton did the heavy lifting for them in the CCIW tourney semifinals by upsetting North Park. Moreover, upon getting into the tourney, the Cards were bounced in the opening round on a neutral campus by a less-than-impressive Loras side.

Flinn, on the other hand, has completely retooled the Maroons in the three years he's been head coach. Almost the entire Chicago roster consists of players that he has brought in as the head man in that time. And the Maroons haven't missed a beat, as he has them back in the Final Four this season. Chicago should've won that award, not North Central.

But that was only a warmup for today's travesty. How NPU's Peder Olsen only got third-team All-American is beyond me. For crying out loud, he had a 20-9-49 season, capping off a 150-point career -- and he was no cherry-picker, either, as he was never anything less than a strong and active defensive player as a midfielder. He was ripped off. And as I look at this list I see that Johnny Kraemer from -- guess who? -- North Central made first team. Look, Kraemer's a very solid defender, but he's not first-team material, no way, no how. I think it's arguable as to whether or not he belongs on the All-American list at all. I strongly believe that Griffin Wada of Chicago should've had his spot.

I am very down on the USC. This has reinforced my view that the d3soccer.com All-American team is more valid (and let's hope that Christan & Co. put it out before February this time), and that the USC has a good-old-boys vibe in which Enzo Fuschino is regarded as one of the guys and Pat Flinn apparently isn't.

[blue_jays]

Scratching my head at how UChicago's Gillespie and Wada get left out as defenders. They're the two best in the UAA and are nationally-elite for a defense that played the hardest SOS in the country and shut out 13 teams...

Absolutely, just as I was scratching my head that North Central's Enzo Fuschino and his assistants beat out Chicago's Pat Flinn and his assistants for the USC's Region VIII Staff of the Year award. That's not to take away any credit from Enzo for putting the once-moribund NCC men's soccer program into the top half of the CCIW and producing the first-ever D3 tourney appearance for the Cardinals. Those are significant achievements. But let's be honest about what he did in 2021; North Central's gaudy record this year was courtesy of a really weak schedule, and as far as getting into the D3 tourney is concerned, the Cards got there in large part because Wheaton did the heavy lifting for them in the CCIW tourney semifinals by upsetting North Park. Moreover, upon getting into the tourney, the Cards were bounced in the opening round on a neutral campus by a less-than-impressive Loras side.

Flinn, on the other hand, has completely retooled the Maroons in the three years he's been head coach. Almost the entire Chicago roster consists of players that he has brought in as the head man in that time. And the Maroons haven't missed a beat, as he has them back in the Final Four this season. Chicago should've won that award, not North Central.

But that was only a warmup for today's travesty. How NPU's Peder Olsen only got third-team All-American is beyond me. For crying out loud, he had a 20-9-49 season, capping off a 150-point career -- and he was no cherry-picker, either, as he was never anything less than a strong and active defensive player as a midfielder. He was ripped off. And as I look at this list I see that Johnny Kraemer from -- guess who? -- North Central made first team. Look, Kraemer's a very solid defender, but he's not first-team material, no way, no how. I think it's arguable as to whether or not he belongs on the All-American list at all. I strongly believe that Griffin Wada of Chicago should've had his spot.

I am very down on the USC. This has reinforced my view that the d3soccer.com All-American team is more valid (and let's hope that Christan & Co. put it out before February this time), and that the USC has a good-old-boys vibe in which Enzo Fuschino is regarded as one of the guys and Pat Flinn apparently isn't.

Agree with you on all points. Olson was one of the best players in the nation and should have been First Team unquestionably.
The USC picks this year for both All-Region and All-American were extremely lacking and nonsensical. Wada was 2nd Team All-Region... as the UAA's Defensive Player of the Year... And Gillespie is second on the team in scoring as a center back, that's how involved he is in all aspects of the team. If anything, he got better as the year went on and might be the team's best player currently.

[College Soccer Observer]

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/1170

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/9

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/421

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/team/422

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/team/32

Take a look at the goalkeeping stats linked above.

The USC system is broken.  The only candidates for the All American teams are those who get first team in their own region.  If they screw up the regional choices, that has an impact on the national awards. 

No disrespect to Jack Viles, but how on earth is he the first team all-American goalkeeper?  His team played three regionally ranked opponents, went 0-2-1, and he gave up 5 goals to the one NCAA tournament team he faced in Trinity.  The only category where he is in the top 20 is in shutouts, where he is tied for 4th.

Compare that resume to the following goalkeepers:
Connor Robinson, John Carroll
Erik Lauta, Tufts
Ryan Grady, Middlebury
Calvin Walters, Chicago
Daniel Wunder, Calvin
Sam Maidenburg, Conn
Sid Marquardt, North Central
Sam Altman Farrell, Franklin and Marshall

I excluded Hope-Gund from Amherst because he was not the starter for the whole season, but his resume also compares favorably to Viles'.

All of the above had much better statistical seasons against stronger competition and led their teams to, and in some cases deep into, the NCAA tournament.

This is just like the national poll where the top team in each region gets placed into the national poll regardless of how much sense it actually makes.  I am completely on board with @Gregory Sager's comments. 

[blue_jays]

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/1170

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/9

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/individual/421

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/team/422

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/soccer-men/d3/current/team/32

Take a look at the goalkeeping stats linked above.

The USC system is broken.  The only candidates for the All American teams are those who get first team in their own region.  If they screw up the regional choices, that has an impact on the national awards. 

No disrespect to Jack Viles, but how on earth is he the first team all-American goalkeeper?  His team played three regionally ranked opponents, went 0-2-1, and he gave up 5 goals to the one NCAA tournament team he faced in Trinity.  The only category where he is in the top 20 is in shutouts, where he is tied for 4th.

Compare that resume to the following goalkeepers:
Connor Robinson, John Carroll
Erik Lauta, Tufts
Ryan Grady, Middlebury
Calvin Walters, Chicago
Daniel Wunder, Calvin
Sam Maidenburg, Conn
Sid Marquardt, North Central
Sam Altman Farrell, Franklin and Marshall

I excluded Hope-Gund from Amherst because he was not the starter for the whole season, but his resume also compares favorably to Viles'.

All of the above had much better statistical seasons against stronger competition and led their teams to, and in some cases deep into, the NCAA tournament.

This is just like the national poll where the top team in each region gets placed into the national poll regardless of how much sense it actually makes.  I am completely on board with @Gregory Sager's comments.

Oof, that's rough. I'm confident the D3soccer.com All-Americans will be much more reflective of reality.

[blooter442]

Don't put a lot of stock in AA teams (particularly the USC one) but I would have had Cano of Tufts somewhere in there...8g, 5a as a winger and arguably his team's biggest attacking threat. Obviously wingers nowadays can act more as "inside forwards" rather than guys going to the byline and crossing so goal production is perhaps up overall but Braun got 2x AA with 10 goals as a CF (both years).

[Hopkins92]

One thing I'm always curious about, home-cooking on goalie stats.

It's very difficult to fudge G and A stats, pretty cut-and-dried. Goalie stats, in terms of what is determined a shot vs. errant pass, or even a shot on goal vs. not, can start to get a little suspect. (The SOG then directly bleeds into the Save % stat.)

This coming from a guy that has a few line items in the books that I raise my eyebrows over because it's such an outlier to other years (Saves in a season).

[PaulNewman]

You can't cherry-pick when you're gonna be a straight down the line systems guy that defends the system and its process against all comers, except for when....

Well, I guess you can, but still...

A little pushback on the SoS argument.  Should that be a consideration?  Maybe.  But surely it's possible that the best player in the country isn't dependent on scheduling outside of the player's control and possibly (even if rarely) not relevant to how good the player is.

As I suggested in another thread, there are too many teams and too many players in D3 playing against variable levels to lump them all together and get these things right (or more right as even when the D3soccer teams come out there will be significant disagreements, omissions, etc).

I'd be curious to hear the details about how the D3soccer.com selections work.  I wonder how much comments by posters here over the season and at times like these influence those selections, and whether there is any kind of "make up call" factor.  Many of us, including me, believe the D3soccer poll and AA selections are better, and I would still agree with that, but is there even a sliver of our view on that related to most of us here (and possibly those who decide from D3soccer) being in the same echo chamber?

And none of the above should be construed to suggest that I disagree with any comments regarding particular players mentioned above.  I'd have TVB from Tufts, Wada, Yeonas, Twigg, etc.  I wouldn't have 4 from Trinity or 2 from UMass-Boston.  There are 3 players for Messiah.  I'm not even sure they got the right Messiah players even if conceding on Messiah getting 3. I never heard of any of those GKs.  That said, even though I watch a ton of D3 soccer, I don't see enough and have never watched some of these players, and I wouldn't trust myself to pick a team that wasn't heavily slanted towards who I know the most about.  Sure, you can say that you have seen the players like comparing players in the same conference, the same region, or even the same team, but decisions may not be made in a head to head kind of way that some suggest.  And it's obvious that some schools have better advocates than others. 

It's like doing a weekly poll.  Once you start doing them, it's a lot harder than one thinks.

[Novacat]

You can't cherry-pick when you're gonna be a straight down the line systems guy that defends the system and its process against all comers, except for when....

Well, I guess you can, but still...

A little pushback on the SoS argument.  Should that be a consideration?  Maybe.  But surely it's possible that the best player in the country isn't dependent on scheduling outside of the player's control and possibly (even if rarely) not relevant to how good the player is.


As I suggested in another thread, there are too many teams and too many players in D3 playing against variable levels to lump them all together and get these things right (or more right as even when the D3soccer teams come out there will be significant disagreements, omissions, etc).

I'd be curious to hear the details about how the D3soccer.com selections work.  I wonder how much comments by posters here over the season and at times like these influence those selections, and whether there is any kind of "make up call" factor.  Many of us, including me, believe the D3soccer poll and AA selections are better, and I would still agree with that, but is there even a sliver of our view on that related to most of us here (and possibly those who decide from D3soccer) being in the same echo chamber?

And none of the above should be construed to suggest that I disagree with any comments regarding particular players mentioned above.  I'd have TVB from Tufts, Wada, Yeonas, Twigg, etc.  I wouldn't have 4 from Trinity or 2 from UMass-Boston.  There are 3 players for Messiah.  I'm not even sure they got the right Messiah players even if conceding on Messiah getting 3. I never heard of any of those GKs.  That said, even though I watch a ton of D3 soccer, I don't see enough and have never watched some of these players, and I wouldn't trust myself to pick a team that wasn't heavily slanted towards who I know the most about.  Sure, you can say that you have seen the players like comparing players in the same conference, the same region, or even the same team, but decisions may not be made in a head to head kind of way that some suggest.  And it's obvious that some schools have better advocates than others. 

It's like doing a weekly poll.  Once you start doing them, it's a lot harder than one thinks.

WOW - these All American teams are really a head scratcher.  How in the world does Trinity get 4 players when the entire NESCAC conference (with 4 teams in the Elite 8) get 3 total players?  I am sure there are other wild conclusions but this one seems to take the cake.

[PaulNewman]

You can't cherry-pick when you're gonna be a straight down the line systems guy that defends the system and its process against all comers, except for when....

Well, I guess you can, but still...

A little pushback on the SoS argument.  Should that be a consideration?  Maybe.  But surely it's possible that the best player in the country isn't dependent on scheduling outside of the player's control and possibly (even if rarely) not relevant to how good the player is.


As I suggested in another thread, there are too many teams and too many players in D3 playing against variable levels to lump them all together and get these things right (or more right as even when the D3soccer teams come out there will be significant disagreements, omissions, etc).

I'd be curious to hear the details about how the D3soccer.com selections work.  I wonder how much comments by posters here over the season and at times like these influence those selections, and whether there is any kind of "make up call" factor.  Many of us, including me, believe the D3soccer poll and AA selections are better, and I would still agree with that, but is there even a sliver of our view on that related to most of us here (and possibly those who decide from D3soccer) being in the same echo chamber?

And none of the above should be construed to suggest that I disagree with any comments regarding particular players mentioned above.  I'd have TVB from Tufts, Wada, Yeonas, Twigg, etc.  I wouldn't have 4 from Trinity or 2 from UMass-Boston.  There are 3 players for Messiah.  I'm not even sure they got the right Messiah players even if conceding on Messiah getting 3. I never heard of any of those GKs.  That said, even though I watch a ton of D3 soccer, I don't see enough and have never watched some of these players, and I wouldn't trust myself to pick a team that wasn't heavily slanted towards who I know the most about.  Sure, you can say that you have seen the players like comparing players in the same conference, the same region, or even the same team, but decisions may not be made in a head to head kind of way that some suggest.  And it's obvious that some schools have better advocates than others. 

It's like doing a weekly poll.  Once you start doing them, it's a lot harder than one thinks.

WOW - these All American teams are really a head scratcher.  How in the world does Trinity get 4 players when the entire NESCAC conference (with 4 teams in the Elite 8) get 3 total players?  I am sure there are other wild conclusions but this one seems to take the cake.

Yup, I agree.  That is not defensible.

I think Cristan mentioned this when the regional selections came out, but how can not a single, solitary player from the SCIAC (C-M-S, Redlands, Cal Lutheran, etc) or NWC (Pac Luth, Willamette, Whitman, etc) be an AA???  I guess Trinity was viewed as fully representing the West even though the school is in San Antonio, TX.

[PaulNewman]

You can't cherry-pick when you're gonna be a straight down the line systems guy that defends the system and its process against all comers, except for when....

Well, I guess you can, but still...

A little pushback on the SoS argument.  Should that be a consideration?  Maybe.  But surely it's possible that the best player in the country isn't dependent on scheduling outside of the player's control and possibly (even if rarely) not relevant to how good the player is.


As I suggested in another thread, there are too many teams and too many players in D3 playing against variable levels to lump them all together and get these things right (or more right as even when the D3soccer teams come out there will be significant disagreements, omissions, etc).

I'd be curious to hear the details about how the D3soccer.com selections work.  I wonder how much comments by posters here over the season and at times like these influence those selections, and whether there is any kind of "make up call" factor.  Many of us, including me, believe the D3soccer poll and AA selections are better, and I would still agree with that, but is there even a sliver of our view on that related to most of us here (and possibly those who decide from D3soccer) being in the same echo chamber?

And none of the above should be construed to suggest that I disagree with any comments regarding particular players mentioned above.  I'd have TVB from Tufts, Wada, Yeonas, Twigg, etc.  I wouldn't have 4 from Trinity or 2 from UMass-Boston.  There are 3 players for Messiah.  I'm not even sure they got the right Messiah players even if conceding on Messiah getting 3. I never heard of any of those GKs.  That said, even though I watch a ton of D3 soccer, I don't see enough and have never watched some of these players, and I wouldn't trust myself to pick a team that wasn't heavily slanted towards who I know the most about.  Sure, you can say that you have seen the players like comparing players in the same conference, the same region, or even the same team, but decisions may not be made in a head to head kind of way that some suggest.  And it's obvious that some schools have better advocates than others. 

It's like doing a weekly poll.  Once you start doing them, it's a lot harder than one thinks.

WOW - these All American teams are really a head scratcher.  How in the world does Trinity get 4 players when the entire NESCAC conference (with 4 teams in the Elite 8) get 3 total players?  I am sure there are other wild conclusions but this one seems to take the cake.

It's also easy to focus on Trinity here, so think of this....UMass-Boston got 66% of what the entire NESCAC got.

[camosfan]

I think NESCAC suffers because the teams are so deep  it becomes easy to underestimate the value of some players, take Biaggio in defense for Tufts, the guy missed one game and 5 goals are scored on the team, after giving up only 8 all season to that point!

[PaulNewman]

I think NESCAC suffers because the teams are so deep  it becomes easy to underestimate the value of some players, take Biaggio in defense for Tufts, the guy missed one game and 5 goals are scored on the team, after giving up only 8 all season to that point!

Hard to argue that missing Biaggio didn't have an impact but you can't presume a causal correlation.  It was a wild game.  4 goals was the most Conn gave up all season, including a 2-2 aggregate scoreline in the prior two games where he did play, so Conn only had conceded 2 in two games previously.

This is tricky.  NESCAC, and not undeservedly, gets more attention and acclaim than any conference in the country.  This site, the only one I know of that gets any real attention, is dominated by NESCAC.  They also play fewer games and tend to have very low scoring games, which on the one hand should help GKs but also could hurt them since really good GA stats are kind of expected.  Definitely hurts the offensive players.  Certainly there is a history here of NESCAC fans/parents/alums complaining about NESCAC getting screwed on awards.  I can't argue that they didn't get shorted this year.

There's also a phenomenon with D3 soccer that I'm guessing doesn't happen much with D1 and certainly doesn't happen with like D1 bball where the two or three AA teams by major outlets are almost all from Power 5 schools, and usually the top Power 5 teams.  Here we get Alvernia, UMass-Boston, Husson, Wisc-Sup, Randolph, Maryville, Wabash, Roger Williams, etc.

[Christan Shirk]

Some (very) general notes about the D3soccer.com process:

• includes input from select coaches
• final decisions/selections are made by D3soccer.com staff
• all input and selections come after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament, and tournament performance can be taken into account (this is clearly different from the USC process)
• strength of schedule is part of our considerations
• we limit our selections to three 11-player teams (33 total players) with fairly realistic/representative proportion of forwards, midfielders, and defenders on each team (this is clearly different from the USC teams)

D3soccer.com vs. USC
Given our small staff and limited resources, we are unable to devote much if any time to our All-America teams while providing coverage of the conference championships, NCAA tournament berths, and the NCAA Tournament.  So we are always working on this after the USC publishes their teams.  So both the coaches that we solicit input from as well as our staff/contributors are aware of who the USC has honored.  There is no way to measure what influence that has.  However, we have never set out to intentionally select different players than the USC just for the sake of being different (and conversely, we have never intentionally selected the same players as the USC in search of acceptance/credibility). There is naturally a lot of overlap between the USC and D3soccer.com teams--some players are universally accepted as being among the very best. But it's a subjective matter, so differences in players honored is inevitable and expected. However, some of the differences can be (partially) explained by the following factors:
- we limit ourselves to 33 total honorees; the USC typically has 50+ on their teams
- we hold to a fairly realistic/representative distribution by position; the USC usually has a very disproportionate number of forwards
- we can consider NCAA tournament performance; the USC voting occurs prior to the NCAA tournament
- we do consider strength of schedule (SOS is included in the data we compile and use in the process)
Where we find ourselves most "at odds" with the USC is goalkeepers. With other positions even when we are not as high on a player, there often seems to be more obvious reasons why a player may have been selected by the USC: name recognition from previous years or incredible stats (even if the SOS is weak).

Strength of Schedule consideration
Are there some players that are as good as those D3ssocer.com selects who never really get a sniff because their SOS is low?  I'm sure there are some.  While this may be unfair to those players, how do you make a fair comparison between players who have played significantly different strengths of schedule?  Is it fair to the forward who often faces Top 50 or so defenses to be statistically compared to a forward who rarely, if ever, does?  It's impossible to be sure you are selecting the best players, but it's a little easier if you accept that you will be trying to select those who have done the most to prove they are among the best (even while acknowledging that some players never had a chance to really prove themselves).

Late Release of the D3soccer.com All-America Teams
As already mentioned, we haven't been able to start our process much, if any, before the NCAA Tournament concludes.  And, quite frankly, we are (and always have been) understaffed (understatement) to take on the huge task of selecting All-America teams.  And by the time we do get working on it, we are worn out (physically, mentally, motivationally) from the grind of the 3-month long season. And then holidays and family time beckons with the unfinished business of our All-America teams hanging over our heads the whole time.  *sigh*  So, we've made some adjustments and sacrifices to our NCAA Tournament coverage this year in order to get our All-America teams out before Christmas week this year (fingers crossed).