|
|
Josiah Ash – ST/LW/RW – Mount Carmel High School/FC United
6'1" – 160 lbs
Josiah joins the Flames in 2018 as one of the most decorated goal-scorers to come out of Chicago in recent history. He finished his high school career under coach Antonio Godinez at Mount Carmel with 82 goals and 48 assists in his final two years, earning Dally Southtown Player of the Year and IHSSCA All-State for both seasons. At the club level, Josiah has spent the last few years guiding Raiders FC to three straight appearances at the USYS National Championships – including playing in two finals – and was the leading scorer at the 2016 finals and joint-top scorer in the 2017 USYS National League. Additionally, Raiders FC were two-time USYS National League Winners as well as State Cup, Midwest Regional League and USYS Region II Champions. The 2017-2018 season saw Ash join FC United where thus far he has scored 12 goals in 6 matches to guide the 2000 Select I team to championships at the Disney Showcase and Nike Showcase, while he has also scored 2 goals in 3 matches as a developmental player for the FC United U19 Development Academy team.
|
|
Phillips on Ash: "Josiah will give us as instant attacking and athletic presence this fall, and our staff believes he has a bright future at UIC. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the game, but Josiah has shown an uncanny ability to do just that at whatever level he is playing at. His club coaches and coach Antonio Godinez have done a great job developing him both on and off the field, and we look forward to his contributions as a Flame beginning in 2018." |
|
|
|
|
Christian Crespo – Lakeview High School/FC United
5'8" – 155 lbs
Christian is the second player in recent history (Nestor Garcia '18) to be recruited out of Lakeview High School in the city's north side, and he will join the Flames next fall after an illustrious youth career while playing with current and future collegiate teammate Josiah Ash. Crespo was the creative force in the last few years guiding Raiders FC to three straight appearances at the USYS National Championships – including playing in two finals. His club was the first in USYS National League history to go two years with a perfect record (14-0 in total), and one of the most devastating attacks in US Youth Soccer included Christian as the maestro. Additionally, Raiders FC were two-time USYS National League Winners as well as State Cup, Midwest Regional League and USYS Region II Champions. The 2017-2018 season saw Crespo join FC United where thus far he has been the creative influence in attack for the 2000 Select I team, leading them to championships at the Disney Showcase and Nike Showcase over the past few months. The Chicago native has also played up an age group with the 1999 Select I team, currently the number 1 ranked USYS team in Illinois and the Midwest.
|
|
Phillips on Crespo: "We have had an eye on Christian for several years now, and we are not surprised at his individual and team success throughout his youth career. He is a mercurial player who can change a match with one touch, and we are thrilled to continue the tradition of adding the best players from the Chicago Public Schools to our roster." |
|
|
|
|
Eduardo Garcia – RB/CB/RW – Jones College Prep/Chicago Fire Academy
6'1" – 157 lbs
Eduardo joins the Flames this fall after a standout career in the backline for the Chicago Fire Academy which has seen him start 61 of the 65 matches the Fire have played over the last two and a half years. The versatile defender has played in all three lines throughout his youth career, and he was an essential part of the U16 team that reached the Final Four of the USSDA Playoffs in 2016, narrowly losing to eventual champions FC Dallas 1-0. Equally adept in going forward to help the attack, Garcia has amassed 8 goals and 14 assists during his time with the Fire, and the expectation would be to build on that at the collegiate level.
|
| Phillips on Garcia: "Our staff has known Eduardo from his playing days with Chicago United FC nearly 10 years ago, and we are extremely happy and fortunate that he chose UIC to be his home for his collegiate career. He possesses everything that we like in a defender; a great soccer IQ that allows him to read the game well, an aggressiveness to win the ball back for his team and the desire and technical ability to build our attack from the back into the final third. We expect those traits to have an immediate impact at our program." |
|
|
 |
Aaron Nguyen – Niles West High School/Chicago Fire Academy
5'9" – 155 lbs
Aaron will join the Flames next fall after finishing his youth career with the Chicago Fire Academy, making it a total of 10 players from the local MLS Academy that will be on the roster in 2018. The crafty, technical center-midfielder has appeared in 35 matches thus far in the last two seasons, and has started 11 of 15 this year after missing some through injury. A hard-working, box-to-box midfielder that is comfortable breaking the lines or winning the ball back, Aaron will join current club teammate Eduardo Garcia in linking up with current Flame Manny Cerritos as part of the group that led the Chicago Fire U16 Academy team to the Final Four in 2016.
|
| Phillips on Nguyen: "Aaron had really left a mark on us as a staff after watching him play over the last two years, and impressed us with his technical ability, vision to move the ball quickly and switch the point of attack and his aggressiveness on both sides of the ball. We look forward to him bringing that to Flames Field beginning next fall!" |
|
|
|
|
Pedro Patino – CAM/CF – Cesar Chavez Learning Academy/Bethel College
5'8" – 160 lbs
Pedro joins the Flames in 2018 after spending his first collegiate season at Bethel College in 2017. The Los Angeles native was second on the team in scoring and led the team with 8 assists out of midfield while contributing with 4 goals, including the game-winner against Judson College in the NCCAA Central Regional Championship. Prior to attending college in Mishawaka, Indiana, Patino was a stand-out high school player at Cesar Chavez Learning Academy. The attacking midfielder was the first player in school history to be voted All-League 1st Team throughout his four years there, and he finished his successful high school career with 36 goals and 38 assists.
|
|
Phillips on Patino: "Pedro's ability on the ball and vision in the final third will give us an additional attacking presence in midfield next fall. He is a rare player who loves to pick out a special pass more than anything else in the game, and based on our style of play he fits in perfectly. Though he is very clever attacking and creating goal-scoring chances for the players in front of him, he is just as willing to press and win the ball back in midfield, which is something that has been essential in our success over the last five years." |
|
|
 |
Alwin Seitz – CAM/CM/LW – Gymnasium Heidberg/Hamburg SV
5'9" – 150 lbs
Alwin comes to Chicago after honing his craft at the youth levels of Hamburg SV in Germany, one of the top professional youth academies in his country. He joined the academy of the former European Champions as a 7 year old and most recently has 55 appearances in the last three years. Currently one of the youngest players on the their U19 Bundesliga side, Seitz is considered as one of the club's young talents and was featured as scoring one of the goals of the season (shown here) while linking up play in the midfield for the northern-German club.
|
| Phillips on Seitz: "Alwin was identified during one of our recruiting trips in Germany this year, and we believe he will be a perfect fit for our style of play. He is clever with both feet, does well to find space in between the lines to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He is our first player to come from a German Bundesliga academy, and the technique and soccer IQ he developed during his decade there will provide an instant boost to our midfield. The idea of playing for a championship-winning program in the best city in the world was extremely appealing to Alwin and his family, and we are excited that he chose us over several other great institutions that watched him play this winter." |
