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UPDATED: Dec. 8, 2020, 5:45 p.m.

Syracuse men’s soccer (0-3-2, 0-3-2 Atlantic Coast) announced four players signed letters of intent on National Signing Day to join the Orange in 2021. Another three recruits announced Dec. 8, bringing the total to seven. After a winless 2020 season, head coach Ian McIntyre said in a release that the signees will bolster “some immediate needs of the team.” 

The Orange’s roster underwent drastic change heading into this season, losing its top-three scorers from 2019 while bringing in 14 new players — eight of whom were freshmen. Throughout the season, McIntyre constantly chopped and changed formations and personnel, noting that, without a normal preseason, he was still learning about players and where they fit best. 

With seven players so far in SU’s 2021 class, McIntyre will have greater continuity entering 2021. Here’s a breakdown of the recruits:

Oluwaseun Oyegunle 

Oyegunle, who goes by Olu, continues the pipeline from Canadian club Sigma FC to Syracuse. Current SU players Simon Triantafillou and Hilli Goldhar played at Sigma, while former stars Tajon Buchanan and Chris Nanco also represented the club. 

Oyegunle joined Sigma as a 15-year-old after they spotted him at Brampton Soccer Club, an Ontario-based team, Sigma technical director and head coach John Zervos told The Daily Orange. At the time, his natural strength and speed made him a logical fit in their defensive system, Zervos said, but Oyegunle’s ability with the ball was less impressive. 

“I don’t want to put him down, but it was almost like he struggled to play the short passes,” Zervos said. “He was decent in the long passing game, I think he was just never taught that way.” 

Playing as a left-sided center back or left wingback, Zervos saw significant development in Oyegunle as they worked with him on receiving possession and playing short or medium passes out of defense. Zervos said that Oyegunle was like “a sponge” absorbing information. Initially, there were four or five colleges interested in Oyegunle, but by the time he could speak with programs, that interest expanded significantly, Zervos said. 

McIntyre said they had originally planned to enroll Oyegunle at SU this fall before the COVID-19 pandemic scuppered those plans. Instead, he’s continued to train with both Sigma and Forge FC, a Canadian Premier League club which has won back-to-back championships. 

“Olu is an athletic defender who will be able to quickly transition to ACC competition,” McIntyre said. “His best soccer is ahead of him and we are delighted to be able to add him to our defensive group.”

Francesco Pagano 

Pagano, from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, is the second local player in as many years to join Syracuse’s roster after Liverpool High School product Jeorgio Kocevski was part of its 2020 class. The lone forward in the class, Pagano was prolific for the Hornets in 2019, racking up 18 goals and five assists in just 11 games. 

As a result, he was named CNY Player of the Year and New York State Player of the year by United Soccer Coaches, in addition to earning High School All-American honors. Pagano, along with Oyegunle, will arrive at SU in the spring of 2021. 

“Cicci is a top talent and a player with an extremely high ceiling,” McIntyre said. “Each year it is our priority to try and keep our best ‘local talent’ home. Cicci is a passionate SU soccer fan who has been around our program for a number of years.”

Aidan Arber

A native of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Arber will add some much needed depth to Syracuse’s fullback group. When Syracuse played with a back four this year, both Sondre Norheim, a natural centerback at 6-foot-4, and Simon Triantafillou, who previously played in midfield and right back, were forced into new roles at right and left back, respectively. 

The two captains are also both seniors, and while the NCAA’s eligibility relief means both could return in 2021, neither are locks. Arber brings strong pedigree to Syracuse, having previously played for MLS team New York City FC’s academy before his move to the Players Development Academy in New Jersey. 

“Aidan is a talented player who fits in perfectly with the way that we play here at Syracuse,” McIntyre said. “He possesses a wonderful work ethic, energy and enthusiasm to his game that complements our style of play and allows him to play as both a fullback and a wingback in our system.” 

Ife Adenuga

Adenuga, from Toronto, will join a crowded Syracuse midfield group that will return starters Amferny Sinclair, Julio Fulcar and Noah Singelmann, while Kocevski, who made several starts in 2020, will also vie for playing time. Adenuga follows a similar path that top-scorer and freshman Deandre Kerr made coming from Toronto FC’s academy. 

More recently, Adenuga played for Vaughan Soccer Club, which produced former SU stars Ryan Raposo and Massimo Ferrin. And as McIntyre noted, Adenuga can bring something different to SU’s midfield, which mainly consists of high-energy, ball-winning players in Sinclair and Fulcar. 

“Ife is an intelligent, technically gifted midfielder who can dictate the pace of a match and he can make the game look very simple at times,” McIntyre said.

Giona Leibold

Leibold, a winger from Wiesbaden, Germany, is the lone recruit from Europe in the class. Leibold played professionally for SV Wehen Wiesbaden, where he came through the academy before representing its first team in both the second and third divisions of German soccer. He’s also represented Germany at the U17 and U19 levels.

“Giona is a tenacious, aggressive player who will provide us a direct, dynamic attacking threat,” McIntyre said in a release. “Giona has the athleticism, technique and a tremendous work ethic to make a quick transition to college soccer here in the ACC.”

Camden Holbrook

The only transfer in the class to date, Holbrook joins Pagano as the two forwards who will compete for playing time for an SU team that only had two goals from its strikers in 2020. In two seasons, Holbrook scored 10 goals at Appalachian State and was named an All-Sun Belt Conference honoree in 2018. McIntyre hopes Holbrook’s 6-foot-2 height will benefit the Orange offense.

“We are delighted to have Camden join our team,” McIntyre said. “It a real advantage to add a talented, experienced player who will add something a little different to our attack. He is an intelligent, direct player who has the wonderful knack of getting onto the end of service in the penalty area.”

Zephyn Brockert-Kress

Brockert-Kress is the third MLS academy product in the class, along with Arber and Adenuga. He spent three years in the Philadelphia Union’s academy before joining the Houston Dynamo’s U18/19 setup.

“Zephyn is an athletic, powerful player who continues to impress our staff every time that we watch him play,” McIntyre said. “He is a tremendous young man who works extremely hard to excel on and off the soccer pitch.”

Published on November 11, 2020 at 8:43 pm

Contact Alex: athamer@syr.edu