Kevin De La Torre, Midfield, Pateadores
Class: 2013
Top 150 Rank: 40
School: UCLA

UCLA has never struggled at landing local talent, so it is no surprise that coveted recruiting Kevin De La Torre made his verbal commitment to the Bruins last week.

“What drew me to UCLA is that it is known world wide for their superb academics and amazing athletics,” De La Torre told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “And being a student athlete, I wanted to attend a school that is known greatly of both.”

The U.S. Residency program member added that speaking to the coach Jorge Salcedo in Westwood really made him confident in his decision.

“After speaking with the coaching staff of UCLA and learning more on their philosophy of soccer, I knew that was the type of environment I want to be in.”

De La Torre added that he also considered South Florida, Louisville, New Mexico, Akron, and California, before making his decision to join the Bruins in 2013.

The Pateadores star is just one piece of an already stellar recruiting class for Salcedo and his staff, which also includes U17 World Cup veterans Paul Arriola and Nathan Smith.

“UCLA is one of the best schools in the country and knowing that Paul Arriola was going to UCLA did not help with my decision, but having lived and played with him in residency, I am confident that we both will play as a team.”

Cameron Moseley, Forward, Concorde Fire
Class: 2014
Top 150 Rank: 75
School: Duke

Score one for the Blue Devils.

Recently, coach John Kerr and his staff received some good news when Cameron Moseley decided to give his verbal commitment to Duke.

Moseley is a gifted striker from Concorde Fire who was near the top of the scoring chart in the national all season with 21 goals in 22 games.

“Well my parents had always told me that Duke would be a great school to attend because of its prestige and world renowned education,” Moseley told TopDrawerSoccer.com about his decision. “I visited the school and as soon as I was introduced to the Duke environment, met some of the players, and other students, I knew I wanted to be at the University.”

Duke nabbed Moseley from a quartet of very impressive schools that were hot in pursuit of the talented forward.

“Before committing to Duke, I had strong interest in Stanford, UCLA, Virginia, and North Carolina, all great institutions with excellent soccer programs.”

Moseley cited the location of Duke in allowing his parents to travel up from Atlanta to see him play in college. He also mentioned his excitement about playing in the “toughest conference in the country, the ACC.”

Sheldon Sullivan, Defender, McLean Youth Soccer
Class: 2013
School: Virginia

Another prestigious program added another member to its 2013 recruiting class as Sheldon Sullivan elected to stay in state and commit to Virginia.

Sullivan, an attacking outside back for McLean Youth Soccer’s U18 team, will play alongside his brother Kyler, who will be a sophomore this fall.

That came as a rather unexpected development.

“When I started my recruiting process I never thought I would have wanted to go to school with my older brother,” Sheldon wrote TopDrawerSoccer.com in an email. “But the high level soccer, great campus and academics, and welcoming family was greater than anything I could've wanted.”

The soccer team has its legacy of winning and player development, but it was more than just history that caught Sullivan’s eye.

“What I liked most about the soccer program, was how close and friendly the team was and that can only help them win games which is my favorite part of soccer,” he said.