Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Four former youth national team players from four different countries and one NSCAA All-American highlight Virginia Tech’s 2013 signing class, which includes 11 players from five countries. The group which will suit up for head coach Mike Brizendine in the fall includes Daniel Amar, James Compton, Marc Dinkel, James Duvcevski, Brandon Eaton, Ian Grubb, Niels Kirch, Alessandro Mion, Nico Mueller, André Thomas and Christian Trout.
Sticking to its roots, the Hokies signed three players from the region (Eaton, Trout, Compton) before adding a pair from Florida (Grubb, Mion). Tech coaches also brought in international-born players from Australia (Duvcevski), Germany (Kirch, Mueller, Thomas), Israel (Amar), and Swizterland (Dinkel).
“This is one of the strongest classes that we have put together here at Virginia Tech,” Brizendine said. “This group will bring a wealth of experience, maturity, and competitive fight to our team. They are also individuals that possess the character qualities that will enable them to add great value to our team immediately.”
Signees are listed below in alphabetical order.
Daniel Amar
Midfielder
5-8 | 157 lbs.
Dimona, Israel | Lehman
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
A member of the Israel Youth National Team at the U-16 and U-17 levels, Amar was one of the top prospects in Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s youth academy. First joining at 11, he won the Golden Boot award in his first year after scoring 25 goals. Four years later, he joined the Israeli youth national team, competing against European powers such as England, Germany and France. Prior to turning 18, he led his club to the Israel Cup final and was named the academy’s Player of the Year. At 18, he scored two goals in his first start for the Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s second team and began training with the first team for the remainder of the season. Before coming to Blacksburg, he served his military service commitment in the Israel Defense Forces.
James Compton
Midfielder
5-10 | 165 lbs.
Apex, N.C. | Panther Creek
NC Alliance
A three-year starter for the Catamounts, Compton was relied on to provide scoring in his final season at Panther Creek as he led his team with 12 and was rewarded with Tri-9 All-Conference and All-Region honors. He has been a captain for Panther Creek the past two seasons after earning all-conference accolades as a sophomore. After one year with Triangle Futbol Club, Compton has played his past two club seasons with NC Alliance. While with the Under-17s, he doubled up and played with the U-18s as well. In 2011 he was named to the Jefferson Cup first team.
Marc Dinkel
Midfielder/Defender
5-8 | 159 lbs.
Basel, Switzland | Wirtschaftsmittelschule KvBL Reinach
FC Basel U21
Dinkel comes to Blacksburg with a wealth of experience at the international and domestic levels in Switzerland. He has earned caps with the Swiss Youth National Team at the U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels, playing against top European teams such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. Dinkel spent the previous three seasons with FC Basel U21, the reserve team for the top club in the Swiss Super League. In four seasons in the Swiss third division, he has seen the field in more than 70 matches playing either as a winger or left back. Since playing at the U-16 level, Dinkel has been a part of six Swiss championships teams at three different levels. In 2006, his U-16 team finished 11th at the finals of the Nike Premier Cup, a global tournament that saw more than 6,000 clubs compete in it.
James Duvcevski
Defender
5-10 | 165 lbs.
Victoria, Australia | Emmanuel High-Altona North (Saint Peter’s University)
West Texas Sockers
An Australian-born defender, Duvcevski will have join the Hokies for one season after spending the previous two years with Saint Peter’s where he played in 25 games. In Australia, he was a member the Socceroos’ U-18 National Team in 2008 during a tour in the United Kingdom. At the youth level, Duvcevski captained his Victorian state team to back-to-back Australian National Championship appearances. In high school, he guided Emmanuel High to a state championship. Last summer, Duvcevski competed in the Premier Development League with the West Texas Sockers.
Brandon Eaton
Midfielder
5-8 | 165 lbs.
Chesapeake, Va. | Indian River
Beach FC
Indian River's all-time leading goal scorer, Eaton is a four-year starter for the Braves. In 2012, he was named to the All-Tidewater and all-state second teams. Eaton is a three-time all-district selection and was named the Southeastern District Player of the Year last season. The midfielder has competed for the Beach FC the past six years where he has helped lead his club to the State Cup semifinals in 2008, an appearance in the finals in 2009, six-straight Virginia Club Champions League titles and an appearance in the 2011 Atlantic Soccer League championship match. Since 2009, Eaton has been a member of the Virginia ODP state team and Region I pool
Ian Grubb
Midfielder/Defender
5-8 | 155 lbs.
Sarasota, Fla. | Sarasota
Strictly Soccer FC
An offensive threat, Grubb was named to the 2013 NSCAA All-America and All-Region teams, one of two players from Florida to garner that honor. He was Sarasota’s catalyst on offense during his final two years with the Sailors, amassing 39 goals and 20 assists. As a junior he was named the team’s Offensive MVP and All-Area honorable mention, before a breakout senior season that saw him more than double his total from the previous year. Grubb tallied 28 goals and 12 assists en-route to being named first team All-Area and Sarasota’s team MVP. Outside of high school, Grubb was a two-year member of the Florida ODP team.
Niels Kirch
Midfielder
6-0 | 180 lbs.
Zuelpich, Germany | Franken-Gymnasium Zuelpich
TSC Euskirchen
An offensive midlfielder, Kirch has spent time with several clubs in Germany, most recently as a member of TSC Euskirchen. Prior to that, he was with SC Fortuna Köln for one season where his club won the A-Junioren Mittelheinliga championship. He also spent four years with FC Köln where they won the U-14 Revier Cup. Kirch was also a three-year player for his high school team, Franken-Gymnasium Zuelpich.
Alessandro Mion
Defender
6-0 | 180 lbs.
Miami, Fla. | Gulliver Preparatory
Kendall Soccer Coalition
Mion was a member of the U-17 U.S. National Team for a year and a half after joining the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program in the spring of 2010. He was a member of the team at the 2011 U-17 World Cup in Mexico which advanced to the Round of 16. A transfer from West Virginia, he was one of the top players in the 2012 recruiting class according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, CollegeSoccerNews.com and ESPN Rise HS. Outside of the residency program, Mion has been a captain for Kendall Soccer Coalition at multiple age groups, and was a part of the Florida and Region III ODP teams. He led KSC to state in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, he played for FC Dallas in the Generation adidas Cup where he scored three goals as his team reached the finals. In 2012, he led Gulliver Prep to a district championship and regional finals while garnering first team All-Dade honors from the Miami Herald.
Nico Mueller
Midfielder/Defender
5-7 | 148 lbs.
Mannheim, Germany | Ludwig-Frank Gymnasium (Franklin Pierce University)
VfR Wormatia Worms
A transfer from Franklin Pierce University, Mueller was named Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Ravens and scoring seven goals and adding four assists. He was also selected to the NE-10 All-Conference second team and all-rookie team. Prior to coming to the states, Mueller had competed with several clubs in Germany before playing the 2012 season with VfR Wormatia Worms where he helped his team to the 2012 regional championship.
André Thomas
Midfielder
5’11 | 156 lbs.
Bad Nauheim, Germany | Burggymnasium (Technische Hochschule Mittlehessen)
SG Rot-Weiss Frankfurt
The U.S.-born midfielder has spent the last three seasons with SG Rot-Weiss Frankfurt. During his first two seasons with the adult team, he recorded 10 goals and 10 assists in 54 matches, starting all but one. As a youth player, Thomas competed for FSV Mainz 05 and SV Waldhof Mannheim 07 in theU-17 and U-19 Bundesliga.
Christian Trout
Defender
6-0 | 180 lbs.
Stafford, Va. | Mountain View
PWSI Courage 94 Red
A four-year starter at Mountain View, Trout has been a steady player in the back for the Wildcat’s earning All-Commonwealth District and Free Lance Star All-Area second team honors as a sophomore. As a team captain last season, Trout earned district and all-area first team honors along with being named All-Met honorable mention after scoring seven goals and adding an assist while coming out of the back. He was a member of the Virginia ODP team in 2010-11 where his team reached the Region I tournament semifinals. Trout currently plays club soccer with the No. 2 ranked team in the state.