Boys Soccer Preview: With former standouts on sidelines, Central League wide open

Three Central League teams turn over the reins to new coaches this year, and two come with impressive playing pedigrees. Haverford turns to an alum in David Cassanelli, the 2007 Daily Times Boys Soccer Player of the Year. He continued his career at Duquesne University and has been a varsity assistant/JV coach for three seasons at Haverford.

He’s the third head coach since Cassanelli’s coach, the George Severini, was let go in 2010, and Cassanelli is hoping to restore the consistency lacking with the Fords in recent years.

Cassanelli inherits a high proportion of club players trying to build off a 6-9-3 season. Senior Josh Cunningham will anchor the defense with Connor Brown. The midfield will consist of Ibrahim Anmar, Chris Rioboli, Matt Billbrough and Will Gardner, while Marc Mays and Indie Zimmerman offer an attacking punch.

Senior Nick DeFeo will take over in goal. Sean Cannon and Sean Morse are attacking options, while Keilan Barber and Wilson Dodds should feature in defense.

Upper Darby struggled through a 6-12 campaign, but they turn to alum Adam Edgar, who’s been an assistant in the program for four years. He’ll lean on a quartet of seniors, including midfielders Daniel Willie and Oscar Ceron, to power the team. Mohamed Camara will do much of the finishing up top with junior Chris Anderson, and senior Scott Devlin will again anchor the defense. Junior midfielder Sahr Pessima should also contribute.

Marple Newtown has a new coach in former Temple standout Jared Harris. After Charlie Dodds, who moved back to West Chester East, navigated the Tigers to the postseason, Harris must replace almost the entirety of a last fall’s senior-laden bunch, a handful of whom are playing in college.

Garnet Valley surprised some by making a run to the postseason last year, and they return several key pieces from that campaign. Seniors Matt Moore, Danny Sweeney and Jacob Schwien will impart a veteran air, while Andrew Weir and Michael Buchy will try to reprise their prominent attacking roles.

Click HERE to read all of the Central League team previews.