COLONIE, N.Y. -- The 39 boys prep soccer programs that competed at this past weekend’s NXT LVL Invitational at Afrim’s Sports Park, just outside of Albany, N.Y., got exactly what they were looking for.
A high quality early-season match against a premier opponent that will only benefit the teams in the long run.
On top of that, players got the chance to showcase their abilities in front of the 100-plus college coaches that were on location to scout the talent. For those players still uncommitted to a college, it was a major opportunity.
"This event, in and of itself, is where a lot of our guys will get recruited and find their college homes," said Taft head coach Ozzie Parente. "It’s so important that we do this, and I was so happy to have a great complex and great fields that we could reliably play these high-level matches on."
The depth of talent at the event was incredible and innumerable players delivered impressive showings. With that said, here is a Best XI from the New England school that played at the NXT LVL Invitational, based on a combination of watching the matches and discussions with coaches. It is arranged in a 4-3-3 formation.