SAN JOSE, Calif. –San Jose Earthquakes Academy players Abigail Borchers, Israel Carrillo, Gilbert Fuentes, Sophie Jones, Andrea Kitahata and Casey Walls have been named to the United Soccer Coaches’ 2018 All-West Region Team, which honors the top-ranked players on the West Coast.
In the 2018-19 USSDA season, forward Abigail Borchers is currently the top goal scorer of the U-17 Girls’ Academy with six goals and leads the team in matches started with 10. Borchers also broke into the U.S. Youth National Team system after competing in the UEFA Women’s Development Tournament in Portugal with the U-16 U.S. Girls’ National Team.
Defender Israel Carrillo has been an important member of the U-17 Boys’ Academy squad, starting all six matches so far in the 2018-19 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. Carrillo is also a member of the U-16 Boys’ National Team, most recently earning a third-place finish in the Torneo Delle Nazioni with fellow teammate Casey Walls.
First team midfielder Gilbert Fuentes makes the list after signing a Homegrown Contract with the Earthquakes in January 2018. Fuentes made his MLS debut against the Colorado Rapids this past October, and has been a regular with the U-17 United States Men’s National Team.
Defensive midfielder Sophie Jones has been an integral member of the U-17 U.S. Women’s National Team in 2018, leading the United States to a first-place finish in the CONCACAF Championship to earn a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup berth. Jones started and played the full 90 minutes in each of the U-17 U.S. WNT’s matches at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Duke commit was also selected as the United Soccer Coaches’ Player of the Year in 2018.
A current member of the U-17 Girls’ Academy, defender Andrea Kitahata has committed to Stanford University and is an active member of the U-15 and U-16 U.S. Girls’ National Teams. Kitahata and the U-15 GNT recently earned gold in the Weifang International Tournament in China.
In the current season, Quakes Academy defender Casey Walls has made five appearances and three starts for the U-19 Boys’ Academy despite being age-eligible for the U-17s. Walls is also a regular for the U-16 U.S. Boys’ National Team, most recently joining the U.S. for their training camp in September 2018.
