Who is the best boys soccer player from Southwest Florida?
Let the debate begin.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states.
First, we are going to take a look at athletes in their individual sports.
Here are the stars on the pitch in Southwest Florida. The 11 players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standout players at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights.
We even saved a spot for you to write in a candidate we may have overlooked or that you feel strongly about.
Damian Coliqueo, Golden Gate
Coliqueo was the Naples Daily News Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2008. As a junior, Coliqueo scored 28 goals with 8 assists, before scoring 27 goals with 7 assists as a senior before playing at Ave Maria.
Alessandro Gonzalez, Mariner
Gonzalez was an elite goal scorer at Mariner, scoring 47 goals with 11 assists during his senior season with the Tritons to win the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award, as well as Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Soccer, making him the third player locally to win it.
Patrick Horan, Canterbury
Horan never won a Player of the Year award locally, but he was arguably one of the area’s top goal scorers at Canterbury. Horan scored 72 goals with 22 assists during his senior year and had 157 goals and 65 assists over a four-year varsity career with the Cougars.
Sebastian Joffre, Gulf Coast
You could make the case that Joffre was the most gifted athlete of this bunch in high school, helping Gulf Coast to a state title in 2018. He scored 28 goals and 14 assists as a freshman, before netting 33 goals and 20 assists as a sophomore. After a year at Pine School in Hobe Sound, Joffre returned to Gulf Coast for his senior year, where he scored 21 goals and 11 assists. He was the Naples Daily News Player of the Year as a sophomore and senior.
Emerson LaOrden, Barron Collier
LaOrden was dominant in a Barron uniform, scoring 47 goals and 19 assists as a junior and senior, winning the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award in both seasons. LaOrden and the Cougars won the program’s first state title in 2025.
Ricky Louis, Fort Myers
Louis was an elite forward his senior year, scoring 20 goals and 6 assists for the state runner-up Green Wave. He starred in college at Georgia Southern and was selected second overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.
Andrew Palumbo, Bishop Verot
Palumbo was a Verot great, winning The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year award in 2010 and 2011 after scoring 45 goals with 26 assists as a junior and 38 goals with 27 assists as a senior, winning the Class 3A Player of the Year twice as well as becoming a two-time All-American.
Leo Perez, Mariner
The three-time News-Press Player of the Year finished his career with a school-record 148 goals as well as 68 assists. As a junior, he was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. As a senior, Perez was named Mr. Soccer by the Florida Dairy Farmers after leading the Tritons to a state final in 2020.
Harvey Sarajian, Naples
The 2023 Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year was elite with the Golden Eagles, scoring 23 goals with 12 assists to help Naples finish as state runners-up in 2023. Sarajian starred at Georgia Southern and Wake Forest before being drafted fifth overall by Orlando City SC in the MLS SuperDraft in 2025.
Damian Vincent, Fort Myers
Was the 1999 News-Press Player of the Year after a 30 goal, 13 assist season as a junior to help the Green Wave become Southwest Florida’s first soccer program to secure a state title. Vincent was also named the team MVP.
Chris Welling, Naples
Welling was the only junior in the country selected to play for Team USA’s U-20 National Team in 1995 and lived up to the billing. The forward scored 25 goals despite missing a dozen games and responded by winning the Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year award in 1996, closing out his prep career with 101 goals in a Naples uniform.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: A list of SW Florida’s all-time best boys soccer players. VOTE for No. 1
Reporting by Alex Martin, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
