Former Lake Gibson soccer player Mason Dalton is taking full advantage of the highest level of preprofessional soccer in the United States right here at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland.
His Polk County high school soccer peers are following in his footsteps.
Embarking on the inaugural USL League Two — a USL semiprofessional or preprofessional league for young stars and college athletes to work their way up the pro game — midfielder Dalton, along with former Lake Gibson center back Marcellus McCoy, former Lakeland High right-back Breckin Southern, former Mulberry left-back Chandler Crawshaw and current McKeel goalie Jax Rinaldo are doing their due diligence to make it up the latter to professional level USL League One (the third division soccer nationals behind MLS) and to professional league USL Championship (second division soccer nationals behind MLS).
Together, these former and current Polk County players are part of this nationwide summer league competition May to July that was the same league that the Lakeland Tropics played in from 2017 to 2019. In the bigger picture, though, this league is a program of the UPSL, which has been represented in Polk County the last five years. The UPSL is played year-round, with a full fall season and a full spring season.
In a competitive utopia comprising young stars and college athletes looking to be scouted and grasp that coveted professional contract, Dalton, The Ledger’s 2020 Player of the Year, is a top player on the team. Recently a player for Oral Roberts University (a Division I school), Dalton has led Lakeland United FC to a 3-3-1 record, with the team sitting in third in the South Florida Division, which is made up of six teams in total. And since there’s not a conference tournament and there are just five games to go, the winner of the regular season (12 games) qualifies for the nationals; Fort Lauderdale is at 6-1, while Miami is at 3-1-2.
Still, Dalton said Lakeland United is doing a ton for his development.
“The experience has been something far different then what I’ve experienced on any team. Being back home and being able to represent Lakeland is more than what I could ever ask for. The way we play as a team, keeping the ball and playing a possession-based game has helped my technical side of my game tremendously and my overall performance. After this team the pro path really begins with trials in the U.S. and overseas,” Dalton said.
This isn’t surprising, as Dalton was selected as man of the match in two of the seven games thus far. While his stats aren’t gaudy, the former Lake Gibson player is the superstar of the team. He won’t be returning to college, as he will seek a professional contract soon enough.
Then there is McCoy, who is playing college ball at the University of South Florida. McCoy has started every game for this team so far and has been rock solid on defense.
Southern currently is playing at Eastern Florida State College — an NJCAA Division I school. Locally, he is an option off the bench.
Crawshaw is competing locally at Division II Florida Southern College. For Lakeland, he’s started in a couple of games, while in other games, he’s been a great option off the bench as well.
For Rinaldo, he is a 17-year-old who still plays in high school and is the fifth keeper on Lakeland. Still, he is good enough to play if the team needs him. The plan for Rinaldo is to play two more years to develop him into a player who can eventually compete at a big school in fall of 2028.
Alongside these Polk County players is 22-year-old João Filipe Carvalho, a midfielder from Brazil who has played professionally in Portugal and Spain. He will attend powerhouse Marshall University (NCAA D1) this fall thanks to being Lakeland’s top scorer and the top scorer in the division.
Finally, there is João Victor Almeida, a center back from Brazil who has been the captain for three years now. Almeida is one of the best defenders in the country, as he has been a part of three UPSL titles as a full-time starter.
The vision of Lakeland United and the immediate future
One of the club founders and current Director of Recruitment and Placement Tauan Salgado, who has led the organization to four conference tournament titles in five years, plus one regular-season title, a state championship and a UPSL Final 8 Nationals appearance, has been directly responsible for bringing in this local and international talent. But he said he needs more Polk County soccer studs to stay local and not travel to neighboring cities.
“My feeling about Polk County talent is that here we have way more soccer talent than people give credit to. Too many star players from the county have made their way to clubs in Orlando and/or Tampa area due to a lack of options to stay around at the semiprofessional level. We are working now to change that. Our hope is that all Polk County star soccer players feel comfortable staying in the area throughout the summer league time. This summer, the Polk County talent has been of tremendous importance for us. We will work to double that for next year,” Salgado said.
With the end of the season looming, Lakeland will go on a streak of three away games in June. Then in July, the local program will play the final two games at home at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland on Wednesday, July 8th, and Sunday, July 12th.
For the July 12 game, Lakeland takes on Fort Lauderdale. And if things go in favor of Salgado, the program has a chance at the regular-season title at home.
There will not be an entrance fee if the fans simply sign up for a free ticket online before the game date. There will also be tacos, burgers and water ice available.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: These 5 Polk County soccer players are helping grow Lakeland United FC
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
