General | August 2, 2022

Philadelphia, Pa. – The La Salle men's soccer team welcomed 14 new recruits to the 2022 roster, head coach Taylor Thames announced Monday.
 
Among the 14 new additions are Omri Ezra, Simeon Dorsey, Paolo Kampula, Theo Maartensson, Giammarco Rodio, Evan Watt, Valentin Kneis, Andrew Rosenbaum, Drew Blackwell, Americo Pereira, Abris Kelemen, Daniel Smith, Stian Vikse, and Filip Sabatti.
 
Ezra comes to La Salle from Rosh Haayin, Israel. The junior midfielder joins the Explorer squad from FIU. While at FIU, Ezra was a member of a team that was 2021 C-USA Regular Season Champions with a 12-4-1 record and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Wake Forest. He made 13 appearances for FIU.
 
"Omri comes in with a lot of experience from playing in Israel and at FIU," said Thames. "He can play different roles at a high level, giving us great confidence and flexibility in midfield."
 
Dorsey, a freshman, comes to 20^th & Olney from Paoli, Pennsylvania where he attended Conestoga High School. The defender was a member of a Conestoga team that was PIAA 4A State Champions. Individually, Dorsey was recognized as a member of the Central League First Team and received the Conestoga Coaches Award.
 
"Simeon is a tough defender with great technical and physical tools," Thames said." He is an intelligent guy, and we expect him to be competitive right away."
 
Kampula, a Philadelphia native, joins La Salle's defensive squad. The Central High School alum was a member of FC Delco where he scored eight goals and tallied 12 asissts in 25 games during the 2021 season.
 
"Paolo has been an important piece of a successful program at FC Delco," said Coach Thames." He is a player that has great positional and tactical understanding."
 
Maartensson comes to 20^th & Olney from Tomelilla, Sweden. The freshman midfielder won the Eskilcup while he played back in Sweden. Additionally, he was a Skanecupen Champion, scoring two goals in the final and was named the player of the match in that game.
 
"Theo is a hard-working midfielder with great game understanding," said Thames." He's played at a high level throughout his youth career, and we expect him to be effective from day one."

 Rodio comes to La Salle from Rome, Italy. The sophomore forward is transferring from Luiss Guido Carli. While he played for ASD Savio, the Italian was the top scorer for three seasons, averaging 20 goals per season. In 2017 he won the championship with ASD Savio.
 
"Giammarco is a big forward who comes with a lot of pedigree," said Coach Thames." He's going to be a handful for defenders. We can't wait to see him make the most of his physique and talent."
 
Watt is a York, Pennsylvania native and a graduate of Red Lion High School. The freshman defender played for PA Classics MLS Next where he started all 24 games during his U19 season. Watt was selected to the 2022 MLS Next Flex U19 Best XI.
 
"Evan is a high-level center back with unique ability to read the game," Thames said." He's been a leader for a strong PA Classics team, and we expect him to have a great college career."
 
Kneis joins the Explorers from West Chester, Pennsylvania where he played at Henderson High School and served as team captain for his junior and senior seasons. While he played for Penn Fusion U19 ECNL, he scored two goals and played in 16 games in the 2022 season.
 
"Valentin is a strong goalkeeper with great size," said Thames." His fundamentals are solid, and we're excited to have him competing for us."
 
Rosenbaum hails from Wilmington, Delaware and is a recent transfer from the University of South Carolina. The junior midfielder made nine appearances in 2021 for South Carolina.
 
"Andrew is a very capable midfielder who comes with some good college experience," Thames said," We're excited about what he'll be able to contribute to our group."
 
Blackwell, a junior midfielder from Wilmington, Delaware, joins La Salle from the University of New Hampshire. He made eight appearances for the team during 2020 (COVID Season). Blackwell was a member of the America East Conference tournament championship team, and the two-time America East Conference regular season champion team.
 
"Drew is another player coming in with previous college experience," said Coach Thames." He's a talented midfielder who's going to contribute to our attacking creativity."
 
Pereira is a freshman defender from Gyor, Hungary. Pereira, as a part of ETO FC Gyor, was on the third place U17 Hungarian Championship team. In 2020, Pereira was a member of the U19 Hungarian National Championship team.
 
"Americo is a highly talented center back with great experience," mentioned Thames." He has the physical and technical tools to make a great impact to our group."
 
Kelemen is a freshman midfielder from Piliscsaba, Hungary. The midfielder played for UTE Labdarugo Akadeemia while residing in Hungary.
 
"Abris is another creative midfielder player who can play wide or centrally," Thames said." He's a hardworking two-way player who has a bright future."
 
Smith is coming to Philadelphia from Newton, United Kingdom. The freshman defender attended Wigan and Leigh College and was a member of the Wigan Athletic U18 club team. Smith was a U18 national champion with Wigan, as well as a member of the U18 Lancashire Cup champion team.
 
"Daniel is a quick left back who's a tough defender and a willing attacker," said Coach Thames." He comes with a strong background, and we're excited about his ability and potential."
 
Viske comes to La Salle from Haugesund, Norway. He is a freshman midfielder that attended Haugesund High School. While a member of SK Vard he was the player of the year in 2018 and the top scorer in 2020 and 2021.
 
"Stian has a great physical presence alongside unique creativity," Coach Thames said." He's a big talent with a very high ceiling."
 
Sabatti is a freshman goalkeeper from Pula, Croatia. The freshman played for NK Istra 1961 for the U19 team. In 2022, he played 21 games for the U19 team.
 
"Filip is an experienced goalkeeper playing at a high level in Croatia," said Thames." He is brave defending the goal and capable of a big save to win matches."