Central defender Callum Montgomery, so sleek and agile in patrolling the back line for the Victoria Highlanders, hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed.
The star with NCAA power Carolina-Charlotte leads the Highlanders (1-1) into a doubleheader weekend against the Calgary Foothills (3-1), tonight and Sunday at Centennial Stadium, after having made the Premier Development League top-50 prospects list this week.
Montgomery鈥檚 No. 18 rankings is no small thing, considering the PDL is considered the top amateur developmental soccer league in North America, with nearly 70 per cent of MLS draft picks since 2010 having PDL experience. There are 72 PDL teams spread across the continent in four conferences and 10 divisions.
There are 220 players who have played in the PDL on 2017 MLS rosters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely exciting and motivates me to work harder and keep pushing,鈥� said Montgomery. 鈥淧ro soccer is my goal and I鈥檓 hoping to get to the combine and be drafted.鈥�
Montgomery, the 2016 Highlanders team MVP, is from Nanaimo and a St. Michaels University School graduate who was named to the PDL Western Conference Week 1 all-star team. He is planning on a career in medicine off the pitch.
鈥淐allum is on the radar and he has earned every accolade because he has put in the time and effort to improve his game,鈥� said Highlanders head coach Dave Dew.
Striker Darwin Espinal of the South Florida Surf is the top-ranked prospect out of the PDL for 2017 on the list.
Meanwhile, Calgary will prove a tough nut to crack this weekend. The Foothills went all the way to the PDL championship game last year before losing to the Michigan Bucks.
The Foothills roster features several players from Len Vickery鈥檚 U Sports national champion University of Alberta Golden Bears. 鈥淐algary is one of the top teams we will have to contend with,鈥� Dew said.
鈥淲e have only allowed two goals in two games, so we have to stay sound defensively. But we need to possess the ball better.鈥�
The weekend doubleheader against Calgary could prove pivotal in the Northwest Division tables in the 14-game season.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 critical yet because it鈥檚 so early in the season, but when we look back, we could point to this weekend as having an impact on the standings,鈥� Dew said.
