John ‘Xuxuh’ Hilton is the top player in the IMG Academy Boys Top 150 Player for the Class of 2019. The LA Galaxy Academy defender struggled to find a home in 2016, but he has landed back on his feet with his hometown club and is regarded as the top prospect for this class. Hilton has some company at the top though. 

Recent FC Dallas Homegrown signing Jesus Ferreira is the second played to earn a five-star rating for this class. The talented forward checks in at No. 2 in the updated rankings, which were released on Monday for the winter 2017 edition. Ferreira has been a stud for the FC Dallas youth teams for a long time and he continues to improve with each season. 

Taylor Booth checks in as No. 3 in the updated list for the Boys class of 2019. Booth, who has drawn interest from Europe, has been in the picture with the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team. The center midfielder looks to be one of the best players to come out of Utah in some time. 

Outside of the headliners from this class, there were a number of new players to join the IMG Academy Top 150 in this edition. There were 20 players who made the cut who did not previously factor into the list. Santa Barbara Soccer Club defender Julian Araujo was the big mover in this class, as the U.S. U16 Boys National Team starter earned the spot at No. 17 after not being ranked in the fall update. Utah standout Ben Ortiz (La Roca FC) also made a big leap in the rankings. Ortiz checks in at No. 20 in this update after being unranked in the previous updates. 

The IMG Academy Top 150 Players is complied with the help of coaches and scouts across the country. TopDrawerSoccer takes into account the feedback from various experts in the club soccer world before releasing the list of the best players for each high school class. For more information about the rankings, please email rankings@topdrawersoccer.com. 

If you are interested in being seen by the TopDrawerSoccer scouts, attend one of our Unsigned Showcases. 

Check out the 2017 winter update for the IMG Academy Boys Top 150 Players for the Class of 2019.