Welcome to another installment of Players to Watch Regional Top 20s. Today we’re in another soccer hotspot, New York, for a look at the area’s best 2012 boys. Here’s who made the cut:

Albertson SC’s Donovan Fraser is an explosive outside midfielder who has gained recognition as a member of Region I ODP pool. He’s extremely athletic and aggressive, and will soon be scoring goals at the Division I college level.

Richard Robinson is a center midfielder with great dribbling skills and the ability to take on defenders one-on-one. He’s at his best going forward, and he likes to shoot on goal. He suffered a broken foot in February that will keep him out for most of March, but he’ll be a force come the Academy playoffs in the summer.

Dakota Edwards is an athletic center back with great speed and one-on-one defensive skills. He has a great work ethic, and as Albertson’s captain, he’s comfortable as a leader.

Ryan Cupolo is another center back who reads the game very well and is an excellent all-around defender.  

Mark Kramarchuk of B/W Gottschee is a very intelligent center back with good size. He’s got great positioning, is very strong on the tackle, and organizes his defense with confidence.

David Amiranashvili, in his first year with Gottschee, is a gifted playmaker in the central midfield. He’s got great composure and technique, and he can thread the needle feeding forwards with deadly through balls. He doesn’t get caught in possession, keeps the ball moving and always finds an open teammate. He’s extremely quick, and though he doesn’t possess great size, he is a physically tough competitor.

Tarek Beckles is a solid central midfielder with very good passing skills. He had a stint with the U17 National Team and is very good going forward, but he has room to improve his defensive skills.

Daniel Muys, who will transfer to Gottschee in the spring from the Manhattan Kickers, is a forward with a nose for the goal. He’s difficult to mark because he has great pace, he’s feisty and he finds soft spots in the defense. His family is from France, so he will soon need to decide whether he wants to play his soccer in France or the U.S.  

Liam Callahan of Empire United is a left-footed left back who loves to get forward and initiate counterattacks. He is very aggressive and tackles with strength and decisiveness.

Alex Bono, Empire’s goalkeeper, is a hard-working competitor with great size and athleticism who excels at picking crosses out of the air. In his first year in the Academy, he has given up only two goals all season.

Alex Kapp of Westchester FC is another outstanding goalkeeper. He doesn’t yet possess ideal size, but he is a very cerebral player who reads the game better than anyone in his age group. His high “soccer IQ” gives him great positioning and the ability to manage the game from the back. He is capable of making the most difficult saves appear routine.

Cesar Ceja is a fiery forward who loves to beat people off the dribble. He’s got great technical ability and is very quick and aggressive. He’s a member of the U17 National Team pool who spent his winter break training with the Mexican professional club Tigres.     

Ian Robinson is a strong center back who is very smooth on the ball. He is tactically aware and has a great sense of calm under pressure that rubs of on his teammates.

Steven Arraiano is a left midfielder with tremendous untapped potential. He has great pace and a good touch on the ball, and occasionally shows flashes of brilliance. He needs to improve his tactical awareness, but a player with his raw skills is rare.

For Met Oval, Matias Ruiz is a play-making central midfielder who has all the tools to succeed at the next level. His technical skills, his powerful shot, his high work-rate and his great leadership qualities are getting attention from many Division I colleges in the New York area. 

John Villantoy is an experienced player who is equally comfortable playing in the midfield or defense. He has struggled with nagging injuries recently, but he is a player with excellent vision who excels in the short passing game by keeping the ball on the ground.   

Manhattan SC is a non-Academy club that has recruited very well and has three standouts who made this list.

Julian Gilbey is a forward with a scorching shot. He scores, but he also distributes well with both feet and has great technique. He has great vision and is a very tactically intelligent player who plays at a consistently high level.  

Davon Aruz is a versatile player with great pace who is adept attacking and defending along either wing. He is smart and plays exuberant, playground-style soccer.

Luca Quinn is Manhattan SC’s captain and center back. He is technically sound, is a master organizer and communicates the game very well to his teammates.