Welcome again to Players To Watch. Here are the Top 20 Northeastern boys of 2012:

Felix Debona is a dangerous attacker for the Academy’s New England Revolution. He has great speed, technical ability and an accurate and powerful shot that set him apart from most of the region’s strikers. He has netted a team-best seven goals for the Revolution so far this season.

Mitchell Taintor is a center back who acts as a safety net for the Revolution defense. He is a strong tackler and a ball-winner in the air; his defensive positioning is outstanding and he reads the game very well. He can also distribute the ball out of the back with patience with either foot.

Devin Devoy is a player who burst onto the scene as a National Team player in the U14 and U15 pools by using his superior athletic ability to toy with opposing defenses. Since then the competition has gotten better, and he has adjusted his game by improving his passing and tactical awareness. His play isn’t as flashy as it was two years ago, but he is more mature and a better player because of it.

Daniel Tchen is versatile and can play anywhere in the defense or central midfield. He is a strong player with a good left foot, and his defensive tenacity and technical ability are impressive.

Jesse Wasserman of Oakwood SC is a tough defender who can play inside or outside with equal skill. He wins balls in the air, tackles with strength, reads the game well and communicates assignments to his teammates. He was in the U14 National Team pool, and is a current captain of Connecticut’s ODP team.

Mac Steeves of FC Greater Boston is a prototypical target forward. At 6’ 2” he wins balls in the air and brings down goal kicks with apparent ease. But he also has very subtle moves for a big player, and he’s not afraid to reach into his bag of tricks. He could be more assertive and communicate better, but he is a lethal goal-scorer.

Sebastian Camacho is a goalkeeper who has yet to allow a goal for his club Beachside SC. He is agile and fearless, and can block shots with the best of them.

Patrick Figgie is a workhorse forward who loves to attack constantly, which results in him scoring a lot of goals. He never stops running and has the tactical knowledge to excel at multiple positions. He is one of the fittest players in his age group.

Michael Broncati is a technically skilled winger with great speed along the sideline. He is very difficult to contain one-on-one.

Forward Jeff Cohen is one of Beachside’s leading scorers. He is very fast and technical, and excels at a variety of positions in the midfield and attack.

Alexander Ferreira of Expos is a forward who excels doing the things that can’t be taught. He is an instinctive player who makes the right runs at the right time, anticipates passes, and knows what he wants to do before he gets the ball. He’s got a nose for the goal, and is one of the more prolific goal-scorers in Eastern Massachusetts.

Ryan Duarte is a savvy central midfielder with a great soccer brain. He is a tactically advanced, technically sound and aggressive player who loves to initiate the attack.

Mark Cassese is a versatile player who is strong anywhere in the defense or midfield. He’s a good defender and has a very strong shot, but he could improve his technical ability and his up-field passing. 

Zach Zurita of South Central Premier is a very quick forward with good dribbling skills and an excellent shot. He is clever and technically advanced, and his creativity with the ball often leaves defenders twisted. He’s scored seven goals already this season.

Abraham Bartoah is another top forward prospect from South Central. He is fast, but he plays a more physical, powerful brand of soccer. He is excellent in the air and has a strong shot, and is right behind his teammate Zurita with six goals this season.

Derrick “Nana” Boateng is a forward for New England Futbol Club. Nana came to the U.S. from Ghana in 2009, and has started turning scouts’ heads already. He has a deadly combination of speed, ball-control and aggressiveness. He’s not big, but he is very strong and is able to muscle past defenders one-on-one, or simply blow by them.

Augusto Trento is a central midfielder who has imported a flashy brand of soccer from his native Brazil. He’s got great foot-skills and the ability to control and distribute the ball in traffic, but he also loves taking people on one-on-one.

Charlie Vallee of Nordic SC is a creative central midfielder who makes everyone around him better. He is technically sound and possesses outstanding vision to involve all his teammates in the attack. He is a student of the game, extremely coachable, and is dangerous with the ball anywhere within 25 yards of the goal. 

Jack Shea is a smart, solid center back with great pace who organizes his defense with confidence. He makes sound decisions with the ball and is strong and decisive in the air. He is a tenacious and very coachable defender, but he’ll need to improve his footwork to rise higher on this list.

Jack Loud is an outside midfielder with amazing pace along the wing. He is ambidextrous, technically sound and has a great work-rate, but he needs to improve his understanding of the game and learn to play with his back to the goal and check back for balls. His tactics are a work in progress, but he has great raw tools.