The United Soccer Coaches (USC) organization announced a Players to Watch list ahead of the 2022 NCAA Division I season. Five former SIMA Eagles were featured in the article: from anchors in the back line, all the way to the goal scorers up top. Here are five players. 

Hamady Diop: A key player for Clemson(m)'s National Championship run as a fullback and center back last year, apart from playing all 90 minutes in the National Championship vs. the University of Washington, Diop made 20 appearances for the Tigers and started in all 20 games last season. In those 20 games he recorded three goals and three assists and by the end of the season earned himself Second-Team All-ACC and All-South Region honors for the 2021-22 season.

Jackson Walti: Walti captained the Pittsburgh(m) Panthers last fall and is back for another season in his fifth year. The Swiss midfielder started in all 20 games for the Panthers last year where he recorded over 1,800 minute, leading all non-goalkeepers at Pitt. In those 20 games, Walti got himself a goal and two assists while also earning United Soccer Coaches South All-Region Second Team honors, All-ACC Second Team honors, All-ACC Academic Team honors and the prestigious 2022 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

Ousmane Sylla:  After arriving in early January, Ousmane Sylla was also a key player for Clemson(m) in their National Championship run. The midfielder played 68 minutes against Washington in the title triumph. During the 2021 season, Sylla started in 13 of his 21 appearances for the Tigers where he recorded five goals and seven assists in over 1,300 minutes played. At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Sylla earned himself Second-Team All-ACC and All-South region honors for his great performances. 

Peter Mangione: The forward was a fundamental part of Penn State(m)'s offense a year ago. Mangione started 20 out 21 games for the Nittany Lions' 2021-22 season. In those 21 appearances, Mangione recorded seven goals and four assists while also earning many honors in the Big Ten conference such as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Big Ten First Team honors, and Big Ten All Academic Honors. Mangione also received a nod from United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Team. 

Lucca Dourado: During the 2021 season, Dourado was the marksman for UCF. The former Eagle started in 15 of his 16 appearances for the Knights and was able to score a whopping 13 goals with six of them being game-winners. The forward was ranked first in the AAC and 10th nationally with only 16 games played. Dourado's great performances earned him Second Team All-East region, Unanimous First Team All-Conference honors and the American's All-Tournament Team.

The complete list is here.