Cascadia Dominates USL PDL All-Conference Team

While the Vancouver Whitecaps' academy and development teams may not get all the glitz and glamour of their first-team cohorts and thus may be hidden somewhat from the public eye, there's no hiding the relative talent level in the 'Caps youth ranks. On Tuesday, that was proven true for three members of the Whitecaps' U-23 squad as they were named to one of the four USL PDL all-Conference teams. Defender Derrick Bassi, midfielder Bobby Jhutty and forward Niall Cousens all earned a spot on the Western Conference team, joining a contingent of Cascadian team selections (eight, to be exact). If that wasn't enough British Columbia content for you, the other half of the Salish Sea Derby - the Western Conference-champion Victoria Highlanders FC - sent two players to the all-Conference team, defender Tyler Hughes and forward Brett Levis.

Rounding out the Cascadian corps were two members of the Portland Timbers U-23, goalkeeper David Meves and midfielder Zach Barnes, and Chris Brundage of the Seattle Sounders U-23. The Southwest Division champions, the Fresno Fuego, made up the remaining three spots on the all-Western team with defender Trevor Spurgeon, midfielder Paul Islas and forward Tyler Reinhart. All told, it's a good showing for not just the 'Caps and not just B.C., but for the whole Northwest Division - arguably one of, if not the, toughest division in the PDL.

Looking at the other all-Conference teams, there's a healthy dose of Canadian content across the league. The all-Eastern Conference team features three members of the Ottawa Fury, while the all-Central Conference team has five(!) representatives from Canadian teams split among WSA Winnipeg, Forest City London and the Thunder Bay Chill.

The all-League team will be announced on Wednesday, July 31st, with the PDL semi-finals taking place on Friday, August 2nd. The championship game takes place on Sunday, August 4th.

2013 PDL All-Conference Teams

Eastern Conference

GK – Chad Bush, Ottawa Fury
D – Shaun Foster, Ottawa Fury
D – Damion Lowe, Reading United AC
D – Gilbert Manier, GPS Portland Phoenix
D – Hugh Roberts, Baltimore Bohemians
MF – Brandt Bronico, Carolina Dynamo
MF – Brayan Martinez, Jersey Express
MF – Jason Plumhoff, Reading United AC
F – Peter Caringi, Baltimore Bohemians
F – Carl Haworth, Ottawa Fury
F – Dwayne Reid, Ocean City Nor’easters

Central Conference

GK – Tyson Farago, WSA Winnipeg
D – Brandon Fricke, Des Moines Menace
D – Tyler Hemming, Forest City London
D – Nolan Intermoia, Thunder Bay Chill
D – Axel Sjoberg, Thunder Bay Chill
MF – Bryan Ciesiulka, Chicago Fire PDL
MF – Jordan Green, Kansas City Brass
MF – Matt Walker, Michigan Bucks
F – Moses Danto, WSA Winnipeg
F – Oliver Gore, Real Colorado Foxes
F – Zach Steinberger, Michigan Bucks

Western Conference

GK – David Meves, Portland Timbers U-23
D – Derrick Bassi, Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23
D – Chris Brundage, Seattle Sounders FC U-23
D – Tyler Hughes, Victoria Highlanders FC
D – Trevor Spurgeon, Fresno Fuego
MF – Zach Barnes, Portland Timbers U-23
MF – Paul Islas, Fresno Fuego
MF – Bobby Jhutty, Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23
F – Niall Cousens, Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23
F – Brett Levis, Victoria Highlanders FC
F – Tyler Reinhart, Fresno Fuego

Southern Conference

GK – Devin Cook, Austin Aztex
D – Taian de Souza, Panama City Beach Pirates
D – Max Gunderson, Austin Aztex
D – Walter Kromholz, Houston Dutch Lions
D – Felipe Souza, Laredo Heat
MF – Itode Fubara, Orlando City U23
MF – Jack McVey, VSI Tampa Bay FC
MF – Antonio Rocha, Austin Aztex
F – Adam Black, Oklahoma City FC
F – Tyler Blackwood, Orlando City U23
F – Krystopher Tyrpak, Austin Aztex

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Rituro is a freelance nerd, sports fan and avid gamer. Feel free to throw a tweet his way and follow @ThatRituroGuy.