FIVE NPSL ALUMNI SIGN WITH MLS TEAMS
Five NPSL alumni have signed with MLS teams as Homegrown Players. Bradley Bourgeois joined the Houston Dynamo, while Brandon Allen, Chris Thorsheim, Mael Corboz, and Scott Thomsen each came to terms with the New York Red Bulls.
Bourgeois was a four-year letterwinner at Tulsa University and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. He was then named Tulsa’s Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years, culminating in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year while leading Tulsa to its second straight conference tournament championship. Bourgeois started all 81 games in his career with the Golden Hurricane, tallying seven goals and one assist while leading the defense to 25 shutouts.
The Cypress, TX native was a mainstay at center back for the Tulsa Athletics in 2014, starting and playing in 12 league matches. He played 90 minutes in a U.S. Open Cup loss to the OKC Energy, logged 90 minutes against CF Monterrey, and started against his hometown Houston Dynamo U-23’s. He chipped in a goal and an assist over the course of the campaign. Bourgeois started and played in seven matches for the Athletics in 2015, a season that was cut short due to injury.
Allen, Thorsheim, Corboz, and Thomsen join the Red Bulls after successful collegiate careers. Allen was a four-year starter at Georgetown, while Thorsheim was a standout player in the Patriot League at Bucknell. Corboz spent two seasons at Rutgers before transferring to Maryland, where he captained the Terrapins as a senior in 2015, and Thomsen helped Virginia to a national championship during his four years at UVA.
Allen, a native of Old Bridge, NJ, amassed 50 goals and 17 assists at Georgetown in 91 appearances, including 90 starts. Allen, one of three finalists for the 2015 MAC Hermann award as college soccer’s best player, finished his career as the Hoyas’ all-time leading scorer. Allen was a unanimous choice for First Team All-Big East honors in 2015, his fourth-consecutive All-BIG EAST honor and his third-consecutive nod to the first team, as the Hoyas claimed the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles. Allen is also a three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American. The MAC Hermann award winner will be announced in January.
Allen has also represented the United States at youth international levels. He scored three goals in three games for Clarkstown Eagles SC in 2015. He spent further time in the NPSL with the New York Red Bulls U-23s from 2011-2013.
Thorsheim, who hails from Manalapan, NJ, was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List in the lead up to the 2015 season, his senior season at Bucknell. He started all 18 matches for the Bison this year, finishing fourth in the Patriot League in points, and fifth in both goals and assists. He totaled 80 career games for Bucknell with 20 goals and 18 assists. He was a three-time All-Patriot League honoree, including back-to-back nods to the First Team.
Thorsheim was a member of the unbeaten 2014 Red Bulls U-23 team that won the NPSL National Championship.
Corboz, a Green Brook, NJ native, had two standout seasons at Maryland after transferring from Rutgers. As a junior in 2014, he earned honors as the Big Ten Tournament’s offensive MVP, and led the league with 10 goals in 22 games. As a senior, he led the league with 12 assists, tied for fifth-most in the nation. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten after both seasons.
Corboz was also part of the Red Bulls’ U-23 team that captured the NPSL title in 2014.
Thomsen, from Brick, N.J., played 66 career matches for Virginia, including 56 starts as both a midfielder and defender. He battled injuries his senior season which limited him to playing five games, but was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. In past years, he earned ACC All-Academic Men’s Soccer Team honors twice, made the ACC Academic Honor Roll three times and won the NCAA Championship in 2014. Thomsen finished his college career with three goals and 18 assists, leading his team in helpers during his freshman and junior years.
Thomsen also spent summers with the Red Bulls U-23s, winning the NPSL title in 2014.
