Penn men’s soccer program announces Class of 2028, featuring 7 recruits
PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men’s soccer James C. Gentle Head Coach Brian Gill announced the addition of Marco Bottene, Aidan Coffey, Romeo Dahlen, Carter Feinman, Aiden Frick, Tim Shine and Patrick Weir to the program.
“I would like to thank both Steve and Matt for their efforts through this recruiting cycle,” said Gill. “We are excited about the steps the team took together during the Spring and look forward to adding these players into our returning group.”
The class of 2028 is made up of two defenders, two forwards, a pair of midfielders, and a goalkeeper.
“As we close out this academic year, we are graduating important players and key personalities from the program,” Gill went on. “Over the past year, the coaching staff worked hard to identify players that we felt could address our positional needs and positively contribute to our environment.”
This group of seven will come together with the 23 returning players on the team as they open the 2024 season at home against Pitt on September 1.
Marco Bottene
Midfield
Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Loyola and Mira Costa High Schools (Beach FC ECNL)
Club/Academy: Joined Beach FC ECNL in 2020 … Ranked in the TopDrawerSoccer IMG Academy Top 150 … ECNL All-American in 2023 … ECNL First Team All-Conference in 2021, 2022, and 2023 … ECNL National Selection Game in 2021 and 2022.
High School: Played varsity soccer four years at Loyola (2020-21) and Mira Costa (2022-23) high schools … Made it to the CIF Southern Section Finals in 2020 with Loyola … Won the Mission League Championship in 2020 and 2021 with Loyola … First Team All-Bay League in 2021 at Loyola … Was captain of his team senior year at Mira Costa … Won the Bay League Championship in 2022 and 2023 with Mira Costa … First Team All-Mission league in 2022 with Mira Costa … Bay League Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 at Costa … All-CIF SS Open Division his senior year with Mira Costa.
Personal: Son of Monique and Alberto Bottene … Cousin Max swam at Yale … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.
Why Penn? “I chose the University of Pennsylvania because of it has one of the most prestigious business schools in the world and a highly competitive soccer program across the nation.”
Coach Gill on Marco: “Over the last few years, we’ve watched Marco play for Beach FC at various ECNL events and lead his team to the playoffs. He is a player that has a lot of dynamic qualities that we like in a versatile attacking player. Marco has the ability to be dangerous in the final 1/3 on the dribble, in combination, or looking to go to goal himself. We are excited to start working with his skillsets and see how he develops in our environment.”
Aidan Coffey
Goalkeeper
New York, N.Y.
The Clinton School (BW Gottschee Academy)
Club/Academy: Joined the BW Gottschee Academy in 2018 … MLS Next Northeast cup finalist in 2022 and 2023 … Led team to MLS Next playoffs in 2022 with 14 clean sheets in 23 games … Trained and played with Fleetwood Town FC U18 Academy in 2022.
Personal: Son of Esther and Frank Coffey … Father Frank played rugby at the University College Galway, Ireland … Will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Why Penn? “Penn was always a dream school for me. During my first visit, I immediately felt it was a place where I could succeed. While interacting with the coaches and players, I felt a strong connection to the team’s culture and that I could fit in well with their style of play. Penn also provides me with the opportunity to earn a world-class education that will allow me to maximize my potential. I am very excited to continue to grow as a student-athlete, as well as contribute to the team’s continued pursuit of success.”
Coach Gill on Aidan: “In preparing for Nick’s graduation, we felt that it was important to add another goalkeeper into the group to join David and Phil. Aidan is a keeper that we’ve had a chance to evaluate in various competitions over the years with his BW Gottschee team. He has a solid feel for the demands of the position and a high soccer IQ. Our staff feels if Aidan utilizes the resources around him, he can improve quickly.”
Romeo Dahlen
Forward
Greenwich, Conn.
IMG Academy
Club/Academy: Joined the IMG Academy in 2021 … IMG Cup champions in 2021 and 2023 … MVP of IMG Academy U19 MLS Next 2022-23 … Selected for All-Star game at NAC Championships.
Personal: Son of Camilla and Johan Dahlen … Will enroll in the College of Art and Sciences.
Why Penn? “I chose Penn because I am excited to study at the university and look forward to being part of a great soccer program with amazing coaches and players.”
Coach Gill on Romeo: “Romeo is an instinctive attacking athlete who can play in a few different positions along the front line. It has been exciting to watch him become one of the top goal scorers for his IMG Academy team over the years, and now playing abroad in Sweden. We are excited to have Romeo joining us because his desire to get into good spots and create chances will diversify our attacking options within the group.”
Carter Feinman
Defense
San Diego, Calif.
La Jolla County Day (San Diego Surf ECNL)
Club/Academy: Started with the San Diego Surf ECNL in 2019 … Named captain in the 2022 season … Surf Cup Man City champions in 2022 and 2023 … Was a Dallas Cup finalist in 2021 … ECNL Champions in 2022 … Joined the San Diego Loyal USL Academy in 2022 … Called up to train with San Diego Loyal first team in the USL Championship.
Personal: Son of Jessica and Michael Feinman … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.
Why Penn? “I chose Penn due to its combination of a great soccer program and elite academics. When deciding where to go, the culture and standards of excellence held by the athletes and coaches made it clear that Penn was the perfect fit for me. I am looking forward to helping push the team in the direction of many more Ivy League Championships.”
Coach Gill on Carter: “Carter is coming to Philly from San Diego, where he has played for the well-known Surf Soccer Club. We had the chance to see him play with his team as well as work with him in our ID Camp. Carter is an honest, fit, hardworking, and competitive defender that we feel will fit well into our group of outside backs while being a positive influence in the Penn community.”
Aiden Frick
Midfield
Waukesha, Wis.
Shattuck-St. Mary’s Faribault
Club/Academy: Played for the Chicago Fire Academy for four years … Joined Shattuck-St. Mary’s Faribault in the fall of 2022 … MLS U19 Player to Watch … TopDrawerSoccer Featured Player to Watch … Youth Soccer Central Player to Watch … Southeast Asian Talent Featured Player … Two-time Futsal National Champion in 2019 and 2023 … 2024 MLS Flex Group Winner … 2024 MLS Next Cup playoff qualifier.
Personal: Son of Anne and Dane Frick … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.
Why Penn? “I knew Penn would be the best place for me to further both my athletic and academic aspirations.”
Coach Gill on Aiden: “We have seen the benefit of having central midfielders in the program that value the importance of the defensive side of the game while balancing it with the ability to link play going forward. Aiden is a player that has technical skillsets, which should translate well into our group. Throughout his youth career, he has been in good academy setups at Chicago Fire and Shattuck Saint Mary’s. As he gets more time in this environment, we are hopeful that his personality and understanding of our values in the game will come in line so that he can reach his full potential.”
Tim Shine
Forward
Newtown, Mass.
Newton South High School (Boston Bolts)
Club/Academy: Joined the Boston Bolts in 2020 … 2023 MLS Next Northeast Division League winner … 2023 MLS Next Cup U17 playoffs qualifier … 2023 National Academy Championships … 2023 U17 All-Star Team … 2022 MLS Next Cup U16 playoffs qualifier … U15 and U16 US Soccer Youth National Team Regional ID Centers.
Personal: Son of Lily Eng Shine and Matthew Shine … Will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Why Penn? “I chose Penn because I really like the team and coaching staff. The whole culture is something I want to be a part of. I’m also excited for the learning opportunities that Penn offers.”
Coach Gill on Tim: “During the recruiting cycle, Tim was a player that kept growing on us as a staff in each of the games we had a chance to see him play. We enjoyed learning more about his game and personality. Tim has quite a few physical tools in his game to develop, as well as a natural feel in the wide areas. We are looking forward to getting him in with our group to see how he will give us a different attacking dimension.”
Patrick Weir
Defense
Ramsey, N.J.
Ramsey High School (STA ECNL)
Club/Academy: Joined STA ECNL in 2019 … 2022 National Selection Game … 2023 First Team All-Northeast Conference.
High School: Played four years of varsity soccer and was a two-time captain at Ramsey High School … Won the NJ Group 2 State Championship in 2023 … Won the first Bergen County State Championship in school history … Won the NJ Group 2 North 1 Section Championship and the Big North Patriot League Division all four years of high school … 2023 US Soccer Coaches All-American … 2023 High School All-American game participant … 2023 All-State … 2022 NJSIAA First Team … North 1 Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023 … 2023 NJ.com Group 2 First Team … 2023 NJ.com Defensive Player of the Year … Big North Conference Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023 … 2023 Patriot Division Player of the Year.
Personal: Son of Cindy and Kevin Weir … Brother Matthew plays football at Fordham … Will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Why Penn? “Penn has all of the factors I was looking for in a university. An elite soccer program with coaches who will allow me to grow into the best version of myself, a world-class education, and an optimal location in a great city. The team culture and familial bond stood out to me, and I’m excited to join the program and help be part of the future championships.”
Coach Gill on Patrick: “We have been able to see Patrick play quite a bit with both his STA ECNL and Ramsey high school teams over the last couple of seasons. Patrick has a lot of qualities that can translate well on the field as a center back in our program. He is also someone who has shown to be comfortable in leadership roles within his previous groups, which could prove to be his greatest strength.”
