Temple men’s soccer adds 14 members to 2021 roster

Gyuwon “Josh” is a 5-8 forward from Lynchburg, Va. He was born in Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Lynchburg, Virgnia. He then moved to the Kansas City area in 2013 where he graduated from North Kansas City High School. Josh has spent the majority of his recent soccer career in the Sporting KC system. He has played for the U-15, U-17 and U-19 squads, tallying 11 goals. Josh enrolled in Temple early in the winter of 2021 but did not see the field. He plans to major in finance at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Gyuwon “Josh” joined our program last spring from MLS academy club Sporting Kansas City. Josh is a technical player who can play a number of positions in central and wide midfield. He integrated very well with the team this past Spring, and we expect him to be competing to play from the first day of preseason.”

Tessho is 5-6 forward hailing from the Kanagama prefecture of Japan. He spent the last two years attending soccer powerhouse Clubmed Academy in Port St. Lucie, Florida where he led the team in assists in back-to-back seasons. As a sophomore, Tessho trained with the Yokohama FC, in the first division of J-League. He also played with the Treasure Coast Tritons of USL2 last summer alongside other Temple student-athletes. Tessho plans to major in Business at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Tessho is a very exciting player joining us from Japan by way of Club Med Academy/Florida FC. Tessho is a true box to box midfield player who is extremely technical and can make players around him better with his passing range, and ideas on the ball. We fully expect Tessho to have a great career at Temple, and also to compete right away within our talented midfield core.”

Luka is a 6-1 defender from Cliffside Park, N.J.. Luka spent the last four years attending Cliffside Park High School. He scored four goals and picked up three assists in only five games during his senior season. At the club level he played for Cedar Stars Academy. Luka also has experience internationally, training with the Serbian and Mexican National teams. Off the field he has volunteered to help feed the homeless and assisted in helping the victims of the 2019 Puerto Rican earthquake. In the classroom he has thrived, placing on the Honor Roll ten times during his high school academic career. Luka is fluent in English, Serbo-Croatian and Spanish. He is undecided on his major at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Luka is a defender who joins us from Cedar Stars Academy. He is a very gifted technical player who also has physical presence on the field. He will compete right away in a couple of positions, and we expect big things from him during his career at Temple.”

Chris is a 6-2 defender from Unionville, Ontario. A dynamic and versatile player, Chris starred for one of the top clubs in Ontario in Vaughn Azzurri. In the classroom Chris earned a spot on the Ontario honor roll. He plans to major in finance at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Chris comes to Temple from Vaughn Soccer Club in Toronto, and is a high-level Center Back prospect. Chris possesses all the skills of a modern center-back; technical ability, passing range, aerial ability, and tactical awareness. We expect Chris to compete right away with our other defenders, as well as continuing to grow here over his career.”

Daniel “Danny” is a 5-11 midfielder from Shirley, N.Y. and graduated from William Floyd High School in 2020. He has played for some of the top developmental clubs in the US, including the New York Cosmos, NYCFC U17 youth academy, Orlando City youth academy U19, and has trained with Orlando City B. Danny was an early enrollee with Temple last semester. He is undecided on his major at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Danny joined our program this past spring, and immediately showed his quality as central midfield player in our system. He has a great development background having played for MLS academies at both NYCFC and Orlando City. Danny is a smart tactical player, who knows how to build our attack and be anchor in midfield defensively.”

Alex is a 6-1 defender from Unionville, Pa. and graduated from Unionville High School in 2021. He helped lead Unionville to three straight conference championships and the 2018 Pennsylvania state semi-finals. Alex was named first-team All-State as a senior in addition to being awarded first-team All-Region and All-Conference honors. He also took the field for local club Penn Fusion where he led the club to an ECNL victory and a Disney Cup title.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Alex is a very talented Center back who joins from local club Penn Fusion. Alex has all the skill to be a top college defender, and we expect him to push to get in our line up right away.”

Xavier is a 5-11 forward from Ajax, Ontario. He an elite athlete, winning Pickering High School’s Cross Country MVP award three times and claiming Pickering’s “Athlete of the Year Award” three times as well. Xavier suited up for Vaughn Soccer Club, one of the top clubs in Ontario. He has spent time training overseas in England and France and has represented his province while playing for Ontario’s U-15 squad.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Xavier also joins us from Vaughn Soccer club in Toronto, and is another in a long line of pro prospects from their organization. Xavier is dynamic player who can create from the dribble, as well as score his own goals. We expect Xavier to compete right away with our very exciting attacking group.”

Tyquan is 5-9 midfielder from Elkton, Md. and comes to Temple from Mount Saint Joseph’s High School. As a senior he was named the 2020-21 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. As a junior Tyquan was awarded MIAA “A” All-Conference, second-team All-Metro, and Maryland All-State honorable mention. He scored 24 goals and passed for 33 assists during his high school career. He played for Baltimore Celtic 03 club, the club claimed three national championships during his time with them. Off the field Tyquan maintained a B plus average and has volunteered at local homeless shelters and food banks.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Tyquan joins us from Maryland and the Baltimore Celtic soccer club. Ty is an athletic and technical player, who can play a few positions in midfield. Tyquan was recently named the Gatorade player of the Year for the state of Maryland, and we expect him to be a big player for our program during his career at Temple.”

Marques is a 6-1 defender from Montreal, Quebec and comes to the Owls as a Junior from the University of Maryland. He appeared in six matches making three starts with the Terps as a freshman, he did not play last season due to injury. Prior to his collegiate career Marques starred with the Montreal Impact Academy, playing in 14 matches with the U-18/U-17 squad. He has also spent time with the United State Soccer Development Academy where he played in 30 matches, scoring two goals.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “We are excited to welcome Marques to Temple. He is an experienced defender, and a leader who will help our team immediately. Marques possesses the athletic ability along with technical skill, that will allow him to fit into our style of play, and help our team both in the attacking phase, as well as defensively.”

Kemali is a 6-2 midfielder from Philadelphia who joins Temple from nearby Lock Haven University. While Lock Haven he made name for himself, having earned second team All-Conference honors in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Kemali racked up one goal and two assists while at Lock Haven. At the club level he played for the Philadelphia Union academy and trained with Bethlem Steel. Kemali attended YSC Academy for high school alongside other players on the Temple roster and has represented Jamaica at the U-15 and U-17 levels. He plans to major in sports administration at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Kemali is a local product who developed his game at the Philadelphia Union academy. Kemali brings a great blend of athletic and technical ability to our team, and will help raise our midfield level right away.”

Kyle is a 5-11 midfielder from Nashville, TN who has spent his last two seasons at American University. He was a key facilitator with the Eagles during his senior year. Kyle’s three assists tied for the team lead, while his seven points were good for second on the squad. He had a strong showing in the NCAA tournament with American, finding his teammates for two assists in their first-round game against Jacksonville. Prior to American he attended East Tennessee State for two years. Kyle was named to the 2017 All-Tennessee high school team. He is working towards a Master of Science in Financial Analysis.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Kyle is a great addition to our team, and can compete in a number of positions this upcoming season. Kyle has a lot of college games under his belt, and is a versatile player that can impact our team in a variety of positions. Kyle possesses the athletic ability and technical skill to fit into our team and raise our overall level from his first practice.”

Yann is 6-0 forward from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He was born in the Ivory Coast, but attended high school in Gaithersburg, Md. at Watkins Mill High School. Yann spent his first two seasons with Mount St Mary’s. He led the Mountaineers last season in both points (18) and goals (9). Yann was awarded NEC Player of the Week five times for his efforts. In his senior year of high school, he was awarded All-Maryland and All-Metro honors while leading Watkins Mill in goals. Yann also played for the Baltimore Celtic soccer club where he helped the team to the 2016 and 2018 state cup and 2018 national championship. He is fluent in French in addition to English. Yann plans to major in psychology at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “We are excited to welcome Yann to Temple, and know that he will add a lot of attacking qualities to our group. Yann has proven he can score at the D1 level, and we know he is motivated to make an impact in our program right away.”

Chaim is a 5-11 forward from Toronto, Ontario who comes to Temple as a junior via Florida Tech University. He never got the chance to suit up for Tech due the season being cancelled due the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to Florida Tech Chaim attended JuCo Eastern Florida State College, during his season at EFSC he set the single-season assist record and was voted team MVP. Prior to college Chaim spent time training in Spain with several clubs, including La Nucia B, where he scored six goals in 14 matches. He has spent time on the senior international team for Saint Lucia. Chaim plans to major in accounting at Temple.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Chaim is an exciting and dynamic player that we expect to have an immediate impact in our team. Chaim is very comfortable in a couple of attacking positions, and will mesh very well with our current attacking players.”

Spencer is a 5-11 defender from nearby Yardley, Pa. He comes to Temple as a graduate student from the University of Virginia. Spencer started five games for the Cavaliers in 2020-21. He played 24 games during Virginia’s 2019 national championship season. He scored four goals in 2019 including the game-winner in the NCAA tournament against Campbell. Spencer was named to the ACC academic honor roll in 2018. In high school Patton starred for La Salle. He was awarded 2016 Pennsylvania Player of the Year and Philadelphia Catholic League MVP, as well as being named 2016 Mid-Atlantic First Team All-American. He working towards M.S. in Business Analytics.

Quote from Coach Rowland: “Spencer is a proven winner so far in the college game, and we are excited to welcome him back home to Pennsylvania. Spencer brings a high level technical skillset that will help him settle into our group right away. Additionally, he is a competitor who will raise the level of our team both on and off the field.”