Here's a (more than a) bit of an update on guys who got mentioned in the last few pages of the thread that I could find the last few days or so.
Max Batchelor played for Bulleen Lions in this season’s NPL 2 Victoria. Batchelor finished second in the Golden Boot for the league, scoring 13 goals, as Bulleen finished fifth out of 12. He also, very much living up to his name, was a contestant on Three’s Heartbreak Island (reality dating show or so), which meant he missed a bit of the start of the season. Batchelor was born in 2000 and is 22 now.
Tyler Bindon has been in the LAFC U17 squad, playing at left centre-back. He has committed to join the University of Washington in the fall 2023 season, which is one of the best college soccer programs in the US, though it will mean he probably won’t be playing MLS Next Pro. UW reached last year’s College Cup final, losing to Clemson. He is ranked as the top 2023 college prospect out of California by PrepSoccer. Bindon was born in 2005 and is 17 now.
Nikola Bugarčić has been playing in Australia the last couple of years, previously at Brisbane Strikers, and this season at Surfers Paradise Apollo, who play in the QPL2 (third tier in Queensland). They secured promotion to next year’s QPL1 and won the league this season, losing only league game all season. He played 10 out of their 22 league matches. Bugarčić was born in 1999 and is 22 now.
Till Estermann is currently in the Neuchatel Xamax U21 squad, who play in the Swiss fourth tier, which is split into three regional leagues of 16 teams each. Through six leagues this season they sit in 8th with nine points. Estermann has played in all six games, starting and playing the full 90 in five. All his starts have been as a left-sided centre back, and he has captained the side in all his starts. He was born in 2003 and is 19 now.
Stephanos Georgiou has joined very recently joined Rheinfelden, after making a solitary appearance for the reserve side of fellow Baden-Württemberg side Teningen at the start of this season. Rheinfelden are in the seventh tier Landesliga 2 Südbaden, one of 10 Landesliga-level leagues in the state (and a couple tiers above Teningen II and tier below Teningen). He has played two matches since joining, and been on the bench for the third, and Rheinfelden sit in 11th of 16, one point above the four relegation spots, through the first six games. Georgiou was born in 2003 and is 19 now.
William Gillingham has played 15 out of Central Valley Fuego FC’s 23 matches (and been an unused substitute in a further seven), and currently sit ninth in the USL League One (third tier). They are also only three points off the final playoff spot with three games in hand. He has made nine starts, all of which have been at centre-back, in his first season out of college soccer. Seven games remain in the regular season for CVF. Gillingham was born in 1998 and is 23 now.
Toby Hunt has made only a single appearance in goal for SV Neuhof in the German fifth tier Hessenliga. He played in the opening league match, a 0-1 home defeat against Hanauer, though has been on the bench for the subsequent eight matches as Neuhof brought in a new keeper from a side relegated from last season’s Regionalliga (fourth tier). Through nine matches Neuhof have 8 points, and currently sit 17th of 20, occupying one of six automatic relegation places. They also have a Second Round Kreispokal Fulda (one of several regional cups within the state of Hessen) tie against an eighth-tier side in the coming days. Hunt was born in 2002 and is 20 now.
Aarun Lim has been on loan at Kirivong Sok Sen Chey, who compete in the eight team Cambodian Premier League, from fellow CPL side Boeung Ket, since June until the end of the season. With four matches left in the season, KSSC sit 12 points adrift in last (one team goes down), but with a goal difference 50 worse than seventh, having only 5 points from 17 games. He has made four starts (all as a defensive midfielder) out of 8 games since joining, and been on the bench for two others. He also received a youth national team call up at some level (not sure which, assume U20). Lim was born in 2003 and is 19 now.
Oscar Obel-Hall has made five appearances for Esbjerg U19s, playing in all their league matches so far, in the top U19 league in Denmark. He has made one start, in a 1-2 defeat to Horsens, where he was replaced on the hour mark. He is yet to score, though he did score in the shootout victory over Silkeborg (as all draws go to penalties), and possibly as well in the shooutout victory over FC København (takers aren’t available for that game). He also played 27 minutes in the opening match for the U21s this past weekend, a 2-1 win over Aarhus, his first appearance at that level. Obel-Hall was born in 2004 and is 18 now.
Riley Peach had still been at the Barcelona Academy he joined in 2019, though, just this week, he joined Club Costa City, a team in Elche, Spain. I’m not sure really what they play in, but it looks to be a club designed to help young players develop holistically. It was set up two years ago by Saúl Ñíguez (Atletico Madrid and Spain player) and his brother and received some notoriety at its launch as it was hyped as Saúl announcing his ‘new club’ so fans thought he was leaving Atletico to a then unnamed club. Peach was born in 2007 and is 15 now.
Luis Toomey started his first game on the weekend for Pallo-Iirot in the Kolmonen, in a 3-0 win over Åbo IFK, who sit in fifth, to keep Pallo-Iirot 13 points clear in first, still unbeaten. He was on the bench for their 0-0 draw the week before, though I don’t know if he got on. Toomey was born in 2001 and is 21 now.
Jordan Toy has yet to make an appearance in a matchday squad for the first team of St Pierre Milizac, who play in the National 3 (fifth tier) in France, through their first four league and Coupe de France matches. He has, however, played both Coupe de Bretagne matches that the second team has played, scoring in both, a First Round 7-0 win and a Second Round 4-0 win. The league begins next weekend for the second team, who play in the Bretagne Regional 3 (eighth tier). Toy was born in 2004 and is 18 now.
David Yoo joined Leça FC just this past week, a team who play in the fourth-tier Campeonato de Portugal. Their league season begins next weekend, though they did have a First Round Taça de Portugal tie this weekend, losing 1-2aet to fellow fourth-tier side GD Resende. Yoo came off the bench in the 74th minute to make his debut. Last season Leça missed out on promotion by away goals, after finishing equal on points and goal difference with the second placed side. He was at fifth tier Padroense last season, playing 29 matches and scoring 7 goals. Yoo is 22 now.
Haris Zeb has yet to make a first team matchday squad at TPS in Finland’s second tier Ykkönen. He has only played one match for TPS 2, who play in the fourth tier Kolmonen, starting as a striker in a 5-1 win on the 20th of last month. The match report says he scored twice and set up two others, so it doesn’t seem a lack of quality is the issue, so perhaps he has an injury or visa issues? TPS sit second in the Ykkönen Championship Group, one point off top with four matches to play (second gets a playoff against second bottom in the Veikkausliiga, while TPS 2 sit third in their league with 18 matches played. I’m not sure if they split top 6, if they do then there are nine more matches, if not then four more. Zeb was born in 2001 and is 21 now.
Matt Conroy, Daniel Gleissner-Broom and Joey Omotani all played Northern League this season. Conroy (21) is at Auckland United this season and has 7 goals from 13 matches this season. Gleissner-Broom (20) played 17 matches for Takapuna, scoring twice. Omotani (23) played six matches for Melville.
Henry Cameron, Calvin Lee, Matt Palmer, Charles Spragg (playing rugby), Ollie Valentine all look to be back in New Zealand not playing football.
