The GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) Impact U17 boys are defying conventional wisdom.

At a time when local rep soccer teams traditionally struggle to maintain their numbers, the various priorities of part-time work commitments, academic demands and a vibrant social life all pulling folks in their late teens away from the “Beautiful Game”, the 2024 U17 crew have witnessed a nice bump to their roster.

That is not a bad thing at all – a fact this is borne out by a very quick start to the current campaign for the squad that is competing once again in the TOSL (Toronto Soccer League).

“We had a better start, obviously, this year,” noted central midfielder London Croome, one of the old guard, that grouping of talent that has now been with this team for as many as six or seven years. “We’ve got a bunch of new players, but the core is pretty much the same.”

The Impact edged USC Karpaty 3-2 in their league opener, with Axel Moncada, Boston Ranger and Byron Nelson all finding the back of the net and following that up with a 6-0 whitewashing of the NDSC (Nipissing District Soccer Club – North Bay) Junior Lakers in TOSL Cup play.

Nelson paced the attack with a two-goal effort, joined in that regard by Ibrahim Najem, with Braxton Ragogna and Dash Kamal rounding out the scoring. Nicholas Bodnar recorded the shutout at the other end of the pitch.

“I honestly don’t think it’s anything special that we are doing differently,” said Croome, a grade 11 student at St Benedict CSS. “We’ve worked a lot on our defense, a lot on our formation, just keeping our shape.”

On a personal level, Croome has made a positional change that he is more than comfortable with, providing a very candid assessment of where his strengths (and weaknesses) might lie. “Last year, I played on the wing, but I’m not fast enough for that. Two years ago, I was striker and not fast enough for that.”

The ball distributing “in the middle of it all” center mid role is, as Goldilocks might say, just right.

“I just like the all-around positions,” said Croome. “It’s about defending, but you also get to be part of the attack, as well. I like sending long balls and passes through.”

As for the matter of integrating newcomers on the 2024 team along with the initial nucleus, Croome suggested that the high-school soccer league is more than a little helpful in bridging the gap. “Most of the players who have been with us for years know these new players and are friends with them at school, so they just kind of blend in with us,” he said.

Additionally, some of the new players are not necessarily all that new.

Liam-Juelz Nootchtai was a member of the squad when the Impact first began to dip their toes in the competitive environment before his “AAA” hockey interest made it difficult to balance both. Now 17 year old, the fellow St Benedict Bear has made a return to the Impact, with the adjustment to the speed and pace of the game returning perhaps even more quickly than he expected.

“I was playing high-school soccer, so as that season went on and this went on, it helped a lot to get back into it,” said Nootchtai, known for his speed and cardio.

Interestingly enough, while he excelled as a forward in hockey, it’s the right fullback post that he patrols on the back line for the Impact. “I find that in hockey, I am better up front, but in soccer, I am better defensively,” he stated. “I just know how to force players to the outside.”

“My hockey helps with that – but I’m quick, too, so I can cut people off to the outside.”

Though he is experiencing TOSL soccer for the very first time, Nootchtai likes what he sees from his team as they prepare to do battle with the Markham Soccer Club on the road this weekend, returning north for a three-game homestand that includes June 23rd (vs Newmarket) and July 6th & 7th (vs North Toronto Nitros and Toronto Azzuri), with the prestigious Robbie Tournament squeezed in between.

“I like the way that we pass and keep the ball going up the field – and how we close them out defensively,” he said. “And we’re able to put the ball in the net.”

Rounding out the roster for the 2024 U17 Impact boys are Mohammad Alramadan, Brennan Davie, Caelan Davie, Henry Faleye, Jacob Hulisz, Chinedum Kingsley-Emereuwa, Théo Lefebvre, Santiago Medina, Daniel Mota, Cole Rosener, Al-ameen Salami, Gabriel Sonntag, head coach Nigel Croome, assistant coach Dario Ragogna and manager Fattin Mahfouz.

The Impact U16 boys are also off and running, sitting at 2-1-1 after splitting a pair of games on the road last weekend. Lukas Morin, Masimo Toffoli and Russell Ranger all scored in support of the shutout effort of keeper Juan Calederon as Sudbury stopped FC Emery 3-0, doubled by a score of 4-2 the next day by Canadian FC.

“Despite a strong start to the game, the boys were unable to finish their scoring opportunities,” noted head coach Dino Moretta. Still, down 4-0, he was pleased with their late game resilience. “The boys did not stop playing, showed heart and continued to press with two late goals.”

The U21 Sudbury Cyclones men also split their games last weekend on the road, swamped 7-0 by the Vaughan Azzuri but righting the ship the next day with a hard fought 2-1 win over Alliance United as Maliq Olanrewaju and Nathan Cranston tallied for the nickel city reps.