UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State men's soccer team introduces its largest incoming class in head coach Jeff Cook's tenure. Head coach Jeff Cook brings talented experience from all over the world including five different countries. His 2023 roster includes vast MLS Academy presence from several different clubs.
"We are excited to welcome what is the largest class of incoming athletes during my tenure at Penn State," said Cook. "Our staff has worked incredibly hard to identify, recruit and onboard 10 highly talented players that are joining us for the 2023 season. This group hails from all over the United States and all over the world. I know from working with each of them during the recruiting process, that they are all highly motivated to make an impact on our men's soccer program."
FREDDIE BELL
Freddie Bell joins the Nittany Lions from Surrey, England after graduating from Lingfield College this spring. The highly recruited athlete has had a successful career as an academy scholar in the youth Premiere League system which earned him many options to continue his playing career in the United Kingdom and internationally. The captain of Crystal Palace F.C., based in Selhurst in the Borough of Croydon, South London, England, has spent six years with the club. Bell played in 14 games throughout the 2021-22 season for the Under-18 team and made his first appearance at the Under-21 level in September of 2022, coming in as a substitute in a 7-3 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Premier League International Cup.
CONRAD BRADY
Conrad Brady is the most recent addition to the class and joins the Nittany Lions from Betheseda, Md. The center midfielder had a stellar high school soccer career playing for Landon School. He helped lead the team to win the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) Championship in 2021 and 2022. As a two-time captain, Brady finished his time as a Bear as the All-IAC Co-Player of the Year and landed on All-MET first team. The Maryland native has strong club soccer experience, playing for Bethesda Soccer Club in the MLS Next league for five seasons. Brady also spent time playing for the Philadelphia Union Academy as well as FC Delco.
MOHAMED CISSET
Mohamed Cisset is a defender from Montreal, Canada. Cisset has spent the previous four years in the SIMA program at Montverde Academy in Florida. The experienced defender ranks sixth in the nation in the 2023 recruiting class. Cisset helped lead his team to win the Montverde Academy Soccer Tournament (MAST), in 2022 and in 2023. He netted a goal in the Championship Game in the 2023 MAST. He also helped the team to a Junior Cup trophy and scored in the final game.
DIEGO DIAZ
Diego Diaz adds international playing experience, traveling to Happy Valley from Jalisco, Guadalajara. The center back has extensive experience playing at a highly competitive level for Club Deportivo Guadalajara Chivas since he was 13 years old. Chivas is a distinguished academy in Liga MX, the top professional soccer division in Mexico. Diaz has spent seven years in the Chivas organization, playing at various different levels and age groups. With the U-15 Chivas, he won the Youth Generation Adidas and in 2021, the two-time captain won the Clausura Championship at the U-17 level. Although Diaz rosters on the U-18 team, he has spent time with the U-23s in Liga MX in a training setting.
TYLER FLYNN
Tyler Flynn is a center midfielder from Towson, Maryland and graduated from Calvert Hall College High School in 2023. Throughout his time at Calvert Hall, he helped lead his team to the MIAA Championship in 2021. For three years, Flynn played for Pipeline Soccer Club in the Elite Clubs National League and played two seasons with DC United Academy, an MLS Development academy. Most recently, the tenacious midfielder rostered five years with Baltimore Armour in the MLS Next league.
CADEN GRABFELDER
A native from Northampton, Pa., Caden Grabfelder graduated from Northampton Area High School this spring. Grabfelder played for FC Delco in the MLS Next league for two years and experienced great success in the MLS Next Playoffs last summer. The midfielder also spent time with the Philadelphia Union Academy for five years and Lehigh Valley United in the U.S. Development Academy.
FREDRICK GRUNDIN
Fredrick Grundin is a goalkeeper from Täby, Sweden, where he graduated from Tibble Gymnasium in 2022. He played for the Täby FK Senior Team after spending a season with the U19 team from 2020-22. The Sweden native played every minute available for the U19's in the U19 Allsvenskan and rostered with the Senior Team for 22 games in 2022. Grundin is a product of the Täby FK Academy, where he developed as a soccer player before moving up to the U19 and Senior Team.
SAMSON KPARDEH
Samson Kpardeh is from Monrovia, Liberia but currently resides in Worcester, Massachusetts where he attended South High Community School. Kpardeh has signifigant experience in the MLS system. As a standout for the Boston Bolts, a club in the MLS Next Program, he enjoyed a highly successful career as a 2023 graduate of the team. The talented forward also played for New England FC Development Academy for five years and spent one year playing for New England Revolution in the MLS Next league.
BEN MADORE
Ben Madore is a center attacking midfielder from Fallston, Maryland, an area Penn State men's soccer has experienced great success from. He attended Calvert Hall and was a member of the men's soccer program for four years. Throughout his time, he made first team All-MIAA in 2021, second team All-State in 2021, and helped the team win the MIAA Championship. His club team, Pipeline SC, has seen significant achievements, winning the ECNL National Champions in 2021-22. The strong midfielder spent one year with Baltimore Armour in the MLS Next league and has also played for DC United in the MLS Next league for over a year.
MORGAN MARSHALL
Morgan Marshall joins the Nittany Lions from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky. where he graduated from this spring. The strong defenseman has vast experience playing a very high level of soccer, playing for Real Salt Lake Academy at the U-17 level from 2019-2020 and rostering with Cincinnati Football Club at the U-19 level and U-17 level in seasons prior. The Cincinnati Football Club Academy team competes in league play, Generation adidas competitions and select international competitions. The experienced freshman also played for Sparta United, based in Salt Lake City, Utah for four seasons.
Cook adds, "While this is a deep and extremely talented group of players, the true test of the strength of any recruiting class is the impact they make after their arrival in Happy Valley. I have a lot of confidence that several players in this group possess the ability to contribute meaningful on-field performances this season. They are working extremely hard to prepare for their transition to collegiate soccer and they will need to be very well prepared to make the contributions we are expecting of them."
