USC Soccer claws through summer leagues

Many have heard of the wooden bat leagues for college baseball players. Cape Cod and Coastal Plains are synonymous with summer league baseball, but most do not know about the Premier Development League designed to enhance the skills of college soccer players.

Typically, PDL teams are affiliated with either United Soccer League or Major League Soccer teams, the top two professional leagues in the United States. While student-athletes are brought in to perform in the summer, their amateur status is not in jeopardy.

Another perk for the top players is the opportunity to train with the big clubs. Rising junior Tyler Ruthven has made the most of his trip to Denver and has performed well enough to train with the Colorado Rapids, an MLS team.

Ruthven, a central defender, was named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year last season and proved to be a stalwart backline player for South Carolina last season. The Alpharetta, Ga., native has led his Rapids squad to the top spot in the Heartland Division.

The experience that Ruthven is gaining competing against the likes of U.S. National Team player Pablo Mastroeni and Conor Casey cannot be understated. Ruthven has the size and ability to be a force in C-USA and is a future professional star.

Known for his pinpoint crossing and deft passing ability, Scannella is a provider for his teammates both in Atlanta and at Stone Stadium in Columbia. The Alpharetta, Ga., native is one of the most decorated players at Carolina and has started every game in his first two seasons. Scannella has been named a team captain for 2008.

A pair of rising sophomores, Arthur and Brettschneider, have both found the back of the net multiple times for the Silverbacks. Arthur, who missed most of last season with a leg injury, enjoyed a great spring season before heading to Atlanta to become one of the top strikers in the division.

As the 10th ranked player in the country in 2006, Arthur possesses the ability to be one of the top strikers in C-USA.

Brettschneider burst onto the scene in a Gamecock uniform last year scoring the game-winning goal in overtime in Clemson against the Tigers. Since then, he has moved from the forward position to right midfield to give USC more offensive punch on the right side.

The Lilburn, Ga., native is playing forward for the Silverbacks and has paired with Arthur to score the majority of the teams goals. Brettschneider, who has competed as recently as February 2008 for the U.S. Under-18 National Team, has buried one in the back of the net in nearly every game for his club team this season.

Maurer has excelled between the pipes so far this season for the Silverbacks. Making his first start four games into the season, the C-USA 2007 Goalkeeper of the Year put up a shutout in a 4-0 victory over Palm Beach.

Since his sterling début, Maurer has posted three more clean sheets and another game in which he only gave up one goal. Maurer is just another in a great line of Gamecock shot-stoppers to grace the field at Stone Stadium.

The Nashville Metros also have a quartet of Gamecocks, but only two who have played put on the garnet and black kit at the Graveyard. Defensive midfielder Josh Stewart is doing the dirty work for the Metros while Bryan Lowder is seeing some time at forward.

Also on the roster are incoming freshmen Brandon Tarr and Steven Morrisey. Tarr, a forward, is one of the Top 25 recruits in the country for the 2008 class while Morrisey was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee.

The Gamecock soccer program is primed and ready for a 2008 season that has every opportunity to be special. The PDL is one step in the process as USC looks to get back to its winning ways and become a team of national prominence again.