BROOKLYN, N.Y. - LIU Brooklyn head men's soccer coach TJ Kostecky announced on Monday that seven student-athletes have committed to be part of the program. Christoffer Bjarre Solbakken (Oslo, Norway), Romario Guscott (Bronx, N.Y.), Rasmus Hansen (Copenhagen, Denmark), Michael Maldonado (New York, N.Y.), Chaney Nash-Gibney (Burlington, Vt.), Filip Nordstrom (Stockholm, Sweden) and Erik Wahlin (Stockholm, Sweden) will begin their careers as Blackbirds in the fall of 2015.
"I am thrilled to welcome these outstanding young men into our program," Kostecky said. "They all bring with them an abundance of character, passion and a work ethic that will help us continue to move our program forward. I am excited to know they will be representing LIU Brooklyn."
Bjarre Solbakken played his club soccer at Staebek IF, where he was named captain of the U-19 team and has played for the U-21 team. The midfielder trains regularly with the first team, which is coached by former United States National Team manager Bob Bradley. In 2013, Bjarre Solbakken was voted the player in the league with the most progress, and in 2014 he was selected by the Staebek coaches as one of five players ready to represent the first team.
Kostecky on Bjarre Solbakken: "Christoffer has the grittiness and quickness of a fighter on the field. Even though he plays attacking midfield and has an eye for goal, he is constantly hunting the ball on defense, playing central defense when asked to do so by his coaches. He is a strong character person who will go far in soccer and in life."
Guscott, who attended LIU Brooklyn during the 2014-15 academic year but did not play soccer, played club soccer with Manhattan Soccer Club. Guscott was the top scorer for Manhattan
SC, helping his team to an National Premier League national title in 2014. He also led Evander Childs High School to Bronx division championships as a junior and senior, and was the top scorer in the Bronx A division both years. Additionally, Romario was selected to the NYC Mayor's Cup, an all-star game held for the best players in New York City.
Kostecky on Guscott: "I am excited about Romario not only for what is easy to see—he is big, strong, fast, technically clean, and a pure goal scorer—but also for the intangibles he brings to the program. Romario is an intelligent player, a tireless defender from the front, and a kind teammate."
An attacking midfielder and striker, Hansen played his club soccer for Brondby IF, where he has featured on the U-19 and U-21 teams. He has been a part of the Danish U-18 national team pool.
Kostecky on Hansen: "Rasmus brings creativity, dynamism, competitiveness and joyfulness to the game of soccer. He enjoys breaking defenders down and is unpredictable on the ball. Rasmus is able to consistently create goal-scoring opportunities for himself and others. He is also an empathetic person who is great at building strong bonds with his teammates."
After a period of time living in Ecuador and playing for Nacional, the largest youth club in the country, Maldonado moved to the United State prior to his junior year of high school. Upon moving to New York, he played holding midfield for Grand Street Campus, leading the Brooklyn-based school to a NYC B Division title as a senior.
Kostecky on Maldonado: "Michael brings to the team both composure in possession of the ball and awareness of spacing offensively and defensively. He is also a positive, enthusiastic person who people want to be around."
A two-way midfielder from Vermont, Nash-Gibney excelled at South Burlington High School before playing soccer year round for his club team Synergy Academy. His club team finished runner-up in Vermont his junior year and is competing in the Region I Championship this season.
Kostecky on Nash-Gibney: "Chaney is an intelligent and disciplined player who does the right things on and off the ball, as well as on and off the field. He has great vision and sees the play developing before other players."
Nordstrom played club soccer for AIK, one of the strongest clubs in Sweden. Originally a striker, Filip made the switch to outside back and excelled. A former youth teammate of current Blackbird
Isak Doumbia, Nordstrom helped his club team to a second-place finish in Sweden. He has played for the U-19 and U-21 teams of AIK, and was selected to the Stockholm team composed of the 16 best players in Sweden's largest city.
Kostecky on Nordstrom: "Filip has fantastic pace on the flank, as well as a developed soccer brain that allows him to use that pace at exactly the right moments. Positionally savvy and hard to beat on defense, he is equally dangerous pushing forward into the attack. He brings a professional work ethic and discipline to the Blackbirds."
Wahlin played club soccer at Brommapojkarna IF, the largest youth academy in Europe with over 2,000 players. As a central defender, he lead his U-19 team to the Swedish championship game. He has played in the Stockholm team with incoming freshman Filip Nordstrom and current Blackbird
Isak Doumbia.
Kostecky on Wahlin: "Erik has the size, speed, and toughness to excel in the college game. To top it all off, he has great feet and distribution, and the character to lead a backline. I expect him to solidify our line and become an important player when we build the game out of the back."