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Two Northern Virginia soccer standouts have earned the nation’s highest youth player honors from United Soccer Coaches.
Y-Lan Nguyen of Fairfax was named National Youth Girls Player of the Year, while Herndon’s Otu Bisong received the National Youth Boys Player of the Year award. Their performances and production with Virginia Development Academy club teams propelled them to the honors.
Nguyen plays for a VDA squad in Woodbridge and has committed to Stanford University’s women’s soccer team. Bisong, who plays for a Herndon team, will join the Old Dominion University men’s program.
Both players also have competed at the high school level. Bisong played for Herndon High School’s boys team last spring, while Nguyen has been a member of the Fairfax High School girls squad.
VDA is based in Prince William County and draws youth players from across Northern Virginia.
Several other Fairfax County-area VDA players were named Youth Club All-Americans by United Soccer Coaches: Anna Chau, Audrey McKeen and Daphne Van Der Weide, a Vienna Youth Soccer product. McKeen, who is from Vienna, also has excelled for the Bishop O’Connell High School girls team.
Additional Virginia and VDA All-Americans included Maya Engel, Allie Flanagan and Taylor Morrell of Loudoun County; Luis Fuentes, Ary Oliver and Luis Ibanez of Woodbridge; Jolie Jenkins of Stepenson; and Kyndal Shuler of Warrenton.
United Soccer Coaches describes itself as the world’s largest organization for soccer coaches.