HARRISON, N.J. (December 23, 2015) – The New York Red Bulls have signed three academy products – Chris Thorsheim, Mael Corboz, and Scott Thomsen as Homegrown Players, the club announced today.
Per club and league policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
The three join the Red Bulls after successful collegiate careers. Thorsheim was a standout player in the Patriot League at Bucknell. Corboz spent two seasons at Rutgers before transferring to Maryland, where he captained the Terps as a senior in 2015, and Thomsen helped Virginia to a national championship during his four years at UVA.
"We are very excited to be able to add Mael, Scott and Chris,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis. “Today is a special moment for these young men as well as for the club. Each player's development is a testament to their hard work, commitment of their families, the coaching they have received during their careers and the quality of our youth development system."
The signings, in addition to the signings of Brandon Allen, Derrick Etienne, and Alex Muyl gives New York 16 Homegrown Players in franchise history. The Red Bulls now have 11 Homegrown Players on the current roster, five more than any other MLS club as of today. Vancouver and Dallas each have six Homegrown Players on their current rosters.
Thorsheim, who hails from Manalapan, N.J., was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List in the lead up to the 2015 season, his senior season at Bucknell He started all 18 matches for the Bison this year, finishing fourth in the Patriot League in points, and fifth in both goals and assists. He totaled 80 career games for Bucknell with 20 goals and 18 assists. He was a three-time All-Patriot League honoree, including back-to-back nods to the First Team.
Thorsheim was a member of the unbeaten 2014 New York Red Bulls U-23 team that won the NPSL National Championship. He scored four goals that season and returned to the U-23 squad again last Summer, scoring another four in 11 appearances in the PDL. Prior to Bucknell, he played for the Red Bulls U-18s.
Corboz, a Green Brook, N.J. native, had two standout seasons at Maryland after transferring from Rutgers. As a junior in 2014, he earned honors as the Big Ten Tournament’s offensive MVP, and led the league with 10 goals in 22 games. As a senior, he led the league with 12 assists, tied for fifth-most in the nation. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten after both seasons.
Corboz was also part of the Red Bulls’ U-23 team that captured the NPSL title in 2014, and recorded five goals and an assist in nine appearances in 2015 in the PDL.
Thomsen, from Brick, N.J., played 66 career matches for Virginia, including 56 starts as both a midfielder and defender. He battled injuries his senior season which limited him to playing five games, but was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. In past years, he earned ACC All-Academic Men’s Soccer Team honors twice, made the ACC Academic Honor Roll three times and won the NCAA Championship in 2014. Thomsen finished his college career with three goals and 18 assists, leading his team in helpers during his freshman and junior years.
Like his fellow signees, Thomsen spent Summers with the Red Bulls U-23s, winning the NPSL title in 2014 and scoring three goals and three assists in 14 appearances in 2015. Prior to Virginia, Thomsen was a member of the Red Bulls U-18 team, and spent time with the U.S. Under-18s as well.
The Red Bulls academy, part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, is one of the premier development programs in the United States. The Red Bulls programs annually top the club national rankings, with all teams currently either first or second nationally in their respective age groups. The U-13s, U-14s and U-16s all finished as the top-ranked team in the final Top Drawer Soccer rankings for the Fall, while the U-18s finished second.
