Amobi Okugo Named Eighth Best US Player Under 21, Graces Front Page of ESPN

Amobi Okugo has had a busy offseason, shuttling around the world playing for various US youth National team squads and MLS special tournament teams, but it appears to have all worked out for the midfielder. The 20-year-old is ranked eighth on ESPN on a list of under-21 US soccer players, and is one of three of those players on the list that are on the sports site's front page.

Here's what Jeff Carlisle of ESPN had to say about Okugo:

Club success has been somewhat slower to come for Okugo than Kitchen, but the UCLA product is another player with a big upside, and he saw his playing time increase in 2011, garnering 15 appearances for the Union (10 starts). While his ability to play out of tight spots could be improved, he is plenty adept at breaking up plays and he covers plenty of ground.

"Okugo is very competitive, very driven, and a lot better than people give him credit for tactically," said Union assistant John Hackworth to ESPN. "He finds really good spots, and he's going to make it because he comes to work every single day, humble as can be, willing to go after it, and never thinking that he's arrived."

The USMNT under-23 central defensive midfielder is flanked by Perry Kitchen, of DC United, and Kelyn Rowe, recently drafted by the New England Revolution in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft (third overall).