Philadelphia Union Academy forward commits to Old Dominion

Old Dominion University will be getting an added punch to their attack next fall with the addition of Philadelphia Union Academy attacker Daniel Bloyou.

The 17-year-old announced his verbal commitment to the Conference USA program earlier this week on Instagram.

“For me, it was very important, both as a person and player, to find not just a college, but a home for the next four years that I can quickly adapt to and make an impact,” Bloyou said about his decision. “I believe that Old Dominion University is a perfect fit for me and adapting won’t be a problem.”

Bloyou, who is the first player in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy era of the Union’s youth system to commit to the school, also noted Old Dominion’s commitment to player development.

The Monarchs are currently in second place in the conference standings with a 5-0-0 mark, a point behind 5-0-1 FIU, and are 8-3-2 overall. Two players from the region are currently on the team in freshmen Hans Kroschwitz (Pipersville, Pa.) and Zach LoBasso (Yardley, Pa.). Kroschwitz has a goal and three assists in 11 games this season while LoBasso has not made an appearance.

Philadelphia Union Academy grads already in the conference include freshman Kalil ElMedkhar at Kentucky and sophomore Mohamed Conde at FIU.

Bloyou, who was born in Ghana but spent his early childhood years in Liberia, joined the Union U14s from Lighthouse SC in 2014 and has 27 goals in 54 games in DA play. He also had a hat trick in last year’s Generation adidas Cup qualifying against New York Red Bulls.

The Philadelphia Union featured Bloyou on their website as part of the AAA Start Your Journey series back in June.