Davis Named to MLS 24 Under 24 List

DURHAM, N.C.—Former Duke men's soccer standout and current New York Red Bulls midfielder Sean Davis has been named one of Major League Soccer's top 24 players under the age of 24 presented by EA Sports. Davis recently moved into the starting lineup for the Red Bulls and has two goals and three assists.

Davis personified the term student-athlete during his four years in Durham. A four-year starter for the Blue Devils, the New Jersey native was a stellar center midfielder for Duke and was recognized as such with the 2014 ACC Midfielder of the Year award. He garnered All-ACC honors three times, including first team recognition as a senior. Davis started 63 of his 65 games and finished his career with eight goals and 17 assists for 33 points.

A homegrown in the New York Red Bulls Academy, Davis signed a homegrown contract with the club after he graduated in December. He is currently in his second year with the MLS club and has played in 34 matches with 15 starting nods. He owns two goals and four assists for eight points.

What the technical staffers say:

"I watched him a lot in college – thought he was a good player, didn't think that would translate as well as it has so far."

"His intelligence – intelligent beyond his years, [is what sets him apart] in my opinion. His positional play on the field, recognizing space, doesn't get attracted to the ball, smart, clean technically, and mature. When I see a young player from a team that doesn't rotate [lineups] much, it's not easy to have your rhythm, it's not easy to just come in there and establish yourself, and I feel like he's done well because of his intelligence."

"It says a lot to him that they replaced one of the best central midfielders in the league and they don't miss much of a beat with Sean. He sees the game really, really well – he plays simple when he needs to play simple and has got an ability to play a final ball when he needs to play a final ball. He's popped up with some timely goals and strikes a pretty good ball from distance."

"He's going to continue to get better, and for me he's just got a really nice sense of the game. And what Jesse's done in their system, he's made him a little bit more explosive defensively. So he's pressing a little bit better, he's getting into his tackles a little bit more. I think Dax [McCarty] and Felipe and Sacha [Kljestan] have shown him the way on that, and he's learned. He played a little bit against us last year and he looked like a young kid. Now, the growth in the last year has been remarkable."

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Davis Named to MLS 24 Under 24 List

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Sean Davis

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Davis Named to MLS 24 Under 24 List

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