Last month, Tobacco Road FC announced the first six players signed to the 2018 roster. Now, they’re adding eight more, loading the roster with local talent.

With Tobacco Road’s first match right around the corner — Saturday, May 12 at Carolina Dynamo in Greensboro — let’s take a quick look at the new additions… and what they’ll be wearing this season.

Alex Comsia, defense

Comsia is currently a senior at UNC Chapel Hill. He came up through the Vancouver Whitecaps Developmental Academy, winning the USSDA Northwest Championship with the U-16s and the U-18s.

Comsia has started 56 games for the Tar Heels, leading them to the College Cup semifinals last season. He played for the North Carolina FC U23’s last year in the PDL, tallying 585 minutes in seven matches.

Fernando Castellanos, midfield

Fernando Castellanos, a Raleigh native, played his college soccer at Creighton University and Tyler Junior College. In his first year at Tyler, the team won the NJCAA National Championship and finished as national runners-up the following year.

After transferring to Creighton, Castellanos was injured and missed most of his junior year. But during his senior year, he scored three goals and had six assists. In 2017, Castellanos played for North Carolina FC U23’s, appearing in 14 games and notching three assists.

Kellen Foster, midfield

Kellen Foster, a Cary native, spent his high school years with the CASL Chelsea Academy team, which reached the USSDA Academy Finals in 2011 and 2012. After CASL, Foster played for UNC-Wilmington, appearing in 39 games and earning conference all-rookie honors as a freshman.

Joseph Buete, midfield

Joseph Buete, a Wake Forest, North Carolina native, is a sophomore at UAB. Before becoming a Blazer, Buete played for the CASL Railhawks U18 Academy Team. This will be Joseph Buete’s first year in the PDL.

Mustapha Wadda, forward

Mustapha “Taff” Wadda, a transfer junior at UNC Chapel Hill, played his high school ball at St. Andrews School in Rhode Island. During his high school senior year, Taff scored 31 goals and had 31 assists, finishing his prep career with 102 goals, 66 assists and two state championships.

Yeah, you read that right.

Wadda, the son of Gambian striker Bai Malleh Wadda, started his college career at Bethel University, playing in 35 matches and scoring 26 goals with 11 assists. In 2017, Taff played for Memphis City FC in the NPSL.

Delasi Batse, defense

Delasi Batse, a Durham native, is a redshirt freshman at UNC-Charlotte. Before that, he played with the Capital Area Railhawks Academy and was a member of the U.S. U-16 Youth National Team. This will be Batse’s first year in the PDL.

Hassan Pinto Jr., defense

Hassan Pinto Jr., another Durham native, is a redshirt junior at Elon University. Pinto played for the NC Fusion Developmental Academy and also earned a place on the USYS NC ODP State Team. In his first year at Elon, Pinto started in all 17 matches. The next season, he started in 15 matches and has contributed to 18 shutouts in his two seasons there. This will be Pinto’s first season in the PDL.

Mauricio Pineda, midfield

Mauricio Pineda, a Bolingbrook, Illinois native, is currently a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill. In high school, he won a national championship with the Chicago Fire U18 Academy team in 2015.

In his first year at UNC, Pineda started in 16 matches while appearing in 21. During his sophomore season, Pineda started in all 22 games for the Tar Heels, scoring three goals with one assist. In 2016, Pineda played for Chicago FC United in the PDL’s Heartland Division, appearing in 10 matches with more than 700 minutes played and two goals.

As for the new kits, they were unveiled Wednesday night Devine’s Restaurant and Sports Bar. Last year’s were a big hit, and with a surprising change to the crest for 2018, I think this year’s will be popular too.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to check out our new podcast covering Tobacco Road FC, the Bull City Soccer Show.

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