Philadelphia Union Academy defender/midfielder commits to South Florida

Philadelphia Union Academy defender/midfielder Frederick Gil will be returning back to the sun and warmth of his home state for college next fall.

Gil announced his decision to verbally commit to the University of South Florida on Twitter earlier this week.

A high school senior who aged out of competition in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy after last season, Gil joined the Philadelphia Union Academy midway through the 2014-15 season after starring for Sunrise SC in Florida.

He made nine appearances his first season and 25 appearances last year. He scored three goals last season, one a game-winner.

South Florida, which competes in the American Athletic Conference with Temple, qualified for the NCAA tournament this season and has made the NCAAs nine of the last 10 seasons.

Under head coach George Kiefer, the Bulls have reached double figures in win 10 times and have had only one losing season since he took over the program in 2002. Former Union head coach John Hackworth coached the Bulls from 1998-2001. Notable alumni include Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer and Borussia Dortmund center back Neven Subotić.