Philly Soccer Notebook: Spring Cup to feature 8 teams, Emily Gray signs with Glasgow City & More

After a successful run last year, the Philly Soccer Spring Cup is returning with eight teams and the final back at WSFS Bank Sportsplex on April 18.

New this year to the men’s college soccer competition is the addition of Patriot League rivals Lehigh and Lafayette. They’ll be joining five local programs: last year’s winner Saint Joseph’s, finalist La Salle along with Villanova, Drexel, Temple and Rider.

Lehigh will be grouped with Villanova, La Salle and Temple while Lafayette will be grouped with Saint Joseph’s, Drexel and Rider. Group matches will be played at campus sites with the final and consolation games staged in Chester, Pa.

The competition gives local programs something to play for in the spring beyond just exhibition games and has the added bonus of bringing teams and fans together for the finale at the Philadelphia Union’s facility. The full schedule and details will be released soon.

Emily Gray Signs with Glasgow City FC
Washington Township, N.J. native Emily Gray has found a new club home, signing with Glasgow City FC in Scotland after a successful stint in Sweden. The former Penn Fusion Academy and Virginia Tech standout joins a team that is on top of the table in Scotland and rejoins former Virginia Tech teammate and Her Side of the Pitch co-host Nicole Kozlova.

“It’s a great club with a lot of great history in this league,” Gray said in a news release on the team website. “The team’s competing for trophies and when I spoke to Laura and Leanne it just made me want to come here, and of course, the city, I heard nothing but great things about the city itself too. It’s a really exciting opportunity for me.”

The 25-year-old was on loan from the Utah Royals in Sweden, where she scored six goals and dished five assists in 25 appearances for Piteå IF.

Deus Stanislaus Part of No. 1-Rated Recruiting Class
Fort Washington, Pa. native Deus Stanislaus is already at North Carolina prepping for her first regular season as a Tar Heel and the class she is part of is considered the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer. Stanislaus has been playing well with the U.S. Under-17 team and will be part of the team for the upcoming MIMA Cup in Spain.

Colin Griffith Signs with Portland Timbers 2
Stroudsburg, Pa. native Colin Griffith will begin his pro career with Portland Timbers 2 in MLS Next Pro after signing with the organization that drafted him in the recent MLS SuperDraft. The former PDA standout missed his senior season at Maryland with an injury after a breakout season in 2024.

Jimmy Ockford Launches Training Company
Yardley, Pa. native and former pro Jimmy Ockford has launched a new training company based in Tennessee, Elite Soccer Tennessee.

College Soccer Signing Announcements
Check out the latest College Soccer Signing announcements in our College Soccer Signing Tracker.

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