The 2018 Premier Development League season kicks off this weekend with top collegiate and amateur players set to compete for 74 clubs across the United States and Canada in both the league and the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup while continuing their progression toward the professional ranks in Major League Soccer and the USL.

There are currently more than 500 of the league’s alumni competing in the professional ranks in North America, with top prospects from around the world looking to follow in their footsteps over the next 12 months. You can find out more about the top players to watch in the PDL this summer here, but here are five of the league’s alumni who are shining this season in the USL.

Neco Brett, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

The Jamaican forward is experiencing a breakout season for Riverhounds SC this year, and on Thursday was named as one of the nominees for April’s USL Player of the Month award. A member of perennial PDL power Reading United AC in the 2015 season – when he scored four goals in eight appearances for the club – Brett has scored four goals to help lead Pittsburgh to an undefeated start to the season through its first six games, which also marks the best start to a season in Riverhounds SC’s 19-year history.

Paco Craig, Louisville City FC

Craig brought a strong pedigree with him from the PDL when he joined Louisville City FC prior to the 2016 USL season, and that reputation has been solidified in his first two seasons as a professional. A two-year starter for an Ocala Stampede side that won the PDL Southern Conference in 2014, Craig was named to the All-Southern Conference Team in 2015 after helping the side win its second Southeast Division title in as many seasons. With Louisville, the English center back has gone on to earn USL All-League First Team honors last season as the club won its first USL Cup, while this season he ranks in the top five in the USL in tackles won with 18, while also recording 14 interceptions and a team-high 33 clearances.

Danny Musovski, Reno 1868 FC

Musovski was rated as the No. 19 senior prospect with PDL experience last winter ahead of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft and has gotten his professional career off to a good start with 1868 FC after being selected by Reno’s MLS partner the San Jose Earthquakes. A Nevada native, and former University of Nevada - Las Vegas standout, Musovski recorded four goals in seven appearances for the PDL’s FC Tucson to help the side claim the Mountain Division title, and then led UNLV with 15 goals in 16 appearances last fall. That scoring prowess has been on display early in his rookie season for Reno, where he has a team-leading three goals so far this season while also leading the club in shots with 14.

Brian White, New York Red Bulls II

The New York Red Bulls knew exactly what they were getting when they selected Brian White with the No. 16 pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, with the Duke University forward having shone for the organization’s PDL side – the New York Red Bulls U23 – the previous summer when he claimed Most Valuable Player honors after scoring 17 goals in the regular season. The PDL’s top prospect last summer, White has gotten off to a stellar start in his professional career after signing with the Red Bulls II, and currently leads the team with four goals in eight appearances to sit tied for third in the league. White has also notched two assists, four key passes and four successful dribbles as part of the highest-scoring team in the league so far in 2018. 

Alan Winn, Nashville SC

Winn made a bold move this offseason, electing to sign with USL expansion side Nashville SC ahead of his first professional season after having been selected by the Colorado Rapids in the second round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, but the former Tobacco Road FC forward has already come to the fore in the Music City after being ranked the No. 4 senior prospect with PDL experience last winter. Winn’s first professional goal led Nashville to its first home victory this season on April 7 against the Charlotte Independence, and the 22-year-old has also recorded seven shots and three key passes in three appearances this year.

Follow Winn’s progression through his rookie season through USLPDL.com via his weekly diary.