PORTLAND, Ore. – Junior transfer left back Nikos Clarke-Tosczak will join Portland Pilots men's soccer for the 2025 fall season.
"Nikos is a rising junior left back with two years of experience in the Atlantic 10 under his belt," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "He returns to the Pacific Northwest and joins the long list of Pilots from the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy. Nikos spent the spring with us and showed glimpses of his potential with his best game coming against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park."
Standing at 5-foot-10 and 158 pounds, Clarke-Tosczak played and started in 30 matches for the Rhode Island Rams along the back line. He had four assists during his time with the Rams and was a part of numerous big shutouts. He played the full 90 in a 1-0 shutout win over then-No. 25 Fordham and overall played the full 90 minutes in nine different shutouts over two years.
The Edmonton native was crucial for the Rams in several big moments. He was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Aug. 28 his freshman year after playing 90 minutes in a tight 0-0 draw with Quinnipiac in his collegiate debut and also recorded his first career assist in a 3-0 win over Stonehill that same year. His sophomore season, he once again recorded an assist against Stonehill and played the full game in a 1-0 shutout win. The defensive performance as well as the goal helped the Rams preserve their six-game shutout streak, tying the longest such streak in program history. He is a computer science major.
"He's an athletic defender who can play low in three or get onto the last line and drive forward to unbalance the opposition," Carlin-Voigt said. "Nikos has a growth mindset and wants to keep learning and growing."
This past season, the Pilots finished at 7-4-7 overall and 4-0-4 in WCC play, ending the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak that was the longest on the West Coast and the third longest in the country. They earned four wins over teams that finished in the top 35 in RPI this season as well. They have achieved a top 10 ranking nationally in each of the last three seasons and led the country in goals scored between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Pilots have also had 12 players move on to play in MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Eight players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Efetobo Aror and Nick Fernandez were taken in the first and second round in this year's SuperDraft as well, with Fernandez signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in February. Benji Michel and Kris Reaves each signed homegrown contracts with Orlando SC and FC Dallas respectively back in 2018 while Delentz Pierre and Brandon Cambridge each signed with Real Salt Lake and Charlotte FC in 2022 and Tommy Musto signed with LAFC in 2024.
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