Midfielder Cole Evans (26) and forward Will Arnesen (7) prior to Buckeyes’ game against the University of Memphis. Ohio State beat Memphis 2-0 on Friday, Aug. 28. Credit: Bridget Lombardo | Sports Senior Writer.
Simply drawing a line on a map will show there is nearly 4,000 miles separating Copenhagen, Denmark from Columbus, Ohio.
Zoom in close enough, and roughly 100 miles separates FC Cincinnati Academy’s training facility from Columbus.
Despite taking different paths to develop their skills, senior forward Will Arnesen hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark and junior midfielder Cole Evans, who came up through the Major League Soccer’s youth developmental league on FC Cincinnati Academy, are teammates on Ohio State’s men’s soccer team.?
Arnesen and Evans represent a larger shift in college soccer, where international recruiting, MLS Academy teams and the transfer portal have changed how rosters are built.
Ohio State assistant coach Matt Foldesy said recruiting has changed since he joined the Buckeyes’ staff in 2018.
“Avenues to recruit have expanded massively,” Foldesy said. “Now, you’ve got a couple freshmen, a couple transfers, a couple international [players] and even a junior college kid. This year’s class is a lot more diverse than the 2018 class.”
The Buckeyes’ 2026 roster includes seven transfers, seven freshmen and six international players. In addition to Evans, senior defender Joel Demian, senior defender Christian Baumgartner, sophomore forward Nyle Waugh, senior midfielder Andre Roberts, sophomore forward Aaron Hurge, freshman midfielder Jack Wayne, junior goalkeeper Luke Laramore and freshman goalkeeper Slade Hall also played for MLS Academy teams, before ending up at Ohio State.
For Arnesen, who transferred from Old Dominion to Ohio State in 2025, playing college soccer in the United States offered something his path in his home country did not.?
“I think the ability to combine my sport with getting a degree was a big reason for me to come to the United States,” Arnesen said. “Also, just to get a lot of experiences as a human being and as a soccer player.”
Evans, a Springboro, Ohio native, said his college decision was impacted by his upbringing.
“Being from Ohio, I felt like there was only one right option, and that was to commit to Ohio State because I just kind of grew up being a Buckeye,” Evans said.?
With international recruiting and the MLS Academy impacting recruiting, Foldesy said Ohio State does not necessarily change what they’re looking for in a recruit. Instead, the challenge is determining how a player’s level of competition compares with others around the world.
“What we look for in players stays the same,” Foldesy said. “The competition level leads to a clearer evaluation. It’s easier the better the competition, the higher the level.”
Evans also played for the Shattuck St. Mary’s in the MLS NEXT, a developmental league whose players can ultimately sign professional MLS contracts, meaning some prospects Ohio State recruits may never reach college.
“If you put all your stock in the top kids at each MLS NEXT club and then they end up signing pro, sometimes you’re left with nothing,” head coach Brian Maisonneuve said. “You kind of got to pick and choose.”
With a variety of ways to recruit players, the Buckeyes have focused on who can best help their team.
“You just got to mix and match depending on what your needs are for that recruiting class,” Foldesy said.?
Maisonneuve believes that no matter how many miles separate a player’s starting point from Columbus, college soccer can still be part of the route for MLS Academy players and high school recruits.
“I still think there’s a really good pathway for college soccer,” Maisonneuve said. “I think you can still develop a lot in college.”
