Redlands United duo Julius Haranyi and Sam Smith earn college scholarships

Smith will play for Lake Superior College IceHawks and Haranyi for North Country Community College Saints at the collegiate level.

Both players were members of the undefeated Redlands United under 20 side prior to taking up opportunities in the US.

Smith and Haranyi's player manager Matt Wade, who works with International Athlete Management 360, spent several years hunting down college scholarships for the Redlands young guns.

He said collegiate coaches would be buoyed by the arrival of two players with an intense passion for the game.

"There has to be the desire to do something different," he said.

"It is that intrinsic motivation. It's about being self motivated and confident to handle yourself in an unfamiliar environment.

"Those are all the things I first noticed about both of them.

"If we don't get that sense of confidence and conviction about what they're going to do with this experience than we won't give them the opportunity.

"...They've been phenomenal kids to work with over the last few years.

"You can tell they come from a good background and want to go and experience something different."

Wade said Haranyi had played a starring role in Redlands United's tilt at the under 20 crown, delivering several clean sheets throughout the season.

He said the 19-year-old goalkeeper improved on his past technical shortcomings through a desire to reach the next level.

"He was super committed and did a lot of one-on-one keeper training and extra sessions," he said.

"With each year you could see improvements from the year before.

"It says a lot about his personal desire to be as good as he can be."

Wade said Smith had shown great pedigree as a youngster, winning several awards with Redlands United.

"The thing that stood out to me about him more than anything else is that he's left footed," he said.

"He has a trait that not everybody has and every coach looks for and that's the ability to be confident and use his left foot with effectiveness.

"From a football standpoint that's a standout trait."

The college soccer season begins later this month.

Smith and Haranyi are the latest Redlands United players to join overseas clubs after Byron McLeod signed with Spanish side CD Almuecar City last month.