Pape Mar Boye is a 20-year-old Senegalese center-back that first caught my eye during Clemson University’s NCAA title run. Just a freshman at the time of the championship victory, he was a key cog in the Tigers’ starting eleven and has brought that momentum into the USL Championship season after signing with Phoenix Rising in January. He has played every minute at time of writing and already has two assists.
Standing at around 6’1”, Mar Boye does not tower over the pitch, but his strength and physical demeanor certainly is felt. The Clemson product, by way of Senegal and Montverde Academy, is quite athletic with impressive top speeds during recovery for a player with his broad, stocky frame. Mar Boye also uses his physicality when leaping into aerial duels, winning them more often than not. His accuracy and contact on those must get better, though.
Defensively, Mar Boye is an aggressive, anticipatory defender to pair with his already physical style. At both Clemson and Phoenix, he has been given the freedom to rely on his instincts to step up from his line into ground duels. There, he can be overly physical at times, but his strong presence and relentless nature in ground duels are a threat that attackers fear. His tackling technique in duels has been improving as he acclimates to professional football. With two yellow cards already this season, the fouls have been a bit of an issue. As he composes himself with more senior minutes, the tackles will become more refined, and the fouls will hopefully dissipate. For a physical defender, those fouls will never be something that is eliminated—the imposing of power in duels is too important. Mar Boye’s development as an on ball defender will be important for his career trajectory and has plenty of time to do so. Off ball, he mostly stays switched on and is not often caught out, but his positioning could be better as he affords too much space on closeouts at times. At least his hustle and pace on recoveries gets him into his back line quickly.
In the buildup, the Senegal-born prospect shows potential as a heavily right footed ball-playing defender, able to play either side centrally in a back four. His line breaking ground passes have gotten better and better and Mar Boye has kept his progressive mindset in Phoenix. Mar Boye’s technique and accuracy on chipped progressive passes are still improving. His aggression as a distributor from the back that plays runners in stride on the counter and progresses up the spine of the pitch has made him a key player early on in his first professional season. He must improve his decision making when distributing, though his accuracy to pinpoint past multiple defenders when breaking lines is elite for the level.
Mar Boye is one for the future. He’s an impressive muscular athlete with an aggressive, instinctual defensive style alongside a rising ability in distribution. The NCAA champion has plenty of time to grow his strengths and improve weak areas and I can see him developing into an MLS center-back in only a couple seasons. His European potential relies upon how quickly he develops and learns his limits as a defender.
Target Scouting 