2023:
- Appeared in 15 games while starting one.
2022:
- Appeared in eight games off the bench.
- Tallied an assist in the victory at UMass Lowell.
2021:
- Appeared in 12 games and started four.
- First career start came vs. Hartford when he scored his first career goal.
- Started three Ivy League games.
Club: ECNL All-American with Phoenix Rising FC… Named 2018-19 ECNL Southwest Conference Player of the Year… Selected to 2019 ECNL ID2 National Training Camp in the Bahamas… Phoenix Rising was the ECNL Southwest Conference Champions in 2018 and 2019, going undefeated both seasons… Club also captured 2018 Surf Cup and 2019 Dallas Cup titles.
Personal: Son of Tibor and Maya Pelle… Father played soccer at UCLA… Mother did equestrian at UC Davis… Member of Spanish Honor Society at Pinnacle High School… Attended the TOVO Academy in Barcelona, Spain. Lived soccer with the local residents, learned from speakers at Barcelona’s Geneva School of Business, solidified his Spanish fluency and immersed himself in the Catalonian culture during the height of its political upheaval.
3 QUESTIONS FOR PELLE
Biggest soccer influence? “Johan Cruyff. He was not only one of the greatest players in history but also the most influential coach of the modern era. As a player, he had an unmatched mastery of time and space, and was always the smartest one on the field. These visionary qualities were rivaled only by his raw speed, agility, and versatility. As a coach, he built Barcelona’s La Masia from scratch, in turn creating the everlasting system of `Total Football’ that so many teams around the world try to emulate today.”
Do you have an idol or hero? “I look up to my grandfather John Bohn because he embodies the principles of a `Renaissance Man.’ He exhibits integrity, quick wit and is an intellectual giant who has been the conscience of some of the world’s greatest leaders.”
Why Yale? “The range and depth of academic programs that are offered, the worldwide alumni network, the many years of tradition behind the school, and the opportunities available after graduation made Yale an easy choice. Kylie Stannard and his staff are great coaches, and my future teammates are not only fantastic players, but interesting people. The program is a huge up-and-coming force to which I feel I can really contribute.”
Stannard on Pelle: “Sandor might be one of the most underrated players in the nation. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people. We never doubted his attacking prowess but what sold me on Sandor is when I watched his team in the Dallas Cup final, he was 100 percent committed to his team’s defensive tactical set-up and was fully bought in and doing the defensive work that was needed to help them win the championship.
“He will immediately come in and be one of our fastest players and he has great confidence and ability to take players on 1v1. He’s very good with both and it’s rare to find someone that is confident cutting inside or outside and has a good shot and also a good crosser of the ball. There is no question that Sandor has the potential to compete for minutes right away but will come down to his consistency on both sides of the ball.”
