What Scouts Say:"Effective forward. He can score and showed it at Notre Dame ... Similar to LA's Robbie Keane with his runs ... Powerful, quick runner. Definitely an MLS player ... He's driven with his runs and gets himself in good spots ... On the field he can run hard at you with the ball, he's two-footed and scores with both feet ... A great finisher and has a nose for the goal. A poacher who can find holes … Rides the offside line and is difficult to deal with ... No one in college runs off the shoulder of the last defender better. Times his runs so well ...The Ruud Van Nistelrooy of college soccer ... Very quick when he gets the ball and goes forward. Quick in transition ... Always at the right place at the right time ... Can make up something out of nothing, just getting on the end of things ... Coming back in midfield and combining is not his game … Not a good link-up guy. Needs to learn to combine better ... Good pace and strikes a good ball, cheeky about his runs and finding space … He receives it and if he sees a chance to burn you, he will ... Plays with his head down and will miss teammates at times. Might be a tad selfish. But you add the goals in there and you change what you think about him ... Can create on his own on the dribble and can find goals ... Determined to score ... Questions about his overall ability to pass and to play ... Has a reputation for being a diver ... The biggest question mark is his attitude ... Also, can he play quicker and think quicker in MLS? ... Intense and will come into Player Combine fit ... Feet are pretty good. Technically he's pretty good and improved while in college ... He'll end up doing alright as a third striker for someone that can play some games while he's developing and be a pest and work ... Can hold the ball up, but he does his best work when he runs in behind ... Not at his best when he's involved in build-up play. He's OK at it ... He needs players that can play him in behind and he had that at Notre Dame."
College: Played the 2009 and 2010 season at Duke University before transferring to the University of Notre Dame. Started all 21 matches in his freshman season at Duke (2009), led the Blue Devils with 11 goals and added five assists. Voted to NSCAA All-South Region Second Team, ACC All-Freshman Team, TopDrawerSoccer.com All-Rookie Team, and All-ACC Academic Team ... Started 17 of the 18 games he played in 2010 and led the ACC with 17 goals, also adding three assists. Voted ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Named to All-ACC First Team, NSCAA All-America Third Team, NSCAA All-South Regional First Team ... Transferred to Notre Dame in 2011. Appeared in 17 games for the Irish and led the team with seven goals while adding two assists. Named All-Big East Second Team and All-Great Lakes Region Third Team ... Played in all 22 of Notre Dame's matches in 2012. Ranked second nationally in goals (21) and points (46), also picked up four assists. His 21 goals were good for fifth in Notre Dame history for a single season. Ranked third nationally in goals per game (0.95) and fourth in points per game (2.09). Named to the NSCAA All-America First Team, All-Great Lakes First Team, All-Big East First Team, Big East Offensive Player of the Year and two-time NSCAA National Player of the Week (9/5, 10/10). MAC Hermann Trophy finalist.
Prep: Attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, N.J. Led team to the state title in his senior year while tallying 20 goals and six assists, named Philadelphia Inquirer's South Jersey Player of the Year. Spent his sophomore and junior seasons in Bradenton, Fla., for the US Soccer Under-17 residency program.
Club: PDA
International: Member of the U-17 U.S. National Team in 2006 ... selected to the U-18 U.S. National Team ... most recently competed in the Lisbon International Tournament with the under-18 team.
Personal: Studied sociology.
Links:
MLS On Campus: The American Solksjaer at Notre Dame?
University of Notre Dame: Official player page
TopDrawerSoccer.com: Player page
TopDrawerSoccer.com: Notre Dame's Ryan Finley highlight-reel shows goal-scorer, 'business-casual' swag (12/27/2012)
SoccerBanter.org: Q&A with Ryan Finley (11/2/2012)
