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I got the opportunity to interview Zips senior safety Shawn Featherstone after last Saturday's scrimmage. Here's the story: Perseverance Pays Off Thanks to Dr. Z for the nice layout!

My thoughts from the scrimmage on 11 August 2018 I don't have much to add on the QB position/competition as it’s been fully covered by others’ comments, the article by George Thomas in the ABJ, and comments by Coach Bowden himself. I will say that the QB room has a different energy than last year. They are enjoying the competition and each other, and are pushing each other to get better. They held several guys out of the scrimmage; I’m assuming that’s just precautionary. (Mykel Traylor-Bennett, Dustin Burkhart, Bubba Arslanian, Nick Johns, and Abraham Alce were some that I noted though I’m sure there were others). Bubba told me he has some turf burn under the gauze bandage that Captain Kangaroo mentioned so I think they’re just wanting that to heal. As has been mentioned, Justin Sampson really popped – He’s put on some good size and he’s got a great first step. I hear he plays the power read very well because he’s so fast/quick. Captain Kangaroo mentioned the kicking woes. I wonder if they are working on mechanics/trying different things. Some kicks had plenty of leg but went wide right or left. Others looked great but didn’t have the length. I was very excited to see Keyondre White run the rock and he did not disappoint. Most notably, they brought him in for several short yardage plays, among others he was in the lineup for, and he was able to move the pile. The ABJ article suggested that the running game hit a brick wall of a defense but I felt like they were rather productive collectively regardless of the total yards accumulated. Specifically, both 1st team and 2nd teams were gaining good yards on early downs. It wasn’t exclusive and the defense definitely blew up a few plays but generally speaking I was impressed with the running backs and the OLs in front of them. The tight end position appears to be one they are really trying to integrate into the offense. It’s been reported that Darryl Long suffered an injury and losing his dynamic playmaking ability with his height advantage and huge catch radius will be a negative but Junk and Wolfley look prepared to add depth with Newman Williams and Nick Johns rounding out the room. Not sure who will be the day one started but they all have some ability. Personally, I like Maverick’s “nasty” but Newman appears to be a more polished blocker at this point. It’s good to have options. It was great to see them utilize Brandon Mitchell in the red zone on a jump ball fade. Everyone in the stadium, including one of the refs, thought the ball from Ramart was a TD. They somehow ruled it was incomplete but I don’t know if that was a “bobbling the ball”, “not securing it through contact with the ground”, or some other nonsensical NFL application of the pass catch rule. Regardless of the outcome, having that option is nice as it will force defenses to play him differently and we can take advantage of the mismatch on the goal-line. Additionally, I hear he’s a great kid and is working hard. TB mentioned “competition” at various positions and I think there are real battles going on for the following: QB TE RB WR The defense is pretty much locked down but with so many new/young faces on offense, these battles will continue to be a focus for the remainder of camp. In TB’s interview with Joe Dunn the other day, he mentioned that by the end of this week, they’d be getting into game prep. I assume that Saturday’s scrimmage may reflect the outcome of some of those battles based on who gets the bulk of #1 reps.

I know I'm a little late on this, but there are 2 different rosters out there right now (go figure). This one and this one. Neither include Morris, but I've added him since we know he's on the team and eligible. There are some discrepancies (Devin Jordan is included on the second one but not the first one), but I updated the scholly chart the best I can. In addition to Sibley, it looks like the only other freshman who didn't make it is Ben Phillis. Assumed 1 specialist in each group got one, who they are isn't really important I don't think, but I did see on twitter that Cam Lyons did end up getting one, who also happens to be the son of the WVU AD. No exciting transfer we don't know about like years past. And I show 5 open scholarships..... Zips Football Scholarship Chart.xlsx

Does anyone really think that this is the year we are going after an at-large bid? If I was a coach of a team with 7-8 first-year players, my only concern would be to prepare a team that can compete in the conference. Just saying.

Just received word that Treon Sibley didn't qualify last year & will also be included in this year's class. Also received word that Jonah Morris will be on the field this fall!

I apologize, I’m not a writer, just a fan giving my opinion

Burkhart was dressed out but didn't play in the scrimmage. He's coming off a small tweak so I guess they're just being cautious with anyone who's a little banged up. I finally got a day without rain yesterday and took advantage by mixing and pouring concrete for the pillars for a deck for our house. Because of that, I have not gotten around to posting my thoughts from scrimmage. I'll try to get that done later today.

My belated scrimmage notes - Beautiful day for football. Sunny, but not too hot. The team was in good spirits as they took the field accompanied by a sound system blasting mostly hip-hop tunes. The scrimmage was offense/defense (not a split squad). 1's vs. 1's, 2's vs. 2's, etc. for the bulk of the day. The first score of the day was a 60+ yard pass from Ramart to Malik Woodridge. It was a blown coverage, but the throw was 40 yards in the air, and on-the-money. Ramart showed great poise and accuracy all day long. Deep balls and short routs were equally sharp. Had a nice hard count that drew the defense offside. He did a lot of good things. Scippio apparently got his required test scores. He is bigger than I anticipated. He made a couple catches, but also dropped what would have been a 20 yard gainer from Ramart. He looks like the real deal. Jest played with the second D-line. He was in the backfield several times and looks much more svelte than during his first stint with the Zips. While there was a lot of positives to be taken from the scrimmage, one glaring negative was the 1-4 conversion rate on FG's from O'Leary. Kicks were between 30 and 45 yards. I mentioned to Dr. Z that "If Gasser never kicks a field goal this season, we'll have a great year." If things don't improve, Gasser could be our opening day kicker. Not ideal. Field goal kicking will definitely be something to watch as the summer camp moves forward. James King is #32, and seemed to be working his way towards some PT. He started with the 3rd group, but played some with the second group as the scrimmage progressed. Keyondre White is a strong runner. He moves the pile and finishes his runs. If Deltron Sands can stay healthy, he'll get 1,000 yards this year. Man does he have a burst of speed once he hits the line. He's a special, "next level" back, but he's got to stay healthy. He had a really nice 12 yard run, but took a good hit at the end and fumbled. And what would an early camp scrimmage be without a scuffle? Maverick Wolfley turned the corner at the goal line and put a good lick on Jordan George as he scored what looked to be a TD. The collision got the guys a little fired up. The referees marked the ball just short of the goal line, and as the players lined up, a little smack talk broke into a mild wrestling match between Kato Nelson and Justin Sampson. It was quickly diffused, and the coaches let the players know in no uncertain terms that fighting wouldn't be tolerated. Ramart got his reps with the starters as Kato was benched for a short while. Later in the scrimmage Kato jogged over to the defensive side and seemed to apologize to Sampson. Kato did eventually get back on the field and all was forgotten. Kato did some good things on the day. He was especially efficient and smooth in the red zone. Kwad caught a 30 yard slant from Ramart and showed a few nice juke moves after the catch. While he's relied upon his speed to get open for the bulk of his Zips career, he looks like he's going to be a much more well- rounded receiver this season. Both Suggs and White got a lot of work. Getting the newcomers a chance to show what they can do was a primary focus of this scrimmage. Said Bowden afterwards "We've got eight to ten guys that are new. We want to get those guys to get the ball...to get them on the field...so we can see what we've got. We have to see if they're someone that can help us right away. After this week we're going to be getting into our game preparation (for Nebraska). You want to see Suggs, you want to see MJ (McGriff) you want to see Brimmage at wideout...guys like Scippio and Jonah Morris. On defense it's a little different, with 9 returning starters, but we certainly wanted to see what Walter Brady can do." I'd mentioned Brandon Mitchell previously. 6' 6" 220 lb wide out that got a lot of PT on Saturday. He originally tried out for the football team 4 years ago. He had difficulty catching the ball, so he opted to join Dennis Mitchell's track team. Per NCAA rules, if you play 4 years of a given sport, starting as a true freshman, you can play a different sport in your 5th year. So Brandon decided to give football another try. The staff told him "If you want to play football, come out every day and catch 70 - 100 balls." Brandon put in the work, and here he is. He showed the results of his efforts in a nice 15 yard catch courtesy of walk-on TJ Deshields. He also had a nice climb-the-ladder catch in the corner of the end zone that was ruled incomplete. I'm convinced replay would have overruled it. But how nice will it be for the Zips to have a 6' 6" wide out, with hops, in the red zone?! He'll be a fun one to watch in scrimmage #2. Dylan Meeks spent time with the 3rd and second units. He was frequently in the backfield disrupting plays. He had a really solid scrimmage. Said Bowden on Meeks - "He's so steady. You know he started for Dr. Phillips, and outstanding high school in Orlando as a 9th grader. He's been a state wrestling champ. He's such a smart kid...I don't think he's had a "B" in his life. He's just got such great smarts and ability. There are guys that look more explosive than him, but when it's all said and done he makes plays." How did Walter Brady get to Akron? He decided somewhat late to leave MTSU and try to hook up with a Power 5 program. Unfortunately the late timing meant there were no scholarships to be had. MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill, a former QB at Florida State under Bobby Bowden, gave Terry a call to let him know of Brady's situation. Now he's a Zip. Says coach Bowden "Walter's a hands down guy. Having him on one side, and Jamal (Davis) on the other really creates a 'vise.' But I want to mention Reinke's looked really good, Josh Ward has looked really good, Sampson's playing outstanding...we have a lot of nice options at defensive end right now." Bubba Arslanian did not participate. He had a massive bandage on his lower leg. He was walking ok, so I'd guess it is nothing major. Devanier Floyd was also out with a minor injury. Too many turnovers on the day. But it tough to say whether it was due to bad offense, or a good, ball-hawking defense. Hopefully the latter.

JoJo catches both targets and has a pretty good average returning Punts and Kicks

Updated: 2019 commits: Kobe Hilton, OT/DT, 6-4, 260, Farrell HS, Farrell, PA - Akron, Ball St, Buffalo, Miami (OH), Toledo, WMU Tyler Connolly, OL, 6-5, 285, Marysville HS, Marysville, OH - Akron Janil Brown, DT, 6-3, 300, Palm Beach Central HS, Wellington, FL -Akron Jalen Bell, DT, 6-0, 285, Martin Luther King HS, Detroit, MI - Akron Sonny Ray Jones, Jr., RB, 5-11, 185, Ravenna HS, Ravenna, OH - Akron Quan Easterling, TE, 6-2, 235, Archbishop Hoban HS, Akron, OH - Akron, Toledo Jaison Williams, OL, 6-2, 330, Trotwood Madison HS, Trotwood, OH - Akron Jarred Uran, LB, 6-2, 195, LaSalle HS, Cincinnati, OH - Akron, Ball St, BG, EMU, Kent St, Mass, NMSU, NDSU, Ohio. Max Wynn, LB, 6-2, 210, Centerville HS, Centerville OH - Akron, Ball St, Buffalo, CMU, Cinci, EMU, Kent St, Miami (OH), Ohio, Syracuse, Toledo, WMU Kyre Williams, DB, Akron East, Akron, OH - Akron, Buffalo, EMU, Toledo Deearius Reese, DL, Akron East, Akron, OH - Akron, EMU, Kent St, Toledo Tyler Riddell, QB, Chamberlain, Tampa, FL - Akron, Southern Miss Chris McDonald, Jr., CB, Southridge, Miami, FL - Akron, Southern Miss, App State, Arkansas State, BG, Buffalo, FAU, Georgia State, Marshall, Mass, NC State, Temple, Toledo, UAB, UNLV, USF Will King, DE, New Albany, New Albany, OH - Akron Jesus Santiago, CB, Palm Beach Central, West Palm Beach, FL - Akron, App State, Air Force, FAU Currently have 15 commits in addition to up to 5 apparent non-qualifers this year for next year's class.

Look at his content, then look at your content, and tell me which brings more value.

CK has more notes when he gets time, but I'll start. Interviewing coach after the scrimmage he mentioned that "we have a real QB competition going on." I saw the same as he did, both QB's looked good to me. Grad transfer Walter Brady was in uniform and played some. According to coach he will play defensive end. He is wearing #56 and is in the first photo here. I think our defensive line might surprise some this year. I think we are going to have a nice rotation. Dylan Meeks had two tfls. The offensive line of Sample, Ritz, Peterson, Council, and Brown were opening some inside holes for some nice runs on first down. Akron track hurdler Brandon Michell has apparently been working hard on catching balls. He came up with some nice catches yesterday, and looks to be a big tall 6'7" target that runs well. He is wearing #81. Others I noticed playing WR yesterday included McGriff, Scippio, Stewart, Dixon, Williams. MTB was in uniform, and warmed up, but didn't play this week. Keyondre White runs hard. Deltron got some carries yesterday. Van looked good. Suggs played well. Abraham Alce didn't play (minor injury). Redshirt freshman TE Maverick Wolfey is going to be active in the offense, he has a talent that can't be ignored. Denzel Butler was out this week, but was very active helping the younger guys on the sideline. Alvin Davis played CB to fill in. An anonymous coach told me Alvin was just playing there because they wanted to get there best 11 on the field for now. "Alvin is such a good football player, he can play anywhere." Redshirt freshman db, Jordyn Riley is impressive in my opinion. He stood out to me. Freshman DB Rich Hall is a physical player. The defense caused multiple turnovers yesterday. Not a good day for field goal kicking.

I could live with that. After all, we will probably get another crack at Coach Campbell in 2021 http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/mid-amer/akron-zips.php

When asked if anyone stood out in the game, Rams coach Sean McVay said "Natson." Five Takeaways: Running Backs Impress in Rams Preseason Opener vs. Ravens Myles Simmons RAMS INSIDER 5) NATSON RETURNS WELL Wide receiver JoJo Natson had a lot of opportunities for returns and made the most of them — both on kicks and punts. Natson returned seven kickoffs, averaging 23 yards on each with a long of 27 yards. And he returned four punts averaging 14.3 yards per return. His longest punt return went 29 yards up the right sideline to start a touchdown drive, with defensive lineman Brian Womac posting a solid block to spring Natson. Additionally, Natson had a key third-down reception for nine yards on Los Angeles’ first scoring drive in the fourth quarter. https://www.therams.com/news/five-takeaways-running-backs-impress-in-rams-preseason-opener-vs-ravens

Quotes from the book: There is a formula for success. This formula is predictable, repeatable, and simple to understand, but it’s a process and it requires initiative, dedication, focus, and loads of positive energy. When a player catches a coach’s eye, the coach tends to give him more opportunities to show his stuff. When speaking to the reporters, the coach’s answers were short, always positive, and focused on the future, not the past. How you train your mind is actually more important than how you train the body. How you deal with setbacks matters. Every battle is won before it ever fought. It starts in the mind. Just pray on it and remember you can’t do it on your own. You’re not that strong. It’s not how much you say. It’s what you say when you say it that counts. Those who have the most profound things to say often speak the least. How bad do you want to be great? Making the team is a goal. But striving for greatness is a life mission. What got you to this level won’t get you to the next. Are you willing to pay the price that greatness required? Talent isn’t enough anymore. Life is too short to be average. Striving for greatness doesn’t start on the field. It starts in your head. The best know what they truly want. For many who strive to be the best, there was a person before them who paved the way, who showed them that greatness was possible. Seeing it is important because to reach your destination you know you have to travel through the valley of hardship and struggle to get there. But your big picture vision will feel you during your journey and help you bear the struggle and overcome the hardship to reach your goal. Whatever you do, don’t be a 50 percenter. The best want it more. We must also measure desire in terms of actions. When everyone else is sleeping, the best are practicing and thinking and improving. To settle for anything less than your past was a waste of the gifts and calling you have been given. To deny being your best was to deny the gift you were meant to give others. The best are always striving to get better. To be the best, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable and embrace it as a part of your growth process. The best are humble and hungry. They are lifelong learners. You are either getting better or worse but never staying the same. See everyone as a teacher. Coach Bill Walsh, one of the great football coaches of our time, would often say that he feared success, not failure. The fact is that pass success does not determine future success. He realized that sometimes a person striving for greatness needs someone to push them out of their comfort zone. Coaches need to treat each player differently based on what motivates the player. You know you’ve picked the right woman when she gives you strength. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Game day principle: 5% of a person’s life is made up of our performance on game day, 95% is made up of the time we are preparing, practicing, and waiting to perform. What makes Starbucks so great is that they do 100 things 10% better than everyone else. It’s the little things that separate the best from the rest. The best do ordinary things better than everyone else. There is simply no substitute for practice and hard work. Vision without execution is hallucination. (Edison) Zoom focus means that you are not just working hard, but working hard on the right things. Success is all about the fundamentals. And the fundamentals are little and ordinary and often boring. The key is to focus on improving each day and to take the necessary action steps. If you incrementally improve each day, each week, each month, each quarter, by the end of the year you’ll see remarkable results and growth. What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire? If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. We need to stop scattering hour energy and wasting our time on trivial things that have nothing to do with our vision and goals and start saying yes to our priorities into what truly matters. Tune out distractions. Don’t listen to what others say about you. Mental toughness is everything. Just as you build physical muscle by lifting weights, you can build mental muscle by doing exercises like positive self talk, visualization, breathing, meditation, and prayer each day. Weed and feed. Because our minds are like a garden, each day you need to weed out the negativity and feed it positivity. Pay attention to your thoughts. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution. To overcome your fear, you have to know what you are up against. The best overcome their fear. Sometimes a man has to be isolated and have no way out before he is willing to look within and above. Make every moment of your life count. I realized how important it is to start your day off right. Instead of letting the world create you, you create your world. Love casts out all fear. Love is more powerful than fear. Pride keep you separate from the love of God. The best tap into a power greater than themselves. You can’t talk about greatness without talking about God. Resistors and conductors: In spiritual terms we can say that resistors rely on their own power so their power is limited. Conductors, by contrast, empty themselves of their pride and allow the ultimate power to flow through them. You don’t know God all you need until God all you got. Don’t ever lose your passion. God blesses us not for our own good, but so he can bless others through us. It’s not about you. (Rick Warren) The success you create now is temporary, but the legacy you leave is eternal. The best leave a legacy. You leave a legacy by moving from success to significance. I need to live my life as if it were the fourth quarter. The best make everyone around them better. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standard of everyone around them. God will unload you and others will support you, but you must take the leap yourself.

That was sarcasm

I guess I’m not necessarily as concerned as you about so much youth starting on defense. It depends upon how good that youth is. The USMNT is criticized for not playing its youth soon enough. Often players in other parts of the world are further ahead at younger ages. As was stated, it’s ridiculously early to be selecting a lineup and judging our talent. First official practice is Wednesday, and we have yet to see 11 of our players together against an opponent, even themselves. Good reference to 2009. Significant number of freshman contributed. Good discussion. Looking forward to the exhibitions and updated discussions.

It is ridiculously premature to suggest a lineup, with the first official practice starting on Wednesday. Embick sort of dared me to make a lineup, so I did. And I will bet that our base system will be 4-2-3-1. As if Embick is ever going to read this board. Ha! Let us see how accurate I am. To answer your question: Yes. We should be concerned with so much youth starting in the Defense. But for this squad to go very far, freshmen will need to be major players. Reference 2009.

Pirate Flags for MAC Wins over Key Wins

http://golobos.com/news/2018/7/18/general-changes-proposed-to-unm-athletics.aspx I was surprised to learn that men's soccer is one of many sports that are being dropped by the University of New Mexico. That program has been very strong, nationally, for a couple decades and was in serious contention for several national titles. Like us, they are one of a small handful of schools that are not P5 but still a major national power. UNM has great soccer facilities too. What a poor decision by the administration. The article also includes a nice tally of men's and women's NCAA programs added and discontinued over the past decade for which data is available.

Well since he wants to take a "peak" at the Zips and ends it with a mention of a bowl "birth" I'm not going to put a lot of stock into his analytical capabilities either.

OK LZip I'm bored and I'll bite. I don't care for many of these predictions. I don't think we are a fifth place team in the East. I agree we have many question marks, especially on offense, but I don't think Buffalo, BGSU or Miami are better than us. All were picked ahead of us. I do think OU is probably better. That being said we can beat all of them. To my way of thinking this predictor does not know what we have ready to put out on the field. They are unproven in many spots, but they are quality now, not like the Akron teams of old. This will be a challenging year for us. Yet we have weapons, depth and a growing sense of confidence. We are not fifth.

Yay!!! 🇺🇸

@Blue & Gold and @Dr Z - I was just about to post a link to this article. It was a good read. Based on what I've seen so far, that DL looks to be a very valuable piece to this year's team. Bunch of maulers! As far as techniques go, looks like he's trying to round out their skill sets and not just rely on brute force: So some dips and rips, maybe a spin or two. Maybe the ol' Deacon Jones head slap?

Agreed, nice piece. Most interesting part to me: In the offseason, Bowden brought in former St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Marcus Wattley to coach defensive ends. Wattley, they said, brings with him experience and techniques they’d not used before. “He’s really like a specialist in teaching you to play with your hands and how to get around offensive linemen with speed,” Reinke said. I am interested in what those techniques are.

Niko De Vera is an exemplary Akron Zip. It was heart-warming to see him at the match.

2018 Akron Football Camp Update with Kyle Ritz - 8/11/2018

Scippio did play. He’s a legit 6’ 2” 195 lb wideout. Brady got some snaps, but not a ton. Story of the scrimmage was either - 6’ 6” 220 lb wr Brandon Mitchell. Zips track star with a 5th year of college eligibility remaining. Could be a real impact player this season. Alex Ramart- had an outstanding scrimmage. Per Coach Bowden after the scrimmage “We’ve got a battle at the QB. position .” Dr. Z and I have a lot to post, but have a busy Saturday. We’ll get some stuff up later tonight or tomorrow.

Pretty exciting first game of the year with #9 Butler coming to Cub Cadet Field !!!

All yours buddy. Your breakdown is more informative than mine, so I'll let you own that. I'll just keep you in line

It's OK to be concerned about three freshmen, if they do start. Yet this team has tremendous talent and may be super explosive. We may be a team that outscores our opponents while we learn to shut them down and prepare for the playoffs. My congratulations on your lineup. I'll ask Jared if he cares to comment, which he won't, of course.

I learned a few things from a GT article for once. 1) Thus far, this is the winningest senior class in school history at the FBS level. 2) Darryl Long is out for the season. We already knew about Travonte.

Got my tickets today! Looking forward to a new season

... and it's a little 'uncomfortable' at tosu.

And KENT STATE STILL SUCKS! Go Zips!!!

The team had meetings yesterday. The team is on the field today to start Fall camp today. 29 days 'til Nebraska. It's 10:12 AM...

I was just looking in the Media Guide and saw that Mike Woodford is the new Special Teams coordinator! This is the best news I have heard in years. Did I miss this BIG news somewhere?

I do not claim to follow NYCFC. But every time I see that team, JLew comes off the bench to positively influence the match. Instant Impact! His training must really suck. No other explanation for him NOT starting.

DeAndre Yedlin is that rarest of commodity, in sports , in every walk of life. He is very experienced without being old. He is not yet in his prime. Hell Yes; he is a leader for USMNT.

This whole thing is stupid. The $40 for the Tennessee game was bad, but the streaming services back then were still relatively new and the percentage of a bill that went to Disney was lower back then. The ESPN+ is a money gouge gimmick by Disney, and they can kiss my rear end. The percentage of my cable bill that already goes to Disney is ridiculous, let alone having to pay an extra $5 for every month there are Zips games available on there? I hate it, hate it, hate it. $5 isn't much, but it's the principal of the matter. Rant over (for now).

Akron, Ohio, looks to reinvent itself. https://www.city-journal.org/html/akron-ohio-16038.html

He’s back, front right in this pic

Looking at the roster as it stands today on GoZips.com and adding in the recruits, this is the 2018 roster (as I posted June 16th) sorted by academic year: 5th Years, Seniors (7) F Ezana Kahsay (5th year) D Joe Korb (5th year) GK Ben Lundt (Sr) D Morgan Hackworth (Sr) MF Christian Lue Young (Sr) MF Abdi Mohamed (Sr, transfer from tOSU) MF M Marco Micalletto (Sr, transfer from Young Harris College) Juniors (3) MF Skye Harter (Jr) MF/F Marcel Zajac (Jr) D Leonard Sohn (Jr, transfer from Manhattan) Sophomores (6) GK Tor Saunders (R-So) F David Egbo (So) MF Faisal Ghaffur (So) D Daniel Strachan (So) MF Kotaro Umeda (R-So, transfer from Louisville) MF/F Dennis Cole (So, transfer from Sacramento State) Freshmen (12) F Braden Petno (R-Fr) D Declan Watters (R-Fr) D Nick McCausland Akron, Ohio (Internationals Academy) D Marco Milanese (center back), Isernia, Italy (Isernia) D Carlo Ritaccio (center back), Westbury, N.Y. (BW Gottschee Club) D Daniel Oliveira Lisbon, Portugal (Sporting SP) MF Sam Tojaga, Erie, Pa. (Real Salt Lake) MF Cristian Gennaro, Biella, Italy F Dion Akhigbe (winger/forward), Copley, Ohio (Internationals Academy) F Colin Biros (winger/forward), Canton, Ohio (Crew SC Academy) F Diogo Pacheco (winger/forward), Lisbon, Portugal (G.S. Loures/A.C.CACEM) F Ivan Nikolic, Toronto, Ontario (Sigma FC)

Midweek mayhem: Plenty of MLS action on tap on "slowest day in sports" ... It is known as the “slowest day in sports” — the day after baseball’s All-Star Game. And while it is true there are no games scheduled in MLB, NFL, NBA or NHL, there’s plenty of Major League Soccer teams in action tonight. ... Matches potentially featuring Zips include... Minnesota United vs. New England Revolution (the only league match tonight) 8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info Philadelphia Union vs. Orlando City SC U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals 7 pm ET | Match Preview | Streamed live on USSoccer.com Los Angeles Football Club vs. Portland Timbers U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals 10:30 pm ET | Match Preview | Streamed live on USSoccer.com Montreal Impact vs. Vancouver Whitecaps Canadian Championship Semifinal - First Leg 7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | Streamed live on CanadaSoccer.com, Yahoo Sports Canada