It will be interesting to see where Darren decides to go. MLS or Europe?

Mattocks ready to skip MLS for Europe - Soccer By Ives

If i see one more "Akron University" i'm going to snap.

LOL Paul Winters is the odds on favorite to be the new HC. He played here in the mid to late 70's Everyone referred to the school as "Akron U" back then. It was in the late 70's to early 80's that there was a push to get people using U of A as it was considered more respectable. The idea was to improve the image and reputation. So......if Winters is hired...don't be surprised if he makes a slip once or twice

I'm hoping there's a chance he'll join the MLS.

GUYS, GUYS! Look at the top heading...this is the "Soccer" forum. If you want to have a debate about semantics and solely American sports, please PM In The Zone from across the pond.

And BTW, as a born-and-bread Akronite, I can testify, it was only when the number of non-Akronite graduates of UA climbed to near the number of Akronites that this subject became a clamor. Akron U is not the proper name of the university, it's just what we locals call it. If I were a former Massachussets businessman I might bet something like 10 grand that RfR44 gradded from a HS outside Summit County. Anybody wanna take me up on that -- I mean anybody want to back me with house money?

Okay, back to the subject at hand, namely the Beautiful Game as it's played in the capitol of American Collegiate Soccer.

Those who have observed Akron strikers over the past four or more years, please provide me your opinion of how Darren Mattocks stacks up against the other recent Akron MLS-graduated strikers, namely Steve Zakuani, Teal Bunbury and Darlington Nagbe. Of that group, I must put Mattocks in fourth place. He has great pace, and has proved he can score versus US college opposition. However, he lacks the physicality of Bunbury (or frankly the other two -- this is his biggest weakness, IMO), the touch of Nagbe, or the pure football instincts and on-ball grace of Zakuani. Mattocks may be the best available forward in this year's draft, but IMHO this is the weakest draft overall in the past at least five years. Please discuss amongst yourselves, as I've become verklempt.

Definitely agree with you there. Unfortunately, I don't see him doing too well anywhere he goes. At least, not right away. He simply wouldn't fit in the MLS and probably would get muscled around. At Akron he doesn't seem to be able to finish very well. He is incredible at putting himself in position to score, but it seems like it usually takes him several clear 1v1s with the keeper to put one in. In Europe, he will need to learn to finish his chances when he gets them, because they won't come around as often. I feel like another year of college would be better for him, but I'm pretty much 100% sure he wouldn't even consider that. Don't get me wrong, he has potential to be an amazing striker, but he definitely needs more time to get there.

LOL....my ZN.o profile says i'm from Wadsworth so yeah...good call.

But hey, i'm right on the border (as in 3/4 mile) so I might as well be an Akronite/Summit County resident.

Having literally grown up with it, the Akron U moniker does not bother me at all.

I rank our recent forwards:

1. Zakuani - speed
2. Nagbe - strength
3. Bunbury - size
4. Mattocks – grace

Mattocks is not yet physically strong enough to step into a professional side and score consistently. Recall how future pro Charles Rodriguez of Charlotte manhandled Darren. It would benefit him greatly to stay another year at Akron, to drill more and hit the weights. But all indications are that he will bolt for the pros.

I hope Mattocks goes to the MLS so that we can watch him develop. If he signs with a smaller European club, we may never hear from him again.

I agree with your observations in ranking Darren 4th in this group. Darren has the speed but lacks the creativity, IMHO, which is why he struggled against teams in the post-season tournaments, not because of the weather. (It was rather warm in December 2010 in Santa Barbara as I recall.)

EDIT:

In thinking about this more, physical strength may be the better observation. It's difficult to be creative when you're being double-teamed and manhandled.

It would be good for Darren to stay and develop more, but IMO he has more chances of developing at a higher level somewhere else than here in Akron. That's the one issue with college soccer, you're not playing all year long or playing in competitive games. You have the PDL, training invites, spring practice, its really not enough. He's ready and in need of the next level of training either in Europe or MLS. Even with the MLS, you're not training as long as European clubs. A reason Jurgen Klinsmann has been pushing for many players to go to training invites in Europe during the offseason.

If Darren goes to Europe, I don't think it will be the last time we'll ever hear of him. And if the match is on television somewhere in the world, I'll be sure to find a link.

Darren Mattocks turned down offer from Swedish club Djurgårdens IF - Djurgården IF wanted Darren - was rejected

Translated
Fotbolltransfers.com can reveal that Djurgården IF tried to recruit sought-after talent Darren Mattocks, too, who played college football in the U.S. in recent years. But the offer turned down by the striker.
Jamaican striker Darren also measured, 21, have poured into goals for the University of Akron in the American college series. He has made ​​a total of 36 goals in 46 matches in the last two years.

Several clubs in Scandinavia have shown interest in him. Norwegian Viking Stavanger is one of them.

Fotbolltransfers.com can now reveal that Djurgården IF also tried to tie attacking talent - but without success.

- Djurgården put a bid but it turned down. The player has other options that he think about right now, says agent Patrick McCabe to fotbolltransfers.com.

- Djurgarden gave an attractive offer but there is better offer in the market for Darren. The decision is based not only on the economic aspects, he continues.

Khaled El Ahmad, scouting director of the Royal Canal, confirming that they were interested in the 21-year-old.

- That is correct. I've talked to his agent. I've seen him play in college and they got in to me. We put an offer but he chose another club, he says to fotbolltransfers.com.

Mattocks also ranked as one of the best talent in the U.S. and could end up high on January draft if he chooses to stay there.

Soccer by Ives - Latest on 2012 GA Class (December 18, 2011)

Mattocks signs GA deal.

Nice! fantastic choice Darren!

Awesome news, can't wait to follow his progress in the MLS. Now, is he ready to move to Canada where it's probably even colder than Ohio? Montreal has the top pick, and Vancouver finished last this year so they have the second pick, I think. Montreal only has three forwards on their roster at the moment, and they could probably really use Darren. I think he gets chosen #1 overall and heads there. If not, he could get picked up by Vancouver, but they are pretty set up top. Revs finished in 17th place so they probably have the third pick. Maybe a team that needs more depth up top will trade up to get him (Ben Olsen, are you reading this?)

Woo Hoo!!!! Imagine if he goes to Montreal? They'll have to be my new favorite team.

Congrats to Darren. For some reason I am having flash backs to Cool Runnings.

Looks like the Canadians have the 1st 4 picks. Toronto has New England's pick, which is 3rd overall plus their own pick, which is #4 overall.

Congratulations to Darren. I hope Montreal picks him #1 overall. Four former Zips in Montreal would be excellent.

EDIT: Interesting that the website I linked projects Ben Speas being drafted #34 by the Philadelphia Union.

Which makes no sense. Why would he not sign a homegrown contract if he wanted to leave early? He will most more and be more valuable to the Crew if he signs a homegrown contract. A difference between $10-15k a year. A $30k salary or a $45k salary with the possible bonus money.

I agree, which is why I found it "interesting". I couldn't find the explanation for the * on Ben's name at that site either.

The asterisks is because he is a junior. But that website is a joke. I remember checking it last year and it ended up being wildly inaccurate.

EDIT: I just looked again, and if you don't believe me that that website is a joke, look who they have going to SKC right after Ben. David Bingham already plays for San Jose so I don't think he'll be going 35th in the draft to Kansas City.

Thanks. I guess I was too tired to find the key to the *. After looking at it again, that site is a joke. Speas can't be drafted without a GA deal, I believe, and I doubt that he gets one...which means Crew or UNC. Did that site even get the draft order correct? Given the other issues you pointed out, I'm unsure of the trade they claim that New England made with Toronto FC back in April. Unfortunately, the MLS site doesn't seem to have the draft order unless I overlooked it.

Ives made a mock draft somewhere, he should have the list there.

Wonder why he did not sign with a European club? There are so many positives to doing that.

Signing with a Norwegian club is no better than signing with an MLS club, especially with a GA contract.

I totally disagree. Once in Europe,if you are playing and doing well,the opportunities are endless. Playing in the MLS is really a dead end as far as international play is concerned. I guess it comes down to what the player wants for a career.

Thank you again. Ives did a mock draft for Fox Soccer, and it appears that New England does indeed have the 3rd pick (as opposed to having traded it to Toronto FC).

Bisbee, surely you recognize that not all European leagues are the same. The Norwegian league is arguably at a lower level than the ever-improving MLS.

Nowadays, representatives from EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga and Primera Liga scout MLS matches as much as they do any lesser European league. MLS is firmly on the Big 4’s radar now.

I definitely agree with your point if you mean Mattocks should jump at a chance to play in one of the Big 4 leagues. Barring that, the GA contract is likely his best choice.

You're forgetting how the MLS works. It is not easy to go from MLS to Europe no matter how much you get scouted.

You two are apparently more familiar with the mechanism by which MLS players transfer to Europe. Feel free to educate me on any particular point.

This I do know: The top MLS players transfer to the top European leagues all the time. By now, we have numerous examples of this occurring. How is playing in the MLS not a preferable first step to an international career?

A Jamaican in Canada seems incongruous? Try Norway!

Portmore, Jamaica = 17* 59’ N
Akron, OH = 41* 04’ N
Montreal, QC = 45* 30’ N
Seattle, WA = 47* 37’ N
Stavenger, Norway = 58* 58’ N

I looked into Jamaica's recent call-ups to their national team just to kind of see where Jamaicans play overall. I know this isn't perfect because there can't really be an "overall" for a whole country, but whatever. It looks like a majority of Jamaican players play either domestically, in MLS, or in the Norwegian Premier League. Even though to us, Norway seemed random for Darren, he would actually be in company with some other Jamaican players. As far as playing in a bigger country, it doesn't look like their are any Jamaicans playing in the EPL or Serie A or Bundesliga. There are some Jamaicans playing in League 1 though. If Darren were to ever make it to a top league, he would probably at that point be one of the most successful Jamaican footballers (can't really be too sure though, since I'm not a Jamaican football historian).

The MLS is probably the best option for Darren, if he can't succeed in the MLS, well I doubt he'll ever make it in Europe in a top division. Two, maybe four years at most in the MLS, he can make the move to Europe if he wishes. Most likely to a 2nd division type of league, or first division in France, Portugal, Sweden, etc. depending how well he's performing in the MLS.

If the Norwegian league was his best offer, the MLS is a better situation for Darren. The Norwegian league probably ranks 15-20th at best in Europe. Some of the best players have made the transition from MLS to Europe. As an example, just look at the USMNT, besides Landy Cakes, most of the best players have followed this route to Europe, and I expect more to follow this route.

EDIT: Although, I'm not saying the Norwegian league would be a bad start if Darren chose too. But players like Josh Gatt, Mikkel Diskerud, or Clarence Goodson who currently or have played in Norway didn't receive GA contracts either.

2nd EDIT: Mistake, Clarence Goodson did receive a GA contract in 2003 drafted by at the time Dallas Burn. Played for 3 years in MLS, and made a move to Norway.

Since Darren turned down Djurgarden in Sweden, Djurgarden sign UVA Span

Generation Adidas: 5 things to know about Darren Mattocks

People keep referencing Mattocks' speed. And to be sure, he has wheels.

I do not think he is the fastest on 2011 Zips.

Is he faster than Yedlin, Sarkodie, Valentin, or Zakuani?

Who are the fastest Zips in recent memory? Does anyone remember Mark Phister? That dude could roll.

I think Chris Korb could be placed on the list of the fastest Zips over the past few seasons.

Good point! I agree. For some reason, Korb has been an underrated player throughout his career. Whatever his deficiencies are, speed is not one.

DC United protected Chris for the expansion draft. I wouldn't consider that being underrated.

topdrawersoccer seems to believe Mattocks will go first to Montreal http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soc...-MLS-Mock-Draft

I think that is a very high possibility. From everything I have read, Andrew Wenger is the best player in the draft, with the ability to play many positions. Darren however, is the best striker in the draft, and as of now, Montreal's best attacking option is a guy who would rather be in Houston and has made that clear. (I am still waiting to hear how that unfolds). I think Montreal takes Darren because they need him. I also think he gets good minutes there. If he falls second and gets taken by Vancouver, he doesn't play as much because they are deeper up top. That is the way I see it.

I just double posted and don't know how to delete this one haha. Sorry.

Montreal will trade Brian Ching for Kofi Sarkodie and draft Darren Mattocks which will leave them with 5 former Zips on the roster

And they pick up Luke Holmes in the second round, change their name to "Zippers de Montreal"

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2011122...ts/sports3.html

Nice article on Darren in The Jamaica Observer

I just spouted off on BigSoccer, so I copied it here. Beats working!

Whether live, video, or film, I have watched every match of Darren Mattocks' career @ Akron, both home and away. (You know I speak truth on that point). He is the most natural finisher I have ever witnessed at the collegiate level. That comparison includes many already playing MLS. Sure, he has other deficiencies. But during his Sophomore season, he demonstrated a willingness to work on his weaknesses. For instance, his passing has improved dramatically over one year. He was actually a rather poor passer upon arrival @ Akron.

Contributing to his inconsistency is his lack of brute strength. As he is still young, some strength will be gained without much effort. I would have loved for him to remain a Zip another year. But he should take the opportunity given. If I needed a Striker, as Montreal Impact apparently do, I would draft Darren Mattocks with the first pick tomorrow. No bout a doubt it!

If Montreal decides to pass on Mattocks tomorrow for Wenger, he'll be chosen no later than #3 to New England. It's just how the draft works sometimes. I wonder where Holmes will land or if drafted at all in the 2nd Round, but that's yet to be determined.

I think it was Ives who I saw posted a picture of Darren talking to Impact head coach Jesse Marsch the other day after one of the games. Maybe a sign of what is coming tomorrow?

As for Luke, I really hope he gets picked up. Remember, if he doesn't get picked up tomorrow, the supplemental draft is Tuesday and he could get drafted then. Just from his updates on twitter I can tell he's been worried about it. Gosh twitter is so creepy. I feel weird just following a person's life who I've never talked to. Oh well, that's what it's there for.

I really hope Luke gets picked up, too. I hope he doesn't get too down if it doesn't happen tomorrow since there is another opportunity in a few days. I remember talking to Chris Korb at the national championship celebration last year the night before the draft. Feeling confident he would be drafted, I wished him the best for draft day, but I knew he was worried.

Also, you're right about twitter. It's even kinda creepy reading that stuff when you have talked to the person in the past. I noticed on Zarek's twitter account that he (and Steve Zakuani and other former Zips) got together in Akron around January 4th or so. Made feel like I'm stalking them even though it was information open to anyone. I could never be paparazzi. Ewww!