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2018 Zips in Pro Leagues - Domestic and International


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Full 2018 MLS schedule was released today.

 

2018 Games featuring #ZipsinMLS at MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus Crew)

Every match: Wil Trapp, CrewSC Captain

Saturday, March 10th: Evan Bush, Montreal Impact

Saturday, March 24th: Darren Mattocks, DC United

Saturday, April 21st: Scott Caldwell, Teal Bunbury, NE Revolution

Wednesday, May 9th: Adam Najem (hopefully), Philadelphia Union

Wednesday, June 13th: Darlington Nagbe, Atlanta United

Saturday, July 21st, Richie Laryea (hopefully), Orlando City

Saturday, September 1st: Saad Abdul-Salaam, Jonathan Lewis, NYCFC

Saturday, September 22nd: Dillon Serna, Colorado Rapids

Saturday, September 29th: Adam Najem (hopefully), Philadelphia Union

 

TBD: depending upon MLS draft and other transactions

 

Edited by Zip_ME87
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CORRECTION: The GoZips.com article stated: Developing players for the next level has become commonplace for the Akron staff as 32 Zips have gone on to play professionally either in Major League Soccer, USL or overseas since 2006, including No. 1 overall pick Steve Zakuani in 2009, and No. 2 overall picks Darlington Nagbe in 2011 and Darren Mattocks in 2012 - just to name a few. 

 

UPDATE: I give up...USL, NASL, MLS, overseas, here are the Zips who have played professionally since 2005, of whom I know. (NCFC was NASL last season; so, I don't know whether GoZips.com is counting Ruhaak or Radjen nor do I really care.)

 

2007

1. Sinisa Ubiparovic (NYRB, Montreal Impact, Ottawa Fury, Indy Eleven) RETIRED

2009

2. Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders) GA RETIRED

3. Evan Bush (Montreal Impact [NASL & MLS])

2010

4. Teal Bunbury (Kansas City Wizards/Sporting KC, NE Revolution) GA

5. Blair Gavin (Chivas USA, New England Revolution, Seattle Sounders, Atlanta Silverbacks, Portland Timbers 2) GA RETIRED

6. Ben Zemanski (Chivas USA, Portland Timbers)

2011

7. Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers, Atlanta United) GA

8. Perry Kitchen (DC United, Heart of Midlothian, Randers FC, LA Galaxy) GA

9. Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes) GA

10. Zarek Valentin (Chivas USA, Portland Timbers) GA

11. Michael Nanchoff (Vancouver Whitecaps, Portland Timbers, Tampa Bay Rowdies) GA

12. Anthony Ampaipitakwong (San Jose Earthquakes, Buriram United, Bangkok United)

13. Chis Korb (DC United)

2012

14. Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps, Portland Timers, DC United) GA

2013

15. Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids) HG

16. DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland AFC, Newcastle United) HG

17. Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew) HG

18. Chad Barson (Columbus Crew, FC Linköping City) HG

19. Scott Caldwell (New England Revolution) HG

20. David Meves (Portland Timbers, Des Moines Menace, Ft Lauderdale Strikers, Puerto Rico FC) RETIRED

2014

21. Bryan Gallego (Portland Timbers) HG RETIRED

22. Eric Stevenson (NYRB, FC Cincy)

23. Aodhan Quinn (Philadelphia Union, Louisville FC, FC Cincy, Orange County)

24. Reinaldo Brenes (Sporting KC, Deportivo Saprissa, Deportivo Belén Fútbol Club)

25. Zac Portillos (Des Moines Menace, Tampa Bay Rowdies)

26. Robbie Derschang (Austin Aztecs, Harrisburg City Islanders, Arizona United) RETIRED

2015

27. Saad Abdul-Salaam (Sporting KC, NYC FC)

2016

28. Richie Laryea (Orlando City) GA

29. Jake Fenlason (Orlando City-B)

2017

30. Adam Najem (Philadelphia Union) HG

31. Jonathan Lewis (NYC FC) GA

32. Brad Ruhaak (North Carolina FC)

33. Danilo Radjen (Houston Dynamo, NY Cosmos)

If you go back to 2005, there is a 34th:

34. Cameron Knowles (Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers [NASL], Montreal Impact) RETIRED

 

GA - is/was a member of Generation Adidas

HG - MLS Home Grown

 

EDIT: BTW, All but 4 of these players were recruited under Caleb Porter and/or Jared Embick. Ken Lolla recruited Knowles, Ubiparipovic, Bush, and Zemanski. CP convinced Zemanski to remain committed.

 

 

Edited by Zip_ME87
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2 hours ago, chris said:

Can we Add Victor Souto (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) to this list?

 

He's still listed in the Zips Media Guide 2013, 2014, 2015. So, yes.

 

 

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5 hours ago, chris said:

Can we Add Victor Souto (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) to this list?

Without a shadow of a doubt, Victor will always be on every list when I think of pro soccer players from the U of A.  Tremendous student athlete.   Victor is very proud to be a graduate of the University of Akron.   Victor was a huge part of the final four team in 2015 as well as being all MAC in 2013 and 2014.    It angers me greatly when the athletic department does not include Victor in articles like the one below.  Victor had an excellent first season with the Riverhounds and he will do great things in the business world when his soccer career comes to an end.  Very hard working, smart young man.

http://www.gozips.com/news/2017/7/12/mens-soccer-zips-in-the-pros-7-12-17.aspx?path=msoc

   

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35 minutes ago, TennZip said:

Without a shadow of a doubt, Victor will always be on every list when I think of pro soccer players from the U of A.  Tremendous student athlete.   Victor is very proud to be a graduate of the University of Akron.   Victor was a huge part of the final four team in 2015 as well as being all MAC in 2013 and 2014.    It angers me greatly when the athletic department does not include Victor in articles like the one below.  Victor had an excellent first season with the Riverhounds and he will do great things in the business world when his soccer career comes to an end.  Very hard working, smart young man.

http://www.gozips.com/news/2017/7/12/mens-soccer-zips-in-the-pros-7-12-17.aspx?path=msoc

   

There are several on the "official" list of Zips In The Pros that do not care about Akron Soccer the way that Victor Souto does.  How many on that list have a Z tattooed on their ribs?

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I thought about this more and continue to struggle with it. Akron Men's Soccer currently does not recognize Victor as one of our players in the pros, and, thus, I feel I should do the same and not include him in my list.

 

I like Victor, He's always been nice to me, and when he played with the Zips, he was an asset to our team. However, I respect our coaches who do an awesome job and the have earned and deserve that respect. To this day, I do not know what Victor did to be dismissed from the team; he has never told me, and I won't ask our coaches or his teammates because that is something that should stay within the team.  I trust that our coaches did what they had to for the good of our program; I know they did a lot for Victor in recruiting him and playing him at Akron. It could not have been an easy decision for them to dismiss him from the team. Whatever happened, it was not so bad that Victor could not graduate. He did, and he is a fellow UA Alumnus. I hope he does well and that somehow can eventually make amends However, in addition to whatever he did to be dismissed, he hurt our program by not being there for the remainder of his senior season. Who knows how far that team would have gone, but I think we all know that team was better on the field with Victor than without him.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Zip_ME87 said:

I thought about this more and continue to struggle with it. Akron Men's Soccer currently does not recognize Victor as one of our players in the pros, and, thus, I feel I should do the same and not include him in my list.

 

I like Victor, He's always been nice to me, and when he played with the Zips, he was an asset to our team. However, I respect our coaches who do an awesome job and the have earned and deserve that respect. To this day, I do not know what Victor did to be dismissed from the team; he has never told me, and I won't ask our coaches or his teammates because that is something that should stay within the team.  I trust that our coaches did what they had to for the good of our program; I know they did a lot for Victor in recruiting him and playing him at Akron. It could not have been an easy decision for them to dismiss him from the team. Whatever happened, it was not so bad that Victor could not graduate. He did, and he is a fellow UA Alumnus. I hope he does well and that somehow can eventually make amends However, in addition to whatever he did to be dismissed, he hurt our program by not being there for the remainder of his senior season. Who knows how far that team would have gone, but I think we all know that team was better on the field with Victor than without him.

 

 

 

 

I too enjoyed watching Victor play however, there were several times he lost his cool on the field. Just before his release, he got into an altercation with a SDSU player at the end of the game and received a straight red card. How many straight red cards did he get in his 3+ years at Akron? I didn't keep count, but it seemed like a lot; more than any other Zip in recent memory.

 

 

 

Edited by chris
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Yeah but....Victor is a former Zip and Victor does play in the pros and this is not Jared's webpage nor the team's it is ours.  How does it disrespect the staff if we list him as a former Zip playing in the pros?   Maybe in the official Media Guide is the place to worry about that stuff, but here?  We don't need to be...nor are we ever....politically correct.

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29 minutes ago, ZipsVoice said:

Yeah but....Victor is a former Zip and Victor does play in the pros and this is not Jared's webpage nor the team's it is ours.  How does it disrespect the staff if we list him as a former Zip playing in the pros?   Maybe in the official Media Guide is the place to worry about that stuff, but here?  We don't need to be...nor are we ever....politically correct.

 

If this is a comprehensive list of former Zips in the pros, please add Ben Speas (Indy Eleven) and Fernando Pina (Detroit FC?). 

Edited by chris
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35 minutes ago, chris said:

 

If this is a comprehensive list of former Zips in the pros, please add Ben Speas (Indy Eleven) and Fernando Pina (Detroit FC?). 

 

On that, I will say that Ben Speas is considered UNC, not Akron, since he transferred to UNC and went from there to the pros. I do not recall the details on Pena, but I think he also transferred for his final collegiate season(s).

 

Nothing against Ben or Fernando. In fact, Ben Speas was always and still is one of my favorites, especially being a local boy. I wish he had not transferred.

 

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2 hours ago, Zip_ME87 said:

 

On that, I will say that Ben Speas is considered UNC, not Akron, since he transferred to UNC and went from there to the pros. I do not recall the details on Pena, but I think he also transferred for his final collegiate season(s).

 

Nothing against Ben or Fernando. In fact, Ben Speas was always and still is one of my favorites, especially being a local boy. I wish he had not transferred.

 

Fernando Pina transferred to Coastal Carolina (if my memory is correct) after Jake outworked him in practice.

When the list was started, zip_ME87 and I were trying to tie to the 32 number that showed up on the zip web site.   Clearly, the zip web site list would not include the 3 names that have been brought up.     Jesus "Chino" Perez is someone who could be playing in the USL 2 years from now but I would not consider him a zip as he transferred after his freshman year.

let's not lose sight of the fact.....that 32 is an incredible number since 2016.     Let's celebrate the large number of zips in the pros.....there are some on the list that were at Akron for 1 semester....and many more that left Akron with a college degree.        I have been impressed by Jonathan Lewis, who was only at Akron for 1 semester but Jonathan passionately supported the zips this past year.

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Updated again

 

2018 Zips in MLS Summary

Darlington Nagbe ... Atlanta United (another MLS club that now has a former Zip on its roster)

Dillon Serna ... Colorado Rapids

Wil Trapp ... Columbus Crew

Darren Mattocks ... DC United

Perry Kitchen ... LA Galaxy

Evan Bush ... Montreal Impact

Teal Bunbury, Scott Caldwell ... New England Revolution

Saad Abdul-Salaam, Jonathan Lewis ... NYCFC

Richie Laryea ... Orlando City

Adam Najem ... Philadelphia Union

Zarek Valentin ... Portland Timbers

 

Ben Zemanski ... Free Agent

Kofi Sarkodie, Chris Korb ... Out of Contract

 

Edited by Zip_ME87
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The LA Galaxy secured a steely reinforcement for their midfield on Monday, signing Perry Kitchen after acquiring his MLS rights from D.C. United. ...

 

... “Perry has proven himself to be a top midfielder in Major League Soccer during his time with D.C. United,” said LA Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid in statement provided by the team. “He has continued to progress during his time in Europe and we are confident he can bolster our midfield. At only 25 years old, Perry is already an MLS veteran and will be a great addition to the LA Galaxy on and off the field.”

A hard-edged, box-to-box dynamo, the Indianapolis native was a key contributor in D.C. from 2011-2015, starting at least 30 games every season as the anchor of the Black-and-Red midfield. ...

 

... Drafted by D.C. with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft after a sterling NCAA season at Akron, Kitchen notched 10 goals and 10 assists in 158 regular-season MLS appearances, earning the attention of the US national team staff during Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure. ...

 

 

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How have MAC Hermann Trophy winners fared in the pros?

 

...2010 – Darlington Nagbe, Akron

Nagbe.jpg

 

The No. 2 selection in the 2011 SuperDraft, Darlington Nagbe has turned into an MLS star and US national team regular. After  regular starter from his rookie season on, Nagbe after scoring 27 goals and posting 30 assists in seven seasons with the Portland Timbers, Nagbe proved worthy of a big money move for Atlanta United earlier this offseason.

 

2009 – Teal Bunbury, Akron

Selected by Kansas City with the fourth pick in the 2010 draft, Teal Bunbury spent four years with SKC before moving to New England ahead of the 2014 campaign. The Revs regular hit 200 career MLS appearances in 2017 and is returning to Foxborough for the 2018 campaign.

 

2008 – Marcus Tracy, Wake Forest

A star at Wake Forest, Marcus Tracy headed to Europe after his college career, signing with Danish club Aalborg in January 2009. His career got off to a promising start, but was unfortunately derailed by knee injuries, keeping him out of professional soccer since a brief stint with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2012 and 2013. ...

 

The reason I included Marcus Tracy here is that Steve Zakuani was a Hermann Trophy finalist in 2008 but didn't win. He should have.

 

 

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Continues to evolve...

 

2018 Zips in MLS Summary

Darlington Nagbe ... Atlanta United FC

Dillon Serna ... Colorado Rapids

Wil Trapp ... Columbus Crew SC

Darren Mattocks ... DC United

Joao Moutinho ... LA FC

Perry Kitchen ... LA Galaxy

Evan Bush ... Montreal Impact

Teal Bunbury, Scott Caldwell ... New England Revolution

Saad Abdul-Salaam, Jonathan Lewis ... NYCFC

Niko DeVera ... New York Red Bulls

Richie Laryea ... Orlando City FC

Adam Najem ... Philadelphia Union

Zarek Valentin ... Portland Timbers FC

 

Ben Zemanski ... Free Agent

Kofi Sarkodie, Chris Korb ... Out of Contract

 

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UPDATE

 

2018 Games potentially featuring #ZipsinMLS at MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus Crew)

Every match: Wil Trapp, CrewSC Captain

Saturday, March 10th: Evan Bush, Montreal Impact

Saturday, March 24th: Darren Mattocks, DC United

Saturday, April 21st: Scott Caldwell, Teal Bunbury, NE Revolution

Wednesday, May 9th: Adam Najem, Philadelphia Union

Saturday, June 9th: Niko DeVera, New York Red Bulls

Wednesday, June 13th: Darlington Nagbe, Atlanta United

Saturday, July 21st, Richie Laryea, Orlando City

Saturday, September 1st: Saad Abdul-Salaam, Jonathan Lewis, NYCFC

Saturday, September 22nd: Dillon Serna, Colorado Rapids

Saturday, September 29th: Adam Najem, Philadelphia Union

 

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