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While that game could be described as comical...historical...memorable...and a lot of other things (depending upon your point of view), in 2014 I am ecstatic to have Chuck Amato directing the Zips defense. Under unbelievable circumstances the guy has out-worked, out-recruited, out-motivated and out-strategized pretty much every offense he's faced. The 2013 Zips D was as good as I've ever seen it. He meshed a bunch of transfer mercenaries and Ianello leftovers into one of the top defenses in the MAC. Amato was a goofball in 2006. He's indispensable to the Zips in 2014. I hope he's on our sideline for the next 10 years.

The WNBA's Washington Mystics offered her a free agent contract. Congrats Rachel, and good luck!!!!!!! https://twitter.com/bonezy32/status/456410758579257344

anything is better than what we have been wearing the past 4+ years.

We filed in to a breezy 70* with bright sun. God, I love spring soccer. 4-2-3-1 Team defense must be much stronger if the Zips are going to succeed in 2014. There admittedly were key personnel playing out of position, but the overall team defense was poorly organized and generally shabby. Far too often opposing forwards turned the ball in relative comfort. Flyers made it difficult for Zips to maintain possession through the midfield. Their physical tackling took the Zips out of rhythm throughout the match. This is an imposing bunch. Very large! Looked like Chelsea taking the pitch. http://daytonflyers.com/roster.aspx?path=msoc Zips did not react well to the chippy and choppy nature of the match. In particular, Victor Souto #8 lost composure, leaving Embick no recourse but to remove him from the contest to prevent a second yellow (or worse). Adam Najem #6 also did not cover himself in glory, reacting poorly to both the physical play and to the substandard officiating. In the final third, Zips lacked connection on the assisting pass, which was frequently intercepted by Dayton defenders. Sean Sepe #13 was frustrated all evening by poor service. Even so, he scored late to make it interesting and rang potential equalizer low and off the post in the waning moments. Zips acquitting themselves well were the aforementioned Sean Sepe #13, Richmond (Silk) Laryea #10, and the unrelenting stalwart Andrew Souders #2. The rest were either mediocre or dismal. Zips clearly have much work ahead. Dayton had plenty to do with the Akron’s bad night. A surprisingly technical side, Flyers strung together several impressive sequences, building to shots. Their second goal was thing of beauty, with four consecutive one touch passes involving four different players, and the score off the post. In a starting lineup averaging over 6’0” in height, the primary playmaker was 5”7” Amass Amankona #16. Dayton looks ready to rumble.

Technically flawless has always been my description of Wil Trapp. The attached statistical analysis demonstrates just how active Trapp is in the central mid-field. Glad somebody has developed a method to capture this.