Z.I.P.

Hats off to the ol Roo Crew, Go Zips and 72 Roo. Anyone know what's gotten into KD?

Could it be a mistake? He's been listed as an LB during all of last season and in the off-season until just a few days ago. If someone changed his position to TE, you would think either it's legit or a pretty obvious mistake (wrong player?). We'll see if he stays listed as a TE. BTW, I was looking back at his old scout and rivals bios. I knew we beat out Hawaii for him, but I didn't realize Boise St had offered him! Link Edit: His father was an assistant at Boise a while back. Also, Will did catch a game winning TD against Garfield in his senior year. As I recall, Boise came in very late in the recruiting, after he had verballed, or at least shown his favor, to Akron. He cancelled a visit to Hawaii I understand.

I didn't see it, but here's an article with more detail. The answer to your question is, Yes. Article So Valentin played -- then took a late flight to Belfast!

The championship match vs FC Delco (Philly area) was televised last Saturday night on FSC, but I only caught the end -- final 20 minutes maybe, not knowing the Crew would be playing. However, the Crew roster features four Zips, and I saw Chad Barson knock away the potential tieing goal in the final seconds to ensure the title for CCA. Did anyone else see this match? Did anyone besides Chad get into the final? The U19 division in youth soccer normally is composed of "pick-up" players, out of school for the Summer, who haven't played together for over a year, and sometimes not at all. However, with a MLS Academy team like this one, that might be different. Many of them were playing PDL ball this summer (and Valentin is away on US U20 duty), and also possibly the US Development League, where the Crew (U18) finished in second place in their division to Chicago Fire Academy in the regular season.

Interesting development not mentioned -- and I think confirmed on UA's roster: Perry Kitchen is getting a lot of PT in the midfield. With so many fullbacks, it sure helps the all-everything rookie to have multiple talents and flexibility. As I recall, he played the right back for USA last year at U-17 WC -- though Wilmer Cabrera gave him just one-half of actual pitch presence.

You'd be surprised how many student-athletes have kids. I'm sure your right about that. I just don't understand why this kid is making things difficult for himself. A baby is just one more obstacle and distraction. He has talent, but I question his work ethic and priorities. If he backs up the girl and kid the way he needs to, and never sees a D1 FB game, seems to me his priorities are fine. Good luck to them all. Go Zips. ++ on that!! But I bet one guy in a grey vest won't necessarily agree.

The greatest showing by a MAC football team ever...was a loss. That about says it all.

Taking lessons from Serena Williams?

Praise from SAF! I was thinking maybe he was referring to Kei Kamara, who had a goal and assist, but Teal WAS playing the central striker. We'll take it!

For those who could not catch the Fox Soccer Channel national broadcast of last night's Seattle Sounders 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids at Qwest Field, it was quite a night for the 2nd year Forward, #11. FSC gave Zakuani a long interview in the pre-game, catching on everything from his youth in the Congo, to his move to London, to the moped accident that nearly ended his football career, as well as his recruitment by Akron. Then came THE GAME, and Zaki put on a show for Seattle with a career game, scoring both Sounder goals early in the first half -- and very nearly making it a hat trick with a tap-in goal that was waved off-sides midway through the second half. Looks like Seattle are starting to round into shape to try and make a playoff run. Nate Jaqua returns from his long injury -- in fact I think he played in the second half lastnight. I give the Sounders a 50-50 shot at making the playoffs. And as Real Salt Lake showed last year, if you get in by a point, you can win it all.

Public relations is not the job of the football coach. At least it's not at Notre Dame. Uh-oh, did that AD Dude tell RI, that at Akron, PR was part of the job description for the FB coach? Welcome to Not South Bend coach.

I don't think the 2011 class is complete. The ACC powers are making a strong comeback against the new boys on the block. Md., Wake, UVa and Duke -- and Yeagley Jr at IU -- have great hauls so far. But it ain't over yet! One thing it seems -- the rest of the nation is falling behind the ACC, Big Ten and Akron. And considering the great players on the West Coast, it shouldn't be that way. BTW -- New York Red Bull and Kansas City Wizards (Sinisa U. and Tel B.) are in action on national TV on Saturday versus English Premier League teams. KC plays Man U, Red Bulls vs Bolton I believe.

I know it is rude to answer a question with a question, but there is no malice in the following question. Why does a dog lick his balls? BCS schools know you have to take at risk kids to compete at that level. If you are going to take at risk kids, you had better put a bunch of money into supporting their difficulties in the classroom. BCS schools have a ton of money to throw around. Fans at MAC schools are immature and think at risk kids have poor character; therefore, they should not be recruited leaving the MAC in the pathetic state it is today. If we had the academic support we needed, we could hold onto better players. Instead, they come here for a year or two and flunk out because of the lack of help. Then the coach gets fired...then they start the "rebuilding" process. Fans of BCS schools understand they need to take at risk players. These fans are willing to look the other way at minor offenses off the field as long as their team is winning. Hell, they are willing to look the other way on major offenses as long as they are winning. Talent is hugely important. If it wasn't, people wouldn't focus on recruiting the way they do. You need talent to win. If you can't hold onto your talent, you lose. It's very simple. Yes -- but I was referring to non-athletes (see original post). Oh, well.

Some people might still remember the first Spring soccer schedule when Caleb Porter arrived. I can still recall the remarks about Akron playing Rio Grande! We've moved up to Michigan and Maryland. Maybe the football team will scrimmage ND in the future.

This is especially true in baseball and tennis where 7 on 7 drills result in the field seeming fairly empty or the court quite full, respectively. Found out that Youngstown State was never stopped on offense, but considering Nicely threw 6 touchdown's I find it hard to believe Akron was ever stopped on offense either. Sounds like each team's defense was pretty ugly. Out of curiosity only -- is this a "Passing League" game? The Honolulu high schools have a 7v7 Summer Passing League. No running plays or running backs used.

OK, young man, thanks for checkin in wit da Nation. Keep studyin for those SATs. Get more scholarship $$. Good to see da Chiu ohana on Facebook. Soccerrokr911, que no?

No, but their quick action makes it look like they did it voluntarily, er, uh, pre-emptively. Sure makes Haden look good. ABC is going to miss him.

++ Spoken by a true esquire, if ever I've read one.

I have heard that Usain Bolt might be interested in picking up a new sport after the London games. Do you think his countrymen can convince him to start kicking a ball around? ("Bob played") The new guys add something we have little of, which is size. At six foot and six-one they increase our six foot and over ranks by 66.6%. Not including the keepers.

Each club received one point in the standings for the draw?

Also, the OU prof gets smacked down pretty hard when presented with actual facts provided by BGSU pres Carol Cartwright, who was on the Knight Commission this year. President Cartwright has a pretty perverse definition of "subsidized", if she thinks student mandated fees aren't supporting athletic budgets. But, the difference in funding referenced between Big Ten and MAC schools is also interesting. Yes -- they spend disproportionally for athletics -- but look at the differences in funding simply for non-student athlete academic support. Why and how do BCS-level schools spend so much more per student (about 50%) for academic support compared to the MAC?

I bet you think that "talkies" are just a fad that soon enough that we'll all see the light and go back to the good old days when films were silent and you had to read what the actors were saying while a theater organ plays in the background, too. Welcome to the future, where everybody knows what everybody else is thinking at all times, even when we don't want to. There are some great tweeters, like Brian Windhorst, there are some that are just news aggregators and act like an RSS feed, and then there are your countless social drones who feel compelled to tell everyone about how a fly got into their house or the consistency of their latest bowel movement. There is some great information on Twitter that you can't get anywhere else, and you know about it instantly. The trick is to know which people to follow. Coach Porter will be a good person to follow because he is someone who acts and communicates professionally. I don't see a person like him cluttering up your feed with inane social networking babble. Zach, Why don't you become our resident Twitter raconteur, and feed us desperate-for-news slugs all we need to hear about the Zips' latest and best car washes and cat wormings (or is it cat washes, and... Oh well). I for one would like oh, so much to hear the daily account of Caleb Porter's newly announced visit to the land of Lio Messi and Patagonian penguins. I imagine Caleb is much sought-out now by the USSF Youth Program. But we're not giving him up for one moment just so he can go watch Quilmes play Los Argentinos Juniors. Unless of course, the Juniors have Lio's cousin who plays with the same flair and is digging being a Civil Engineering major in NE Ohio. Personally, I haven't found much to be interested in My Space, Twitter, etc. There just seems to be an overabundance of neet tweets. Z.I.P., what's with all the Futbol Argentino references and no mention of Newell's Old Boys??? I wonder if Caleb can pick me up a case or two of Quilmes while he's searching for Butch Cassidy artifacts? Ha ha. I was just afraid you and Zach were going to call me out for mentioning Quilmes after their relegation at the end of 08. Or worse yet, UA David would complain about my failure to mention La Bombonera. !Que Vamonos Boca! David tiene La Historia de Boca, La Ediciona Completa.

I like that he bench pressed 185 pounds 240 times! But over how many weeks?

I bet you think that "talkies" are just a fad that soon enough that we'll all see the light and go back to the good old days when films were silent and you had to read what the actors were saying while a theater organ plays in the background, too. Welcome to the future, where everybody knows what everybody else is thinking at all times, even when we don't want to. There are some great tweeters, like Brian Windhorst, there are some that are just news aggregators and act like an RSS feed, and then there are your countless social drones who feel compelled to tell everyone about how a fly got into their house or the consistency of their latest bowel movement. There is some great information on Twitter that you can't get anywhere else, and you know about it instantly. The trick is to know which people to follow. Coach Porter will be a good person to follow because he is someone who acts and communicates professionally. I don't see a person like him cluttering up your feed with inane social networking babble. Zach, Why don't you become our resident Twitter raconteur, and feed us desperate-for-news slugs all we need to hear about the Zips' latest and best car washes and cat wormings (or is it cat washes, and... Oh well). I for one would like oh, so much to hear the daily account of Caleb Porter's newly announced visit to the land of Lio Messi and Patagonian penguins. I imagine Caleb is much sought-out now by the USSF Youth Program. But we're not giving him up for one moment just so he can go watch Quilmes play Los Argentinos Juniors. Unless of course, the Juniors have Lio's cousin who plays with the same flair and is digging being a Civil Engineering major in NE Ohio. Personally, I haven't found much to be interested in My Space, Twitter, etc. There just seems to be an overabundance of neet tweets.

I really hope that the NCAA continues to rotate the tournament around the nation. That is really the best and fairest way to bring this greatest of NCAA championship events to spectators throughout the nation. I also like the comment on the site that said: "That's nice for Birmingham, but you have to wonder why the NCAA would select a state where only two of its nine NCAA Division I schools even bother to field a men's soccer team." Communities like NC capitol area, Santa Barbara, Albuquerque, maybe Dallas-Ft Worth, who traditionally support their local schools and teams should also have a leg up over places like the Southeast. I wonder what UAB's attendance #s are like. Their program is improving, and this will help them more in recruiting -- I guess.