Z.I.P.

I was looking for info on a local Hawaii player (Shandon Hopeau) with Sounders Academy U-18 and found this review from the SSFC Sounders@Heart blog of Nick Hinds play for the Sounders "S-2" club -- which is - their USL club, or PDL? http://www.sounderatheart.com/thefuture/2016/12/24/13849790/s2-postmortem-the-players Nick Hinds (# 40; Age 19; LB/LM; 6 appearances; 0 Goals; 0 Assist; 249’) Potential: Top MLS LB - Backup LM Overview: Hinds was the best of the Academy players to appear for S2. He is an athletic LB with a very good left foot. He held his own defensively and took set pieces when he played for S2. We only got a glimpse of him but he looks promising. Apparently he played as an attacking midfielder for Akron in the college playoffs and did very well. He is almost certainly still a left back at the professional level but it is a good sign he can perform up the field against college competition. 2017: Will probably play at least another year at Akron but he is HGP eligible so he could be signed earlier.

Beat me by a minute!

Dude! They have (other than school)buses in Green now?? I refuse to believe my home township has been destroyed by development!

Both DeAndre and Bobby Wood, starters and attacking stars for both Jurgen and Bruce were left off the Gold Cup roster by Arena. This article shows ten WCQ players who are not present for Gold Cup. Either their club teams have denied permission, or the players and teams jointly determined they were better served playing club football. http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/sports/goalkeeper-jesse-gonzalez-preliminary-gold-cup-roster-article-1.3219580 I tweeted DA, and he has not gotten back. lol So I'll have to go over his head, straight to his Big Bro. (Uncle Tank)

SIUE?? SIUE. Yes!! This is the best thing to happen to MAC men's soccer in a long, long time! For one thing, it automatically doubles the league's number of NCAA champion teams (I think Hartwick also was a one-time champ, but they're gone, and they were never a real addition). They (SIU-E) won the national title in 1979, and were a perennial top-20 team in the 70s-80s. That was one of the greatest stories in collegiate soccer history -- and I remember the season. (I'm old enough, believe me!) The Zips, under coach Bob Dowdy played the Cougars in mid-Sept., I recall, and they were about a .500 team early in the season. We defeated them at the Lee Jackson -- on the same day the Browns beat the Steelers, and the Nanchoff Brothers were there cheering on both teams, as I brought my transistor radio along on the bike ride from Green that day. I think it was a close game, but what is remembered by history is that that was SIUE's last defeat of the season. The team's coach, I think it was Bob Guelker, mentioned above by fknbflobo suffered some kind of illness -- possibly a heart attack -- just after playing Akron, and the team rallied around him and went on to win the NCAA title that season. And Mario Sanchez is their coach. I've heard really good things about Mario -- who I believe was Ken Lolla's goalkeeping coach. He got really screwed over after leaving Louisville to take the HC job at UNLV, and the school almost immediately dropped men's soccer out of the blue. Not sure how long he's been at SIUE, but after UNLV he was coaching with a youth club in Vegas that provided 3 or 4 girls players to Akron. I knew another (GK) coach from that club, who really liked Mario. Bottom line is, this addition will give instant RPI points to every MAC school. And a very real possibility of a second NCAA berth. Great move! Edit: To add a little to what skip and Zip_ME87 were discussing, Edwardsville had a good D1 athletics program (they were as good or better in many sports than the OTHER Southern Illinois U.) that was reduced to D2 status sometime in the 1980s, and I know their men's basketball program just returned back to D1 about 3-4 years ago. I read this on the wiki page that fknbuflobo linked: "Toward the end of Guelker's tenure, scandal in some of the university's other sports programs brought about a major reduction of funding for all sports, and the program went into a period of decline."

Here's hoping he doesn't go to the coach's hairdresser!

From his OSU bio: "SOPHOMORE (2014-15): Played in all 31 games and started 30 … Averaged 10.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.1 blocked shots in 34.8 minutes per game"

I <3 this thread's effort to make our program look less pathetic than the Big East's worst, or alternatively, to assuage our overconfidence by in the great Akron tradition, showing that we have NO tradition WHATSOEVER! Did you forget, Billy Turner was on the 1966 Little All-American team with four members of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame! Which makes me reconsider my prior support for Coach Groce. I just learned that Ray Meyer was available!

And here's some inside scoop from his hometown. http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/high-schools/2017/05/26/former-milwaukee-king-hoops-standout-virshon-cotton-signs-akron/349834001/ And PLEASE Virshon, Keep the dreadies!

This site provides a very strong indication that Virshon has grown a lot, and that he may still be growing! https://future150.com/hs/basketball-profiles/virshon-cotton-pg-2017

Virshon Cotton GOES OFF for 22 points, 21 assists VIDEO #4 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Virshon+Cotton+basketball&view=detail&mid=1D207617AAA04E5E7CDE1D207617AAA04E5E7CDE&FORM=VIRE

Newest recruit! Virshon Cotton, Milwaukee class of 2017.

I seem to remember a tweet by Dalton shortly after the departure of KD saying he intended to transfer -- can't recall if he said to Duquesne or not. But on another track, I am hearing some of those rumors that Hilltopper and Skip-zip are referring to. Dambrot's decision was not entirely his own.

Looking at this year's schedule, I'm trying to get tips on where we might go in the future for pay-backs, I see Washington and St Mary's both coming to the CKF (Cub Cadet Field!). UW has one of the big early season tournaments in Seattle, which usually also has U of Portland in the field. I've been waiting for us to play at Merlo Field at UP, where we last played about 2001 I think. This may be our first game ever vs St Mary's.

Thanks for pointing this out, TennZip -- As I discovered that a player who I've followed the past two seasons -- German Sven Koenig, is transferring from Hawai'i Pacific to Creighton. This kid was probably the top player in D-2 nationally, and I think was the leading scorer in PDL with KW White last season, which played in Windsor ON. I sure wish Jared had gotten hold of him first! Do we play Creighton this year? https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/college-players-to-watch-in-the-2017-pdl_aid41828/gallery_id167/f-sven-koenig-okc-energy-u23-(creighton)_6

Well, back to Harder Stadium we go, on Sept 9. Gauchos have an excellent recruiting class, so expect Big Mike to be back on the ZipsNation! Where the Hell did our National Champs emoji go??

The entire time Malcolm was in Corvallis the team never had a serious D-1 post player -- even in 2015-16 when they went to the NCAA for the first time in about 25 years. Gary Payton II was a premier level player who carried the team that year. Malcolm was forced by Coach Tinkle out of his natural PG spot, that he had more than earned by leading the team in MP and assists in his sophomore year, so he could move Payton to where he had more shot opportunities. If he is ready to compete physically and lead emotionally, I think he more than makes up for the loss of Noah. We still have a severe lack of depth, however. Better get used to playing 35mpg again!

Well, possibly surprised that he isn't Morgantown-bound! Wonder if Huggy's offer stood? Would like to think we could have gotten him, now just have to imagine we were #2.

USL most accurate passers after week #1. https://twitter.com/kaustin01/status/846168402397986816/photo/1

Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal is receiving a LOT of attention for his play with Sporting KC/Swope Park Rangers. Good chance he will be this year's example of Emmanuel Sabbi, who left for Las Palmas last summer. If he plays...he could be the difference!? http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/2017/05/sporting-kcs-wan-kuzain-wan-kamal-is-already-a-celebrity-in-malaysia/?utm_source=TopDrawerSoccer+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4fccf489d6-TDS-5-15-17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8340315a79-4fccf489d6-31214089 After reading the article in its entirety, I see that apparently ONLY SKC has rights to him as a pro. I guess that means Advantage Zips!

Played in 8 games as a freshman. Can you do that and still get an extra "medical" year? Not sure. http://www.ecupirates.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4956

Is Ali Khazamaini still coaching the Vikes? Will never forget how he forged such great rivalries between our teams in the late 70s-early80s. When CSU played home games at Baldwin Wallace.

I can only hope, given what is lost, that Groce will have something better to replace Aaron with before the fall!

"Guards Noah Robotham, Antino Jackson, Aaron Jackson, Tavian Dunn-Martin and big man Michael Hughes have departed or will depart with the latter two joining Dambrot at Duquesne. I'm almost certain Aaron Jackson is staying put. Does GT know something I've not heard? Anyone? Never mind! I shed a tear for such a good and well-liked young man as Swaggy! I thought he was headed to the school record for trips to Hawai'i! http://zipsnation.org/forums/topic/37227-2017-2018/?page=16#comment-281837

Mr Duvuvier knows Akron! And (while I don't remember him specifically), I remember this game. http://collegebasketball.ap.org/article/treadwell-akron-turn-back-oregon-st-83-71-0 "Our second team, those guys coming off the bench — Hallice Cooke, Jarmal Reid, Malcolm Duvivier — they're the guys who were out there providing a spark for us," Nelson said. "Devin Collier and myself, we were out for a long stretch, and we came back. The starters and myself could've played a lot better tonight." The difference in this game was named Pat Forsythe, who totally dominated OSU's post players. Tree didn't hurt the cause either. And the next day, the First-grandmother of the United States, Mrs Marilyn Robinson mournfully related to me that it was the first time she had ever seen her son's team lose! Sorry 'bout that!