bobbyake

Could the amount of top players in this particular class we're getting, be in effect to the previous national championship appearances, or the fact that Coach Porter is the U-23 coach for the Olympics? Or a little bit of both? 4 players out of the Top 11, I think it's safe to say Akron has the #1 recruiting class for 2012. If Porter does well in the Olympics, Akron's going to need to build this: it would only cost $16 Million

The only thing you need to know about Fernando Pina is that he's the best goalkeeper in the country. Akron knows this and more, which is why they secured his verbal commitment to join the program next season. Fernando Pena The Houston, Texas, standout will bring quite the experience to the college level. He was the leading keeper for the U.S. U17 squad last year when he earned his stripes in international competition. We have Pina ranked No. 10 in our 2012 Top 100 class, and he makes the grade in just about any other criterion as well. He's rangy and tough to beat, and also brings a confidence that helps him command his team. Pina has extensive U.S. National Team experience and will join another star-studded group of players in the next phase of his career. Akron already has 2012 commitments from Matthew Foldesy, Alfred Koroma, Dillon Serna and Andrew Souders. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/players-to-...-keeper-commits Ranked #10 overall, #2 in Texas. #1 as a goalkeeper. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/players-to-...4/Fernando-Pina

that overall record is really good considering the program he came into was awful. He turned things around there. Let's hope he can replicate that success with the Zips. I believe it's Paul Winters job if he wants it. If not, we need to start calling for Tom Wistrcill's head.

Don't we root for the same team?

it sucks a lot that he's at UNC. The sooner he signs that homegrown contract, the better.

there was a thread about this already http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?showtopic=25014

MLS replica jerseys sale for $70 on Adidas's website. I wonder if we got enough people to bug Adidas about it, we could buy them directly through Adidas and avoid going through UA's bookstore (Barnes & Noble).

Caleb Porter is on ESPN's soccer front page http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/co...r-jeff-carlisle

You send them an email and they respond, that makes me happy.

+1, great article

I'm looking forward to March.

I'm amazed that Dayton can sustain a USL Pro team when they only average 661 per game. Is a NPSL team in Akron more feasible? They play 6 home games vs the PDL's 8, but costs a lot less to maintain. Could a rivalry between Akron and Cleveland draw a crowd? I'd hate to see Akron lose soccer in the summer because Akron Metro did a lousy job (no excuse for averaging 186 per game in Akron) with the PDL team and only gave this city 1 year.

So they did such a crummy job, they've been given a do-over. Now I'm starting to understand the NCAA. And that's scary! Did they do a crummy job? I haven't heard anything, positive or negative, about the venue. Neither have I, but its in a Minor League Baseball park, that's crummy enough for me. With the amount of soccer specific stadiums today, I just don't get it. Where the Women's College Cup was played this year, the place would be perfect, although I don't know if its big enough. Did anyone catch the attendance at this year's Men's College Cup Final? EDIT: I found the attendance for the entire weekend, but not the final. 18,400 The Final was 8,777 and 9,623 for the game against UCLA Alright, so the crowd was larger than it appeared on TV. That's a testament to the growth of the sport. Weather should be a factor in site nomination (obviously it is, but it should be a bigger factor). The stadium really looked crumby, with the wall behind the goal and seating mainly along the one sideline. On-camera I assumed maybe 5-6 thousand for the final. Still, I look forward to attending next year's NCAA Women's College Cup in San Diego, where I expect it to be at least in the 60s. The announcer before the game said the recorded temperature in the upper 40s was MUCH warmer than it felt. And as much as I love PDX, I would not want a College Cup played in the cold rain that is endemic to that city from Nov-May. there was seating on 3 sides of the field, after watching the college cup final again, both sides didn't look bad. Charlotte brought a lot of supporters, I'm very impressed with their fan support.

This guy, Bryan Huettmann is the Director of Merchandising and Licensing you can email him at bryanhu@uakron.edu to demand Akron Adidas soccer jerseys. My Email:

Not that they sell any of these But I'd imagine they get better margins selling the soccer jerseys without Adidas on them. I visited the fan store a couple weeks ago and the football jerseys are all on the clearance rack, while the soccer jerseys were on the walls. The soccer jerseys sell so they don't need Adidas' logo to help. The football jerseys need all the help they can get. It sucks, I'd love to have an Akron Soccer Adidas jersey.

So they did such a crummy job, they've been given a do-over. Now I'm starting to understand the NCAA. And that's scary! Did they do a crummy job? I haven't heard anything, positive or negative, about the venue. Neither have I, but its in a Minor League Baseball park, that's crummy enough for me. With the amount of soccer specific stadiums today, I just don't get it. Where the Women's College Cup was played this year, the place would be perfect, although I don't know if its big enough. Did anyone catch the attendance at this year's Men's College Cup Final? EDIT: I found the attendance for the entire weekend, but not the final. 18,400 The Final was 8,777 and 9,623 for the game against UCLA

fast forward to 8:35

If he doesn't get Generation Adidas which pays around 100k, who knows. Aaron Horton, a Columbus homegrown un-drafted player, has a 45k salary and 60.5k guaranteed for 2011. Non-Generation Adidas draft pick compensation: AJ Soares, 6th, 42k s, 82k g Jalil Anibaba, 9th, 42k s, 82k g Eddie Ababio, 18th (Last of the first round) 32.6k s, 32.6k g Jeb Brovsky, 19th (1st of 2nd round), 42k s, 42k g Ampaipitakwong makes 32.6kChris Korb makes 42k If he signs a homegrown contract, he could be looking at a 45k salary with 60k guaranteed for 2012. This beats what he'd be given if he was a late first rounder in the draft. Make around 50k in 2012, or finish college (tuition costs $26,834 for out-of-state at UNC) He's majoring in exercise and sports science. Starting salary for this degree is between $18,000 to $30,000 He's got options to consider. Who knows, if he has a decent career in the MLS, maybe he'll get an honorary degree from UNC or possibly Akron for Sports Science.

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

Charlotte's support group was very impressive for the National Championship. UNC's support group for the title game was very pathetic.

The sooner he leaves UNC, the happier I'll be.

another video:

Charlotte has the better fans. UNC's support group was university cheerleaders? Have to root for Charlotte on this one. The team that beats Akron in the NCAA tournament deserves to win the National title.