Zip_ME87

I love these references to our Alma Mater as well as this great Zips Mens Soccer alum...

This was embedded in that last link. Couldn't help but bring this up by itself...

Former Zips, FC Cincy's Eric Stevenson competing against himself in 2016 Fans' Choice USL Goal of the Year Quarterfinals

Have Union acquired Adam Najem? Preseason begins today, Le Toux to DC, league news, more

Sky Bet EFL: Team of the Week Defender: DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United) The pace of Yedlin caused Rotherham United all sorts of problems as Newcastle eased to a 4-0 win. The American full-back laid on two of the goals from his rampages down the right, and made a crucial tackle at 0-0 in the incident which led to a superb Karl Darlow save.

I think this is awesome if true. Philly is ~1.5 hours further from Clifton, NJ than is Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ) but still relatively close to home for Adam. BTW, our new transfer, Morgan Hackworth, is in the Union's development system, I believe.

Nice piece. Watched DVR recording hurriedly this morning before heading to work. Concentrated mostly on local Zips in the pros - Zemanski, Korb, Nanchoff, Nagbe, and now Danilo. I will have to watch again, but I think they inadvertently missed Evan Bush; however, it could be my oversight in not watching closely enough...multitasking while it played. They also mentioned Jonathan Lewis being drafted at #3 overall. Hopefully the segment will end up on WKYC.com.

Yes...latest local Zip to go pro.

DeAndre Yedlin dubbed ‘best full-back in Championship’ after two-assist performance vs. Rotherham ...While the comment of him being the best full-back in the league is made by just one random analyst, it’s still a cool complement for him and proof that he’s doing very well this season. Under Jurgen Klinsmann, Yedlin lost his grasp on the starting right back job towards the final few matches as Timmy Chandler took over. It will be interesting to see where he stands in the pecking order now that Bruce Arena is in charge.

Wil Trapp at ~26 seconds in

Heads up, I first heard it last night and now mentioned again this morning, Channel 3 plans to have something on Akron Soccer as part of their Sports Program at 11:35 pm tonight. This morning, when mentioning it again, they said "...and Akron Soccer, especially 1 local guy heading to the pros." Must be Danilo Radjen. DVR is set.

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/jonathan-lewis-thrilled-to-be-with-nycfc-and-u-20s

Always happy to see our guys in the pros doing well. Can't wait for the upcoming USMNT friendlies and hex matches in March, U20 MNT qualifying in February, and the start of the MLS season in addition to the ongoing season in Europe.

NUFC 4-0 Rotherham https://footballvideohighlights.com/newcastle-united-vs-rotherham-united-highlights-and-goals-sky-bet-championship-january-21-2017_10bad5755.html

So, what is meant by bobblehead "grab bag"? Do you reach into a bag and pull out a bobblehead at random? Do they hand you one as you enter, and you get what they give you? Do you stand in a long line and say I want a LeBron James from the LeBron, Coach Dambrot set...they say they're out...you ask for a Lebron James from the Lebron, Romeo, Dru set. They say they're out. You move on to the next one you might want, say Charlie Frye and so on and so forth til you get one or give up. Meanwhile, significant time has passed and you and others miss tip off. Or something else? Just curious. I imagine instructions will follow on GoZips.com.

I wish Akron would put out a statement on who has joined our program at this time (for the Spring semester). Very nice of Pitt to engage their soccer fans by keeping them informed. Ever since our previous Zips Mens Soccer SID, Paul Warner, left, we don't seem to get nearly as much news about our team. Is there some hidden cost in posting a press release to GoZips.com that prohibits UA from putting out too many? I like President Wilson's comments to the city club about UA being family; how about keeping the family informed? Part of building and maintaining a fan base is to engage them in more than just the game day experience.

Rumor: New York Red Bulls want Adam Najem; Adam Najem wants a better deal It would seem RBNY is at an impasse with one of the more highly-rated prospects in its system. AN10 deserves better.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/01/16/31622742/the-mls-wrap-danladis-delayed-arrival-finally-happens?ICID=HP_HN_1 buried in this article... One player who Red Bulls fans would have expected to be signed to a homegrown player deal by now is Akron playmaker Adam Najem. One of the best midfielders in college soccer, Najem was offered a contract by the club after the 2015 college season, but passed on what sources say was a minimum salary offer. The Red Bulls want to sign Najem and have him join the squad for preseason, but as of last week, the sides appeared far apart on the size of a deal. Najem is in a unique situation because his MLS rights are currently owned by the Red Bulls by virtue of the contract offer made a year ago. Normally, a team would have to sign a homegrown prospect who has finished their college eligibility by a set deadline before the MLS combine, which would then allow the player to go into the draft if the team chose not to make him an offer. The Red Bulls had not made a renewed offer to Najem as of last week, but had left the door open for him to sign his original offer. Whether that happens will be up to Najem, who could choose to pursue options abroad, or with an NASL or USL team.

Family!

Ramos' Roster Offers Clues on U-20 World Cup Team Predicted World Cup qualifying roster GOALKEEPERS Jonathan Klinsmann J.T. Marchinkowski DEFENDERS Marlon Fossey Erik Palmer-Brown Tommy Redding Justen Glad Auston Trusty Marcello Borges Hugo Arellano MIDFIELDERS Danny Acosta Tyler Adams Eryk Williamson Gedion Zelalem Jonathan Lewis Sebastian Saucedo Jonathan Gonzalez Nicholas Taitague FORWARDS Jeremy Ebobisse Brandon Vazquez Brooks Lennon

Jonathan Lewis Called Up to US U20 Squad January 15, 2017 12:50PM EST Jonathan Lewis has been called up to represent his country for the U.S. U20 Men's National Team. ... The U20 MNT head coach Tab Ramos named 24 players to his January Camp roster, including NYCFC's newest acquisition, MLS Combine MVP Jonathan Lewis. Lewis will travel to Carson, California for the training camp which will take place from Jan. 15 - 23 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center where the team will prepare for the U20 World Cup qualifying tournament. ... Actually, I don't think he has to travel anywhere since the draft was in LA. Perhaps he has to change hotels.

Two trades into the top of the draft underscored the value of being in Friday's top four. http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/2017-mls-superdraft-notes#8CrQu6DBmdcSuq7x.99 ...Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter, who saw his team trade from pick 10 to four in the first round, put it best: “In getting into the [top] four, we felt like we could not go wrong with any of the picks. We liked the options in the top four, and after that, we weren’t sure.” ... NYCFC traded a significant amount of allocation money -- $250,000, just $50,000 less than what the Chicago Fire received for the rights to Didier Drogba – to trade up and get Akron’s Jonathan Lewis. The playmaking midfielder was impressive for Akron and at the MLS combine and could end up being the best pro to come out of the draft. It’s intriguing to put another younger, quicker player in the New York midfielder. ...

Congratulations to Danilo.