Zip_ME87

If that's true, proves my point. Little thought as to what they could have with an indoor football stadium. By now, they've put enough funds into the current wind tunnel (First Energy Stadium) on the lake that they could have had a very nice indoor facility. With the MAC HQ'd in Cleveland, could have possibly had the MACC FB game here in addition to the MAC Basketball Tourneys. Oh well, #Don'tThinkatAll

+1

Sorry GP1, but I differ with your opinion. At 6 - 3, a big play, such as a blocked punt, could have made a difference in momentum going into the half. IMHO part of the Zips' issues this year is that we seem to take no chances whatsoever. No spark whatsoever in the last several games. Just going through the motions. If anyone had insomnia last night, all they had to do was tune into ESPN2 during our game...snoozer.

Not with the moronic way they were promoting it. It's not just UA #ThinkSmaller. NEO doesn't seem to have visionaries. Akron and surrounding area are large enough to support an entertainment venue. I'm sure people in Akron and south of Akron would prefer to only have to go to Akron, rather than Cleveland, for concerts and other such entertainment that could be held at a downtown Akron Arena in addition to Zips Basketball. Also, the Zips could potentially draw Ohio State and other "power conference" D1 teams to Akron where those schools' NEO alumni could more easily go to see their alma mater play. Idiots in Cleveland had a perfect opportunity in 1996-98 to build a domed stadium/Ford Field type stadium for the Browns somewhere other than the waterfront. CLE could have hosted the NCAA Men's FInal Four and a SuperBowl plus many other events, and could have developed that lake front property for much better use. No, status quo stupidity prevailed, and an open air stadium that hosts 8 regular season and 2 pre-season NFL games per year and a few other events resulted. What a waste of half a billion + dollars...mistake on the lake 2.

With ~44 seconds remaining in the first half, and BUGS punting from their end zone, why did the Zips coaches not have the nads to rush everyone to try to block the punt? WTF were we doing fielding that punt. Possibly letting it roll couldn't have resulted in much worse field position. Worst case would have been roughing the kicker with BUGS getting the ball at the 18 (or 25, whatever) with < 44 seconds remaining in the half. Seemed to be worth the risk to possibly get 2 or 6/7 points, especially at home.

Perhaps if the offense could have stayed on the field for more than 3 downs or less then out, the defense might not have looked so tired.

As far as Victor Souto, we've been through this before. It was in print (Ohio.com, Sept 10/11, 2014) per this thread. The NCAA suspended Souto for actions after his red card in the Zips’ 1-0 loss to Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The penalty was three regular-season games, plus two NCAA games. I interpret "NCAA games" as NCAA Tournament, not MAC Tournament. All games the Zips play in regular season, MAC Tournament, and NCAA Tournament are technically "NCAA games". Since he wasn't suspended for 5 straight games, I think the ABJ meant "NCAA Tournament games". As far as carrying over til next year, that is not clear. I cannot find any definitive answer in the NCAA Soccer Rule Book. Red cards in final post season game carry over to the following season, but I don't see anything that states they carry to a subsequent season after that.

perhaps Johnny Cash, a Purdue fan, Darth Vader, Tommy Lee Jones/Will Smith, a Steelers fan, a funeral attendee, a Labrador Retriever, Usher, ... Men should never wear black... But, then again... The Color Black or Personality color Black whatever....

Penn State is at #21. Zips could make a slight gain with a win Wednesday. However, the MAC doesn't help. U@B ... 156 WMU ... 86 WVU ... 36 BUGS ... 70 And, out of our opponents this season, only the following have a higher RPI than ours: MSU ... 19 UAB ... 20 BlOSU ... 26 Our other opponents' RPIs UNM ... 35 USF ... 56 FGSU ... 116 UCF ... 180 Hartford ... 91 Tulsa ... 40 WFU ... 30 UM ... 43 CSU ... 137 N Ill ... 153

http://zipsnation.org/forums/topic/30986-2014-zips-in-pro-leagues-domestic-and-international/?p=229500

Sounders react to the retirement of former teammate Steve ZakuaniSteve Zakuani was Seattle Sounders FC's first ever SuperDraft pick. He was a Sounders FC original. He was a constant threat on the wing for Sigi Schmid’s club for the better part of five years. ... “It’s sad to hear that Steve has to step away from the game,” said Schmid of Zakuani’s retirement. “He was a very bright star and offered many hours of enjoyment to Sounders fans. He was a player who will always be remembered in our history and we are all saddened by him having to leave the game today. “Steve was the kind of player who would make you sit on the edge of your seat because you never knew when the unexpected would happen. He was always a player who brought excitement to the game.” ...

yedlinny 20 hours agoFrom Akron, to Seattle, and even to our rivals Portland this dude was a inspiration to me the whole way through. Know you will be successful in whatever chapter comes next for you. Thank you for teaching me so much @stevezakuani11 #onceazipalwaysazip #onceasounderalwaysasounder #cascadia

@fknbuflobo Totally agree. So, I'll post this instead... (EDIT2: This was the day that I became a Seattle Sounders fan. Then along came DeAndre to solidify my love of the SoundersFC) EDIT: and

Akron can make a ridiculous pro Best XI out of former players Since the mid-aughts, Akron’s been churning out quality soccer players at an incredible rate. If Akron under Ken Lolla was a regional power and nationally respectable, Akron under Caleb Porter was an out-and-out machine. Since Porter took over in 2005, the Zips have produced nine first round MLS draft picks and a handful of undrafted stars in the making. Even Porter made it to the pros... EDIT: "...the craziest thing about this lineup is every player on it has turned pro since 2010. What? Don’t forget the bench, either. This team has options. Scott Caldwell, who’s played 55 games in MLS’ best midfield over the last two years, would be a no-doubt bench player. Kofi Sarkodie is available as well, meaning you could move Yedlin up to RM, push Mattocks up top, slide Nagbe into the hole and scoot Sarkodie into the right back position. Ben Speas is a late-game option, and so too is Ben Zemanski, who filled in ably for Will Johnson and can do the same for either Kitchen or Trapp. ..."

Good job tonight by the Zips scoring 5 unanswered goals vs CSU. Kudos to Adam Najem on his hat trick and Clint Caso for his leadership. I believe Clint was the only player besides GK Jake Fenlason to play all 90 minutes. Congrats to Andrew Souders on his first collegiate goal. Keep it going Zips. We need that win at NIU. Remember, anything easy isn't worth a darn. I know this Zips team has the talent to win out the remainder of the season if they put their minds to it and grind it out.

Yep. Jared may think he's doing these guys a favor by not getting on them, but he may actually be doing them a disservice. Worth repeating... Yedlin credits Porter for his development into a player who was ready for the professional leagues. “There were times when I absolutely hated him,” said Yedlin. “It seemed like during my freshman year, he’d always be getting on me.” But Porter’s exacting standards forced Yedlin to change the way he evaluated his own play. Porter “made me mentally stronger and judge myself a little bit harder, which is something that I needed,” Yedlin explained. Edit: I hope there's at least some "hell" going on out of sight. I still think that holding the team on the field and making them accountable immediately after something like we saw Saturday is the way to go. A couple of Crew players told me Sunday afternoon that they hated going through things over & again in the circle (back in college) and that it was motivating to try to avoid it.

How to make it in America ..."For his college coach Caleb Porter, it was Yedlin’s “fearlessness, mixed with a positive attitude, and a refreshing level of naïveté” that allowed him to leap from college to Major League Soccer to the World Cup before he could legally buy a drink. “I don’t think he thinks too much about the magnitude of the things that he’s doing,” said Porter. That might be the young player’s most useful quality."... ..."It’s strange to think of DeAndre Yedlin as a late bloomer, since he featured in a World Cup as a 20-year-old, but Yedlin “was very much under the radar” entering college, said Caleb Porter, Yedlin’s coach at the University of Akron. Although Yedlin attended several U.S. youth national team camps, he never featured regularly, and many college coaches were unsure how his skill set would translate to the collegiate level. He was projected to be a winger, and they wondered if he had the technical skill, tenacity, and size to succeed as an attacker, but Porter had a different idea. “I immediately saw a potential standout right back,” said Porter, the current coach of the Portland Timbers. “I get kids all the time that are forwards who shouldn’t be forwards, so it’s pretty normal to take a kid out of position.” In Yedlin, Porter envisioned a modern attacking fullback in the mold of Dani Alves."... ..."Yedlin credits Porter for his development into a player who was ready for the professional leagues. “There were times when I absolutely hated him,” said Yedlin. “It seemed like during my freshman year, he’d always be getting on me.” But Porter’s exacting standards forced Yedlin to change the way he evaluated his own play. Porter “made me mentally stronger and judge myself a little bit harder, which is something that I needed,” Yedlin explained. After two years with Porter at Akron, Yedlin faced another choice: return to Ohio and finish out his collegiate career or accept a contract offer from his hometown club to become the Seattle Sounders’ first “homegrown” player in 2013. Porter advised Yedlin, “If you’re ready to do this, it’s going to be a step up. You’re thrown into this environment where it’s money and it’s business, and mentally you have to be ready for it.” At 19, DeAndre Yedlin was ready for both the glamour and glare of being a professional."...

Yep, losing to #102, a MAC oponent, at home certainy put us in a bad place. I'm not sure winning out keeps our RPI high enough to get in the NCAA Tourney as an at large given the RPIs of our remaining opponents except Penisylvania State. Have to beat the Huskies in Dekalb and Buffalo at home then hope that BG or WVU helps to keep us from having to go to Kalamazoo for the MAC Tourney (if we can even get to the MAC Tourney...no guarantees this season). The MAC's AQ may be the only ticket to the NCAA Tourney this season. Ugh.

Such a sad day. Thoughts and prayers are with his family.

@Station14, you are correct. In soccer, they go by points. 4-1 Zips would have 12 points. 3-0-2 WMU would have 11 points. Zips would host MAC Tourney in that scenario. Of course this scenario also assumes we don't pee our shorts vs Northern Illinois or Buffalo. It sucks that we no longer control our own destiny and have to rely on BG or WVU for help. Ask the Portland Timbers how great it was to win their game Saturday only to have Vancouver also win and take the last playoff spot. @SwitchIt: Sparks flying in the film session is not as impactful as standing on the field immediately following a loss in front of fans, friends and family and not being able to go enjoy your evening with your girl for comfort right away. There needs to be some fear of losing for motivation. Even without colorful language, I'm sure "the circle" is something the players would be motivated to avoid. As far as missing Richie, this is not the beginning of the season. These guys better darn well know by now how to step it up to fill in for 1 guy no matter what position against a crap team like WMU. This is D1 NCAA soccer, not pre-teen academy. I'm not as upset by the mistake of giving up the goal as I am by how much of the game was played in front of our own goal/on our half of the field and that we had no shots on goal until around the 80th minute. Totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable that Jake seemed to be the only player directing anything. Where the heck were our captains and upper class players? That should have been corrected at half time. The HC can't be the players buddy. That's for assistants. The HC needs to call out his players and remind his captains and upper classmen they have a responsibilty to lead.

“We were outplayed and I think they deserved the result,” Embick said. Coach, we were outplayed because our players didn't show up. It's time to start calling them out. You don't play for Akron and not give a crap. How can you stand on the sideline and not get in their faces? These guys need to learn that if you don't show up ready to play at your best, there are consequences. Standing on the field for however long it takes after the game to go through every poopy pass, mistake, lazy play, etc. each player made and how they won't play like that again, running sprints after the game, being called out in front of teammates for laziness/poor attitude/stupidity, etc. One missing starter should not result in a loss, at home, to crappy WMU. This is unacceptable.

Every one of our players should be embarrassed about tonight's game. I saw no heart / desire to win. It's one thing to lose to a better team, but WMU sucks. To let them win on our field, ugh If my team can't bother to show up, I don't know why I bother. I don't miss home games, happily getting there an hour before kickoff to show how much I care about and support them. I have plans to go to Northern Illinois, but if tonight"s performance reflects how much our players care, then why should I make that long trip? What's with all the backward passing and screwing around in front of our own goal. A bunch of wusses who are afraid to pass the ball forward? I don't get it. How many times do they have to be punished before they realize how stupid that is to be so timid. There's a time to pass backwards, but they're doing it way too often. I accepted this team is young, but that only goes so far. The talent is there; they've been playing together for sometime now and have shown how good they can be. Their testicles have dropped. It's time to stop being afraid and assert themselves. This is Akron. It's totally unacceptable to step on Cub Cadet Field and not give a crap. Jared needs to start holding everyone of them accountable. They should not have been allowed to leave that field so quickly after that lack of performance.

As I suspected, Notre Dame didn't deserve to jump from #11 to #1.

Seems incredible to move all the way from #11 to #1 [Notre Dame] by defeating Northwestern & Duke. http://www.nscaatv.com/rankings/3678/NCAADivisionI/men/Poll8