Zip_ME87

Sorry. I misunderstood what you meant by that.

CK, (edit) most of this may be true, yet you come to games. I come to games. Balsy attends games. Dr Z is there. ...etc. After a couple of games with iCoach, I quit coming because I couldn't stand it for myself or the players. (edit: Just looking at iCoach or TW made me almost pop a blood vessel. I quickly recognized it wasn't good for my health.) I still bought season tickets to support my team. It sucked to spend money and not be there, but I knew one day someone would iCoach. I had the pride to support the program. Students get in free. Come to a game if you're not working. If it sucks, leave. But show some damn pride in your school. Winning takes effort of those on the field, but it also takes effort of those who attend and have graduated from Akron to support their team. EDIT: Attending football games is also a way to make new friends and contacts. I would think that college students who are looking to graduate one day and start their careers would be interested in networking.

In that case, I understand the lack of student attendance. I think there were about 6 peolpe "sitting" in the grass and perhaps 20 standing across the end zone. I really don't see that making much of a difference in the student section, which btw, is multiple sections (10, I think counting, upper & lower)

Akron re-enters the TDS Top 25 at #25 EDIT: But Sparty dropped to Other considered.

See you there Nate. BeatSparty!

Soccer | Crew: Players double as volunteers Lampson, Trapp lend hand as coaches at alma maters EDIT: Hopefully, with Wil volunteering at his alma mater, Gahanna Lincoln HS will feed the Zips some more Wil Trapps and Saad Abdul-Salaams.

I'll take the win over anything. The players could have had playsheets shoved down the front of their pants as long as we won. But, I must comment how much fun it was watching the Purdue Zips defeat EMU at The University of Akron. Nice branding! #BoilermakerZipsGameDay I suggest Red and Grey with chrome grey helmets might be a better choice for recruiting and drawing fans in O H I O if you want to look like some other team so that casual fans won't realize you're the Akron Zips. Don't forget the weed stickers. Those are the real kickers for this look. Love the chrome helmets. Hate the black unis. Could have done the same look with dark blue.

Back on the subject...my neice, who is a tOSU graduate, attended the game with me today and was cheering for the Zips. She grew up in Akron and likes to see the Zips win (unless they're playing her alma mater). Even she commented how sad it is that Akron students get into the games for free with their ZipCard, and they don't show up. How can you not go to a free social event? With the stadium on campus, close to dorms and off campus housing, I don't get it either. I could care less about "Joe Akron", but holy crap why aren't the student sections more crowded? EDIT: If they're working to pay for their education and make a living, I understand, but is that really the case for so many?

Really? All the soccer fans I know are students and family/friends, alumni and family, alumni who played for the Zips and family, players who played for Zips soccer but didn't graduate from Akron due to leaving early and family, parents and family members or friends/girlfriends of current and past players, UA faculty and family members, former UA faculty and family members, current UA coaches and family, UA staff and family, friends of any of the aforementioned. Perhaps there are more casual fans than I realize, but I think most of them have fallen off the bandwagon.

DC United was the first Eastern Conference team to clinch an MLS playoff spot tonight with a draw vs SKC. Perry Kitchen was out of the line up due to yellow card accumulation. The announcers interviewed him before the game and mentioned that since he's been with DCU, they have yet to win without him. If that is true, then that statistic continues.

Try Cincinnati. Unless I wasn't putting my cursor in the right places, I couldn't find where the Bearcats were even in the top 3. tOSWho Meatchicken Kenyucky No Cinscumnati EDIT: Oops, I forgot Loserville

You shouldn't beat yourself up on this one. At the time, I was nervous but hopeful. I don't like to judge someone poorly until they give me reason to do so. I suspect you're the same way. Neither of us knew him by anything other than what we read or were told. Now had you actually interviewed the candidates and reached the same decision as TW, I'd be ready to fire you from ZipsNation.

The MAC is never easy even though we've won the regular season so many years in a row. Michigan is not much of a measuring stick, in my opinion, nor is Maryland at this time. Like the Zips, unfortunately, neither are on this list.

I apologize in advance for doing this, but since buflobo brought it up: the most painful PK result for me was Blair Gavin's going over the goal at Wake Med Soccer Park, Cary, NC after David Meves had made a couple of awesome saves to keep the Zips in contention for the 2009 National Championship. Wil Trapp's and Scotty's vs Creighton were equally #2. Horrible way to close out Caleb's tenure at Akron along with the tenures of Scotty, Chad, David Meves, Thomas Schmitt, DeAndre, Wil, Dillon Serna.

I didn't intend to sound like I was writing Victor off. I was questioning whether it might be better to have more than one guy take PKs. I was told that Blair Gavin was almost automatic on PKs because he could see which way the GK started to move during his approach and then shoot the other way. Restrepo didn't move in the Virginia game, and Blair sorta froze as he approached the ball and ended up kicking it over the goal. GKs don't always guess either. They watch the PK taker's approach and sometimes pick up which way the player is going. That still doesn't always work if the PK taker can put the ball out of the GK's reach or can make it look like he's going one way then go the other. As with most things, there's no perfect answer. I just thought it might help to have multiple players take the PKs so it's a little less easy to scout tendancies.

Interesting data and video. thanks.

That's my experience, too, that teams have their one penalty taker. I've seen it also with Higuain in Columbus, and I believe he's had several blocked. That's why I think it might be wiser to go with multiple PK takers. As far as the video, I agree we shouldn't post and make it easy for our opponent but they would likely get the footage somehow anyway. If you had 3 or so PK takers, they wouldn't know as easily whom to expect. Laryea, Holthusen, Sepe, Najem, Abdul-Salaam can all score in the run of play. You'd think any one of them along with Victor could make PKs.

I agree about the concern over giving up 2 goals in 5 minutes. Breakdowns like that should not happen. As far as PKs, I think most, if not all coaches, select one player to take the PKs throughout the season. They'll often make a change when a player misses one unless he's had a good record taking a number of them. However, I disagree with the philosophy of having one "go to" PK taker. Every player has tendancies in how they take shots at the goal. PK tendancies can easily be scouted. I think that it might be wiser to have 2 or 3 "go to" PK takers. Every player should be comfortable taking PKs. It's part of the game and is often necessary to advance in tournament situations. Players at the D-1 college level should be so competitive that they want to be that guy who makes the PK needed for the team to advance. No player should say they don't want to take a PK.

I didn't know that, and I agree with you. I think most companies/organizations use "behavioral" interview questions to try to help understand how the person would fit the position. I would have thought if you had someone that knows anything about being a head football coach on your interview panel, you could at least come up with some questions that would stump a football coaching genius like RI.

I suspect Porter and others really thought Fernando Pina was going to be our GK hands down. Perhaps Ferrell didn't want to chance that competition? Pina came in highly rated. I think Jake has been doing a good job. Just needed 1 more save tonight. He had the PK save and a number of others at blOSU, and I felt he was MotM in that one.

I think it was the good ole buddy system. Sometimes you have to put your job/reputation ahead of a friendship. If one of my friends interviewed with me for a job, and he wasn't qualified, I think I could explain my choice based upon the selectee's qualifications. If my friend didn't understand, then he's not much of a friend. Business is business, and we're not talking about a slight difference in qualifications here. I need to give this up. It stlll irks me that our current AD is still at UA. He's a "nice guy", but I just don't see what he's doing for us.

The only reason Ianello's hire is listed as only the 8th worst is because there is no respect for Akron Football. The same is true for Kansas Football. The worst hire shouldn't be Weis by Notre Dame, but Weis by Kansas. Everyone but Kansas knew it was a HUGE mistake when they did it. How can any AD be that thick? The 2nd worst hire should be Ianello by Akron. He had no credentials worthy of a Head Coach. And, just to talk to him or hear him talk one time, you have to be more clueless than him to not recognize how clueless he is about football and probably many other things. How do these AD's keep their job. How many people can F up so badly and still have their job? How can anyone take them seriously?

After going down 0-2 in the first half, the Zips got themselves back into the game in the 2nd half with a good chance to tie it. PK's, unfortunately, are not "give me" goals. I'd have love to have won or at least tied, but I'm happy to see the response of this young team to adversity on the road. Let's Go Zips!

If you guys haven't figured out by now that this is a young team that is, unfortunately going to be inconsistent, you're going to pop a blood vessel before this season is over. Chill out and get ready for Saturday. Go Zips!