Zip_ME87

https://www.hudl.com/profile/13553832/Matt-Dreas

The United Soccer Coaches pre-season poll is out, and Akron is not on it. Five opponents are. (7 Pitt, 13 Indiana, 18 FIU, 21 Penn St, 25 BUGS) https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/united-soccer-coaches

https://news.yahoo.com/wadsworth-senior-jackson-herbert-commits-171530611.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall ...“It’s unreal that it’s happening to me now. I’d say they definitely had an edge. If they were going to offer me, I was going to take it on the spot.” When Akron coach Jared Embick called the outside midfielder into his office to do just that, he really didn’t have to sell the Zips to Herbert. ... ...“It was something I couldn’t turn down,” Herbert said. “I’m really excited about it. You walk in his office and look around and there are national championship trophies, MLS trophies from the players he’s coached. Looking at the desk, you’ve got all these championship rings. It was shocking to say the least. It was unreal.” ...

Aodhan Quinn bends it in from the corner.! 🥅

Joao with an assist on Orlando’s 2nd goal in their 5-1 rout of NYRB in their US Open Cup semifinal match last night.

Levi Stephens to Connor Lee ... GOAL!

Will Portman to Jaden Wright ... diving header ... GOAL!

Nice final game of 2022 for Akron City FC and the Zips and former Zips playing for them.

Danny Strachan scores 1st pro goal in MLS NEXT Pro version of Hell is Real rivalry.

Very nice JLew…

👏👏👏

Perhaps not for you, and definitely not for me, but for Darlington... 😉

Love the teamwork and Darlington’s great first touch.

Watching, thanks! Announcers said the game sold out before game day...7500-8000 in attendance. Nice!

Zarek Valentin scores his first ever international goal for Puerto Rico.

Beautiful cross from DeAndre, too, that should have led to a goal.

Exactly. Robbie Dambrot, Shane Wiedt, and their team, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, beat Loudoun 2-0 that evening (after our Zips won at Robert Morris).

As I said, my problem with MAC Men's Soccer is its inability for the conference to maintain at least 6 members not the level of play of its full time members. Although I despised the drive to Hartwick, I didn't think it was a good idea at the time for the MAC to drop them. They were a good, competitive program with a good men's soccer history. NIU, BGSU, and WMU have improved as we've seen with their recent appearances in the NCAA Tourney. I'd prefer to see the inclusion of the four MAC full members --- Akron, BGSU, WMU, and NIU --- in another conference as opposed to this constant churn of adding affiliate members just to watch them leave. Too late, though, for Conference USA. Apparently when they lost members to the Sun Belt, the remaining 4 men's soccer teams went to the American Athletic Conference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_USA_Men's_Soccer_Tournament) while the MAC continues to churn with adding and losing members. SH*T SHOW!

I'll be happy to see it when it happens. Btw, I didn't say he wasn't interested.

I agree that the MAC is a sh*t show. I'm not sure that I like the idea of going independent, but I'd like to see the MAC quit sponsoring Men's Soccer as the Sun Belt did in 2021. I'd prefer to see the Zips join Conference USA, the Horizon League, or other conference as an affiliate member as opposed to being in the ever-changing MAC. This constant churn of not having enough MAC teams is awful. However, I don't see our AD fixing this. I'll leave it at that as he has done well at putting me back in my place of apathy toward anything other than Zips Men's Soccer. I wish him well and hope his approach is successful. I think, as others, that he made a great hire with the FB coach and wish for our Alma Mater's sake that it plays out well. As far as the AD himself, hopefully, others appreciate the "smart AD"'s interactions with them better than I have. As for Zips Men's Soccer ... Thanks to our coaches and players, I've come to really love the game and continue to be passionate about it. Our men's soccer players are the greatest guys showing how grateful they are for all of us who support them. Supporting them at Akron (home and on the road) and beyond is my happy place. I just wish I could keep up with all of our former players, but there are too many of them in too many places for me to follow as much as my heart wishes I could. I wish them all the best on the soccer field or wherever life has taken them. Go Zips!!!

You are correct that a conference has to have 6 teams in order for the conference champion to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, my understanding is that a conference that has gone below the 6 team threshold has a 1-year cushion to get back up to 6 teams. So, in 2022, the MAC will retain its automatic bid for its Men's Soccer Conference champion, but it will lose that auto bid in 2023 if it does not return to at least 6 members, all of whom have to be D1 otherwise another year would have to pass, which I believe happened when Hartwick joined the last time. Good news at that time was that Akron was the MAC Champion ranked at or near #1 in NCAA D1 and did not need the auto qualifier.