jem101

I'm pretty sure that ESPN owns the exclusive rights to the USMNT. It's a shame that ESPN wouldn't give up the rights for this one.

-------Mattocks-Holmes-------------- ---Trapp-----------------Speas------- ------Brenes-Ontineveros----------- Yedlin---Barson--Gallego---Balogun -------------Meves--------------------- I know it seems ridiculous to not have Caldwell in there after the tournament that he had which ended in him scoring the clinching goal against UL, but if we play a 4-2-2-2 I don't see where he'd fit. Without the incredible leadership of Kitchen I don't think we'll be able to push 3 mids forward like we did last year and I don't see Caldwell as the type of player that can fit into a two attacking mid system. If you only have two attacking mids, they both need to be able to score somewhat consistently.Maybe it's just me, but he seems to be stuck somewhere in the middle of Attacking mid and holding mid. Speas seems to fit into that true attacking mid role a little better.

Here's the ABJ article. If you go to Ohio.com it is featured on their home page.

The last photo of Nano and Porter is amazing.

Enrique is the eighth. He was a senior who rarely saw the field.

Too those of you who organized tonights events . That was the recognition that the deserved. Everything was perfect. From the introduction video ( which I want to get my hands on), to the team introductions, to Dr. Proenza's emotional speech, to a farewell to the eight Zips who are moving on, to Porter's speech, everything was well done. Here's to hoping we can do this again next year!

I stopped by the meet yesterday with the intention of picking up my 15 rooward points and some free pizza and then hanging out for maybe half an hour. Me and a buddy ended up staying for the whole meet and are planning on showing up for future events. I'd never been to a track meet before, and the whole experience was really fascinating.

Genovese: http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/339064 His 800m at State http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/339670 His 4x400m at State (has the anchor leg) Wow. Genovese definitely has wheels. Remember that Gabriel’s stepfather is Michael King, 3-time all-America forward at Farleigh-Dickinson and 20+ year veteran of professional indoor soccer. I believe King was drafted by the Cleveland Force in 1987. I stopped by the Track meet tonight v Can't and Genovesi competed in one of the events. I don't recall at the moment which one it was though, thinking 800 though. He finished 4th I think, and I didn't realize he was running until they announced the results. Also, Katie Wise of the women's soccer team competed in the triple jump. It's always fun to get out there and check out some of the non- mainstream sporting events on campus, especially if it involves beating the Flushes again.

My thoughts exactly. It's hard to define any of our back line guys as "weak links" but Barson was the most consistent and intelligent back their all year. Good call Roogangs. I've gotta agree. Barson and Korb were the two bed rocks on D last year. Zarek was more talented, but made a lot of awful decisions and of course Kofi played more Offense than defense last year. Hopefully the recruits can come in and fill some big shoes.

Hate to be picky, but that is really disappointing. Those hats are completely run of the mill boring. They need some fitted hats with cool designs on them. I saw a guy the other day with a Duke Nat'l Champ hat on that was really neat. Far better than what we have to offer.

I don't know enough about the MLS to be able to critique it. The thing that got me excited was Ampai to Seattle. I really have enjoyed watching Zakuani with Seattle. If he could team up with Ampai that would be awesome!

They love the game. Its their dream. I understand it. They can finish school later. What a tremendous compliment to Coach Porter that he was able to attract and develop such talent. That's the other key with the GA contracts. A provision in all GA contracts is scholarship money for players to finish school after they are done playing. It's a great opportunity for Nagbe, Kofi, Zarek , Kitchen and Nanchoff. Sucks to lose them, but I wish them all the best for their careers. Thank you all for making the dream of come true.

Why did I pay $6 to see this crap? Team just looks out of it right now.

Zeke with two fouls already. Three minutes in. Zips starting slow.

I agree, i could see us running the 2009 formation with Perry ( if he stays ) and Scotty in the middle like a Ben zemanski and Blair Gavin, bc perry is more defensive, and Scotty is more possession. Can you fill those of us who weren't here in on how the earlier formations differ from 2010's? 2009 was a basic 4-4-2 formation, perhaps a 4-4-1-1. The wing backs routinely overlapped into the offensive third, just as they continued to do in 2010. That is the style Porter teaches. Zemanski and Gavin, both holding midfielders, were singularly and unbelievably replaced by Kitchen, a freshman. Formation recognizably changed to 4-1 (Kitchen) –3– 1 (Nagbe)–1 (Mattocks). I like this formation because of the clear-cut and distinct responsibilities of each position. This was only made possible by the work rate, soccer acumen, and physical toughness of Perry Kitchen. Although perhaps not the best player on 2010 champions (I love saying that), Kitchen is the heart of that team. On a predominantly finesse oriented team, Kitchen is the only enforcer. He will not easily be replaced. God, I hope he remains a Zip one more year. Awesome, thank you very much. It's becoming more and more apparent that Kitchen was the key to this team. I'd love to see Kitchen back in an Akron uniform next year. What does he have to gain by returning for another year? He's already projected to be a top 3 pick and to sign with GA. Can't really gain anything from another year in school.

Looking at paying for the feed for the Miami game. Any insights about the quality and if it's worth it?

I'm not really that knowledgeable about the MLS, but according to Soccer by Ives, Chivas signed some young keeper who they envision will be their future at that position. If that's true then Chivas could easily end up with another Zip. They'd then have three former Akron players.

Soccer by Ives is reporting that Generation Adidas has signed seven out of eight spots that they are planning on offering. Those seven are Nagbe, Sarkodie, Valentin, and Nanchoff. Also included are PSU's Hertzog, IU's Bruin, and Maryland's Macmath. Supposedly they are targeting Kitchen but the two sides aren't even close on a contract. As a fall back they are also targeting Cal keeper Bingham. Edit: Meatwad beat me to it...

This isn't a bad thing, it's a dream come true! All the players that are leaving are going to go on to be some of the best professional players the United States has ever produced after winning a National Championship for the Zips. All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, National Champions, and gentleman off the field who are proud to be from Akron! Other than earning their degrees (which some or many may still do), what else can you ask for? Ideally, I'd like to see all student-athletes graduate, but how can you ask someone to delay their dream with the risk of future injury? 50 years ago and maybe even 20 years ago, this was a legitimate argument, but these players can always go back to school or into coaching. We were worried when Zakuani left, then when Bunbury bounced, and this season and the following will be no different. Coach Porter has made UA THE program for blue chip recruits, and this will continue in the future. Don't get me wrong, I'm really proud of these guys for what they've accomplished and I can't wait to follow their careers in the MLS and hopefully EPL, Serie A, etc. That being said, it doesn't bode well for the 2011 Zips team. It doesn't matter how good of a recruiter Porter is, you simply can't replace 8 starters and hope to be anywhere near as good as you were the previous year. If all these guys go, we're going to see a big down year next year.

According to Soccer by Ives, things aren't shaping up to well for the 2011 Zips. Ives is hearing that a full scale exodus of Zips looking to go out on top is going to occur, with not only Nagbe and Kofi leaving, but also Kitchen, Mattocks and Valentin and also possibly Nano. That would leave us with three returning starters. Obviously this isn't finalized, but it's not looking to good for the Zips.

According to Rasor, there is a $200,000 penalty if Porter leaves in the next three years and a $150,000 penalty if he leaves prematurely after that. Also on Rasor's blog was the terms sheet that Ohio.com gained access to through a public records request. That terms sheet is here.

Besides the work permit issue, there is also the fact that Bunbury was not on trial at Stoke. From his twitter:

I'm positive that if Kitchen leaves he will be a Generation Adidas. Ives ranks him second on his latest big board, and projects him to go in the top three of the draft along with Nagbe. Hopefully he decides on another year of school though. As to the Forward position most likely being vacated by Nagbe, I could possibly see Speas there as he could play that striker/ attacking mid role that Nagbe played where you essentially act as a pass first forward. Others have also mentioned Genovesi. I think the other big possibility is Tulloch. Remember that in the pre-season matches Tulloch was the starter alongside Nagbe. I was pretty impressed with his size and pace up top. We could have the Jamaican duo for our forwards.

Wistricill may not have hired Porter, but for his efforts to keep him: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: