yazan07

haha the end of this interview is pretty funny! "I'd coach soccer if I had Caleb's players"

Article about Teal in the New York Times

Yeah I'm definitely gonna have to go ahead and say the team

When will players' names be placed on back of jersey? We would be the first collegiate soccer team to do so. What a statement THAT would make! No worries; Ampaipitakwong has exited the program. Not sure we would be the first to have names on the backs of the jerseys. If any of you recall seeing UNC, you may remember they have names on the upper backs of their jerseys...and everyone on the team is named "carolina." hahaha

Soccer by Ives has been doing a few players spotlights lately. Here is one on Kofi, and here is one on Perry. Also, MLS did a piece on the possibility of Perry going as the #1 pick to Vancouver. Additionally, they also had an article about Zarek the other day. I have been checking up on these two websites pretty frequently, they have been regularly mentioning our guys as the MLS combine and U-20 camp goes on.

Current indications are that it won't be during halftime and instead before the game Sent them a request! The event will be during halftime. There are two events scheduled for two different reasons. The focus on Wednesday is not about the team as much as it is the University and the program as a whole. There's a big part here that has yet to be discussed. SPD you seem to know something the rest of us don't...wanna share? Please?

Darlington won. Because it is the MAC Hermann trophy...I think this is appropriate:

McNees likes Steve Nash because they are both point guards...well for those of you who think Steve's biggest struggle this year has been ridding himself of the mindset that he is the point guard...there you have it! haha

I hope they have the details of the later ceremony figured out by Wednesday so they can use that time to plug the bigger event in addition to doing a smaller recognition for the team.

Great news! That does indeed please me

I read your earlier posts, and I do see your point. I agree with you that this is probably the best option for having the most people at a ceremony for the soccer team. However, over 1,000 fans showed up on a snowy Tuesday afternoon during finals week to attend a send off party for the team, I think a recognition ceremony at an appropriate time would draw a really large crowd, maybe not 4,000, but still a large amount. I just feel like it is a bit of an insult to this team who just accomplished a huge feat to honor them at someone else's event. In no way did I really expect a parade, because as many people care about the soccer team, I'm not quite sure its enough for a parade. Though, I want to hear Porter speak, I want to some of the players speak, I want something huge for this team. To me, a huge event for the soccer team doesn't necessarily mean the largest number of people we can get, it means the largest number of people we can get who are coming to see the soccer team, not who just happen to be at a basketball game and the soccer team is there and that is it. Athletics has used half times as a way to honor teams in the past, I think, and they are always just kind of okay. If this ceremony is huge, I will maybe be pleased, we'll see. Also, I know OU is a big opponent who will probably draw a good crowd, but if this has to be done at a basketball game, wouldn't we get more people there at a weekend game as oppose to a Wednesday game? Or is this a scheduling thing to schedule around the combine, the draft, etc.

The SuperDraft is on the 13th. Not sure if it is like the NFL draft where the players actually attend. I think I'll check on that ... I watched last year, the players are there. Also, Porter was there too, I think. I guess they are all leaving for Baltimore Thursday morning? I don't know, that seems pretty rushed. I hope the whole team is there Wednesday night. Personally I think they deserve a huge ceremony, not just part of a halftime show, but maybe it will be real nice and I will be wrong about it not being good enough.

Haha NICELY done!

MLS combine team rosters and schedule. Zarek and Perry will not be participating in the combine due to national team duties, but according to the article, Darlington will also not be participating. Although its not really important for the GA guys to play at the combine (they have already proven themselves and put themselves on the radar by being good enough to be GAs) its weird that Darlington isn't participating; I wonder why not. Also you will notice that of the four of our guys participating in the combine, none of them were placed on Lolla's team, I wonder if this was a conflict of interest thing haha.

Zippy is a GIRL!

MLS article about this year's Generation Adidas class. The article starts with "Recently crowned NCAA champions, the Akron Zips will now stock a few MLS teams with high-class talent. The league today unveiled a list of 9 players who will form part of the Generation adidas class of 2011, with nearly half of the signings coming from Akron." I mean I guess 5 players is "nearly half" of 9 players...sorta.

Here is the first of three MLS draft projections that will be done by Soccer by Ives. What do you guys think? As oppose to some of you, I would love to have one of our guys go to Columbus.

I was really hoping Kitchen would stay another season, but really he didn't need to. I remember when he came here last Spring, there was talk about how he could have gone pro immediately but instead chose to come to Akron to polish his skills. He will be tough to replace, but what sucks the most is my friend and I are going to miss shouting "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" after his name gets called before the matches.

Not sure about college, but I know back in the mid-90's, the best high school team was the junior varsity squad at the fictional Eden Hall Academy. They were led by captain Charley Conway and formerly coached by Gordan Bombay, who despite being a lawyer could have made it in the pros if not for a career ending knee injury. hope someone gets this

I always thought about how tough it must be to be a player or coach of another MAC men's soccer team. No matter how hard they work they to be the best with what they are given, we are kind of an anomaly in the MAC and it is unrealistic to knock us off. I almost feel bad for them, almost. I also wonder if this would in some way hurt recruiting to those other schools. Like, if players get offers from other mid-majors where they wouldn't have to struggle trying to beat the best team in the nation, maybe they would chose that school instead.

Well said. Previously mentioned Stevenson will be in the mix as well. Not to mention Trapp, Gallego, and Yedlin who are coming in as Freshmen and should compete for time. Not only that but recall that Mattocks and Tulloch were both very late adds to last years class. Who knows what Porter has up his sleeve for this year's class. It's definitely not a matter of whether or not we will be good next year... just how good. I think a lot of people have forgotten about these two players because they received so little playing time this year. Let's not forget they are products of the same IMG academy program that gave us Ampai, Blair, Kofi, and Zarek. Although these guys haven't been given too much time to shine, I'm willing to bet they are both incredible players. With Ampai gone, Nano possibly leaving (but hopefully not) and Kitchen possibly leaving or maybe even playing center-back, I expect to see these guys get significant minutes next year, and maybe even start.

Well folks, here is the news we've been waiting for. Looks like Kofi and Darlington are headed to the MLS. that they are leaving, that they are headed to the next level of their careers and are going to make Akron proud.

It's nice to hear that UA helped last year, and unfortunate to hear they couldn't swing it this year. Maybe the story will eventually come out as to why they couldn't put some kind of discount package together for students. Airline tickets to the West Coast can be a killer. The cost of flying to Portland two years ago for the Zips-Gonzaga basketball tournament game was pretty steep. My sources say that the students trying to get funds from the university were told that the trip "wasn't academic"

Last time I was at Barley was one night after OSU won their football game for that day and all the the DJ was talking about was that game. Yes, our football team was nothing to brag about, but right down the street from Akron and you are going on and on about OSU? No thanks. At Tap House on the other hand, not only do they actually care about Akron, but the owner is friends with the ROWDIES. He donated food for our tailgate the other day and he is real personal. He comes to Akron soccer games and will DEFINITELY have the game showing, if he isn't in Santa Barbara himself. I will support the guy who I know actually cares about the team and about the ROWDIES.

Here is what happened: Caleb Porter is an AK-ROWDIE. It is our job to heckle the keeper and the other players and even the ref when we feel it is neccessary. Porter decided last night that he was also going to heckle the ref. He is a ROWDIE!