fknbuflobo

When will Jared Embick speak? He needs to reassure us, because some of the faithful are beginning to flat out panic. All indications are that 8 of our starting 11 (uh, not to mention the coach), are leaving for the pros. Who are the new recruits I AM SURE he must be landing? How are we to back-fill such losses? What is the plan? Please tell me there is a plan. A burning hot spot light turns on Embick immediately following Porter's farewell party, @ 8:05 pm 12/12/2012.

Porter seems to have a knack for going to the hottest, hungriest soccer locale of the moment.

Right. If a club can trade homegrawn status, then the rights to a player are just another commodity. There ceases to be anything "homegrown" about it. I would not have thought such a deal possible. Per usual, the MLS is (seemingly) making up the rules as it goes along.

http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/1...nge-defender-ko Gallego must be gone. Otherwise, this would not have happened. Porter is pulling the strings now in Portland.

Agreed. This year I had the opportunity to watch all teams making it to the Final 8. Of all the teams I watched this year, and I watched at least 20 of the top 30, Maryland is the only one that scared me. We would have given the Terps a better run for their money than Bluejays will.

Contrary to last week, best team won today. Zips really missed an opportunity of a lifetime with ND and UNC out. Not to insinuate IU are a pushover - far from it.

+1

Regular season play differs slightly from the post season slug fest.

Wow! I hope Koroma overcomes this condition; it is nothing to trifle with. We catch a break that Brenes has not been able to keep healthy, and also that he is an excellent student. I think he stays. Gallego lacks the speed for flank play, but he will do nicely where he is. Afsarifard is next up at CB; I think he is underrated. Stevenson..........Brenes...................Koroma Portillos................Foldesy.......................Quinn Derschang...Gallego...Souders.....Abdul-Salaam ...........................Pina....................................

Well, that explains some things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemierre%27s_syndrome

I share your concerns. As far as I know, we have this guy, who looks to be a pretty good one. I know of none else. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-player...jem/pid-1005091

And here we go....... Dillon Serna is the one that really confounds me.

What is the minimum number of programs necessary to secure a conference automatic bid to NCAA Tourney?

OK. I will come in from the ledge. But we cannot sustain a wholesale donation to the MLS. Not this offseason. Most detrimental would be transfers to other programs. That simply cannot happen this year. If it does, that is when I will freak right out.

You are very right. If defections start, then look out! This can all unravel pretty quickly. Your first sentence troubles me mightily. The rationale behind hiring Jared Embick is continuity within the program. What are these players uncertain about? If everyone not graduating stays, Zips will undoubtedly be in the top 5 preseason. God as my witness, I am prepared to pounce on Tom Wistrcill with a holy vengeance should this transition be anything other than seamless and smooth.

Agreed. I did not offer Dillon Serna because he was not on the original posting to which I was responding. I truthfully do not know much about the Rapids. I like Serna's play quite a bit. He has a good offensive mind and quick feet. The turning point last match was his injury and departure. But that is the knock on him. He has struggled to remain healthy this, his only, season. He will need to be much tougher and durable. Or grow 6 inches. The MLS will chew him and spit him, and not think twice about it. He is less ready to turn professional than the three super sophomores listed above. Serna needs at least another year, just to acquire a man's physique. Compare Serna to Michael Nanchoff. I hope these players are getting good advice. What is the league minimum salary? edit: http://www.mlssoccer.com/2012-mls-roster-rules $33,750 in 2012

Priceless!

Very well done, Joshua. My vision is almost too blury to hit the keyboard. You speak for the family. I will write something about this subject eventually; I just cannot do it yet. It is too fresh. Good job, Mike.

Right. And as a BIG team, expect to see Maryland here soon and often.

23-0-2

Well, that did not take long at all. It is time for some tough love here. Are these three really getting pushed to turn pro? By whom? Do the MLS clubs really have these players’ best interest in mind? At this point, we know what pros look like up close. We have seen them come and go. Though our super sophomores are likely future pros, I suggest none of the three is ready yet. I address them in order of readiness, IMnsHO. I would compare Wil Trap to Ben Zemanski, who improved each of his 4 years at UA. Ben struggles to get into the first 11 for a very bad Chivas side. Is Trapp better than Zemanski? Same type of player. The most apt comparison is DeAndre Yedlin to Kofi Sarkodie. They share the same skill set, pace and style. I would like to clock a foot race between these two! Sarkodie noticeably improved every year at UA. By his junior season, Sarkodie did everything Yedlin now does - better. He became more offensively polished during his 3rd year. And yet Sarkodie has only recently become a regular for Dynamo Houston. (Good Luck Kofie!). Yedlin is not yet a Sarkodie. I compare Bryan Gallego to Zarek Valentin and Perry Kitchen, each of whom left very early. Is Gallego as good as either of these two? He has neither Valentin’s speed nor Kitchen’s strength. Hell, is Gallego even equal to Chad Barson? Not yet, I say. I love these three players, so perhaps I am biased because I hate to let them go. God knows I will root for them when they make the inevitable jump. But I sincerely believe they will develop further at UA than they would on the developmental squad of their respective MLS clubs. This belief is contrary to prevailing opinion throughout the general soccer community, the ones who think we need to advance the European way. I disagree. College Soccer is still relevant to creating international class players. Moreover, what can we as a Zips Nation do to “re-recruit” our current roster? If everybody but the seniors returns, UA will be ranked among the top three pre season. Pina replaces Meves, Souders replaces Barson, Foldesy replaces Caldwell, and Koroma replaces Schmitt. Lock and load! I was lead to believe that everybody was on board with the Jared Embick program continuity project. That plan does not work if players leave.

Well said. This really hurts, and it will for a very long time. Caleb Porter represents everything that is good about the University of Akron, and of Akron OH. We are forever indebted to him. He deserved a better ending than last night. Soccer is truly the cruelest of sports. I also echo your comments about these four outstanding seniors. They will succeed at any endeavor they choose. God knows they will never be able to pick up the check within Akron city limits.

I am real f***ing real, Mike. If that is how you feel about things, take it to a different forum. We have a forum for that. It seems that if your point is that Football is universally more important than Soccer, that point would most appropriately be made on the Football forum. Recall that the discussion, the title of the thread, was originally about a specific Soccer date in 2008. Our less than esteemed moderator then attempted to redirect the discussion to another sport (again), at which I took exception. I am certain there are those who think Football MAC trumps Soccer National. The difference between them and you is few of those people contribute to the Soccer forum.

No. The afore mentioned victory over OSU is the most significant Zips Thanksgiving ever.

Accentuate the positive. Which year was the epic 2OT Golden Goal victory over OSU at St. V-M field, in the snow? 2008, day before Thanksgiving. Well, then we got buggered by the NCAA.