fknbuflobo

Kitchen is the one that hurts most. I suppose if his goal was to play collegiate soccer, he would have gone to Indiana. His goal was to turn pro, so he attended Akron instead.

“Not ending a sentence with a preposition is a bit of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.” - Winston Churchill Too bad Can't State no longer fields a men’s soccer team for us to beat.

I have watched this team since 1977. Kofi is probably my all-time favorite Zip futboler. He will be sorely missed. While we are at it……. List All- Time Zips back four: Simon Spelling, Matthew Smith, Corey Sipos, Kofi Sarkodie

That is a cool idea. Who has hard media copy of this season? the College Cup? goal highlights? whatever. I want to retain as much as possible.

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. Merry Christmas everyone! Did we all get what we were dreaming of this year? No doubt about Z.I.P. I got to view the first national title win, which many thought was this team's destiny. In reality, it was nothing but years of hard work to become the best at their craft that made this collection the best college futbol had to offer. I think fknbuflobo has it pretty straight. Another year of PK, with what we have coming in, and the amazing leftovers -- Akron is #1 in the preseason again. But on the other hand, maybe we should be grateful that we were able to experience one year of Kitchen's magic. If he were as good a player at another position, like say forward, he would have signed a pro contract earlier -- ala Jack McInerny. I have to think that that fact plays into Caleb's strategy, which seems to be "tie-up the backs first", as they are not just the heart of a winning team, but are less likely to jump straight from youth ball to the pros. Now, let's hope that Andrew Souders doesn't sign a pro contract in the next year-and-a-half. Does Gallego play CB? That will be an unbeatable tandem. And Yedlin on the outside? I hate to say it, but the next three years could belong to Akron. After that it's too hard to know, but I know we'll keep it humble under CP's control. Happy New Year! Ugh, the kids just awakened me to open presents. I could have used an additional hour of sleep. Yes, Z.I.P., I got EXACTLY what I wanted for Christmas - about 13 days ago. To all the Faithful (you know who you are): Merry Christmas and Happy 2011! Much more on futbol later!

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.

You're joking, right? They're geographically the closest professional soccer team to us and as of next year there will be at least four players on the UA roster who the Crew have right of first refusal to sign. Also, the Crew has N-O-T-H-I-N-G to do with Ohio State (and neither do we for the 1,782,954th time). You'd think you'd want the entire team to be drafted by the Crew so that you could watch them in person more often. Whatever, let the ankle-biting continue... Memo to Columbus Crew: It is exceedingly difficult for fans of Fall sports in Ohio to get down with Black & Gold. Who did the initial market research anyway? We appreciate you resisting the obvious Scarlett & Gray, but B & G elicits an involuntary gag reflex. Feel free to mix in some Orange or something. Change your colors a bit and I will run to order your gear on Eurosport. Until then I will be sporting a Seattle Sounders #11. It is quite nice.

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.

No one has mentioned Richard Diaz Jr.. He scored a boat load of goals for Virginia Rush, a renowned amateur club. In pre-season practice, he looked raw but good.

OK, I disagree a bit on who is staying and who is going pro. It appears that everyone agrees that Mattocks leaving would be terrible for him. I really think Kitchen would make a mistake to leave this early. He needs another year. He surely would get drafted, but he needs more seasoning. It is disappointing to here about Valentin not really attending to academics, but I have heard this elsewhere before. There must be something to it. If that is true, he is gone as he too will surely get drafted. He will play wing back in the pros. I agree that Barson is the anchor of the defense.

The way I see things playing out, much of next year's success depends on Zarek Valentin's decision; he is the linchpin.

This is grade A bologna. There is no way that Nano will be offered GA, Mattocks clearly isn't ready, and while I can see Perry getting offered I still don't think it will happen. Zarek still hasn't committed to anything either. This guy is probably as wrong as the "Soccer Insider" last year that said Porter to DCU was a done deal. I agree with meatwad, trimmy10. If both Valentin and Kitchen stay, Zips win another championship. Nanchoff would be foolsh to leave without first graduating. Mattocks needs to ignore anyone trying to convince him to turn pro after a stellar, yet checkered, freshman outing. Mattocks is definitely NOT ready. Kitchen is more ready than Mattocks, but I would strongly advise both to stay at least another year. The MLS is not the NBA where signing one contract brings independent wealth.

Yes, there are blue-shippers coming in. More will follow as Akron has become the conduit to the pros. But we cannot win the 2011 championship with that much turnover. 3 returning starters? No way.

Just saw this as well...not a complete shocker but definitely good news for the younger Zips/incoming freshmen who will now get an earlier chance to prove themselves. Also, congrats to Kofi and Darlington. Generation Adidas is a great program, and unlike other sports' athletes that leave early, at least these two will still have scholarships waiting for them should they choose to return and finish school. Can you imagine if the NBA had a similar setup? Kofi and Darlington, We would love for you to play your senior years, but your departure is not unanticipated. You both are ready. Good luck with all endeavors! Long suffering Zips will not forget what you have done for us. You will never pick up the check in this town. Akron will always love you.

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. If he leaves early he is absolutely GA. Let's just hope he doesn't. Nice artile on Zarek...still undecided if he is leaving: http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=7201 Zarek Valentin, The pros will be there in 2012. Please stay another year to build momentum within the program. Too much change-over can stunt the team’s growth. Win another championship! Good luck with the U20s; we the faithful will be watching.

Z.I.P., I can barely wait to see young Mr. Sounders play. I have only read about him. How big is he? Central Defender, right? I have seen Will Trapp, and he is a blue chipper.

Zakuani already has all the necessary documentation. He also has spent time in Arsenal's system, so the EPL already know him. He will be the first Zip to Europe. I find it pleasing yet hilarious to see a HS Junior in this poll. lol!

Yes, in addition to discussing next year’s lineup, this will also be the official who is going pro thread.

Tank, I agree with everything you say except Kitchen going pro this year. He will turn pro after next year. Even so, talented freshmen will need to earn their playing time.

It is not too soon to look forward to next year as it appears the Zips will change over significantly. Gabriel Genovese is a very intriguing prospect. The guy can run like a deer. I want to see him with ball on foot. Perry Kitchen will almost certainly move to center back. Will Trapp will likely push to start immediately.

Another Defender here! Yes, I too wonder why Sarkodie and Barson are not invited as well, especially Sarkodie. Barson is rock solid, like you say. Sarkodie has amazing athleticism and skill. I predict Sarkodie to go to Full National Team soon. He may be 20 years or older; he is a Junior. One thinks that Chad Barson deserved an invite. While extremely talented, Valentin is sometimes wild back there, taking unnecessary chances. Barson and Kitchen have the mindset of central defenders, but Valentin strikes me as more of a wing back, similar to Sarkodie. BTW, wing back is where Valentin plays on the U20 team. Sarkodie and Valentin enjoy taking risks, and they are good at it. In fact that may very well be the lineup next year, providing everyone returns. Imagine Valentin moving into Korb’s vacancy on the right and Kitchen moving back into central defense, where he plays on the U20 team. That would make the best back line in NCAA history, superseding, of course, this year’s back line. I think Brenes will start at Holding MF next year, but not sure if he can hold it down alone like Kitchen did. Kofi, Zarek, please give us ONE more year! The MLS will still be there. The primary defensive aspect to shore up this off-season is Meves collecting long balls played into the box. That is David Meves’ only weakness.

Well said, Zach. Welcome aboard, all you newcomers! Even LeBron. I believe that we have won.

Great God Almighty! Now I forgot the argument............

It is absurd to defend the most popular sport in recorded history; the game requires no apology. Nevertheless, I cannot resist the bait. The least intelligent contributions are half-baked suggestions on how to fix Soccer. Futbol does not need fixing. The rules are more than 100 years old, akin to Baseball, steeped in tradition. These rules should not change for any short term interests. Like most, I hate penalty kicks deciding matches, but the rules have stood for numerous generations. Leave it alone. Yes, a slightly different athletic skill set pertains to each sport, Soccer included. But overall, the best athletes achieve the most, regardless of the sport. The assertion that America is not putting its best athletes into Soccer may still be true but it is slowly changing. Certainly, Chad Johnson could have played Soccer at some level. From previous posts here, it seems that he did. Conversely, I am certain that Kofi Sarkodie could have been a stellar corner back, should he have chosen. I often imagine an athlete such as Eric Metcalf playing Soccer. Scoring and excitement are not equivalent. There is arguably more drama in the near misses when scoring is comparatively rare. Dave in Green posted a very objective response to this last weekend’s matches. In Soccer, merely maintaining possession of the ball is difficult enough. There are constant and subtle nuances during every Soccer match. It is the same for all sports. Some of the best NFL games I can remember are 13-10 white knucklers. My interest as a spectator is in the athletic struggle. Soccer has more in common with other sports than it does unique qualities. Athletics is athletics.

Seriously? NC State? C’mon man. If Porter did not leave to take the Indiana job, I cannot see NC State.