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Yes. Nice write up indeed. I reiterate: Zips will need an effort better than any yet this season to defeat Mountaineers in Morgantown.

Very sparse but enthusiastic crowd. Zips could not finish. Again. Dyson Clapier's heroic individual effort made the difference. Ryan Kingsford dropping back into midfield (playing the #10) noticeably helped the linkage into offense. But Zips are still not firing on all cylinders. Too many defensive errors! It will likely take an effort better than any yet this season to defeat West Virginia in Morgantown.

Zips coaches and players cannot afford this perspective (we are just fans), but surely Akron can beat Yale at home. Right? Men's Soccer - Yale University (yalebulldogs.com)

How badly do we want the ball? Zips lost 50/50 balls way more than half the time vs. Buckeyes. We could have won the match just winning the ball half of the time possession was in question. Inaccurate passing leads to more questionable/indeterminable possession. Ferocious tackling can atone for bad passing (though not the preferred route to success). Against OSU, Akron passed poorly, and then failed to regain the ball. Against Marshall, this is recipe for disaster.

Passing accuracy must dramatically improve. Just for perspective, Darlington Nagbe's pass completion rate is above 90% on the 2021 season. (Astounding!) I wonder what the collective Zips' pass completion percentage is on the 2021 season. We do not enjoy the benefit of MLS stats tracking, but I am sure last Wednesday did not improve that number.

If Zips put in the same effort at Marshall that they did at Ohio State, the reigning Champs might hang five goals from Zippy's nose.

Appalling!

PSU 0-1 PIT HT on FS1

Hats off to the AK Rowdies! Most of you need some work on the finer points of hooliganism 😏, but your support and influence was undeniable. I salute you! Bravo! See you in CBUS.

However tough were the PIT Panthers, IND Hoosiers will be a sterner foe. These guys got talent to burn! (How the @#$%! did Samuel Sarver end up at Indiana!) 2021 Men's Soccer Roster - Indiana University Athletics (iuhoosiers.com) Also keep an eye on GK Roman Celentano #1, D and Joey Maher #2. Hell, keep an eye on ALL of them; lots of future pros on this roster. I fully realize what I am saying here: Rarely has there ever been a greater assemblage of blue chip talent in NCAA history. Mid 1990s Viginia, maybe? 2009 Akron? That. Does. Not. Mean. that Zips cannot emerge victorious. And for the record, Ben Yeagley is the grandson of Jerry Yeagley. 😏

Out of likes. Thanks.🤔

I agree with your list, but I would go in the opposite order. 1. I have never seen Will Meyer play as well as he did tonight. MOTM! 2. Ryan Kingsford works tirelessly. He is non-stop. And he does everything well. 3. Malik Henry is fast. I mean, like DeAndre Yedlin/Kofi Sarkodie fast. Hope his ankle heals up well.

And definitely best match in Zips B&G for Joey Paulus.

Perhaps best match in Zips B&G for Johnny Fitz.

I think Jlew is right on the cusp of making the A Team USMNT. He just needs to show a bit more consistency.

Good point. No “likes” left.

Soccer is a funny game. Zips dominated first 30 minutes, but did not shoot. Spartans held sway on either side of HT. Spartans scored @ ~ 62:00? After that, Zips really took it to them, as if they needed a punch in the nose to realize they were in a fight.

I agree with most of that. But I would say that the physical presence throughout the match was provided by Kingsford and Shokalook. Big bruising forwards. Clapier and Pacheco are the Ninjas. Good blend of forward talent, btw. The playmaking of WKWK is slowly changing the tenor of this team. Even on such a deep squad, hard to see WKWK not getting more minutes. He scores too, but that is not his calling card. And WKWK is first choice on any restart. Period.

No. Portman was repeatedly making bad passes. Got a yellow card on what could have been straight red. I expect that Portman will start again Friday at RB. Tobias Bak has proven that he can step in on either flank. If either Will struggles, (Jackson or Portman) in comes Bak. What a luxury.

https://wsuraiders.com/news/2021/8/24/mens-soccer-horizon-league-announces-hlmsoc-preseason-poll.aspx

Ouch!

Preach!

Overshadowed this past weekend by Dyson Clapier's heroics was a (no exaggeration) perfectly executed FK goal by WAN KUZRI WAN KAMAL. Foul was committed about 23 yards from net, slightly shaded to the left of center. A standard five man wall. Referee spotted the ball a little too close to easily lift over the wall and drop on frame. WKWK positioned himself at an obtuse angle to goal, telling everyone that this would definitely be a right footed shot. He backed off the the ball a standard four step run-up. But at the whistle, the ball never took flight. He bent the ball around the far side of the five man wall, banging off the inside of the far post for the score. The ball was never more than three inches off the ground! We were all momentarily too stunned to cheer. Very technically difficult!