Soccer vs Wake Forest game thread

[meatwad]

how long before the soccer games have higher attendance than the football games????

Never

I'm pretty sure the Tulsa game outdrew the EMU game last year. I was at both.

[bobbyake]

I've been to some football games at the Rubber Bowl where there was no more than 3,000 people and they would announce over 9,000. I think they're allowed to tweak the numbers somehow. Maybe he's right about it never happening on the record. But if we go by actual butts in seats, I think soccer will do better more than a couple times this year.

[zip37]

That pitch was really broun, evidently the Demon Deacons cannot afford to irrigate it

[GoZips88]

From a post on the WFU board ...

"Here's and independent observer, Joe Mauceri, of ProPlayer Pipeline....certainly didn't have alot to say about WFU..

Assessment of professional soccer prospects in America

sep 5, 2010

Akron @ Wake ForestPosted by Joe Mauceri under - 2010 Fall, 2010 Games

Leave a Comment

Winston-Salem, NC – On a lovely September evening in a sold-out SRO capacity game, Akron beat Wake Forest (WF) 2-0. It was so packed people were looking under the screens to catch a glimpse of this match. The announced attendance was 4,583. The highest regular season match attendance.

Starting Lineups:

Akron 4-4-2.

F: Darren Mattocks, Darlington Nagbe

M: Michael Nanchoff, Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Perry Kitchen, Eric Stevenson

D: Chris Korb, Chad Barson, Zarek Valentin, Kofi Sarkodie

G: David Meves

WF 4-2-3-1.

F: Andy Lubahn

M:Kyle Emerson, Luciano Delbono, Luca Gimenez

DM: Sam Redmond, Ben Newnam

D: Luke Norman, Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Tolani Ibikunle

G: Akira Fitzgerald

Akron observations:

Akron’s first goal was scored by freshman forward Darren Mattocks in the 15th minute. The assist went to junior forward Darlington Nagbe. Nagbe sliced a pass through the WF defense to Mattocks who gathered the ball 6 yards from goal and outside the goal box. His shot was from a slight angle and the shot hit WF senior goal keeper Akira Fitzgerald and went in. Fitzgerald should have stopped the shot.

Akron’s second goal was scored by Nagbe from 15 yards to the far post in the 53rd minute. On the play, junior right back Kofi Sarkodie touched the ball to Nagbe and than it was the Nagbe show.

Sarkodie was locking down the Akron right side – if beaten, he would use speed to recover and use his body to shield the attacker off the ball.

In the 47th minute, Mattocks was fouled by junior defender Jesse Sokolow 25 yards from goal. Junior midfielder Michael Nanchoff was able to bounced the ball in the box – looking for freshman midfielder Perry Kitchen’s head. Nanchoff hit the cross-bar from a 30 yard free kick in the 22nd minute.

Kitchen is tremendous in the air and reads the game quickly.

Sophomore center back Chad Barson had a difficult assignment marking up with talented sophomore forward Andy Lubahn was held without a shot for the game.

Sophomore center back Zarek Valentin played equally exceptionally – but he was more involved in cleaning up any messes. For example, in the 15th minute, sophomore midfielder Ben Newnam’s dangerous free kick was cleared by Valentin.

Nagbe has quick feet and has the ability to hold the ball until his team mates arrive. His passing is superlative.

Sophomore David Meves didn’t have any saves, but he did punch a ball in traffic in the 84th minute.

Senior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong was taken out of the game in the first half by junior DM Sam Redmond physical play. If Ampaipitakwong doesn’t get calls, he’s ineffective. This is one of my concern with Amp and the next level. He’ll need to play even quicker and get stronger for a physical league like MLS.

Freshman forward McKauly Tulloch isn’t going to see much playing time if continues playing passively like he did the 77th minute allowing junior defender Kyle Adams to run by him while he waited for it to roll to him. Additionally, in the 74th minute, he needlessly fouled a player 23 yards from his goal.

Junior midfielder Michael Balogun played with controlled intensity.

WF observations:

Sophomore midfielder Danny Wenzel is being held out of tonight’s game, because he suffered “a minor concussion” on Friday’s game.

WF had difficulty building a consistent attack until late in the game when Akron was packing it back.

Lubahn is a speedy forward who works very hard.

Sophomore midfielder Luciano Delbono had a beautiful first touch in the 73rd minute splitting 2 Akron defenders, but his subsequent pass was stolen. A minute later, Delbono delivered a perfect pass to Lubahn flying down the middle of the field, but Barson was able to toe-poke it away.

Freshman forward Chris Duvall explodes out of midfield.

Junior midfielder Sam Redmond took Ampaipitakwong out of the game in the first half.

Sophomore defender Anthony Arena was very busy picking up the Akron players flooding the box."

[GoZips88]

How do you get respect of the bigger conferences and their fan base in any sport? You earn it.

From another post on the WFU board ...

"I question why we played a 4-2-3-1, but we could've played anything and would have lost tonight. Akron is the best team in the country. Period."

[Spin]

Shutting out #3 and #4 in the same weekend. I wonder if that's a record?

Just 11 more days!!!

[Wally B]

Slightly off topic, but having lived in the Triad for 10 years i'd just like to point out that the best way to get to WAKE stadiums from US52 is the Akron Dr. exit.... Just a daily reminder for their fans, not that they will forget this game

[Spin]

[RootforRoo44]

Goal.com rankings

After 3-0 and 2-0 victories respectively, Akron demonstrated the massive gap between them and the rest of the country. It should come as little surprise they remain top of the Goal.com rankings after week one.

[Z.I.P.]

One of the most interesting things about the ACC's snobbery is how incredibly redneck their local fanbase is. I've been to Virginia/NC. Outside of tourist locations and major cities, there are some real country bumpkins that call those states home.

They still care about the civil war. The freaking Civil War. And I thought Akron fans who still cling to Mike Waddell were sad.

Yes, it's sad but true, this place is the home of the late Senator Jesse Helms and the irreverent GP-1. Definitely attracts Tea Party sympathizers and assorted Nascar Grizzly Mamas and Papas.

[GP1]

One of the most interesting things about the ACC's snobbery is how incredibly redneck their local fanbase is. I've been to Virginia/NC. Outside of tourist locations and major cities, there are some real country bumpkins that call those states home.

They still care about the civil war. The freaking Civil War. And I thought Akron fans who still cling to Mike Waddell were sad.

Yes, it's sad but true, this place is the home of the late Senator Jesse Helms and the irreverent GP-1. Definitely attracts Tea Party sympathizers and assorted Nascar Grizzly Mamas and Papas.

I take personal offense to this. I live in South Carolina........ not with those low end folks in North Carolina.

[Z.I.P.]

From a post on the WFU board ...

"Here's and independent observer, Joe Mauceri, of ProPlayer Pipeline....certainly didn't have alot to say about WFU..

Assessment of professional soccer prospects in America

sep 5, 2010

Akron @ Wake ForestPosted by Joe Mauceri under - 2010 Fall, 2010 Games

picking up the Akron players flooding the box."

GOZips88, thanks for this great post/find. This website is absolutely incredible! It's amazing how soccer is beginning to develop this sort of web-based info and tools that aren't even available -- to my knowledge -- for other sports. Can you find game-based scouting reports for NCAA football or basketball players? I've never seen it.

Addition: If you read the comments about Ampai on the Wake game and scroll down to the comments form the Spring game @Maryland, it is very interesting. He seems to think Ampai may have been carried to some extent by Blair and Zemanski's coverage in the middle. I'm sure this guy has to carry some weight in MLS circles, consider the MLS has virtually $0 for scouting of their own.