A realistic picture of our recruiting class

[Z.I.P.]

Hey! I have finally, after a couple of months of elation, come back down to planet Earth regarding the Akron Zips' class of 2008 -- and the start of the class of 2009. I REALLY thought that Kofi Sarkodie, from my view of him in international competition was arguably the #1 recruit -- at least among backliners and playmakers. I will be disappointed if this young man does not make freshman all-America. Put Kofi and his international experience and remarkable passing and attacking skills alongside similarly-skilled forward Darlington Nagbe, then add in 6-foot Canadian Teal Bunbury and local speedster Chris Barton and you get not just the best overall class in UA history (just a tad ahead of last year's), but a truly elite national recruiting class coming to Lee Jackson this fall.HOWEVER -- and I say that with the emphasis "all-caps" encompases -- when I took a look at what the REALLY elite national programs are building, it makes me realize just how steep is the mountain Akron soccer must climb to make it up the mountain that is the NCAA College Cup to the promised land we all know coach Porter can conquer, and is laying the groundwork to tackle the summit.I took a look over the past week at those other elite programs: defending national champion Jay Vidovich's Wake Forest Deamon Deacons; the Cavaliers of Virginia; Maryland's Terrapins; the Bruins of UCLA (are they REALLY mired in the lowest marks in recent history?); UC-Santa Barbara -- another program tied to a bullet that already owns a national title; Mike Freitag's Indiana Hoosiers; and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.The findings are: in Man, do these schools have superstar magnets, or what? :blink: You might call it a toss-up between the top three in the ACC for King of the Hill. Sasho Cirovski at Terrapin Tech gets 8 ball players -- five all-Americans, including the nation's #1 ranked midfielder and goalkeeper. The MF Kaoru Forbess also gets votes for #1 overall in the class, while the goalie is Zach McMath, starting GK for the US U-17 07 World Cup team in Korea. Playing "Can you top this", Virginia captures the NSCAA national POY Chris Agorson from under Cirovski's eye in the national capitol area. Agorson's a 5-9 forward who plays for the US Under-20 team. They also grabbed 6-2 defender Hunter Jumper, the best outside back in the east. So, not to be outdone, Jay Vidovich's class of nine at Wake includes 6 all-Americas -- five of whom are over 6 feet tall. The stable will include Danny Wenzel, another #1 overall contender and another US U-17 starter, Nick Millington.Looking to the West, you can see the passing of the torch as Best in the West heading up the coast to Santa Barbara, where the Gauchos 2008 class includes two US national starters -- perhaps the country's best youth forward, Danny Barrera and the set-up man from the Atlanta suburbs, Bryan Dominguez starting attacking midfielder/CMF for the U-17 team. Along with that -- as if that weren't enough -- the Gauchos again dig into the Great White North to take 6-5 forward Reid Fraser, who turned down a pro contract with Sheffield United of the Championship Division to head to pinot noir territory.So how about the most heralded program on the West Coast, the Bruins of UCLA? Coach Jorge Salcedo brings in eleven new baby Bruins, most of them with Region IV ODP experience from out of the Cal South "state", the nation's best (I think five of the nine age-group finals in the boys Region IV tourney here in Hawaii three weeks ago had at least one team from Cal South). But -- among Salcedo's group is my own pick as #1 player in the class of 2008, Barcelona FC M/F Eder Arreola from Chino Hills in Orange County. Along with Arreola, the Bruins bring in Victor Yanez, who has played for the national U-17 teams of both the US AND Mexico. Looking in Akron's own midwest or Great Lakes region, the two biggest competitors are the one's who appear at the top of the 2008 schedule, Indiana and Notre Dame. Mike Freitag continues Indiana's connection to the rich vein of football in the St Louis area by picking up 4 stars from the city, all over 6 feet in height. Included is the 2007 ESP Camp Golden Boot winner as best of the best, Will Bruin (with that name, how could he not be at UCLA?) the 6-2 forward. Then they add 6-2 US international defender Tommy Meyers, and Ohioan Nick Blevins, who is just the second player in state HS history to score 100 goals and 100 assists at Bloom Central. Good luck against that line-up in the opener, coach Porter! How about the Fighting Irish, our second opponent? They have 3 all-Americas included among their seven recruits. One is Brendan King, who was in residence the last two years with the Bradenton National Youth Academy. Alongside him is 6-1 F Mike Rose, who grew up with Virginia's Agorson in Severn Park, MD. Rose was Golden Boot Award winner at the 2006 USYSA U-16 nationals. Finally, the Irish add Aaron Maung a 6-1 central midfielder who played for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 U-17 World Cup. Do you think Akron might have had a better chance of recruiting this kid if they had sent the school steel drum band to entertain him?So, hey, this is the picture at the elite level of men's college soccer. I understand well why so many experts say American soccer is held back by the lack of international and professional playing experience among the players just moving into what could be the growth periods of their careers. In most countries, all these star youth players would be earning paychecks and developing professional careers before they reach 20 years of age. But in the US the main route to professional careers comes through college play -- for good or bad. College soccer fans are the beneficiaries. Enjoy the game these young studs display. And be glad many of them will be playing at Lee Jackson Field over the next four years.Good luck Zips. See you in Albuquerque, Sept 12.

[UAZipster0305]

Beautiful. Great post! I'm really excited to see where this program goes in the next five years. I think at some point, UA will be playing for a National Championship. I just hope the community and fan support grow with the success of the program.In the overall analysis of power programs, I'd also like to mention UConn and South Florida. They are both programs UA has met in the NCAA Tournament with limited success and that have the facilities and tradition to rival UA's.I can't wait to see more detailed renderings of the new on-campus soccer complex. Any idea when that project will kick off?

[LosAngelesZipFan]

What's in Albuquerque?Any chance the Zips will be coming to UCLA in the next few years? God I'd love that.UCLA is a surprisingly compact campus. The main soccer practice fields, which are also the general use fields, are in the center of campus-- a huge open area of well maintained lawn. It is built over a massive subterranean parking deck, like 5 levels straight down and as big a 3 or 4 soccer fields. Imagine a 5 level deep parking deck underneath Jackson field. Would have been a good investment 40 years ago when the field was created as part of an urban renewal program.BTW, I still don't fully understand why the soccer program wouldn't make use of the new stadium and would instead build a separate facility-- I know, soccer games draw a few thousand folks vs. 30K, but couldn't they rope off all but the mid section of the grandstand or something. I'd bet that when we are consistently in the national championship hunt the soccer team would start to draw pretty well for big name teams.

[Zip Watcher]

Futbol is played on grass .. the real stuff.

[72 Roo]

Beautiful. Great post! I'm really excited to see where this program goes in the next five years. I think at some point, UA will be playing for a national championship. I just hope the community and fan support grow with the success of the program.In the overall analysis of power programs, I'd also like to mention UConn and South Florida. They are both programs UA has met in the NCAA Tournament with limited success and that have the facilities and tradition to rival UA.I can't wait to see more detailed renderings of the new on-campus soccer complex. Any idea when that project will kick off?

Timmy, I agree the Zips have a great future as Z.I.P. has pointed out. UConn and South Fla are worthy rivals, altho' we should have kicked S.F.'s ass. We were the better team. When we last played UConn they were slightly ahead of us. Those fortunes have changed. All they have is a better facility and conference now. We are better.Our new facility has had architectural review and has been signed off on by the board of trustees and facilities management. It is a beautiful facility with 3,500 seats on the side our bleachers are on now, locker rooms, refs rooms, press box, an entertainment suit and birm seating behind the east goals and along the side opposite the main stands where the teams now have their benches. There is only one teeny little problem ...there is no money to build it now or in the next three years. Caleb has been told he has to do his own fund raising if he wants it built. Cost is $12 million. Caleb is trying to get it built in phases while also trying to find a major donor. First phase is to move the field to the new seting to allow for a big grandstand and lay down water, sewer, electrical and drainage under new turf. The next phase is lights and a few misc. things. The last stage is the main grandstand. This will be hard. Don't believe for a minute that the school has to build a new facility if Caleb wins big next year.Akron's debt is at a manageable, yet all time high level right now. The borad of trustees will not go in deeper to build a low revenue generating facility until after the football stadium is shown to be a success. Read that to mean 5 years. That's why we need someone with deep pockets to jump start the whole initiative.The truth of the matter is that our conference and our facility are the two greatest, and only sigificant, limiting factors to the growth of the soccer program. I hope Caleb does not get frustrated. I believe he will not. His contract extension shows he wants to build here and he has a very good relationship with Mac Rhoades. Caleb speaks highly of him often. Caleb is a big picture guy who sees where we can go. Kinda like KD, but in a sport that is higher in national prominence. He's what we need. Let's give him the people in the stands he needs this season. See you there and then afterwards for a cold one. Deal?

[UAZipster0305]

Beautiful. Great post! I'm really excited to see where this program goes in the next five years. I think at some point, UA will be playing for a national championship. I just hope the community and fan support grow with the success of the program.In the overall analysis of power programs, I'd also like to mention UConn and South Florida. They are both programs UA has met in the NCAA Tournament with limited success and that have the facilities and tradition to rival UA.I can't wait to see more detailed renderings of the new on-campus soccer complex. Any idea when that project will kick off?

Timmy, I agree the Zips have a great future as Z.I.P. has pointed out. UConn and South Fla are worthy rivals, altho' we should have kicked S.F.'s ass. We were the better team. When we last played UConn they were slightly ahead of us. Those fortunes have changed. All they have is a better facility and conference now. We are better.Our new facility has had architectural review and has been signed off on by the board of trustees and facilities management. It is a beautiful facility with 3,500 seats on the side our bleachers are on now, locker rooms, refs rooms, press box, an entertainment suit and birm seating behind the east goals and along the side opposite the main stands where the teams now have their benches. There is only one teeny little problem ...there is no money to build it now or in the next three years. Caleb has been told he has to do his own fund raising if he wants it built. Cost is $12 million. Caleb is trying to get it built in phases while also trying to find a major donor. First phase is to move the field to the new seting to allow for a big grandstand and lay down water, sewer, electrical and drainage under new turf. The next phase is lights and a few misc. things. The last stage is the main grandstand. This will be hard. Don't believe for a minute that the school has to build a new facility if Caleb wins big next year.Akron's debt is at a manageable, yet all time high level right now. The borad of trustees will not go in deeper to build a low revenue generating facility until after the football stadium is shown to be a success. Read that to mean 5 years. That's why we need someone with deep pockets to jump start the whole initiative.The truth of the matter is that our conference and our facility are the two greatest, and only sigificant, limiting factors to the growth of the soccer program. I hope Caleb does not get frustrated. I believe he will not. His contract extension shows he wants to build here and he has a very good relationship with Mac Rhoades. Caleb speaks highly of him often. Caleb is a big picture guy who sees where we can go. Kinda like KD, but in a sport that is higher in national prominence. He's what we need. Let's give him the people in the stands he needs this season. See you there and then afterwards for a cold one. Deal?

Deal. I look forward to it. Thanks for all the information.

[UAZipster0305]

What's in Albuquerque?Any chance the Zips will be coming to UCLA in the next few years? God I'd love that.UCLA is a surprisingly compact campus. The main soccer practice fields, which are also the general use fields, are in the center of campus-- a huge open area of well maintained lawn. It is built over a massive subterranean parking deck, like 5 levels straight down and as big a 3 or 4 soccer fields. Imagine a 5 level deep parking deck underneath Jackson field. Would have been a good investment 40 years ago when the field was created as part of an urban renewal program.BTW, I still don't fully understand why the soccer program wouldn't make use of the new stadium and would instead build a separate facility-- I know, soccer games draw a few thousand folks vs. 30K, but couldn't they rope off all but the mid section of the grandstand or something. I'd bet that when we are consistently in the national championship hunt the soccer team would start to draw pretty well for big name teams.

UA will be playing in the UNM Tournament Sept 12-14 in Albuquerque.Interesting information about UCLA.

[skip-zip]

Good post trimmy10....about a new soccer stadium.First, everyone needs to realize that replacing the Rubber Bowl was a necessity. I don't believe that it was, in any way, the start of a revolution to build new athletic facilities for the rest of our athletic programs. I liken the soccer stadium situation to the JAR. Until we outgrow it, nobody is probably going to move fast to build another facility. I remember a few months ago having a conversation with a friend of mine who is a high school athletic director. I mentioned to him that there was some talk about building a larger Akron basketball arena in the downtown area. And, his first question to me was, "don't you guys only get a few thousand fans for games at the arena you have now?"I think you get the picture.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

4 of 12 MLS teams now play on FieldTurf and FIFA has now certified it for use.I know every team wants its own facility-- and totally agree that if any Akron team deserves its own stadium, it's the soccer team....BUT, is it really realistic to think this will happen any time soon given the economy, given the amount of campus investment that has already been made, given the squeeze every last penny from donors effort to get the Infocision built?Why can't soccer just share the new stadium? Better a fantastic new shared facility than none at all, right? At least for a few years? I know the dimensions are different, but assuming they can fit a soccer field on soon to be Summa Field, wouldn't that be the best near term solution? The new stadium's scale isn't that crazy-- not like playing soccer in Ohio Stadium or something. Isn't this a "perfect is the enemy of good" situation? Akron doesn't (yet, maybe some day) have the largess to supply every sport with their own facility. We have to fully leverage every thing we have, every investment that's been made. Seems like making use of this fantastic new facility is the way to go!

[Zipsrifle]

Why can't soccer just share the new stadium? Better a fantastic new shared facility than none at all, right? At least for a few years? I know the dimensions are different, but assuming they can fit a soccer field on soon to be Summa Field, wouldn't that be the best near term solution? The new stadium's scale isn't that crazy-- not like playing soccer in Ohio Stadium or something.

I think I asked this question a couple of months ago and someone replied that the soccer field wouldn't physically fit into ICS. I agree, and actually, find it amazing that the decision was made NOT to make the field big enough for soccer. I mean, the Soccer team is so much more successful than any other sport (execept maybe Rifle ) and god knows that UA is land locked. The only reason I can think why is that Caleb has his own vision for what the Soccer Team needs to be on top, and playing in a giant stadium wasn't part of that plan. Still, one would think that simply having a stadium that could fit a soccer field might allow the option of a potential MLS team to play in Akron $$$$$$ How much larger is a futbol field than a football field?

[UAZipster0305]

How much larger is a futbol field than a football field?

According to the FIFA Laws of the Game, page 7 (for a PDF copy, http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html), a soccer field may be (100,130)L X (50,100)W [min,max] where units are in yards. For international matches, the field must be (110,120)L X (70,80)W.I would assume the NCAA implements similar requirements.

[zen]

I think I remember looking this stuff up a couple years when we speculated about a stadium but didn't even know for sure if or where it was going to happen. NCAA Football field

Length: 360 feet or 120 yardsWidth: 160 feet or 53 1/3 yards

(this is from a PDF containing 2004 NCAA rules on soccer fields)

DimensionsSECTION 1. a. The field of play shall be rectangular, the width of whichshall not exceed the length.b. The width shall not be more than 80 yards [73.15m] nor less than 65yards [59.44m] and the length shall not be more than 120 yards[109.73m] nor less than 110 yards [100.58m]; however, fields of less thanminimal dimensions may be used by prior written mutual consent of thecompeting institutions. The optimum size is 75 yards [68.58m] by 120yards [109.73m]. Facilities constructed after September 1995 must be aminimum of 70 yards [64.01m] in width by 115 yards [105.15m] inlength. (Exception: Facilities with architectural plans dated beforeSeptember 30, 1995.)

It seems that the factor of contention is the width.If the minimum width of soccer is 70 yards, and the width of football 54 yards, it seems to me it would be hard to construct your football stadium to get the fans as close to the field as you'd like for football and still permit soccer.Granted, football seems to need more room from sidelines than soccer, but even so, I think that accommodating soccer in your stadium pushes fans back by anywhere from 6 to 13 yards farther away from the action in football than they otherwise would be.