The List...

Loyal readers and new followers...if there are any. For the past couple years I've written this blog quoting some list, a database of players I keep. I've not really shared it with too many people to this point thinking there is some proprietary knowledge held in it. Well, I've realized there isn't. It is a list of players and some information I've added to each player's history as I can find it on-line. However, as the world of soccer has expanded in the US, so too has my list and my ability to keep up with updates and tracking down players has dwindled. With that fact I realized that it is time for Bonji to harness the power of the Internet by crowd-sourcing my list.

So here it is folks, all 1,220 rows of names. As I make updates, they'll get updated on here. The permanent link will be on the right margin.

I know some of these kids have quit playing, left college for the pros, or just fallen off the face of the earth after an unimpressive career. I slowly weed them out. But that is where you can help! If you know something, tell me. I've got an email address published on the right, email me. If you like doing updates and tracking this stuff, maybe you can work with me. I just want to get this info out there and improve it. So help me do that. If you do have some new information, please send me a link to a source. I want to keep some academic rigger.

Let me remind you, players get on the list by doing something like winning an honor, getting a call up to a US Youth Team, playing on a foreign national team before coming to college in The States. So, please don't send me players to add because you like them, or because they're your brother, etc. If someone wins the Golden Glove at the adidas esp camp and then enrolls in Harvard...tell me about it.

Thanks and enjoy!

Now This Is What I Like To See...

Climbing the Ladder has done it again. If you're not familiar with the blog, get familiar. Scaryice rules that roost and is the best at tracking and analyzing MLS and US Soccer stats. Seriously, I don't know any other blogger/writer doing what he's doing over there.

This time he's putting together college teams who have graduated and gone onto MLS. I love this kind of stuff and frankly I wish I had done it before scaryice, but I can't and didn't so go check his story out.

Sorry about the lack of posting recently (for the past three months or so). "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." — Ferris Bueller

Right now my life is moving too fast to stop and look around, or blog. But take heart, I've been busy updating my lists and I'll have those ready before the college season kicks off.

How about those Rapids too? The team is finally clicking after years of hearing how much talent is on paper. Looks like Smith was the right piece in the puzzle to get the most of these guys. Omar Cummings, an American college product, is coming into his own and roasted DC United. Although, seeing their goals against number on the table begs the question...how on earth are they top of the Eastern Conference? It is funny how the balance of power switches between conferences. Wasn't it last year that the West sucked and the East dominated?

Other American college players leading the Rapids; Nick LaBrocca, Jordan Harvey, Cory Gibbs, Ugo Ihemelu, Matt Pickens, Conor Casey, Colin Clark and Pablo Mastroeni. The Rapids have struggled since the signing of John Spencer to find an International player who can fit into the team and really help it succeed. Now it seems like they don't need that and can go it alone with the college kids supported by select other signings. I also believe we're seeing the proof in the pudding of what Fernando Clavijo and John Murphy always said, that these kids can play, and I'll add, just not under those two coaches.

And how about those Nats? Did anyone out there believe they would move onto the semi-finals after seeing the first two performances? I did not.

Who is going where?

One of the toughest parts of following youth and college soccer in the US is that it doesn't get the same attention as the other bigger college sports like football and basketball. America's fascination with the next big thing doesn't translate to soccer the way it does for other sports. My blog tries to help peel back the curtain and many other blogs/on-line sources help piece together the puzzle. The net of it all is that there hasn't been a place to go and find the information on parts of American youth soccer that are easy to find in other sports.

Well folks, that could be changing. ESPN Rise Magazine is tracking where the high school boys soccer class of 2009 is going to college. I don't remember seeing this type of compiled list in the past, but it is a great step in the right direction. This takes ESPN up a notch in my book.

This is going to be a great resource for me filling in my database. Too often I have to hunt for players after the season starts using Google and the process is time consuming and often doesn't bear fruit. Now the info is all in one place. Thanks Rise! They also have a list of the class of 2010 commitments.

Now it is easy to check out how your alma mater's freshman class is coming together. Enjoy!

ACC Men's Soccer Championship Semi-Finals...

Today we'll see who will face off for the ACC Men's Soccer Championship. Interestingly the seeding is coming true as the #1 - #4 teams are in the semi's. #2 Maryland vs. #3 Boston College kicks off at 5:30pm est and the second match, #1 Wake Forest vs. #4 Virginia, 8pm est.

As a reminder you can watch the games for free on the ACC Select website. Links are on the above linked ACC website. The coverage is actually remarkably good for on-line, college coverage. I watched some of the NC State vs. Wake game and the two doing the announcing did a better job then some MLS teams. Well done ACC!

Where Did This Kid Come From?

Remember this name: Tony Tchani

I stumbled across him as I was looking at ACC conference awards for this year. He won a few honors in his first year; 2008 All-ACC 2nd Team, 2008 All-ACC Freshman Team, 2008 ACC Freshman of the Year.

I asked myself how he won these without making my list previously, usually I have at least seen the standout kids through the ESP camps, someone else posting somewhere...but this time no. Nothing.

I did a little research and it turns out Tchani just emigrated here from his birthplace of Cameroon in 2006. He's been playing soccer since he was five and when he got here he quickly joined the Maury High School team in Norfolk, Virginia. His 6-4 physique and soccer skills developed a following and that apparently led to UVA.

The ACC Championship will undoubtedly be his coming out party with MLS coaches and scouts. Before long his name will be known in Europe as foreign scouts are watching the American game more and more.

In his freshman season the midfielder/forward led the Cavaliers with nine goals and created three more, in 13 matches.

Tchani has dreams of playing professionally and it certainly seems like he could be stepping to MLS in the next couple years.

ACC Men's Soccer Championship Underway...

Let's face it, every year the Atlantic Coast Conference provides some of the biggest names in the MLS Draft and more importantly many of the players who actually make a professional career in MLS. No, I haven't done an exact study but lets look at some of the recent big names to come through the MLS draft.

2008 #7 - Patrick Nyarko - Virginia Tech
2008 #10 - Pat Phelan - Wake Forest
2007 #1 - Maurice Edu - Maryland
2007 #2 - Bakary Soumare - Virginia
2007 #3 - Michael Harrington - North Carolina
2007 #4 - Chris Seitz - Maryland
2007 #5 - Wells Thompson - Wake Forest
2007 #6 - Nico Colaluca - Virginia
2007 #19 - Dane Richards - Clemson
2006 #3 - Jason Garey - Maryland
2006 #6 - Dax McCarty - North Carolina
2006 #7 - Justin Moose - Wake Forest
2006 #12 - Nathan Sturgis - Clemson
2005 #2 - Brad Guzan - South Carolina
2005 #7 - Hunter Freeman - Virginia
2005 #9 - Michael Parkhurst - Wake Forest
2005 #11 - Scott Sealy - Wake Forest
2005 #13 - Jamie Watson - North Carolina
2005 #20 - Marcus Storey - North Carolina
2005 #21 - James Riley - Wake Forest

You get the point. While the Pac 10, Big 10, Big East and other conferences do provide players to MLS, also who are drafted higher or have better careers, statistically speaking you're bound to find a solid pro in the ACC more often. There just seem to be more of them.

So now to the point of this post. The ACC Men's Soccer Championship kicked off yesterday with a first round game between #8 NC State and #9 Virginia Tech. It seems without Nyarko VT can't score anymore and they lost to NC State 3-1. NC State won the right to play #1 Wake Forest today...lucky them. Wake has been outstanding this season putting together a 17-0-1 record. Yes, only one draw all week...no losses.

The other matches:
#2 Maryland vs. #7 North Carolina
#3 Boston College vs. #6 Clemson
#4 Virginia vs. #5 Duke

Check out the All-ACC teams for this season to see many of the names you'll see in the draft come January.

Player Tracking Update....

My apologies for being so far behind this year but the update is posted. All four classes are new and improved. If you see an error or a player who's school has a question mark next to it, please let me know if you know where this player is as I have lost track of him and haven't been able to find him.

Here is how the numbers look:
Seniors - 151
Juniors - 184
Sophomores - 177
Freshman - 126

To those new to the site, my methodology looks like this. If a player has won an honor or an award like Player of the Year in a conference, or if he was part of the US Soccer Residency, or if he participated in the adidas ESP camps...he makes my list. I obviously miss things because this is a manual process but I do my best. Any suggestions to the list are appreciated.

Let The 2009 MLS SuperDraft Chatter Begin!!!

Anyone reading this blog knows what I get excited for every year. As the college season wraps up, as snow starts falling, as it gets cold out, my mind turns to the MLS Draft. The show is starting to pop and Buzz has updated his Generation Adidas tracking list. He did it a month ago, I'm a little behind. Check the right hand margin regularly as I'll post new links with resources for the 2009 Draft as I find them. Have one, email me.

Player Highlight...Casey Townsend of Maryland...

I was just going through my list, doing some updates. Ok, many updates due to the fact I haven't looked at it in months. As I was looking at Maryland I was excited to see how Maryland Freshman Forward, Casey Townsend's season is going.

Townsend first made my list when he was named an All-Star at the Adidas ESP camp during the summer of 2006. Subsequently he added the following honors to his resume: 2006 NSCAA/Adidas All-American, 2007 US U-18 Team, 2007 NSCAA/Adidas Boys Youth All-America Team, 2007 NSCAA/Adidas Boys High School All-America Team, 2008 Rise Magazine #6 recruit, 2007-08 Michigan Gatorade State Players of the Year.

Townsend has led his school to a strong 14-3-0 record and the #5 spot in the CSN Top 30. Going into the ACC tourney, Maryland will be a force to be reckoned with in part due to Townsend's scoring prowess. Townsend has started all 17 games this season and has scored 10 goals while creating 2.

Coach Cirovski said the following about his freshman forward on the Maryland website:

He is the top attacking player we have recruited to Maryland. Look for Casey to be a nuisance to opponents. He is a goal scorer!

"Top attacking player" is high praise when you consider Taylor Twellman and Robbie Rogers played for Maryland.

This freshman season will undoubtedly put Townsend into the Generation Adidas scuttlebutt come January. What do you think? Should he stay in college or should he jump to the pros, seemingly to accelerate his development?

Names To Watch Come January...

The US college soccer season is in full swing and next month we'll be watching as conference tournaments crown new champions before the big dance crows a national champ. Last season's national champs, Wake Forest, continues to dominate having won all of their games aside from a hard fought draw against ACC rival Duke. Wake has chalked up convincing wins against perennial powers Maryland, UCLA, UCSB, Clemson and more. At this point it seems like their high powered offense will roll against all opponents, however we know what happens in single elimination tournaments and someone else could come up and knock them off.

Here is the latest College Soccer News Top 30. The ACC isn't nearly as prevalent in the top 10 as in previous years. Is the power being distributed across more schools? Is MLS' popularity encouraging more college programs to win? It is hard to say but I think we can all agree that it is great to see a diverse group of schools cracking the Top 30.

And how about my team, Michigan! The soccer team appears to be making up for the Maize and Blue on the football field. Michigan chalked up big wins against Indiana and Notre Dame recently. Unfortunately some recent losses against State and Akron have brought the Wolverines back to ground. Hopefully they can make some noise in the Big 10 tourney coming up.

College Soccer News has a nice piece about some of the better team mate combinations out there. Senior forward Marcus Tracy was a player I hoped to see in the 2008 MLS draft as a GA player, but after another strong season the 6' 1" marksman has further proven his abilities. He and strike partner Cody Arnoux are tearing up the charts with 21 goals and 8 assists between the two in fifteen games.

O’Brian White isn't having a senior season to match his junior but he'll still be in the draft pool come January.

Andre Akpan will certainly be on people's minds after his Junior season at Harvard wraps up. Will he forsake a final year in school for a big money GA offer, if one is available?

Omar Gonzalez has been a highly watched prospect through his career and he has played at different levels within the US National team set up. At 6'5" and 200 pounds he is a physical presence on defense that many MLS teams want. Will he leave Maryland early if a nice GA contract is put out there? He was the ACC defender of the year in 2007, as a sophomore.

Brian Shriver is leading the North Carolina Tar Heels in scoring with 12 goals and 1 assist. If his Heels can continue to fly high he'll certainly get the attention of some professional scouts as the college season wraps up. He participated in the 2004 adidas ESP camps, putting his name on my list.

Jonathan Villanueva's Virginia Cavaliers are going to be looking for some post season magic as they haven't had the greatest of seasons. Can the junior midfielder propel his team to new heights before making the jump to the pros that his pedigree anticipates?

Nelson Becerra made my list when fellow blogger Ives profiled him awhile back. Now he leads his team in points and has helped the Red Storm to a #3 national ranking. He played for the regional power St. Benedict's Prep in high school and now in his junior year. Will the local Red Bulls come calling come January?

Speaking of the Red Bulls and Ives, freshman Matt Kassel is having a strong season for Maryland. He has played in and started all 15 of the Terps' games this year and is co-leader of the team in assists with 6. Maryland is currently ranked #6 nationally. If I recall correctly, Kassel will be a Red Bull if he chooses to leave school early. Is one college season enough for this youth star?

So there you go folks. As conference tourneys kick off I'll do my best to keep you all updated. I'll also be sure to update the players to watch margin item soon, it has been too long.

MLS Sets Another Milestone...

As always, Ives has the scoop. The LA Gals are set to make forward Tristan Bowen the first youth academy grad gone pro. The Rapids have had a kid from their youth team play in the annual intra-squad pre-season friendly, but the Gals are signing one. Perhaps they realize they can't field a full team with both Landycakes and Becks on the payroll?

Just kidding LA, well done. I hope Bowen pans out and becomes a MLS starter a few years down the road. This is the kind of progress American soccer fans have been waiting to see. The question I have for readers, does this spell the end to College Soccer as we know it? Not this year, not next...but five or ten years down the road will College Soccer be sending kids to MLS or will all new MLS players be coming up through the youth ranks?

You Tell Them, Ridge!

Ridge Mahoney doles out some props to the college game and those who have made it in the pro game both here and abroad. Normally I would just share this kind of thing for you to read on your own time (check the What Bonji Is Reading... link to the right) but this time I think I need to direct link it, this is a nice piece. Thanks, Ridge!

FCTP Update - 9/24/08...

chirp....chirp....chirp.....

You can hear the crickets chirping around here, can't you? My bad people, work has been crazy recently. But let's take a spin around the world of young soccer players, shall we?

For some reason the adidas ESP website doesn't have the male 2008 participants listed...WTF web guys? FCTP can't update their database!

Wake Forrest is having a fine season having started out of the gates at 6-0-0. Well done Demon Deacons.

Boston College Senior, Alejandro Bedoya, is showing why he's been on our radar for some time now. The playmaker is having a strong start to the season helping his team notch some big wins.

I'm getting ready to update the classes on the right hand margin, so look for that.

Sorry for being away from the blog, as the college season progresses I'll do better.

Looking Ahead to 2009: The Involvement of College Soccer Players

Hey! I am a new blogger here at FCTP! My name is USvsIreland and I am a student who is a massive fan of US Soccer. Hope you enjoy the first piece.

Looking Ahead to 2009: The Involvement of College Soccer Players

       What went largely unnoticed in the furor of our Olympic exploits (or lack thereof) is that the United States sent a Youth National Team to a tournament without a single non-professional player. This by itself is a huge success and it shows that player development has come a long way in this country. It still has a long way to go, but we are showing progress. The fastest way to success is a large and deep pool of professional players. Can we repeat this feat in 2009 with our U-20's? The 2007 U-20 Side had 7 amateurs, most of which were Defenders or Goalkeepers.

Here is a look at some non-professional players who have a shot at making the U-20 WYC Roster:

Felix Garcia
Club/College: PDL Laredo Heat
Age: 18; July 30, 1990
Position: Forward
Squad Chance: Almost a lock.

Felix Garcia is a wonderkid. He has been a favorite of Thomas Rongen's so far in this cycle. While all reports say he is "raw," he is a 6 footer with a lot of skill that is waiting to be honed in a professional environment. Apparently he is only a senior in HS this fall, so unless he drops out or graduates early he could still be an amateur by Summer 2009. He is reportedly getting looked at by MFL teams and I'm sure Rongen has been called about him by MLS teams.

Sheanon Williams
Club/College: NCAA Div I University of North Carolina
Age: 18; March 17, 1990
Position: Right Back/Midfield
Squad Chance: Lock.

Sheanon is a self-described Right Back, Right Midfielder, and Forward. He has been starting at Right Back for the U20's so far. Formerly at Bradenton, Sheanon already has U-17 WC experience and with a lack of any pro option on the right side of defense, I think we will most likely be seeing Sheanon in Egypt in 2009. Will he stay amateur? He has trialed in Holland, and may be waiting for that GenAd contract in the winter.


Ike Opara
Club/College: NCAA Div I Wake Forest
Age: 19; February 21, 1989
Position: Central Defense
Squad Chance: Lock

Opara got a lot of notice for his important part of the Championship winning Wake Forest defense. He started 23 games including the Championship game. At 6 foot 2, he has a strong powerful presence and is great in the air. He has already won everything there is to be won at the college level and if he performs similarly to 2007 he may find himself contemplating a GenAd contract offer this winter.

Perica Marosevic
Club/College: NCAA Div I University of Michigan
Age: 19; May 5, 1989
Position: Forward
Squad Chance: Good Chances, needs to keep scoring.

Peri Marosevic has a fairly prolific scoring record at YNT level for the US. He was at Bradenton and a longtime U-18 player. In order to keep Rongen's attention, Peri needs to keep scoring at the college level once the season starts. While his college stats may not sound impressive (6 goals in 18 starts last season) he was his school's top scorer by 2 goals. Will he stay an amateur? He has trialed in Germany before and may look there or to MLS if he wants to increase his chances of making this roster. His recent 2 goals against Mexico will not go unnoticed.

Richard Balchan
Club/College: Indiana University
Age: 19; January 18, 1989
Position: Defense/Midfield
Squad Chance: Good Chances

Richard is listed as a midfielder with Indiana but has been playing Central Defense for the U20's during the trip to England and at the Milk Cup. So far I have read mixed reviews, but Rongen obviously sees something in him as his repeated call ups show. Rongen may be hoping to teach Balchan this new position in time for the WYC. I don't see a clamor for his signature this winter, but could be one who will benefit strongly from a good WYC showing a la Wynne and Feilhaber.

Chris Agorsor
Club/College: University of Virginia
Age: 18; January 9, 1990
Position: Forward/Winger
Squad Chances: Good Chances

Rongen made some statements about 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year and USSF Academy Player of the Year Chris lately that I interpreted to mean: You're very talented, but you need to improve and the best way to do that is getting your behind over to Europe. This kid is becoming a bit of an internet legend. He has trialed all over Europe, mostly in England and could be going anywhere after this fall season. He has a great chance to make the squad if he keeps making the headlines. Rongen will definitely be following his every move.

Hope you enjoyed it so far stay tuned for parts 2 and 3.

If you have any questions/comments feel free to post them or E-mail me at USvsIreland AT gmail.com.

Thanks!

The College Season Is Here....

Another season of American college soccer is upon us. I know we've been quiet here but sometimes work and a huge convention messing up traffic messes up my schedule. As the young kids are going back to campus and starting to kick a ball around a lot of information is compiled into my 'list'. I'll add adidas ESP players, I'll add pre-season All-Americans, I'll add other pre-season awards winners. This is an exciting time of year for me as it represents the run up to the MLS SuperDraft. Stay tuned as we're also adding a new contributor to the site who has a lot of insight into the US Youth National Teams.

Introducing: Greg Ricks - Loyola Marymount Lion...

A couple weeks ago I got a somewhat angry email from an American college soccer player asking why he wasn't on my list. I did my best to be diplomatic explaining that monitoring over 1,000 college soccer players takes time and you need to accomplish something like playing at the adidas ESP camp, winning a player of the month award, a All-American honor, etc. to be added to the list. He seemed to accept that and then he accepted my offer to become a FCTP contributor and to tell us about his senior season as he tries to start a career as a professional soccer player.

I'm pleased to introduce you all to Loyola Marymount University senior, Greg Ricks. Greg is going to check in periodically to tell us about being a college soccer player. He's going to tell us the ups and downs of his senior season. He's going to share when he's contacted by a pro scout. He's going to tell us about when they haze the freshman...ohh wait, there is no hazing in college sports.

Everyone, please welcome Greg and say hello. This is a fun addition to FCTP that I have been looking to do since I started the blog. Last year I had a senior player all lined up but it turned out to be too difficult to work writing in with his schedule. I totally understand that. That player in now on the reserve team of one MLS club so hopefully the same will work out for Mr. Ricks. Cheer him on, encourage him to share. Ask him questions. Let's get ready to rumble.

Here is his first piece on what he and the LMU Lions are up to at this point in the pre-season:

***FCTP was notified last night that the NCAA and Loyola Marymount University Soccer Team object to Greg Ricks contributing to FCTP. It is unfortunate that college kids playing a sport can't expand their experiences through participating in a harmless blog. Somehow the NCAA would deem this as me representing Greg and the University feels I have misused Greg's likeness which they own. However, out of respect to those two organizations and Greg's request I am removing the portion of this post that was written by Greg.***

Who Is Getting The Strongest Class Of Freshmen???

As I'm sure you can imagine the debate on the above question is taking place on-line. College Soccer News gives us an overview of the classes. It is no surprise that ACC Powers Maryland and Wake Forest have the best groups assembled. Other traditional powers are up there too with Indiana, UCSB, Notre Dame & UCLA bringing in solid groups. Some of the surprising classes are coming in my neck of the woods with both the University of Denver and New Mexico signing a couple All Americans. Hey, even my alma mater is mentioned in the round up!

Quarterfinal Matches Set…

Check the bracket to see who advanced to the Quarterfinals and who went home. Quarterfinal matches take place this week while the semi-finals/finals turn into the College Cup and take place at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina 12/14 & 12/16.

The bracket is certainly looking interesting. One flaw to point out is that we have a possible showdown between the top two teams of the regular season in the semis as opposed to the finals. I still think BC should have been put second or third, ensuring the best final would be between the best teams; UConn and Wake Forest. BC is out and now the best final is going to happen in the semi-final round. This happens a lot in this type of tournament but I feel like the pairings were made in error, relying on the result of the ACC tourney too much. BC did beat Wake in the regular season and ACC tourney, but BC lost to Quinnipiac, Brown, Providence and Clemson while Wake only lost to BC all season.

Wake Forest still needs to beat talented Notre Dame to make College Cup and UConn needs to beat Virginia Tech to advance. Those are going to be tough games for all four schools. If you live near UConn or Wake, head to see some great college soccer this weekend.

The other side of the bracket has one seeded team left, #5 Ohio State. Ohio State has been a revelation this season and has the easier road to the final. However, UMass, Chicago-Illinois and Bradley have been the giant killers thus far so Ohio State needs to keep their composure and win the games they should win.

Here are the kids on my list, from the schools still in the tourney:


F - Chris Cutshaw - So - Bradley


M - Drew DeGurian - Sr - Bradley


F - Ken Hickman - Sr - Bradley


M - Jordan Hale - Fr - Connecticut


D - Greg King - Fr - Connecticut


F - O’Brian White - Jr - Connecticut


M - Robert Brickley - So - Connecticut


D - Richard Kentish - So - Connecticut


M - Mike Pezza - So - Connecticut


GK - Matt Sangeloty - So - Connecticut


M - Toni Stahl - So - Connecticut


F - Chukwudi Chijindu - Sr - Connecticut


M - Ryan Cordeiro - Sr - Connecticut


D - Julius James - Sr - Connecticut


D - Karl Schilling - Sr - Connecticut


GK - Martin Nieuwoudt - 1/0/1900 - Connecticut


GK - Brett Pollack - 1/0/1900 - Connecticut


F - Kevin Stoll - Fr - Illinois - Chicago


D - Robert Younger - Fr - Illinois - Chicago


D - Pat McMahon - Jr - Illinois - Chicago


M - Ian Sarachan - So - Illinois - Chicago


F - Matt Speiss - So - Illinois - Chicago


GK - Jovan Bubonja - So - Illinois - Chicago


M - Pavle Dundjer - Sr - Illinois - Chicago


M - Cesar Zambrano - Sr - Illinois - Chicago


M - Richard Higa - Jr - Massachusetts


D - Kenny Cook - Sr - Massachusetts


DMF - Matt Armstrong - Fr - Notre Dame


M - Jeb Brovsky - Fr - Notre Dame


F - Josh Thiermann - Fr - Notre Dame


M - Matt Besler - Jr - Notre Dame


M - Justin Morrow - So - Notre Dame


M - Michael Thomas - So - Notre Dame


F - Joseph Lapira - Sr - Notre Dame


M - Kurt Martin - Sr - Notre Dame


D - Ryan Miller - Sr - Notre Dame


M - Danny Irizarry - Jr - Ohio State


D - Scott Marguglio - Jr - Ohio State


M/F - Xavier Balc - Sr - Ohio State


D - Eric Brunner - Sr - Ohio State


M - Kyle Retzlaff - Sr - Ohio State


0 - Roger Espinoza - 1/0/1900 - Ohio State


GK - Casey Latchem - 1/0/1900 - Ohio State


M - Brent Hooper - Fr - Virginia Tech


D - James Shupp - Fr - Virginia Tech


RB - Bryan Collier - Jr - Virginia Tech


F - Patrick Nyarko - Jr - Virginia Tech


M - Charles Campbell - So - Virginia Tech


D - Jonathan Collier - So - Virginia Tech


M - Ben Nason - Sr - Virginia Tech


M/F - Marcus Reed - Sr - Virginia Tech


M - Corben Bone - Fr - Wake Forest


LW - Sean Haglund - Fr - Wake Forest


RB - Jeff Leach - Fr - Wake Forest


D - Ike Opera - Fr - Wake Forest


DMF - Daniel Wenzel - Fr - Wake Forest


D/M - Lyle Adams - Jr - Wake Forest


M - Cline Beam - Jr - Wake Forest


D - Evan Brown - Jr - Wake Forest


M - Sam Cronin - Jr - Wake Forest


M - Jamie Franks - Jr - Wake Forest


F - Marcus Tracy - Jr - Wake Forest


F - Cody Arnoux - So - Wake Forest


M - Will Clayton - So - Wake Forest


M - Austin da Luz - So - Wake Forest


GK - Akira Fitzgerald - So - Wake Forest


M/F - Erik Hummel - So - Wake Forest


M - Mbizo Mzamane - So - Wake Forest


AM - Zachary Schilawski - So - Wake Forest


GK - Brian Edwards - Sr - Wake Forest


F - Alimer Gonzalez - Sr - Wake Forest


D - Pat Phelan - Sr - Wake Forest


D - Julian Valentin - Sr - Wake Forest

First Round Of 2007 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tourney In The Books…

As with any single elimination tournament upsets will happen, the 2007 NCAA soccer tourney is no different. I was lucky enough to catch the Cal – UC Davis first round match since my parents live 20 minutes from Berkeley. In that match, Cal was able to pull out the win and preserve their dignity, but upstart UC Davis was working hard to keep the rival Bears from moving on to the second round. I was shocked to see 3,500 other soccer fans in the stands. Bay Area residents, time to start supporting the Cal Soccer program. It was a lot of fun!

Take a look at the bracket as it stands today. Second round matches take place this Wednesday and are hosted by the team with the asterisk next to their name.

So who fell to the mighty underdog?

Harvard for one. Harvard was riding the back of US U-20 team member Andre Akpan. Andre is on my potential Generation Adidas list and this kind of loss could either keep him in school to prove he can win or push him towards a pro contract. Andre’s team lost to Central Connecticut State by a score of 3-2. Akpan did get on the scorers’ sheet, but couldn’t save his team from dropping out of the tourney. Now Akpan gets to decide if he stays in college or goes pro.

Another big name to drop out early is St. Louis. The St. Louis men were taken to penalty kicks by University of Illinois – Chicago team after both teams couldn’t find the back of the next. St. Louis had a good run through the regular season, winning 12 games, but regular season doesn’t count now.

Duke had an unimpressive season posting 7 losses and were no doubt hoping to redeem themselves in the tourney. Louisville put that hope to a halt.

A similarly unimpressive Washington (8-7-4) side emerged from the Pac-10 and showed up local rivals the Portland Pilots.

Oakland University took down Michigan State by a 2-1 score line. Oakland had an above average regular season record (11-6-3) and was able to take down the home team.

UCLA came out of the stronger Pac-10 but their record this season (8-8-3) doesn’t inspire confidence. The Lobos on the other hand had a strong 2007 in the Rocky Mountain region (12-4-2). They were able to defeat the New Mexico Lobos 1-0. However, UCLA was the home team so I don’t know if we can call it a total upset.

The second round kicks off tomorrow, 11-28-07. Maryland takes on local rival Loyola. Creighton and SMU should be a good match. As I said earlier Cal is the underdog traveling to Virginia Tech. South Florida should be able to give Akron a game. UCLA and Santa Clara should be a fun one since UCLA can’t complain about unbearable travel. Will Notre Dame be able to handle upstarts Oakland? Boston College hosts UMass who have already upset one Boston team.

One disappointing thing about this year’s bracket is that it becomes obvious NCAA seeding folks are more worried about travel costs then true match ups. I understand why they are doing this, but I’d like to see some true seeding in the future. UMass against BU and then BC? We can see through that.

2007 NCAA Soccer Tourney Field Set…

The bracket is out and it is time to start filling in your picks as if it was March. The biggest shocker to me? Boston College is #1. Yes, they won the ACC…Yes they beat Wake Forest twice…but how do they leapfrog UConn who went 18-2-1 during the season compared to BC’s 15-4-1. Yes, the ACC is THE soccer conference but let’s give credit where it is due…UConn should have been #1.

Enough about that. Games start this weekend. The top 16 teams get a bye into the second round which won’t be played until a week from tomorrow. Teams in the first round will need to watch their turkey intake, especially if they are playing on Friday following Thanksgiving.

Looking at the bracket we’ve got some good games in the first round. UCLA is hosting New Mexico who has a far superior record but plays in a much weaker conference. Duke has to go on the road to start off the tourney and could be knocked off by upstarts Louisville. SMU is hosting the Zags. Many of the games were obviously chosen to reduce travel time as there are some regional pairings.

Here is the list of seeded teams who get to skip the first round all together:
#1 Boston College
#2 Wake Forest
#3 UConn
#4 Indiana
#5 Ohio State
#6 Brown
#7 Santa Clara
#8 Creighton
#9 Northwestern
#10 Notre Dame
#11 Virginia Tech
#12 UCSB
#13 Maryland
#14 Akron
#15 West Virginia
#16 Tulsa

What do you think of the seeding? Which games are you going to check out? Who do you want to see go all the way?