2010 Draft Team Grades

(Philadelphia, PA) – Winners and losers. With any draft, there will be winners and losers. These grades are based upon my opinion on the quality of the players that they chose including the players that they could have chosen.

Outstanding (Grade A):

• San Jose Earthquakes – Best Draft. They immediately improved their team in the back; increased team speed and improved the team soccer savvy.  Every pick was a quality pick – excluding Steve Beitashour (San Diego State) at #30 – maybe pick up Chad Borak, instead – but it’s hard to criticize a player that I haven’t seen.  The jewel of the draft for SJE was #3 Ike Opara (WF).  Some people have down-graded him for the coverage of Brian Ownby (UVA) in the 2009 NCAA semi-final. But, Ownby burnt Darrius Barnes with that same blinding speed in the 2008 ACC tournament and Barnes turned out ok.  I’m not worried about it.  Opara is a terrific player.  They followed this with one of the smartest, grittiest players, #19 Matthew Thomas (ND).  He’ll probably play DM or possibly a center midfielder in a 5 midfield formation.  I haven’t seen him ever play back – but he’s smart.  They added #28 Justin Morrow (ND) that has a very high ceiling – possibly national team member.  He’s a little small – but has terrific athletic ability.  He has a non-stop engine. While I liked him before the combine, he was my player of the combine. #37 Andrew Hoxie (William & Mary) has good touch, tall target and an accurate shooting acumen.  He has very slow feet.  Possible – but not likely.  Great draft.

Very Successful (Grade A-):

• Chicago Fire – Value picks.  They maximized on the players that were available on the draft board.  Getting Corben Bone (WF) with the 13th pick is the steal of the draft.  Then, adding a needed a huge central defender, Kwame Watson-Siriboe (UConn) with the 26th is another quality pick up.  The 29th pick of Drew Yate (MD) is a reach, but is consistent that Chicago likes to have players who can hold the ball. #45 Steve Kinney (Elon) isn’t a bad pick.  Whether he can play 1v1 defense is the big question. #51 Sean Johnson is a long-term project as a goal keeper.  I suspect that Chicago were required to draft him, because they recommended him as a GA.

Pretty good (Grade B):

• Houston: Some teams are able to pick up quality players every year during the bargain shopping period.  One of the criterion is that the player must have above average speed or better.  Both #43 David Walker (UCSB) and #46 Samuel Appiah (BU) have this ability.  Walker is undervalued and could get regular time at wide midfield.  His shooting at the combine was surprisingly lacking – and it didn’t impact my evaluation.  Appiah played DM at BU, but only played wide either midfield or right back at the combine.  I don’t have any confidence that he’ll be a RB anytime soon.  I haven’t seen the #62 pick Euan Holden (NM – transferred from UConn) play – but I guess this ensures that at least one Holden will be at camp!

Some good, some bad (Grade B-):

• Real Salt Lake  – Made some nice pickups.  #15 Collen Warner (Portland) is a fantastic player – I like him best when he’s playing RM, but he could be a forward – which he did, when Portland was desperate for a score.  I have mixed feelings about #32 Justin Davis (New Mexico) as a defender and I never got a real good lasting feel for his play.  I suspect that he’ll be a project.  #39 Chris Schuler (Creighton) is superlative in the air – but a liability with the ball at his feet or when he has to handle it.  If his touches are limited, he could be successful. #64 Kris Banghart (Denver) – “Mr. Whatever” – was injured for the combine, but didn’t impress against WF.

• FC Dallas – It was a middling array of players.  #5 Zach Loyd (UNC) was the first step down after the plateau first group of 4 players.  He’s got flexibility to play wide midfield and back – but he’s a small player.  His set pieces are very precise.  GA Andrew Wiedeman (Cal) was chosen at 21 (generally where I ranked him) is a good target forward that will excel when he gets proper MLS service.  The Eric Alexander (IU)  pick at 44 was a smart pick up.  Finding the right place to play him for FCD may be a problem.  I think he has a chance to contribute in limited minutes.  The only knock that I have against #38 Jason Yeisley (PSU) is will be able to stay injury free.  #54 Dane Saintus (SMU) is a local guy that the coach Schellas Hyndman is familiar with – Saintus has speed.  He may be serviceable as a wide midfielder.

Just a Tad Above Average – (Grade C+):

• Colorado – Colorado attempted to strengthen their team at each field position.  Andre Akpan was a satisfactory pick at #22 with an above average touch and confidence on the ball.  I question if he’ll be able to produce enough goals as a MLS forward.  #23 Ross LaBauex (UVA) is a similar player to Pablo Mastroeni.  Luckily, Colorado is acclimated to the suspensions from rash tackles.  #40, Chad Borak (Cal State-Northridge) was my favorite player from the combine that I hadn’t previously seen.  He can get forward.  His defensive skill needs to be enhanced.  The steal for Colorado with the 60th pick is Bradley’s Chris Cutshaw.  He played on the PDL team that went to the 2009 final.  He’s a skillful, crafty goal scorer.  I think the Colorado fans are really going to like him.
• New England – As required by the CBA, NE drafts a WF player, Zack Schilawski with the 9th pick.  He’s a quality goal scorer that is competent on the ball and with his distribution.  Good pick.  With the 24th pick, Seth Sinovic (Creighton) is ok, pick – but there were better left back options available. USF’s Zak Boggs (might be starting the next NE trend – cornering the market on Zacks) at #31 and Lehigh’s Adam Welch at #57 are wasted picks.  Boggs can’t score and Welch can’t defend.  Jase Griffith is an adequate 2 way midfielder – but is he worth an international slot? With the loss of Jeff Larentowicz – this provides a shot.  He has a better chance than Welch and Boggs.

Average – (Grade C):

• New York Red Bull - It’s pretty hard to mess up the 2nd pick (and surprisingly they didn’t), Tony Tchani (UVA) is a good selection.  Their other picks are worse.  It’s not that these are bad players, but that there were much better players available. Tim Ream (SLU) was taken in front of Kwame Watson-Siriboe (UConn) and Justin Morrow (ND) is a gaff – I’m discounting the combine, because I’ve seen Ream play consistently better.  But, there were better players at both center back and left back. Austin Da Luz (WF), again isn’t a bad pick, but passing on Collen Warner (Portland) is another mistake.  Warner provides better speed and comparable crossing ability.  The Conor Chinn (spelled wrong on MLS site) is an satisfactory pick at that slot.

• LA: Their draft was essentially the three Brazilians that they just signed.  However, they made a quality pick-up with their 16th pick, Michael Stephens (UCLA).  He has a very good chance to contribute to the team with his speed and skill.  He needs to get stronger, but his desire will assist his playing time.

More bad than good (Grade C-):

• Philadelphia Union – Started out well: with the first pick they chose Danny Mwanga (Oregan State) who according to another talent evaluator (not from the Union) said that he’s a man among boys; getting a 1st pick from DCU for an allocation that Philly didn’t need (for Troy Perkins), but they parlayed that pick (#7) into a young, undersized forward (Jack McInerney) that will not be productive for at least 1 year maybe 2 years.  Additionally, another project will be the #6 pick DM Amobi Okugo (UCLA) who is not a sufficient destroyer / stopper especially, when there were much better DM on the board.  Then, Philly added another DM at #17 (one of the better DM), Toni Stahl (UConn).  Amobi is a better offensive weapon whereas Stahl is a deeper stopper.  If Philly plays a 3-5-2 with 2 DM this may be a collaboration that might work – but Blair Gavin would have fit better in this arrangement.  Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA) can only play AM and he’s not a MLS AM.  My problem with Philly is the draft management – picking up 2 DM instead of picking up Bone rather than Okugo.  Brian Perk (UCLA) is a good quality pickup in the fourth round.

Pretty bad (Grade D+):

• Chivas - After starting strong drafting the best DM, Blair Gavin (Akron) with the 10th pick, their assessments were poor at best.  #47 – Ben Zemanski (Akron) isn’t horrible – perhaps trying to recreate the magic of the defensive midfield for the best team in college soccer in 2009.  Isaac Kissi at #42 is a disaster pick.  He’s just not good enough as a forward – didn’t look comfortable at midfield and he’s not worth an international slot.

Dreadful (Grade D):

• Seattle: #11 David Estrada (UCLA) is a “living in the past” move.  This is a horrible reach.  He hasn’t been the same player since he was freshman of the year – several years ago. #27 Michael Seamon (Villanova) is a terrific move.  It’s too bad Sigi wasted the first round pick.  I don’t have any information on #59 Jamel Wallace (San Diego State).

• Kansas City Wizards – #5 Teal Bunbury (Akron) is an adequate pick, but he’s going to have problems scoring and maintaining possession.  I don’t have a problem with this pick.  Peter Vermes should be fired (or probably more accurately will be fired) for drafting a midget, Korede Aiyegbusi (NC State) with the 20th pick who is unable to pass on the run and will be the primary reason that counter-attack goals will rain down on KC (if he ever gets on the field).  The Mutt-And-Jeff draft defensive duo is Aiyegbusi (5′5″) and #36 Nick Cardenas (6′5″) from San Diego State.  Cardenas is a serviceable defender who is good in the air, but can be beaten by quick, tricky forwards.  Adding #41 Mauro Fuzetti (Michigan) isn’t going to help them.  #52 Ofori Sarkodie (IU) loses his mark too easily, but isn’t a disaster pick at 52.

Huh? Are you kidding me? (Grade D-):

• Columbus Crew – Columbus with 2 first round draft picks, left possibly the best player on the board (Bone) and took a strong forward, Bright Dike (ND) who is unable to put the ball on goal without the goal keeper falling dead.  Duka wasn’t as horrible a pick – but there were better wide players – though they didn’t have GA protection.  Pick # 60 (4th rounder) Kwake Nyamkye (Harvard) is going to a trial for Glasgow Rangers, so this may be a wasted pick. #61 Othaniel Yanez (Louisville) isn’t a horrible pick this late – but I can’t see him playing DM for Columbus.

• Toronto FC . # 24 Zack Herold is going to be at least a 2 year project.  He needs to mark better before he can be entrusted in the back.  #53 Nane Joseph is an ever-ending project.  He can’t be trusted with the ball (except for gathering them up after practice).

Incomplete (Grade I):

• DC – With just 1 pick in the 4th round, DCU spent their pick bringing back goal keeper Troy Perkins.  With the 55th pick, DCU took their chance on a known commodity, Jordan Graye (UNC).  Graye has played on several DCU youth teams.  It’s not a killer pick nor is it a wasted pick.

 

2010 Final Consolidated Draft Rankings

After final tweaks, here are the links to the final rankings.

Click here for Overall

Positional rankings:

Click here for Goal Keepers

Click here for Defenders

Click here for Midfielders

Click here for Forwards

Click here for the Alphabetical Player List.

 

2010 Combine Day 3 (Game 2)

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – This is going to be difficult, I left my notes in Fort Lauderdale.  Expect that I’m going to miss some things – because the game was forgettable.

White beat Red 1-0.  White was the worse team at the combine, but salvaged two 1-0 wins to finish in second place (not that anybody cares about it).

Tennant McVea scored from a Conor O’Brien corner kick.

1st half (F50i White)

F: Pascal Millien (Tampa), Andrew Wiedeman (Cal),

M: Ross LaBauex, Drew Yates (MD), Conor O’Brien (Bucknell), Irving Garcia (UCI)

D: Justin Davis (NM), Tennant McVea (Loyola-MD), Zac Herold (U17), Ofori Sarkodie (IU),

GK: John Moore (Stanford)

1st half (Predator Red)

F: JT Noone (Temple), Andre Akpan (Harvard)

M: Mike Seamon (Villanova),  Mario Fuzzetti (Michigan), Blair Gavin (Akron), Michael Stephens (UCLA)

D: Seth Sinovic (Creighton), Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard), Nane Joseph (ODU), Samuel Appiah (BU)

GK: Jovan Bubonja (UIC)

In the 2nd half (Predator Red) – GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game comments and assessment classification.

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Michael Stephens (Red) – Best player in this game; he was better in the first half as a RM; good passing, my biggest concern that he continued to be pushed off the ball; hit the cross bar on a well struck long ball; from 1/11/10 (adequate); will play both sides of the ball, good passer; most damning part of his game is that he is too easy to push off the ball.  fair or not – that’s life;from 1/09/10 (+); had a good first half, topped off with a good fake that had Aiyegbusi to ground.  Combined with the other midfielders and forwards.

Who was adequate?

• Drew Yates (White) – did ok today – nothing special, I figured the only thing missing was the flop in the box; I just don’t where he’d play in MLS; he’s good on the ball – so maybe someone tries him at AM, he’s not fast enough to play wide midfielder in MLS; he’s not a forward and do you really want a 22 year old withdrawn forward?  from 1/11/10 (+); Having a whale of a combine with very elusive first touches – buyers beware; from 1/09/10 (adequate); finished the penalty kick, continues to fall too easily – sometimes picking up the foul, but other times being waved off – this led to the 4th goal.  Yates is not a MLS AM.
• Conor O’Brien (White) – nothing memorable – didn’t hurt himself; from 1/11/10 (+); soft touches – he strokes the ball so well, that you don’t hear his passes; he is very composed – he can play in MLS; from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a nice first touch playing the less familiar DM.
• Corben Bone (Red) – not as explosive; from 1/11/10 (+); Consistent passing finally had a bad pass late in the first half.  He reads the game quickly and his first touch is with purpose.  He had a poor free kick; from 1/09/10 (+); was all over the field.  Stealing a pass; making a run; carving a pass.  He needs to clean up his corner kicks.
• Mike Seamon (Red) – More of the same – skillful enough; I agree with Ives – reminds me of Zimmerman; from 1/11/10 (+); Scored the lone goal.  He received a pass behind Kinney and clipped the ball over Haggerty. He is good on the ball; from 1/09/10 (+); had a beautiful nice high pass that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  He picked up a poorly cleared free kick that Seamon hit from the top of box with a low, hard shot.
• Blair Gavin (Red) – didn’t do anything spectacular; from 1/11/10 (+); key to maintaining possession for long periods of time. Smart move – moved off Morrow to steal weak header; nifty 1 touch to air dribble an opponent – if you don’t like Gavin, you really need to find another sport (GOLDEN); from 1/09/10 (adequate); was typically sitting back clogging the passing lanes.  Need to watch closely.
• Chad Borak (Red) – probably the best player that I hadn’t previously seen live; from 1/11/10 (+); best move of the day getting Peterman to ground, before serving in a cross that wasn’t converted; stopped a cross after Hoxie beat Nyamekye; Had a good run, started give-n-go, his shot was blocked – but good chance; Needs to be cognizant keeping attackers onside; from 1/09/10 (-); technical skills were lacking and I didn’t care for his first touch.Andrew Hoxie (Blue) – from 1/09/10 (+); continued to show his comfort on the ball.  His opening goal was nicely placed into the side netting.  Foot speed is a concern.
• Kwaku Nyamekye (Red) – nothing memorable; from 1/11/10 (adequate); good in the air, but I don’t care for his touch.  The ball stays too far under him requiring a second touch to get the ball where he needs it (the basics); from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a big stop on Warner.  He had a wild foot up to stop a cross. Need to see some more of him.
• Jovan Bubonja (Red) – good stops; from 1/11/10 (adequate); Made a couple stops.  Would have preferred to see him dive for Thomas FK goal. Does Bubonja always catch high balls at his chest?  If so – it’s an exposure. from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t have much action, but positioned himself well on the shots.  I think he had the far post covered, but if the shots were on target – I’d know for sure.
• Conor Chinn (Red) – has not been dangerous around the box with his banana shoes; from 1/11/10 (adequate); didn’t get much action, but blocked a goal keeper clearance from desire; had the assist on the lone goal with a flick to the endline that Seamon gathered; from 1/09/10 (+); forced a near-catastrophe on a poor back pass blocking Haggerty’s clearance.  He took a long shot that beat Haggerty but was too high.  Showed a lot of class.
• Austin da Luz (Red) – don’t remember anything notable; from 1/11/10 (adequate); couple of early driven crosses that didn’t connect; willing to play defense.  Used his favored left foot on trap that really required a right foot trap leading to a turnover; from 1/09/10 (adequate); was combining with Bone on the far side.  He took a horrible right-foot shot (he’s a natural lefty).
• Samuel Appiah (Red) – The Appiah as a right back doesn’t look promising; nifty chest trap to beat the attacker and maintain possession; from 1/11/10 (adequate); responsible for Morrow had so much time to provide the winning assist – Appiah is not a defender, nor do I think he’ll grow into it;  Was able to get around the corner early; from 1/09/10 (adequate); is smaller than I expected, but he is much faster than I saw on tape.  He has a much better chance as a wide midfielder than a DM.  Blew by Tangney like he was standing still, then crossed the ball to McInerney who should have finished but was stymied by Haggerty.
• Seth Sinovic (Red) – don’t remember anything positive/negative; from 1/11/10 (adequate); better; stepped up to steal an weak pass from Edwards; Was not threatened with a fast RM; from 1/09/10 (-); was burnt by Teal Bunbury’s speed.  He misjudged a bounce and the ball went over his head. Smaller than I remembered. *cough* I’d rather have Blades *cough*
• Phil Edginton (Red) – good in the lanes – less than desirable when he has to mark someone; from 1/11/10 (adequate); Stuck his collegiate teammate (Yanez) with a powerful tackle near the sideline (good to see that movement); he’s best covering the passing lanes – less capable covering 1v1; from 1/09/10 (-); big hit on Schilawski (foul) giving up the best chance for Jabulani in the first half.
• Zac Herold (White) – better technically after he crushed two square passes (1 to the left back and 1 to the right back) for an unforced turnover early in the game; seems more settled as a center back – he’s going to be a project; I believe the GK crunched him for allowing Akpan to get behind him; Also – Ives told me today he already used the moniker – this year’s Danny Cruz, but I’m keeping it – though I am going to move it to Johnson! from 1/11/10 (-); he is over his head – he can run, but other than that not so much.  He’s this year’s Danny Cruz; from 1/09/10 (-); beaten around the corner by Morrow.  Need to watch his defensive positioning.
• Sean Johnson (White/Green) – No errors – This year’s Danny Cruz – 3rd Rounder (possibly 4th); Treasure the memories at the draft, we won’t see Johnson for a long time;  from 1/11/10 (adequate); couple of good stops; reluctant to come off the line on corner kicks that in his 6 yard box; I have confidence that I don’t want him on my favorite MLS team and I hope that he is on my rival’s team; from 1/09/10 (-); if he wasn’t already a GA, he’d be on the beach list.  He didn’t play like a GA.  Having 3 goals in a half, isn’t what some MLS team was thinking about.
• Irving Garcia (White) – very difficult to knock off the ball; from 1/11/10 (adequate); After getting injured (by Stahl) in the first half, he was not as effective when he returned in the second half; from 1/09/10 (+); has a special touch.  He’s quick.  I want more – though he needs to let the game come to him.  His passing is exceptional.
• Justin Davis (White) -  I can’t recall what he did – but he made a bad play.  ERRR! I’m not sure that he’s MLS quality; from 1/11/10 (adequate); the closer he gets to goal the better he gets, but he needs to combine quicker; from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t do anything on a backline that gave up 4 goals.
• Pascal Millien (White) – made a good cross; Doubtful – quick on the dribble and willing to take on defenders – burnt Ream, but lost possession by the 2nd defender; from 1/11/10 (adequate); playing up top in the second half – embarrassing multiple defenders (specifically Tangney); needs to release the ball quicker; from 1/09/10 (adequate); tried to do too much.  His dribbling was not consistently precise.  He had issues bringing it all together.  He would make a brilliant step over, but his cross would be horrible.  He would beat a defender then mis-hit his shot.  He would make one move before the second defender would steal the ball.
• John Moore (White) – was ok; from 1/11/10 (adequate); made several big stops, but can’t cover the top of the goal; from 1/09/10 (adequate); played ok, but had Yanez blast go over his head.  He may have a leaping problem.
• Ross LaBauex (White) – unrestrained hitting – if he misplays a ball, no hesitation to clobber an opponent; wrote, “rash tackle should have gotten a yellow”, minutes later earned one from another rash tackle; he is going to accumulate cards – regardless of where he plays; he is one of my biggest disappointments this year, because he could be an asset – if he just had a better touch;  from 1/11/10 (adequate); much better – hitting anyone that comes through the middle – closing on attackers; picked up a yellow (he’s going to do this in MLS, too) from 1/09/10 (-); not closing down attackers.  Tentative.  Earned the PK on an explosive run.  He has in the past and needs to continue to play lock-down defense.
• Tenant McVea (White) – scored a goal with his head (familiar to many Greyhound fans – busting through traffic to power in the O’Brien corner kick; Best when playing the second defender; from 1/11/10 (adequate); much better – still not MLS quality – but better; stopped a few passes, made a tackle, stood in front of Bunbury; from 1/09/10 (beach), Too slow; too tentative on the ball; On the first and third goals, he didn’t shut down the shot.
• Nick Cardenas (White) – good in the air; I’m not so sure about his defending;  from 1/11/10 (adequate); fought through a pick by Bunbury to clear the ball from a corner kick; nice long passing; from 1/09/10 (-); is a tall defender who is good in the air.  I didn’t like he didn’t step up on Alexander’s goal.
• Nelson Beccera (White) – hurt his draft by not combining well enough, but showed a tricky left foot – but that is all there is; too small; from 1/11/10 (-); didn’t do enough to showcase his skills; has a good cross; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);
• Tim Ream (Red) – better, but it wasn’t possible that he could have done worse; His passing was better though he didn’t take too many chances; looked better in the middle; Millien (or Bouemboue) schooled him with Pasa Da Vaca – but had defensive coverage; from 1/11/10 (-); Utter Crap! This was the worst game that I’ve seen him play since Duke in 2007 – where he stunk up the joint.  He’s much better than he showed today.  His passing was abysmal (normally a strength of his).  This may make him a value pick for the teams that haven’t done their homework. from 1/09/10 (adequate); satisfactory on defense.  His cracker of free kick from 35 yards was just high.  His block on a Pezza cross was important.
• Jack McInerney (Red) – overall disappointed – I expected that he would be a much better goal scorer.  He is going to take 2 years – if he grows, he could be a servicable forward (if he improves technically, too); from 1/11/10 (-); Not able to connect with his teammates.  He ended a quick combination with a bad pass Appiah; Needs to combine, create his own shot and hit a blazer; from 1/09/10 (adequate); received a beautiful nice high pass from Seamon that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  I liked how when Schuler toe-poked the ball away from him, that he ran across the field hawking the ball.  I was surprised that McInerney was so small (5′8″) – he looks so much bigger against U17 players.  He needs to finish the Appiah cross.

Who needs to improve?

• Ofori Sarkodie (White) – lost his man but wasn’t punished (for a change); Horrible chest trap that turned into a turnover; Touch was weak; just hasn’t been as good since U20 (2007); from 1/11/10 (adequate); better, he didn’t lose his man in the box; from 1/09/10 (-); gave up another goal by his mark (2nd goal) which has been a pattern that I’ve observed at IU, as well.  His first touch is very good.
• Andrew Wiedeman (White) – just didn’t put it together; this is not the same player that I’ve seen before; losing ground quickly; from 1/11/10 (adequate); Much better – forcing the goal with a well timed run; from 1/09/10 (-); invisible.  I was surprised that he was out on the field in the first half.
• Andre Akpan (Red) – not a good showing from Akpan today; followed up on Stephens crossbar – was 1v1 with the GK and didn’t bury the shot instead took a touch that the goal keeper (name?) was able to stuff;  from 1/11/10 (adequate); Nice touch and extreme comfort with pressure.  Not able to beat a defender 1v1; from 1/09/10 (adequate); aggressively pressed the attack early (during the formation identification.  His touch and passing kept the opponent on their heels.
• J.T. Noone (Red) – more of the same – just isn’t doing anything to make his case; from 1/11/10 (no opinion); didn’t do much in limited time up today; from 1/09/10 (adequate); served a good free kick that Seamon was able to get a good shot.  He was pressing forward, but in the unfamiliar AM.  He’ll do better in his more familiar RM.
• Mauro Fuzzeti (Red) – gosh he finds way to make poor plays; he looked so much better on tape;  from 1/11/10 (-); He’s best when not noticeable – his best postion may be somewhere in the stands. When he took a bad touch, Edginton punished him with a crunching tackle.  Too many hopeful balls. from 1/09/10 (no opinion);
• David Walker (White) – his game was off; he wasn’t good going to goal; his passing wasn’t there; I think that he’s going to be drafted – but he didn’t demonstrate that he’s MLS quality – but I’ll look at his body of work during college; from 1/11/10 (no opinion); didn’t do much; from 1/09/10 (adequate); timed his runs well.
• Ronnie Bouemboue (White) – Wow! he couldn’t score in a U10 game today; he’s uptop playing his favored position, and was horrible; He’s got speed; someone may take a flier on him; from 1/11/10 (no opinion); started at midfield and was tentative in unfamiliar territory; from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t get much service, but earned a free kick (that was squandered).

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Nane Joseph (Red) – ditto – horrible pass with him being the last defender should have been a goal, but it got messed up; from 1/11/10 (beach); inconsistently moderating from dreadful to embarrassing; Panics with the ball, doesn’t defend well enough; I have no confidence with him on the ball; btwn him and Fuzetti responsible for the free kick leading to the first goal; from 1/09/10 (-); needs to get his head up.

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• Kwame Watson-Siriboe (White) – no comments; from 1/11/10 (adequate); a monster in the back; from 1/09/10 (+); helped stopped the carnage.  Won his typical high crosses with his leaping ability.

Who Didn’t Play/Missing

• Martin Hedevag (White) – DNP; from 1/11/10 (-); seemed to get hurt after laying an egg in the first half; before that could not mark attackers effectively. from 1/09/10 (+); helped stopped the carnage.  He had some critical tackles to stop attacks.

 

2010 Combine Day 3 (Game 1)

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Damn it’s cold here with record breaking cold.

Condivo Blue remains undefeated winning 1-0 over Jabulani green. Blue went undefeated and is the winning color (like last year).  Green is the most injured team having 2 defenders go down and even Duka was MIA.

The goal scorer for blue was Eric Alexander on a long range bomb.

There is no official (or non-official) clock so all times are approximations (when I remembered to look at my Blackberry).

1st half (Condivo Blue)

F: Bright Dike (ND), Isaac Kissi (Dayton)

M: Eric Alexander (IU), Othaniel Yanez (Louis), Michael Thomas (ND), Zach Loyd (UNC)

D: Justin Morrow (ND), Ike Opara (WF) (23′- Tyler Barry (Cal)), Steven Kinney (Elon), Freddie Braun (Louis)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

2nd half (Condivo Blue)

F:  Andrew Hoxie (W&M), Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown)

M:  Justin Morrow (ND)(10:47′-Isaac Kissi (Dayton)), Tony Tchani (UVA), Zach Loyd (UNC), Freddie Braun (Louis)

D: Ryan Peterman (SD), Julien Edwards (Drake), Tyler Barry (Cal), Steffen Vroom (Depaul)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

1st half (Jabulani Green)

F:  Teal Bunbury (Akron), Zack Schilawski (WF)

M: Collen Warner (Portland), Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA), Amobi Okugo (UCLA), David Estrada (UCLA)

D: Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State), Kevin Tangney (MD), Chris Schuler (Creighton), Adam Welch (Lehigh),

GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

2nd half (Jabulani Green)

F: Jason Yeisley (PSU), Zack Schilawski (WF)

M: Two-Boys Gumede (UAB), Mike Pezza (UConn),Toni Stahl (UConn), Collen Warner (Portland)

D: Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State), Kevin Tangney (MD), Chris Schuler (Creighton), Adam Welch (Lehigh)

GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game comments and assessment classification.  I provided an over-all assessment as well.

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Teal Bunbury (Green) – willing to take on defenders; good turn and shot; can he be a goal scorer – doubtful; from 1/11/09 (adequate); Disappointed with his reluctance to beat inferior defenders; Quick, dangerous – now needs to convert this into goals; from 1/09/10 (+); ran past Sinovic in the first half, but his shot was just wide.  His speed is going to cause problems.
• Justin Morrow (Blue) – Only field player (just saw Perk) to get high marks in each contest; He’s my player of the combine; beat Tangney into retirement; Runs, runs, runs; from 1/11/09 (+ ); smaller than I remember, but he’s hitting anyone that gets near him; able to get around the corner after connecting with Kissi; Earned an assist after determining to get to the ball before Appiah and making a nice pass to Hoxie;  from 1/09/10 (+); blazing up-and-down the left side as both the left back (1H) and left mid (2H).  He was able to get around the right back (Zac Herold) in the 2H.  Morrow’s low shot was deflected wide to the right side.  He played with desire that wasn’t matched by other players.
• Zach Loyd (Blue) – beautiful crosses and long diagonal passes and corner kicks; from 1/11/09 (adequate); others seem much higher on him than I – but I remember his proficiency in 2008 (when I was confounded by the spelling of Loyd (and Zach)); Liked his hooking corner kick and his shutdown defense; from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a brilliant free kick (assist) on the second goal.  I think he got the ball to Hoxie on the first goal for two assists.  He beat Sarkodie with a nifty first touch over Sarkodie.  Neither Sarkodie or McVea closed on Loyd allowing him to deliver the cross.  Loyd’s first touch was rough at times.  He looked winded in the first half.  Loyd was trying to do too much.
• Brian Perk (Blue) – again scoreless – class of the GK; has been impressive; He’d be my second pick for Player of the combine; from 1/11/09 (+ ); continues to be highlight for goal keepers.  Hit a wind-assisted 75 yard set piece kick.  Has only conceded a PK in 1.5 games; from 1/09/10 (+); Solid keeper – best today.  Making good decisions.

Who was adequate?

• Michael Thomas (Blue) -an accidental omission from 1/9/10 & 1/11/09 – he hit a perfect unstoppable free kick; He was adequate today – but his play was exception on Monday and adequate on Saturday.  I like his engine and his tight passing;  He can play in MLS.
• Tony Tchani (Blue) – didn’t impact the game like he has – just cruised through the final game;  had a good cross that Kissi should have finished;  from 1/11/09 (+ ); class of the team; his ability in the air and controlling his space.  He’s playing better than he has in 2009 – this is how he played in 2008 – he’s not done improving; I like his diligence in playing defense; from 1/09/10 (+); typical, precise passing.
• Eric Alexander (Blue) – scored the only goal right before half time on a long shot that the defense didn’t converge; before this he was playing poorly.  G from 1/11/09 (+ ); If he plays like he has the past 2 games – he’s going to be a successful pro;  He’s quicker than I initially thought; He tackles hard – his set pieces are money; from 1/09/10 (adequate); scored a goal on a play that reminds me of a goal that I saw him score at IU.  Outside of the box, 1 balancing touch and unleashing a shot into the lower corner.
• Korede Aiyegbusi (Green) – Hereafter, he will always be “Ives Boy” to me – “IB” for short; Saved a goal by clearing Hoxie’s header off the line; Other than that – not impressive; Clearly not MLS quality; from 1/11/09 (beach); contributes as a liability on defense with limited offensive assistance; from 1/09/10 (horrific); didn’t defend well, didn’t get forward (and when he did – he wasn’t beating anyone).
• Andrew Hoxie (Blue) – Wasn’t as impactful as he was the first 2 days; Headed a ball from Loyd that was a goal  but saved off the goal line by “IB”; from 1/11/09 (+ ); scored another goal into the near post; he got behind Ream and Nyamekye on a well timed run; I still question his foot speed;  I will give the kid credit that he’s maximizing his talent;  from 1/9/10 (+); continued to show his comfort on the ball.  His opening goal was nicely placed into the side netting.  Foot speed is a concern
• Collen Warner (Green) – horrible in the first half (0630 Pacific coast time) – much better in the second as he was on his favored right side. Improved his stock at the combine. from 1/11/09 (+); He’s a speed player – who continues to be played as AM – UCLA hates Portland!  Quickness of play is going to translate well in MLS;from 1/09/10 (+); was a threat in the 2nd half providing good service to Yeisley. He looks quick and dangerous.  I want to see him at the RM where his precise crosses will be evident (where is Screech when you need him (Portland team mate).
• Jason Yeisley (Green) – did ok, his turn and shots are the best part of his game; not enough for a player fighting injuries his entire college career; from 1/11/09 (adequate); much quicker than I remember – good; good turn with pressure on his back – nice!;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); received a good ball from Warner before shooting wide.
• David Estrada (Green) – played better, but missed a 4 yd shot from a loose ball – needed to finish; Had a good shot that Perk needed to make a diving stop; someone is going to take a chance on him.  I want more consistency on every touch; from 1/11/09 (adequate); had a good shot after combining with Bunbury – his shot was just wide; quickness; He may be a sleeper; from 1/09/10 (adequate); started slow, but by the end of the second half, was making quick dribbling runs and crossed to Warner in the box.  He could break out with a multiple goal game here.
• Zack Schilawski (Green) – just didn’t enough to raise his stock – one good cross in a full game is not going to perform any separation from the rest of the pack; from 1/11/09 (adequate); playing RM didn’t separate himself; a back pass that wasn’t stolen could have been calamitous; has not put his seal on this competition; from 1/09/10 (adequate); when given the ball is able to keep possession and continuing to attack.  He seemed shaken up by foul on Edginton.
• Kyle Nakazawa (Green) – continues to be average, not doing anything superlative.  For example, his set piece taking is supposed to be a strength – but he’ll take a bad and then a good one; I was happily surprised that he played some defense early – this didn’t last;  from 1/11/09 (adequate); received bloody nose on the sidelines for several minutes – no one missed him; he took a shot from 35 yards that cleared the goal keeper and the crossbar (unfortunately); His freekick hit the wall;from 1/09/10 (-); precise touch illusive.  On the best set piece, he deferred to Duka (mistake).
• Two-Boys Gumede (Green) – continues to be adequate; he has a nice touch on the ball, but he’s not the second coming; from 1/11/09 (adequate); very good ball control (no matter how bad the pass), quick and very spindly; very good crosser of the ball;  from 1/09/10 (no opinion) played more AM than Fwd.
• Othaniel Yanez (Blue) – ok – nothing special; from 1/11/09 (adequate); migrates to the middle often (he’s been there for 4 years);  has desire/fight and periods of soccer acumen – iffy at best from a MLS prospect; from 1/09/10 (adequate); hit the goal of the combine with a 35 yard blast (again because white didn’t close).  Needs to show more than this single goal.
• Steven Kinney (Blue) – see above – ok, nothing special; never really was exposed 1v1 – that’s my unanswered question; quiet player; from 1/11/09 (adequate); he didn’t do well in the team defense on the lone goal, but he seems to be able to get his head on corner kicks and set pieces. Need to watch his defense more closely; from 1/09/10 (adequate); scored a nice diving header for the second goal.  No other comments.  Need to watch him more closely – with more attacks at him.
• Julien Edwards (Blue) – didn’t make any major gaffs; was able to hold off Yeisley;  from 1/11/09 (adequate); weak pass back to gk, has ups but doesn’t clear high and far enough;  balance – I like him better as an outside back;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); to me he looked like Rodney Wallace. Very active.  He had a nice tackle though not too much traffic came his direction.
• Steffen Vroom (Blue) – hustled to get the ball in the corner and then sent it back to Tchani serve a certain goal except for Kissi ineptness; from 1/11/09 (no opinion); continues to be elusive – not doing much; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);

Who needs to improve?

• Ryan Peterman (Blue) – bad tackle beat to the ball by Warner – short (Blades is shorter – but better); from 1/11/09 (adequate); Combining with Yanez and made a good run to get into the box (not rewarded); Set pieces need to improve.  Need to watch his defense; from 1/09/10 (-); fouled LaBauex that led to the PK.  Need to watch him more closely.
• Isaac Kissi (Blue) – Consistently…poor; Missed a header after his team amtes fought to get it and service him; from 1/11/09 (-); aimless first touch; he is better the further that he gets from goal – best when he is playing Xbox 360 at home; from 1/09/10 (-); took a horrible free kick and added a breakout with an equally poor shot.
• Amobi Okugo (Green) – he took off a play and it cost his team a goal.  He needed to close on Alexander, besides this he had a sterling day – good on the ball;he would have been a +; from 1/11/09 (adequate); Better; yellow card on a savvy trip on Yates; he needs to improve his passing; from 1/09/10 (-); needs to connect better; needs to stop attacks.  His play was eclipsed by Stahl.  Then, again Okugo had to stop Bone, Gavin and Stevens as compared to Noone, Joseph and Seamon.
• Chris Schuler (Green) – His touch caused his team the game; first the ball bounded away – then he compounded this error with another by not closing on Alexander; Besides this he was good in the air; though he and Tangney allowed Hoxie wide open; I’m downgrading Schuler because he cost his team 2 games – that may not matter, but it’s an indicative of more problems;  from 1/11/09 (adequate); didn’t sufficiently mark Wiedeman on the goal; his touch is lacking causing issues for the defense – dominating in the air; from 1/09/10 (no observation)
• Brooks Haggerty (Green/Blue) – Needs to cover the goal better – his distribution was dreadful – squibbing a goal kick;  from 1/11/09 (adequate); Not his best showing – marginal prospects; from 1/09/10 (adequate); made several big stops – but needs to organize his defense better.

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Nick Elenz-Martin (Blue) – Just doesn’t do anything well enough; nothing as hideous as some of the players below;  from 1/11/09 (-); didn’t do much memorable – best thing he did was hide; couple of bad passes and touches; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);
• Bright Dike (Blue) – UGH! Athlete does not mean soccer player; Thank you sir, don’t call us – we’ll call you; from 1/11/09 (-); So inconsequential, that MLS press office left him off the official roster.  His shooting is horrible.  He has a big body – but not much else;  from 1/09/10 (-); needed to take on the slower defenders and show that he could create his own shot.  He did track down an errant ball (with LaBauex just watching him), but wasn’t able to put the shot on target.
• Adam Welch (Green) – Play regressed every day to be unwatchable.  Thankfully small children were in school because his play was NC17.  Not draftable. from 1/11/09 (adequate); play declined from Saturday; Was ineffective on lone goal;  iffy pick; from 1/09/10 (adequate); seemed composed on the ball, tall – didn’t seem phased by the craziness in the rest of the back.Olukorede
• Tyler Barry (Blue) – Catastrophe – I missed my anniversary to watch this; from 1/11/09 (beach), changing his number can’t hide his tentative defense – seeing less of him would be a refreshing change; his best play was holding onto Chinn; from 1/09/10 (adequate); only played in the second half, long cross almost squirted into the goal.  Savvy back pass to GK to get out of trouble.  Need to watch more closely.
• Kevin Tangney (Green) – Awful; simply awful; beaten regularly by Morrow; from 1/11/09 (adequate); after battling back from numerous ACL/MCL injuries, I’m happy to see Tangney at the combine – but it’s clear that he’s done; I’ve had more trouble with speed bumps than he provided to attackers 1v1; He’s good in the air and bad on the ground;from 1/09/10 (-); was too slow to mark quicker attackers 1v1.  He let a high ball go over his head.  Took too long to release a pass and Akpan blocked his pass.  He needs to play faster and more accurately.
• Freddy Braun (Blue) – from 1/11/09 (beach); Holy crap.  This kid laid an egg right in front of most of the MLS coaches.  His touch was horrible and his passing was worse; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• Ike Opara (Blue) – left the game minutes after Ike and WF team mate Schilawski hit the ball at the same time; The injury could be knee type injury – though I don’t have a MD.  He did not return; from 1/11/09 (+ ); playing only the second half – showed his athleticism; he’s not precise when running at full steam and the ball is going out;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); clearly demonstrated his huge ups!
• Ben Clack (Green) – still no Clack sighting. from 1/11/09 (no opinion); was scheduled to start, but didn’t – See Ives blog for the explanation.  I assume he wanted to set up Tangney to be a failure at LB. from 1/09/10 (-); looks lost in the middle.  His passing was abhorrent.  His defending was just a tad better.
• Kris Banghart (Green) is out from injuries and will not play.  Too bad that no one notified Mark Blades.
• Dilly Duka (Green) – After a good second day – Team Duka shut it down. No explanation.  I won’t ever believe that he was injured.  Showed bad one day/ good the next; Inconsistent is the label that I’ll bequeath him. from 1/11/09 (+); Quick; found his opening and continued to expose the weakness by blowing by Herold (like he was a traffic cone); MOTM for Green; agressive and demanding – totally different vibe after Pezza replaced him; from 1/09/10 (-); trying to do too much.  His passing was off.  His free kick in the first half was simply abysmal. He had a bad cross.  He lost the battle between him and Stevens.  I’ll grant that he had aggressive runs.
• Toni Stahl (Green) – didn’t do much in the half that he was in; from 1/11/09 (adequate); Slow to recover – rash tackle on O’Brien; had a bad pass – he’s going to sit back and play DM – he’s not going to do much more – which may be enough – know what you’re buying; from 1/09/10 (adequate); settled the defense when he entered the game in the second half.  Did what he does best, beat a player then get the ball to a team mate.
• Mike Pezza (Green) – it’s hard to be invisible playing the AM in the second half, Pezza was able to accomplish this dubious feat; from 1/11/09 (adequate); shot right at goal keeper; ran away from mark; from 1/09/10 (-) received the only yellow card for a rash tackle.  On the ball, he didn’t seem to have any idea what he wanted to do.

 

2010 Combine Day 2 (Game 2)

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – As the sun went down, temperatures cooled and my hands began to freeze and F50i white somehow salvaged a 1-0 victory even though they were outplayed by Jabulani green.

The lone goal scorer in this game was Irving Garcia.

1st half (Jabulani Green)

F: Jason Yeisley (PSU)

W/D F: Dilly Duka (Rutgers)

M: Two-Boys Gumede (UAB), Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA),  Toni Stahl (UConn), Mike Pezza (UConn)

D: Kevin Tangney (MD), Chris Schuler (Creighton), Adam Welch (Lehigh), Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State)

GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

2nd half (Jabulani Green)

F: Teal Bunbury (Akron), David Estrada (UCLA)

M: Dilly Duka (Rutgers) (?80′-Mike Pezza (UConn)), Collen Warner (Portland), Amobi Okugo (UCLA), Zack Schilawski (WF)

D: Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State), Kevin Tangney (MD)(?80′-Jason Yeisley (PSU) went up top moving Estrada into MF), Chris Schuler (Creighton), Adam Welch (Lehigh)

GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

1st half (F50i White)

F: David Walker (UCSB), Andrew Wiedeman (Cal),

M: Justin Davis (NM), Drew Yates (MD), Conor O’Brien (Bucknell), Irving Garcia (UCI) (27′-Pascal Millien (Tampa))

D: Ofori Sarkodie (IU), Kwame Watson-Siriboe (UConn), Martin Hedvag (UCSB), Zac Herold (U17)

GK: John Moore (Stanford)

2nd half (F50i White)

F: Pascal Millien (Tampa) (5pm’-Justin Davis (NM) – went to LM, Bouemboue up top)

W/D F: Drew Yates (MD)(5pm’-Irving Garcia (UCI) – went to RM, Beccera went AM)

M: Nelson Beccera (SJU),  Conor O’Brien (Bucknell), Ross LaBauex (UVA), Ronnie Bouemboue (NC State)

D: Ofori Sarkodie (IU), Tennant McVea (Loyola-MD), Nick Cardenas (SD State), Zac Herold (U17)

GK: John Moore (Stanford)

ASSESSMENT

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Collen Warner (Green) – He’s a speed player – who continues to be played as AM – UCLA hates Portland!  Quickness of play is going to translate well in MLS; from 1/09/10 (+); was a threat in the 2nd half providing good service to Yeisley. He looks quick and dangerous.  I want to see him at the RM where his precise crosses will be evident (where is Screech when you need him (Portland team mate).
• Dilly Duka (Green) – Quick; found his opening and continued to expose the weakness by blowing by Herold (like he was a traffic cone); MOTM for Green; agressive and demanding – totally different vibe after Pezza replaced him;  from 1/09/10 (-); trying to do too much.  His passing was off.  His free kick in the first half was simply abysmal. He had a bad cross.  He lost the battle between him and Stevens.  I’ll grant that he had aggressive runs.
• Drew Yates (White) – Having a whale of a combine with very elusive first touches – buyers beware; from 1/09/10 (adequate); finished the penalty kick, continues to fall too easily – sometimes picking up the foul, but other times being waved off – this led to the 4th goal.  Yates is not a MLS AM.
• Conor O’Brien (White) – soft touches – he strokes the ball so well, that you don’t hear his passes; he is very composed – he can play in MLS; from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a nice first touch playing the less familiar DM.

Who was adequate?

• Teal Bunbury (Green) – Disappointed with his reluctance to beat inferior defenders; Quick, dangerous – now needs to convert this into goals; from 1/09/10 (+); ran past Sinovic in the first half, but his shot was just wide.  His speed is going to cause problems.
• Toni Stahl (Green) – Slow to recover – rash tackle on O’Brien; had a bad pass – he’s going to sit back and play DM – he’s not going to do much more – which may be enough – know what you’re buying; from 1/09/10 (adequate); settled the defense when he entered the game in the second half.  Did what he does best, beat a player then get the ball to a team mate.
• Jason Yeisley (Green) – much quicker than I remember – good; good turn with pressure on his back – nice!;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); received a good ball from Warner before shooting wide.
• Adam Welch (Green) – play declined from Saturday; Was ineffective on lone goal;  iffy pick; from 1/09/10 (adequate); seemed composed on the ball, tall – didn’t seem phased by the craziness in the rest of the back.
• David Estrada (Green) – had a good shot after combining with Bunbury – his shot was just wide; quickness; He may be a sleeper; from 1/09/10 (adequate); started slow, but by the end of the second half, was making quick dribbling runs and crossed to Warner in the box.  He could break out with a multiple goal game here.
• Zack Schilawski (Green) – playing RM didn’t separate himself; a back pass that wasn’t stolen could have been calamitous; has not put his seal on this competition;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); when given the ball is able to keep possession and continuing to attack.  He seemed shaken up by foul on Edginton.
• Kyle Nakazawa (Green) – received bloody nose on the sidelines for several minutes – no one missed him; he took a shot from 35 yards that cleared the goal keeper and the crossbar (unfortunately); His freekick hit the wall; from 1/09/10 (-); precise touch illusive.  On the best set piece, he deferred to Duka (mistake).
• Justin Davis (White) – the closer he gets to goal the better he gets, but he needs to combine quicker; from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t do anything on a backline that gave up 4 goals.
• Mike Pezza (Green) – shot right at goal keeper; ran away from mark;  from 1/09/10 (-) received the only yellow card for a rash tackle.  On the ball, he didn’t seem to have any idea what he wanted to do.
• Amobi Okugo (Green) -Better; yellow card on a savvy trip on Yates; he needs to improve his passing; from 1/09/10 (-); needs to connect better; needs to stop attacks.  His play was eclipsed by Stahl.  Then, again Okugo had to stop Bone, Gavin and Stevens as compared to Noone, Joseph and Seamon.
• Two-Boys Gumede (Green) – very good ball control (no matter how bad the pass), quick and very spindly; very good crosser of the ball;  from 1/09/10 (no opinion) played more AM than Fwd.
• Sean Johnson (White/Green) – couple of good stops; reluctant to come off the line on corner kicks that in his 6 yard box; I have confidence that I don’t want him on my favorite MLS team and I hope that he is on my rival’s team; from 1/09/10 (-); if he wasn’t already a GA, he’d be on the bench list.  He didn’t play like a GA.  Having 3 goals in a half, isn’t what some MLS team was thinking about.
• Irving Garcia (White) – After getting injured (by Stahl) in the first half, he was not as effective when he returned in the second half; from 1/09/10 (+); has a special touch.  He’s quick.  I want more – though he needs to let the game come to him.  His passing is exceptional.
• Kwame Watson-Siriboe (White) – a monster in the back;  from 1/09/10 (+); helped stopped the carnage.  Won his typical high crosses with his leaping ability.
• Pascal Millien (White) – playing up top in the second half – embarrassing multiple defenders (specifically Tangney); needs to release the ball quicker; from 1/09/10 (adequate); tried to do too much.  His dribbling was not consistently precise.  He had issues bringing it all together.  He would make a brilliant step over, but his cross would be horrible.  He would beat a defender then mis-hit his shot.  He would make one move before the second defender would steal the ball.
• John Moore (White) – made several big stops, but can’t cover the top of the goal;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); played ok, but had Yanez blast go over his head.  He may have a leaping problem.
• Andrew Wiedeman (White) – Much better – forcing the goal with a well timed run; from 1/09/10 (-); invisible.  I was surprised that he was out on the field in the first half.
• Ross LaBauex (White) – much better – hitting anyone that comes through the middle – closing on attackers; picked up a yellow (he’s going to do this in MLS, too) from 1/09/10 (-); not closing down attackers.  Tentative.  Earned the PK on an explosive run.  He has in the past and needs to continue to play lock-down defense.
• Tenant McVea (White) -much better – still not MLS quality – but better; stopped a few passes, made a tackle, stood in front of Bunbury; from 1/09/10, Too slow; too tentative on the ball; On the first and third goals, he didn’t shut down the shot.
• Ofori Sarkodie (White) – better, he didn’t lose his man in the box; from 1/09/10 (-); gave up another goal by his mark (2nd goal) which has been a pattern that I’ve observed at IU, as well.  His first touch is very good.
• Nick Cardenas (White) – fought through a pick by Bunbury to clear the ball from a corner kick; nice long passing; from 1/09/10 (-); is a tall defender who is good in the air.  I didn’t like he didn’t step up on Alexander’s goal.
• Kevin Tangney (Green) – after battling back from numerous ACL/MCL injuries, I’m happy to see Tangney at the combine – but it’s clear that he’s done; I’ve had more trouble with speed bumps than he provided to attackers 1v1; He’s good in the air and bad on the ground; from 1/09/10 (-); was too slow to mark quicker attackers 1v1.  He let a high ball go over his head.  Took too long to release a pass and Akpan blocked his pass.  He needs to play faster and more accurately.
• Chris Schuler (Green) – didn’t sufficiently mark Wiedeman on the goal; his touch is lacking causing issues for the defense – dominating in the air; from 1/09/10 (no observation)
• Zac Herold (White) – he is over his head – he can run, but other than that not so much.  He’s this year’s Danny Cruz; from 1/09/10 (-); beaten around the corner by Morrow.  Need to watch his defensive positioning.
• Martin Hedevag (White) – seemed to get hurt after laying an egg in the first half; before that could not mark attackers effectively. from 1/09/10 (+); helped stopped the carnage.  He had some critical tackles to stop attacks.
• Nelson Beccera (White) – didn’t do enough to showcase his skills; has a good cross; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Olukorede Aiyegbusi (Green) – contributes as a liability on defense with limited offensive assistance; from 1/09/10 (horrific); didn’t defend well, didn’t get forward (and when he did – he wasn’t beating anyone).

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• David Walker (White) – didn’t do much; from 1/09/10 (adequate); timed his runs well.
• Ronnie Bouemboue (White) – started at midfield and was tentative in unfamiliar territory; from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t get much service, but earned a free kick (that was squandered).

Who didn’t play/missing?

• Ben Clack (Green) – was scheduled to start, but didn’t – See Ives blog for the explanation.  I assume he wanted to set up Tangney to be a failure at LB. – from 1/09/10 (-); looks lost in the middle.  His passing was abhorrent.  His defending was just a tad better.
• Kris Banghart (Green) is out from injuries and will not play.  Too bad that no one notified Mark Blades.

 

2010 Combine Day 2 (Game 1)

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – After observing a day of rest, the combine begins again today.  It’s cool and dry and not bitterly cold like Saturday.

Condivo Blue remains undefeated winning 2-1 over Predator Red.

The goal scorers for blue were Michael Thomas and Andrew Hoxie.  Mike Seamon scored the only goal for red.

There is no official (or non-official) clock so all times are approximations (when I remembered to look at my Blackberry).

1st half (Predator Red)

F: Jack McInerney (U17), JT Noone (Temple) (30′-Mike Seamon (Villanova))

M: Austin da Luz (WF), Nane Joseph (ODU), Corben Bone (WF), Samuel Appiah (BU) (30′-Mario Fuzzetti (Michigan))

D: Tim Ream (SLU), Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard), Phil Edgington (Louis), Chad Borak (Cal-North)

GK: Jovan Bubonja (UIC)

2nd half (Predator Red)

F: Mike Seamon (Villanova), Andre Akpan (Harvard)

M: Austin da Luz (WF)(55′-Conor Chinn (San Fran), Blair Gavin (Akron), Corben Bone (WF), (Mario Fuzzetti (Michigan) (55′-Michael Stephens (UCLA))

D: Seth Sinovic (Creighton), Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard) (67′-Nane Joseph (ODU)), Phil Edgington (Louis) (67′-Tim Ream (SLU)), Chad Borak (Cal-North) (58′-Samuel Appiah (BU))

GK: Jovan Bubonja (UIC)

1st half (Condivo Blue)

F: Andrew Hoxie (W&M), Isaac Kissi (Dayton)

M: Othaniel Yanez (Louis), AM-Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown), Tony Tchani (UVA), Freddie Braun (Louis)

D: Ryan Peterman (SD), Julien Edwards (Drake), Tyler Barry (Cal), Zach Loyd (UNC)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

2nd half (Condivo Blue)

F: Bright Dike (ND), Isaac Kissi (Dayton) (71′-Andrew Hoxie (W&M))

M: Eric Alexander (IU), Tony Tchani (UVA) (71′-Freddie Braun (Louis)), Michael Thomas (ND), Steffen Vroom (Depaul)

D: Justin Morrow (ND), Ike Opara (WF), Tyler Barry (Cal), Steven Kinney (Elon)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game comments and assessment classification.

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Corben Bone (Red) – Consistent passing finally had a bad pass late in the first half.  He reads the game quickly and his first touch is with purpose.  He had a poor free kick; from 1/09/10 (+); was all over the field.  Stealing a pass; making a run; carving a pass.  He needs to clean up his corner kicks.
• Mike Seamon (Red) – Scored the lone goal.  He received a pass behind Kinney and clipped the ball over Haggerty. He is good on the ball; from 1/09/10 (+); had a beautiful nice high pass that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  He picked up a poorly cleared free kick that Seamon hit from the top of box with a low, hard shot.
• Blair Gavin (Red) – key to maintaining possession for long periods of time. Smart move – moved off Morrow to steal weak header; nifty 1 touch to air dribble an opponent – if you don’t like Gavin, you really need to find another sport (GOLDEN); from 1/09/10 (adequate); was typically sitting back clogging the passing lanes.  Need to watch closely.
• Chad Borak (Red) – best move of the day getting Peterman to ground, before serving in a cross that wasn’t converted; stopped a cross after Hoxie beat Nyamekye; Had a good run, started give-n-go, his shot was blocked – but good chance; Needs to be cognizant keeping attackers onside;  from 1/09/10 (-); technical skills were lacking and I didn’t care for his first touch.Andrew Hoxie (Blue) – from 1/09/10 (+); continued to show his comfort on the ball.  His opening goal was nicely placed into the side netting.  Foot speed is a concern.
• Brian Perk (Blue) – continues to be highlight for goal keepers.  Hit a wind-assisted 75 yard set piece kick.  Has only conceded a PK in 1.5 games; from 1/09/10 (+); Solid keeper – best today.  Making good decisions.
• Tony Tchani (Blue) – class of the team; his ability in the air and controlling his space.  He’s playing better than he has in 2009 – this is how he played in 2008 – he’s not done improving; I like his diligence in playing defense; from 1/09/10 (+); typical, precise passing.
• Justin Morrow (Blue) – smaller than I remember, but he’s hitting anyone that gets near him; able to get around the corner after connecting with Kissi; Earned an assist after determining to get to the ball before Appiah and making a nice pass to Hoxie;  from 1/09/10 (+); blazing up-and-down the left side as both the left back (1H) and left mid (2H).  He was able to get around the right back (Zac Herold) in the 2H.  Morrow’s low shot was deflected wide to the right side.  He played with desire that wasn’t matched by other players.
• Ike Opara (Blue) – playing only the second half – showed his athleticism; he’s not precise when running at full steam and the ball is going out;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); clearly demonstrated his huge ups!
• Eric Alexander (Blue) – If he plays like he has the past 2 games – he’s going to be a successful pro;  He’s quicker than I initially thought; He tackles hard – his set pieces are money;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); scored a goal on a play that reminds me of a goal that I saw him score at IU.  Outside of the box, 1 balancing touch and unleashing a shot into the lower corner.
• Andrew Hoxie (Blue) – scored another goal into the near post; he got behind Ream and Nyamekye on a well timed run; I still question his foot speed;  I will give the kid credit that he’s maximizing his talent;  from 1/9/10 (+); continued to show his comfort on the ball.  His opening goal was nicely placed into the side netting.  Foot speed is a concern
• Michael Thomas (Blue) – need from 1/9/10

Who was adequate?

• Kwaku Nyamekye (Red) – good in the air, but I don’t care for his touch.  The ball stays too far under him requiring a second touch to get the ball where he needs it (the basics); from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a big stop on Warner.  He had a wild foot up to stop a cross. Need to see some more of him.
• Jovan Bubonja (Red) – Made a couple stops.  Would have preferred to see him dive for Thomas FK goal. Does Bubonja always catch high balls at his chest?  If so – it’s an exposure. from 1/09/10 (adequate); didn’t have much action, but positioned himself well on the shots.  I think he had the far post covered, but if the shots were on target – I’d know for sure.
• Michael Stephens (Red) – will play both sides of the ball, good passer; most damning part of his game is that he is too easy to push off the ball.  fair or not – that’s life; from 1/09/10 (+); had a good first half, topped off with a good fake that had Aiyegbusi to ground.  Combined with the other midfielders and forwards.
• Conor Chinn (Red) – didn’t get much action, but blocked a goal keeper clearance from desire; had the assist on the lone goal with a flick to the endline that Seamon gathered; from 1/09/10 (+); forced a near-catastrophe on a poor back pass blocking Haggerty’s clearance.  He took a long shot that beat Haggerty but was too high.  Showed a lot of class.
• Andre Akpan (Red) – Nice touch and extreme comfort with pressure.  Not able to beat a defender 1v1; from 1/09/10 (adequate); aggressively pressed the attack early (during the formation identification.  His touch and passing kept the opponent on their heels.
• Austin da Luz (Red) – couple of early driven crosses that didn’t connect; willing to play defense.  Used his favored left foot on trap that really required a right foot trap leading to a turnover; from 1/09/10 (adequate); was combining with Bone on the far side.  He took a horrible right-foot shot (he’s a natural lefty).
• Samuel Appiah (Red) – responsible for Morrow had so much time to provide the winning assist – Appiah is not a defender, nor do I think he’ll grow into it;  Was able to get around the corner early;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); is smaller than I expected, but he is much faster than I saw on tape.  He has a much better chance as a wide midfielder than a DM.  Blew by Tangney like he was standing still, then crossed the ball to McInerney who should have finished but was stymied by Haggerty.
• Seth Sinovic (Red) – better; stepped up to steal an weak pass from Edwards; Was not threatened with a fast RM; from 1/09/10 (-); was burnt by Teal Bunbury’s speed.  He misjudged a bounce and the ball went over his head. Smaller than I remembered. *cough* I’d rather have Blades *cough*
• Phil Edginton (Red) – Stuck his collegiate teammate (Yanez) with a powerful tackle near the sideline (good to see that movement); he’s best covering the passing lanes – less capable covering 1v1; from 1/09/10 (-); big hit on Schilawski (foul) giving up the best chance for Jabulani in the first half.
• Zach Loyd (Blue) – others seem much higher on him than I – but I remember his proficiency in 2008 (when I was confounded by the spelling of Loyd (and Zach)); Liked his hooking corner kick and his shutdown defense; from 1/09/10 (adequate); had a brilliant free kick (assist) on the second goal.  I think he got the ball to Hoxie on the first goal for two assists.  He beat Sarkodie with a nifty first touch over Sarkodie.  Neither Sarkodie or McVea closed on Loyd allowing him to deliver the cross.  Loyd’s first touch was rough at times.  He looked winded in the first half.  Loyd was trying to do too much.
• Othaniel Yanez (Blue) – migrates to the middle often (he’s been there for 4 years);  has desire/fight and periods of soccer acumen – iffy at best from a MLS prospect; from 1/09/10 (adequate); hit the goal of the combine with a 35 yard blast (again because white didn’t close).  Needs to show more than this single goal.
• Steven Kinney (Blue) – he didn’t do well in the team defense on the lone goal, but he seems to be able to get his head on corner kicks and set pieces. Need to watch his defense more closely; from 1/09/10 (adequate); scored a nice diving header for the second goal.  No other comments.  Need to watch him more closely – with more attacks at him.
• Julien Edwards (Blue) – weak pass back to gk, has ups but doesn’t clear high and far enough;  balance – I like him better as an outside back;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); to me he looked like Rodney Wallace. Very active.  He had a nice tackle though not too much traffic came his direction.
• Ryan Peterman (Blue) – Combining with Yanez and made a good run to get into the box (not rewarded); Set pieces need to improve.  Need to watch his defense;  from 1/09/10 (-); fouled LaBauex that led to the PK.  Need to watch him more closely.
• Brooks Haggerty (Green/Blue) – Not his best showing – marginal prospects; from 1/09/10 (adequate); made several big stops – but needs to organize his defense better.

Who needs to improve?

• Tim Ream (Red) – Utter Crap! This was the worst game that I’ve seen him play since Duke in 2007 – where he stuck up the joint.  He’s much better than he showed today.  His passing was abysmal (normally a strength of his).  This may make him a value pick for the teams that haven’t done their homework.  from 1/09/10 (adequate); satisfactory on defense.  His cracker of free kick from 35 yards was just high.  His block on a Pezza cross was important.
• Jack McInerney (Red) - Not able to connect with his teammates.  He ended a quick combination with a bad pass Appiah; Needs to combine, create his own shot and hit a blazer; from 1/09/10 (adequate); received a beautiful nice high pass from Seamon that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  I liked how when Schuler toe-poked the ball away from him, that he ran across the field hawking the ball.  I was surprised that McInerney was so small (5′8″) – he looks so much bigger against U17 players.  He needs to finish the Appiah cross.
• Mauro Fuzzeti (Red) – He’s best when not noticeable – his best postion may be somewhere in the stands. When he took a bad touch, Edginton punished him with a crunching tackle.  Too many hopeful balls.  from 1/09/10 (no opinion);
• Bright Dike (Blue) – So inconsequential, that MLS press office left him off the official roster.  His shooting is horrible.  He has a big body – but not much else;  from 1/09/10 (-); needed to take on the slower defenders and show that he could create his own shot.  He did track down an errant ball (with LaBauex just watching him), but wasn’t able to put the shot on target.
• Isaac Kissi (Blue) – aimless first touch; he is better the further that he gets from goal – best when he is playing Xbox 360 at home; from 1/09/10 (-); took a horrible free kick and added a breakout with an equally poor shot.
• Nick Elenz-Martin (Blue) – didn’t do much memorable – best thing he did was hide; couple of bad passes and touches; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Nane Joseph (Red) – inconsistently moderating from dreadful to embarrassing; Panics with the ball, doesn’t defend well enough; I have no confidence with him on the ball; btwn him and Fuzetti responsible for the free kick leading to the first goal; from 1/09/10 (-); needs to get his head up.
• Tyler Barry (Blue) – changing his number can’t hide his tentative defense – seeing less of him would be a refreshing change; his best play was holding onto Chinn;  from 1/09/10 (adequate); only played in the second half, long cross almost squirted into the goal.  Savvy back pass to GK to get out of trouble.  Need to watch more closely.
• Freddy Braun (Blue) – Holy crap.  This kid laid an egg right in front of most of the MLS coaches.  His touch was horrible and his passing was worse; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• Steffen Vroom (Blue) – continues to be elusive – not doing much; from 1/09/10 (no opinion);
• J.T. Noone (Red) – didn’t do much in limited time up today; from 1/09/10 (adequate); served a good free kick that Seamon was able to get a good shot.  He was pressing forward, but in the unfamiliar AM.  He’ll do better in his more familiar RM.

Who didn’t play/missing?

 

2010 Combine Day 1 (Game 2) – *UPDATED*

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – On a brutally cold rainy evening, the opening day of the 2010 combine play continues.  Oddly, the start of the second game began directly after the first game concluded.  Normally, there’s a small break for warm-ups.  So, it was again hectic trying to get the formations.

The game ended in a scoreless draw – which is a typical result on the first day of the combine after  a 5 goal explosion in the first game.

Predator (Red) was much better in the first half, but Jabulani (Green) was better in the second (perhaps almost being even).

1st half (Jabulani Green)

F: Teal Bunbury (Akron), Zack Schilawski (WF)

M: Dilly Duka (Rutgers), Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA), Amobi Okugo (UCLA), David Estrada (UCLA)

D: Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State), Ben Clack (SJU), Kevin Tangney (MD), Adam Welch (Lehigh)

GK: Brooks Haggerty (UNC)

2nd half (Jabulani Green)

F: Jason Yeisley (PSU), David Estrada (UCLA)

M: Collen Warner (Portland), Two-Boys Gumede (UAB), Toni Stahl (UConn), Mike Pezza (UConn)

D: Olukorede Aiyegbusi (NC State), Chris Schuler (Creighton), Kevin Tangney (MD), Adam Welch (Lehigh)

GK: Brooks Haggerty (UNC)

1st half (Predator Red)

F: Andre Akpan (Harvard), Conor Chinn (San Fran)

M: Austin da Luz (WF), Blair Gavin (Akron), Corben Bone (WF), Michael Stephens (UCLA)

D: Seth Sinovic (Creighton), Tim Ream (SLU), Phil Edgington (Louis), Chad Borak (Cal-North)

GK: Jovan Bubonja (UIC)

2nd half (Predator Red)

F: Jack McInerney (U17), Mario Fuzzetti (Michican)

M: Mike Seamon (Villanova), JT Noone (Temple), Nane Joseph (ODU), Samuel Appiah (BU)

D: Seth Sinovic (Creighton), Tim Ream (SLU), Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard), Chad Borak (Cal-North)

GK: Jovan Bubonja (UIC)

ASSESSMENT

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Corben Bone (Red) – was all over the field.  Stealing a pass; making a run; carving a pass.  He needs to clean up his corner kicks.
• Michael Stevens (Red) – had a good first half, topped off with a good fake that had Aiyegbusi to ground.  Combined with the other midfielders and forwards.
• Conor Chinn (Red) – forced a near-catastrophe on a poor back pass blocking Haggerty’s clearance.  He took a long shot that beat Haggerty but was too high.  Showed a lot of class.
• Mike Seamon (Red) – had a beautiful nice high pass that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  He picked up a poorly cleared free kick that Seamon hit from the top of box with a low, hard shot.
• Teal Bunbury (Green) – ran past Sinovic in the first half, but his shot was just wide.  His speed is going to cause problems.
• Collen Warner (Green) – was a threat in the 2nd half providing good service to Yeisley. He looks quick and dangerous.  I want to see him at the RM where his precise crosses will be evident (where is Screech when you need him (Portland team mate).

Who was adequate?

• Jovan Bubonja (Red) – didn’t have much action, but positioned himself well on the shots.  I think he had the far post covered, but if the shots were on target – I’d know for sure.
• Tim Ream (Red) – satisfactory on defense.  His cracker of free kick from 35 yards was just high.  His block on a Pezza cross was important.
• Andre Akpan (Red) – aggressively pressed the attack early (during the formation identification.  His touch and passing kept the opponent on their heels.
• Blair Gavin (Red) – was typically sitting back clogging the passing lanes.  Need to watch closely.
• Austin da Luz (Red) – was combining with Bone on the far side.  He took a horrible right-foot shot (he’s a natural lefty).
• Kwaku Nyamekye (Red) – had a big stop on Warner.  He had a wild foot up to stop a cross. Need to see some more of him.
• J.T. Noone (Red) – served a good free kick that Seamon was able to get a good shot.  He was pressing forward, but in the unfamiliar AM.  He’ll do better in his more familiar RM.
• Jack McInerney (Red) -received a beautiful nice high pass from Seamon that McInerney volleyed for a goal that was disallowed (off-side).  I liked how when Schuler toe-poked the ball away from him, that he ran across the field hawking the ball.  I was surprised that McInerney was so small (5′8″) – he looks so much bigger against U17 players.  He needs to finish the Appiah cross.
• Samuel Appiah (Red) – is smaller than I expected, but he is much faster than I saw on tape.  He has a much better chance as a wide midfielder than a DM.  Blew by Tangney like he was standing still, then crossed the ball to McInerney who should have finished but was stymied by Haggerty.
• Toni Stahl (Green) – settled the defense when he entered the game in the second half.  Did what he does best, beat a player then get the ball to a team mate.
• Jason Yeisley (Green) – received a good ball from Warner before shooting wide.
• Adam Welch (Green) – seemed composed on the ball, tall – didn’t seem phased by the craziness in the rest of the back.
• David Estrada (Green) – started slow, but by the end of the second half, was making quick dribbling runs and crossed to Warner in the box.  He could break out with a multiple goal game here.
• Zack Schilawski (Green) – when given the ball is able to keep possession and continuing to attack.  He seemed shaken up by foul on Edginton.
• Brooks Haggerty (Green) – made several big stops – but needs to organize his defense better.

Who needs to improve?

• Seth Sinovic (Red) – was burnt by Teal Bunbury’s speed.  He misjudged a bounce and the ball went over his head. Smaller than I remembered. *cough* I’d rather have Blades *cough*
• Phil Edginton (Red) – big hit on Schilawski (foul) giving up the best chance for Jabulani in the first half.
• Chad Borak (Red) – technical skills were lacking and I didn’t care for his first touch.
• Nane Joseph (Red) – needs to get his head up.
• Kyle Nakazawa (Green) – precise touch illusive.  On the best set piece, he deferred to Duka (mistake).
• Dilly Duka (Green) – trying to do too much.  His passing was off.  His free kick in the first half was simply abysmal. He had a bad cross.  He lost the battle between him and Stevens.  I’ll grant that he had aggressive runs.
• Ben Clack (Green) – looks lost in the middle.  His passing was abhorrent.  His defending was just a tad better.
• Kevin Tangney (Green) – was too slow to mark quicker attackers 1v1.  He let a high ball go over his head.  Took too long to release a pass and Akpan blocked his pass.  He needs to play faster and more accurately.
• Amobi Okugo (Green) – needs to connect better; needs to stop attacks.  His play was eclipsed by Stahl.  Then, again Okugo had to stop Bone, Gavin and Stevens as compared to Noone, Joseph and Seamon.

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Olukorede Aiyegbusi (Green) – didn’t defend well, didn’t get forward (and when he did – he wasn’t beating anyone).
• Mike Pezza (Green) – received the only yellow card for a rash tackle.  On the ball, he didn’t seem to have any idea what he wanted to do.

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• Mauro Fuzzeti (Red)
• Two-Boys Gumede (Green) – played more AM than Fwd.
• Chris Schuler (Green)

Who didn’t play/missing?

• 
  

 

2010 Combine Day 1 (Game 1) – *UPDATED*

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Condivo embarrassed F50i winning 4-1 with 3 first half goals.  Today is the first day for the end of some of these players careers.

The goals were scored by 5 different players (Hoxie, Kinney, Alexander, Yanez and Yates).

1st half (Condivo Blue)

F: Andrew Hoxie (W&M), Bright Dike (ND)

M: Zach Loyd (UNC), Tony Tchani (UVA), Eric Alexander (IU), Steffen Vroom (Depaul)

D: Justin Morrow (ND), Ike Opara (WF), Steven Kinney (Elon), Julien Edwards (Drake)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

2nd half (Condivo Blue)

F: Isaac Kissi (Dayton)

W/D F: Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown)

M: Zach Loyd (UNC) (Justin Morrow (ND)), Othaniel Yanez (Louis), Michael Thomas (ND), Freddie Braun (Louis)

D: Ryan Peterman (SD), Ike Opara (WF), Steven Kinney (Elon), Tyler Barry (Cal)

GK: Brian Perk (UCLA)

1st half (F50i White)

F: Andrew Wiedeman (Cal), Ronnie Bouemboue (NC State)

M: Nelson Beccera (SJU), Drew Yates (SJU), Ross LaBauex (UVA), Pascal Millien (Tampa)

D: Justin Davis (NM), Tennant McVea (Loyola-MD), Nick Cardenas (SD State), Ofori Sarkodie (IU)

GK: Sean Johnson (UCF)

2nd half (F50i White)

F: Irving Garcia (UCI), David Walker (UCSB)

M: Nelson Beccera (SJU) (Pascal Millien (Tampa)), Drew Yates (MD), Conor O’Brien (Bucknell), Ross LaBauex (UVA)

D: Justin Davis (NM) (Ofori Sarkodie (IU)), Kwame Watson-Siriboe (UConn), Martin Hedvag (UCSB), Zac Herold (U17)

GK: John Moore (Stanford)

ASSESSMENT

A terrific or horrific first day isn’t going to make or break a player.  At the beginning of the game, I had the wrong starters (I had game 2 starters).  So I took a page out of Buzz’s first day strategy of assessing without names to numbers. I didn’t know the players – except for the ones that I could identify visually.

Who had a good game (or played better than I expected)?

• Andrew Hoxie (Blue) – continued to show his comfort on the ball.  His opening goal was nicely placed into the side netting.  Foot speed is a concern.
• Brian Perk (Blue) – Solid keeper – best today.  Making good decisions.
• Tony Tchani (Blue) – typical, precise passing.
• Justin Morrow (Blue) – blazing up-and-down the left side as both the left back (1H) and left mid (2H).  He was able to get around the right back (Zac Herold) in the 2H.  Morrow’s low shot was deflected wide to the right side.  He played with desire that wasn’t matched by other players.
• Irving Garcia (White) has a special touch.  He’s quick.  I want more – though he needs to let the game come to him.  His passing is exceptional.
• Martin Hedevag (White) helped stopped the carnage.  He had some critical tackles to stop attacks.
• Kwame Watson-Siriboe (White) helped stopped the carnage.  Won his typical high crosses with his leaping ability.

Who was adequate?

• Zach Loyd (Blue) – had a brilliant free kick (assist) on the second goal.  I think he got the ball to Hoxie on the first goal for two assists.  He beat Sarkodie with a nifty first touch over Sarkodie.  Neither Sarkodie or McVea closed on Loyd allowing him to deliver the cross.  Loyd’s first touch was rough at times.  He looked winded in the first half.  Loyd was trying to do too much.
• Tyler Barry (Blue) – only played in the second half, long cross almost squirted into the goal.  Savvy back pass to GK to get out of trouble.  Need to watch more closely.
• Othaniel Yanez (Blue) – hit the goal of the combine with a 35 yard blast (again because white didn’t close).  Needs to show more than this single goal.
• Steven Kinney (Blue) – scored a nice diving header for the second goal.  No other comments.  Need to watch him more closely – with more attacks at him.
• Julien Edwards (Blue) – to me he looked like Rodney Wallace. Very active.  He had a nice tackle though not too much traffic came his direction.
• Ike Opara (Blue) – clearly demonstrated his huge ups!
• Eric Alexander (Blue) – scored a goal on a play that reminds me of a goal that I saw him score at IU.  Outside of the box, 1 balancing touch and unleashing a shot into the lower corner.
• Justin Davis (White) – didn’t do anything on a backline that gave up 4 goals.
• Ronnie Bouemboue (White) – didn’t get much service, but earned a free kick (that was squandered).
• Drew Yates (White) – finished the penalty kick, continues to fall too easily – sometimes picking up the foul, but other times being waved off – this led to the 4th goal.  Yates is not a MLS AM.
• Pascal Millien (White) – tried to do too much.  His dribbling was not consistently precise.  He had issues bringing it all together.  He would make a brilliant step over, but his cross would be horrible.  He would beat a defender then mis-hit his shot.  He would make one move before the second defender would steal the ball.
• Conor O’Brien (White) – had a nice first touch playing the less familiar DM.
• David Walker (White) – timed his runs well.
• John Moore (White) – played ok, but had Yanez blast go over his head.  He may have a leaping problem.

Who needs to improve?

• Bright Dike (Blue) – needed to take on the slower defenders and show that he could create his own shot.  He did track down an errant ball (with LaBauex just watching him), but wasn’t able to put the shot on target.
• Ryan Peterman (Blue) – fouled LaBauex that led to the PK.  Need to watch him more closely.
• Isaac Kissi (Blue) – took a horrible free kick and added a breakout with an equally poor shot.
• Andrew Wiedeman (White) – invisible.  I was surprised that he was out on the field in the first half.
• Ross LaBauex (White) – not closing down attackers.  Tentative.  Earned the PK on an explosive run.  He has in the past and needs to continue to play lock-down defense.
• Sean Johnson (White) – if he wasn’t already a GA, he’d be on the bench list.  He didn’t play like a GA.  Having 3 goals in a half, isn’t what some MLS team was thinking about.
• Ofori Sarkodie (White) – gave up another goal by his mark (2nd goal) which has been a pattern that I’ve observed at IU, as well.  His first touch is very good.
• Nick Cardenas (White) – is a tall defender who is good in the air.  I didn’t like he didn’t step up on Alexander’s goal.
• Zac Herold (White) – beaten around the corner by Morrow.  Need to watch his defensive positioning.

Who should consider a couple of days on the beach before starting a regular job?

• Tenant McVea (White) – Too slow; too tentative on the ball; On the first and third goals, he didn’t shut down the shot.

Who do I need to continue to observe/didn’t do enough today?

• Tyler Barry (Blue)
• Steffen Vroom (Blue)
• Nick Elenz-Martin (Blue)
• Freddy Braun (Blue)
• Nelson Beccera (White)

Who didn’t play/missing?

• Danny Mwanga (White) is not going to be attending the combine “for professional reasons.”  I assert that this is because he’s been told that Philly is going to take him #1 and that there was nothing for him to prove.

 

2010 MLS Consolidated Draft Rankings

I’ve consolidated, ruminated, re-investigated and updated all of my 2010 MLS draft rankings.

Updates: included Julian Robles, Frank Costigliola and all signed GA (Gil not yet) to the list/rankings.

Updates on rankings from re-watching tape for the following games:

Tapes from 2009:

• PDL Final: Chicago Fire vs Ventura County Fusion
• UIC @ Louisville
• Boston College @ Boston University
• Notre Dame @ Louisville
• Michigan St @ Wisconsin
• Boston University @ Binghamton
• Indiana @ Northwestern
• U17 WC – US vs Spain
• U17 WC – US vs Malawi
• U17 WC – US vs UAE
• Northwestern @ Michigan
• Wisconsin @ Penn State
• Michigan @ Ohio State
• Syracuse @ Rutgers
• Columbia @ Princeton

Tapes from 2008:

• Kentucky @ UCSB
• Cal-State Northridge @ Creighton
• Kentucky @ SMU

Tapes from 2007:

• Notre Dame @ Rutgers
• UC Irvine @ UCSB

Here are the links to the pre-combine rankings.

Click here for Overall

Positional rankings:

Click here for Goal Keepers

Click here for Defenders

Click here for Midfielders

Click here for Forwards

Click here for the Alphabetical Player List.

 

2010 MLS Draft: Overall Rankings – Final

[UPDATED: 1/4/2010]
[UPDATED: 1/14/2010]

After watching 82 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 116 on tape, composed of 102 different college teams, here is my assessment of the seniors and MLS signed Generation Adidas underclassman. My rankings take into account the values of GA, international status and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Cal, Denver, Portland, Tulsa and Houston Baptist live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on tape (e.g., Evansville, Bradley, SMU, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

UC-Irvine and San Diego are two teams that I regret not being able to see.

The letter grade is the same from the position grade.

A=Can’t miss prospect. Should easily make the roster and may get time with the first team in 2010. By the end of the year, could be an impact player.

B=Likely to make the team. Could make roster, may take a year or more to get to the first team.

C=Probably not going to make the team. Has significant barriers to overcome. A very select few may eventually make it, but it would need to be a perfect storm (multiple injuries, playing out of their heads, fortuitous bounces, etc.).

D=Extremely unlikely to make a team.

F=No shot.

Within each grade, I’ve ranked each player.

This is a work-in-progress. I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine and I as review tape.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for over-all. Enjoy!

Seq	Grade	See in 09?	Pos	Name	College	Combine?
1	A	Yes	M	Corben Bone	Wake Forest	GA-Combine
2	A-	Yes	D	Ike Opara	Wake Forest	GA-Combine
3	A-	Yes	M	Tony Tchani	UVA	GA-Combine
4	B+	No	F	Danny Mwanga	Oregon State	GA-Combine
5	B+	Yes	M	Blair Gavin	Akron	GA-Combine
6	B+	Yes	F	Teal Bunbury	Akron	GA-Combine
7	B+	Yes	D	Justin Morrow	Notre Dame	Combine
8	B+	No	F	Irving Garcia	UC Irvine	Combine
9	B+	TV	F	Jack McInerney	U17	GA-Combine
10	B+	Yes	F	Zack Schilawski	Wake Forest	Combine
11	B+	Yes	D	Zachary Loyd	UNC	Signed-Combine
12	B+	Yes	D	Kwame Watson-Siriboe	Connecticut	Combine
13	B+	Yes	M	Collen Warner	Portland	Combine
14	B+	Yes	M	Michael Thomas	Notre Dame	Combine
15	B+	TV	M	Dilly Duka	Rutgers	GA-Combine
16	B	Yes	M	Toni Stahl	Connecticut	Signed-Combine
17	B	TV	D	Mark Blades	Northwestern
18	B	Yes	M	Michael Seamon	Villanova	Combine
19	B	Yes	F	Andrew Wiedeman	California	GA-Combine
20	B	Yes	M	Michael Stephens	UCLA	Combine
21	B	TV	GK	Jovan Bubonja	UIC	Combine
22	B	TV	F	Andre Akpan	Harvard	Signed-Combine
23	B	Yes	GK	Brian Perk	UCLA	Signed-Combine
24	B-	Yes	M	Conor O’Brien	Bucknell	Combine
25	B-	Yes	F	David Walker	UCSB	Combine
27	B-	Yes	M	Jon Ports	YCP
26	B-	Yes	M	Neil Barlow	UVA
28	B-	TV	F	Chris Cutshaw	Bradley
29	B-	Yes	M	Amobi Okugo	UCLA	GA-Combine
30	B-	Yes	D	Tim Ream	SLU	Combine
31	B-	TV	D	Doug Verhoff	Ohio State
32	B-	Yes	F	Jeff Cosgriff	California
33	B-	No	F	Andrew Hoxie	William & Mary	Combine
34	B-	No	M	Ryan Soroka	No School
35	B-	No	F	Bryan Perez	UMKC
36	C+	Yes	M	Austin da Luz	Wake Forest	Signed-Combine
37	C+	No	D	Chad Borak	Cal Northridge	Combine
38	C+	Yes	M	Ross LaBauex	UVA	Combine
39	C+	Yes	M	Eric Alexander	Indiana	Combine
40	C+	TV	D	Chris Schuler	Creighton	Combine
41	C+	Yes	M	Nelson Becerra	St. John’s	Combine
42	C+	No	M	Two-Boys Gumede	UAB	Combine
43	C+	Yes	D	Joel Gustafsson	St. John’s
44	C+	No	D	Kwaku Nyamekye	Harvard	Combine
45	C+	No	D	Ryan Peterman	San Diego	Combine
46	C+	Yes	M	Kyle Nakazawa	UCLA	Combine
47	C+	No	D	Seth Sinovic	Creighton	Combine
48	C+	TV	D	Zachery Herold	U17	GA-Combine
49	C+	Yes	M	Erfan Imeni	Elon
50	C+	Yes	D	Phil Edginton	Louisville	Combine
51	C+	Yes	M	J.T. Noone	Temple	Combine
52	C+	No	F	Sam Maheu	St Bonny
53	C+	No	D	Simon Ejdemyr	New Mexico
54	C+	Yes	D	Richard Edgar	George Mason
55	C+	Yes	D	Ryan Handbury	Dayton
56	C+	Yes	GK	Dan Williams	Kentucky
57	C+	Yes	M	Francisco Aristeguieta	South Florida
58	C+	No	M	Djamel Bekka	Coastal Carolina
59	C+	No	D	Richard Martinez	Hofstra
60	C+	No	D	Nick Schuermann	Wofford
61	C	Yes	GK	Brooks Haggerty	UNC	Combine
62	C	No	GK	Sean Johnson	UCF	GA-Combine
63	C	No	F	Conor Chinn	San Francisco	Combine
64	C	Yes	F	Jamie Darvill	Loyola-MD
65	C	No	D	Nick Cardenas	San Diego State	Combine
66	C	Yes	D	Barry Rice	Kentucky
67	C	Yes	D	Ofori Sarkodie	Indiana	Combine
68	C	Yes	D	Julien Edwards	Drake	Combine
69	C	No	D	Justin Davis	New Mexico	Combine
70	C	TV	F	Dane Saintus	SMU
71	C	Yes	F	Garrett Webb	Drake
73	C	Yes	D	Martin Hedevag	UCSB	Combine
74	C	Yes	M	David Estrada	UCLA	Combine
75	C	Yes	M	Frank Costigliola	Penn State
76	C	No	M	Jase Griffiths	Kentucky
77	C	Yes	M	Alex Torda	Dayton
78	C	Yes	D	Tyler Ruthven	South Carolina
79	C	TV	F	Andrew Magill	Ohio State
80	C	Yes	M	Pascal Milien	Tampa	Combine
81	C	TV	M	Grant Campbell	Bradley
82	C	Yes	M	Rogers Atugonza	Alabama A&M
83	C	Yes	M	Adam Gross	Charlotte
84	C	TV	M	Samuel Appiah	Boston University	Combine
85	C	Yes	M	Ben Zemanski	Akron
86	C	No	F	Boris Gatzky	Butler
87	C	No	F	Chris Banks	New Hampshire
88	C	No	M	Nick Cukar	SJ State
89	C	No	M	Vince Petrasso	Campbell
90	C	No	M	Ivan Guarin	Hartford
92	C	Yes	M	Adam Himeno	St. John’s
93	C	No	M	Arie Muniz	Appalachian State
94	C	Yes	GK	Sean Kelley	George Mason
95	C	No	GK	Frederick Hall	Quinipiac	Combine
96	C	Yes	GK	John Moore	Stanford	Combine
97	C	Yes	GK	Joe Willis	Denver
98	C	Yes	GK	Evan Newton	Old Dominion
99	C	TV	GK	Misha Rosenthal	Northwestern
100	C-	Yes	F	Ronnie Bouemboue	NC State	Combine
101	C-	TV	F	Mauro Fuzetti	Michigan	Combine
102	C-	Yes	D	Kris Banghart	Denver	Combine
103	C-	No	M	Stephen Nsereko	Winthrop
104	C-	No	F	Matt Skonicki	Winthrop
105	C-	No	F	Stefan Vroom	DePaul	Combine
106	C-	Yes	D	Joshua Bienenfeld	Duke
107	C-	Yes	M	Johnathan Villanueva	UVA
108	C-	Yes	M	Nick Elenz – Martin	Brown	Combine
109	C-	Yes	M	Eric Gehrig	Loyola-Ill
110	C-	TV	D	Travis English	Bradley
111	C-	Yes	D	Chris Christian	Villanova
112	C-	No	F	Carlos Aguilar	UC Irvine
114	C-	No	F	Stefan St. Louis	Oakland
115	C-	Yes	D	Len Coleman	Georgetown
116	C-	No	D	Roger Bothe	William & Mary
117	C-	No	M	Darren Christie	Delaware
118	C-	Yes	M	Gift Maworere	West Virginia
119	C-	Yes	F	Justin Wyatt	Elon
120	C-	TV	F	Jose Parada	Tulsa
121	C-	Yes	D	Steve Kinney	Elon	Combine
122	C-	No	D	Casey Cunningham	Washington
123	C-	Yes	F	Matt Morris	Charleston
124	C-	Yes	M	Drew Yates	Maryland	Combine
125	C-	Yes	D	Eddie Munnelly	Jacksonville
126	C-	TV	D	Zach Tierney	UIC
127	C-	Yes	M	Alan Sanchez	NC State
128	C-	No	F	Tye Perido	Gonzaga
129	C-	Yes	M	Doug Rodkey	Maryland
130	C-	Yes	M	Luke Exley	Charlotte
131	C-	No	M	Michael Luk	Winthrop
132	C-	No	D	David Lozano	UC Riverside
133	C-	Yes	D	David Newton	Clemson
134	C-	Yes	D	Pumi Maqubela	Dartmouth
135	C-	No	M	Johannes Demarzi	Missouri State
136	C-	No	M	Sunghyun Kim	Cal Northridge
137	C-	TV	M	Dustin Dawes	Marshall
138	C	Yes	M	Othaniel Yanez	Louisville	Combine
139	C-	No	M	Jonathan Levi	San Francisco
140	C-	TV	GK	Phillip Nelson	Lafayette
141	C-	Yes	GK	Akira Fitzgerald	Wake Forest
142	C-	Yes	GK	Joseph Bendik	Clemson
143	C-	No	GK	Thomas Hunter	Wofford
144	D+	Yes	M	Mike Pezza	Connecticut	Combine
145	D+	No	F	Slavisa Ubiparipovic	Cleveland St
146	D+	Yes	D	Rob Viviano	SLU
147	D+	Yes	M	Collin Audley	Denver
148	D+	TV	M	Hanson Woodruff	Syracuse
149	D+	No	F	Charles Reiter	Davidson
150	D+	Yes	M	Stefan Runeman	Jacksonville
151	D+	No	D	Taylor Hoss	Washington
152	D+	Yes	F	Michael Ferguson	Loyola-Ill
153	D+	No	D	Nick Barclay	Gonzaga
154	D+	No	D	Matt Sanders	Cal Fullerton
155	D+	Yes	D	Tennant McVea	Loyola-MD	Combine
156	D+	Yes	D	Ben Clack	St. John’s	Combine
157	C-	Yes	F	Jason Yeisley	Penn State	Combine
158	D+	Yes	D	Robert Hodge	Stetson
159	D+	Yes	F	Issac Kissi	Dayton	Combine
160	D+	Yes	M	Kevin Shrout	Drake
161	D+	TV	D	Anthony DiBiase	Niagara
162	D+	No	M	David Znaty	UWGB
163	D+	No	M	Gary Crooks	Rhode Island
164	D+	TV	GK	Jason Stenta	Binghamton
165	D+	No	F	Gerard Hefferon	Gardner-Webb
166	D+	No	F	Matt Bouraee	Cornell
167	D+	No	D	Machel James	Oakland
168	D+	No	F	Giovanni Destasio	Iona
169	D+	No	D	Tim Muravez	Gonzaga
170	D+	Yes	D	Pat Selwood	Bucknell
171	D+	No	GK	Kellen Briones	San Diego
72	D	TV	M	Taylor Waspi	Wisconsin
91	D	Yes	D	Tyler Barry	California	Combine
113	D	Yes	F	Zak Boggs	South Florida
172	D	Yes	F	Zach Prince	Charleston
173	D	Yes	D	Mark Zeman	Georgetown
174	D	Yes	M	Adam Gazda	Lehigh
175	D	Yes	M	Devin Muntz	Princeton
176	D	TV	D	Robert Younger	UIC
177	D	TV	D	Eric Conklin	Wisconsin
178	D	Yes	F	Debola Ogunseye	Furman
179	D	Yes	F	Andy Stadler	GW
180	D	No	M	Fabio Assumpcao	Drexel
181	D	No	M	Kyle Vonden Benken	Butler
182	D	Yes	D	Korede Aiyegbusi	NC State	Combine
183	D	No	M	Ben Funkhouser	Gonzaga
184	D	No	GK	Mitch Hildebrandt	Oakland
185	D	No	F	Alan McGreal	Canisus
186	D	No	M	Semso Nikocevic	Saint Fran (NY)
187	D	Yes	F	Bright Dike	Notre Dame	Combine
188	D	Yes	M	Freddy Braun	Louisville	Combine
189	D	No	F	Alex Weekes	Colgate
190	D	No	M	Chris Ross	Colgate
191	D	TV	F	Tim Ritter	Providence
192	D	No	F	Erkko Puranen	Rhode Island
193	D	Yes	F	Luke Gorczyca	Drake
194	D	Yes	M	Cameron Petty	American
195	D	No	M	Joel Senior	James Madison
196	D	Yes	M	Christian Uy	Fairfield
197	D	TV	F	Scott Lorenz	Wisconsin
198	D	No	D	Sam Reeder	San Diego
199	D	Yes	M	Jeff Scannella	South Carolina
200	D	Yes	F	Griffin Gilstrap	Stetson
201	D	Yes	F	Ben Harms	Princeton
202	D	No	F	Brandon Fleak	Wright State
203	D	No	GK	Nils Binstock	Iona
204	D	No	GK	Scott Rosman	ETSU
205	D	No	D	Jason Coehle	Saint Mary’s
206	D	Yes	D	James Jaramillo	SLU
207	D	Yes	D	Adam Welch	Lehigh	Combine
208	D	Yes	D	Robert Brickley	Connecticut
209	D	No	M	Josh Williams	Cleveland St
210	D	No	D	Oscar Monjaras	SJ State
211	D	No	M	Rob Youhill	Hofstra
212	D	Yes	D	Kevin Tangney	Maryland	Combine
213	D	TV	M	Ian Sarachan	UIC
214	D	No	D	Cedomir Tomcic	Hartford
215	D	No	D	Joe Annese	New Hampshire
216	D	No	D	Anthony Matos	Saint Fran (NY)
217	D	No	M	Fernando Liserra	Iona
218	D	Yes	GK	Paul Musoke	Alabama A&M
219	D	Yes	M	Nane Joseph	Old Dominion	Combine
220	D	No	M	Yousef Samy	Saint Mary’s
221	D	No	M	Paul Marcoux	Cal Davis
222	D	Yes	M	Michael Strickland	Stanford
223	D	Yes	M	Jesse Schram	Lehigh
224	D	Yes	M	Mark Wiltse	South Carolina
225	D	No	F	Andrew Feld	San Diego
226	D	No	D	Kevin Santora	UC Irvine
227	D	TV	D	Kyle Kucharski	Binghamton
228	D	No	D	Mike McTigue	Fordham
229	D	TV	D	Liam Carson	Binghamton
230	D	No	D	Michael Ward	Liberty
231	D	TV	GK	Travis Chulick	Yale
232	D	No	D	Josh Didion	Cal Poly
233	D	No	D	John David Hernandez	UMKC
234	D	No	M	Matt Shaxton	Cal-Bakersfield
235	D	No	M	Carlos Villa	Hartford	Combine
236	D	No	M	Brian Grimm	Harvard
237	D	No	M	Juan Guzman	Liberty
238	D	No	M	James Stapleton	Coastal Carolina
239	D	No	D	Tim Grey	San Diego
240	D	No	D	Matthew Hollyoak	UNF
241	D	No	M	Tyler Rosenhagen	W Michigan
242	D	No	D	Branson Hyatt	Wofford
243	D	No	D	Josh Karsten	Northern Illinois
244	D	No	M	Shay Spitz	Cal Fullerton
245	D	No	GK	Patrick Sampson	LMU
246	D	No	GK	Stephen Paterson	Western Illinois
247	D	No	GK	Rylan Hawkins	Washington
248	D	No	F	Mark DeSantis	Umass
249	D-	Yes	D	Logan Emory	Portland
250	D-	Yes	M	Scott Larrabee	Georgetown
251	D-	No	F	Price Thomas	William & Mary
252	D-	Yes	F	Darren Yeagle	Indiana
253	D-	No	F	Cameron Sims	Cal Northridge
254	D-	TV	M	Eamon O’Neil	Northwestern
255	D-	Yes	D	Daniel Bostock	Monmouth
256	D-	Yes	M	Josh Aranda	SLU
257	D-	Yes	D	Sean Alvarado	UCLA
258	D-	TV	D	Julian Robles	Michigan
259	D-	Yes	D	Cooper Bryant	American
260	D-	No	D	Jonathan Collier	Furman
261	D-	Yes	M	Sean King	Bucknell
262	D-	No	F	Thomas Campbell	UNC Greensboro
263	D-	Yes	F	Evan Morgan	Stanford
264	D-	Yes	D	James Graf	Lehigh
265	D-	TV	M	Jon Rzepka	Wisconsin
266	D-	No	M	Cameron Hepple	Bowling Green
267	D-	No	M	Diego Zamudio	Western Illinois
268	D-	No	M	Kyle Windmueller	Missouri State
269	D-	TV	M	Dylan Riley	Cal Northridge
270	D-	No	D	Steve Beitashour	San Diego State
271	D-	No	D	William Johnson	LMU
272	D-	Yes	D	Karsten Smith	American
273	D-	Yes	D	Alex Trujillo	Duquesnue
274	D-	Yes	D	Mario Burstein	South Carolina
275	D-	No	D	Martin Vickerton	Longwood
276	D-	No	D	Lars Okland	Northeastern
277	D-	No	D	Adam Lang	Washington
278	D-	No	D	Chris Salmon	Colgate
279	D-	Yes	D	Jacob Wilson	California
280	D-	No	GK	Scott Barnum	Gonzaga
281	D-	TV	GK	Craig Hill	SMU
282	F	No	F	Martin Browne	Western Illinois
283	F	No	M	Kevin Rosser	Air Force
284	F	TV	D	Justin Kendro	San Francisco
285	F	No	F	Udi Naim	Saint Peter’s
286	F	No	M	Michael Reed	New Mexico
287	F	Yes	F	Jeff Popella	Dayton
288	F	No	F	PJ Wilson	New Mexico
289	F	No	D	Jamal Wallace	San Diego State
290	F	Yes	D	Calvin Clark	Drake
291	F	TV	D	Rick Alleman	Memphis
292	F	Yes	F	Scott Wisniewski	SLU
293	F	No	M	Evan Toft	San Diego State
294	F	Yes	D	TJ Novak	Stanford
295	F	No	D	Chris Mandell	Liberty
296	F	No	D	Nathan Feltz	DePaul
297	F	No	M	Brian Germain	Longwood
298	F	TV	M	Richy Dorman	Boston University
299	F	Yes	M	Flynn Glover	Richmond
300	F	No	M	Jordan Raybould	Yale
301	F	No	F	Steve Shively	Valparaiso
302	F	No	F	Daniel Ortega	San Diego State
303	F	Yes	F	Erick Perez – Segnini	GW
304	F	No	D	Jamal Neptune	Hofstra
305	F	No	F	Kellen Wantulok	Santa Clara
306	F	Yes	GK	Victor Thomas	Howard
307	F	Yes	D	Randy Dennis	Dayton
308	F	No	D	Toussaint McClure	Providence
309	F	No	D	Tyler Bellamy	St Bonny
310	F	No	F	Kevin Bielicki	SIUE
311	F	No	M	Shane Recklet	Quinipiac
312	F	No	D	Mitch Boyer	Cleveland St
313	F	No	D	Kevin Gluchowski	Adelphi
314	F	No	D	Matt Elliott	UNC Greensboro
315	F	No	M	Gustav Warfving	NJIT
316	F	Yes	M	Andrew Sinderhoff	UCLA
317	F	Yes	M	Thiago Sa Friere	Stanford
318	F	No	D	Javier Gonzalez	Saint Fran (NY)
319	F	No	D	Billy Von Rueden	Marquette
320	F	Yes	D	Collin Geoghegan	Stony Brook
321	F	No	M	Adrian Lopez	Cal Northridge
322	F	Yes	F	Bill Dworsky	UNC
323	F	No	D	Chris Koontz	Colgate
324	F	Yes	M	Bryan Lowder	South Carolina
325	F	Yes	D	Greg Eckhardt	Clemson
326	F	No	D	Tim Jallow	Marquette
327	F	TV	F	Shaun Taylor	Boston University
328	F	No	D	Matt McManus	San Diego State
329	F	TV	GK	Ryan Vint	Wisconsin
330	F	No	GK	Nate Berry	UNC Greensboro

 

2010 MLS Draft: Forward Rankings – Final

[UPDATED: 1/4/2010]
[UPDATED: 1/14/2010]

After watching 82 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 116 on tape, composed of 102 different college teams, here is my assessment of the seniors and MLS signed Generation Adidas underclassman. My rankings take into account the values of GA, international status and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Cal, Denver, Portland, Tulsa and Houston Baptist live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on tape (e.g., Evansville, Bradley, SMU, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

UC-Irvine and San Diego are two teams that I regret not being able to see.

In addition to ranking each player sequentially, I’m assigning a letter grade using the following scale:

A=Can’t miss prospect. Should easily make the roster and may get time with the first team in 2010. By the end of the year, could be an impact player.

B=Likely to make the team. Could make roster, may take a year or more to get to the first team.

C=Probably not going to make the team. Has significant barriers to overcome. A very select few may eventually make it, but it would need to be a perfect storm (multiple injuries, playing out of their heads, fortuitous bounces, etc.).

D=Extremely unlikely to make a team.

F=No shot.

Within each grade, I’ve ranked each player.

This is a work-in-progress. I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine and I as review tape.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for forwards. I’ll follow this with rankings of over-all. Enjoy!

With Cody Arnoux signing across the pond in late Summer, there are no forwards that I’m ready to insert into a MLS starting line-up. However, there are a few good long-term potential forwards.

#	Pos	Grade	See in 09?	Name	College	Combine?
1	F	B+	No	Danny Mwanga	Oregon State	GA-Combine
2	F	B+	Yes	Teal Bunbury	Akron	GA-Combine
3	F	B+	No	Irving Garcia	UC Irvine	Combine
4	F	B+	TV	Jack McInerney	U17	GA-Combine
5	F	B+	Yes	Zack Schilawski	Wake Forest	Combine
6	F	B	Yes	Andrew Wiedeman	California	GA-Combine
7	F	B	TV	Andre Akpan	Harvard	Signed-Combine
8	F	B-	Yes	David Walker	UCSB	Combine
9	F	B-	TV	Chris Cutshaw	Bradley
10	F	B-	Yes	Jeff Cosgriff	California
11	F	B-	No	Andrew Hoxie	William & Mary	Combine
12	F	B-	No	Bryan Perez	UMKC
13	F	C+	No	Sam Maheu	St Bonny
14	F	C	No	Conor Chinn	San Francisco	Combine
15	F	C	Yes	Jamie Darvill	Loyola-MD
16	F	C	TV	Dane Saintus	SMU
17	F	C	Yes	Garrett Webb	Drake
18	F	C	TV	Andrew Magill	Ohio State
19	F	C	No	Boris Gatzky	Butler
20	F	C	No	Chris Banks	New Hampshire
21	F	C-	No	Matt Skonicki	Winthrop
22	F	C-	Yes	Ronnie Bouemboue	NC State	Combine
23	F	C-	No	Stefan Vroom	DePaul	Combine
24	F	C-	No	Carlos Aguilar	UC Irvine
25	F	C-	No	Stefan St. Louis	Oakland
26	F	C-	Yes	Justin Wyatt	Elon
27	F	C-	Yes	Jason Yeisley	Penn State	Combine
28	F	C-	TV	Jose Parada	Tulsa
29	F	C-	Yes	Matt Morris	Charleston
30	F	C-	TV	Mauro Fuzetti	Michigan	Combine
31	F	C-	No	Tye Perido	Gonzaga
32	F	D+	No	Slavisa Ubiparipovic	Cleveland St
33	F	D+	No	Charles Reiter	Davidson
34	F	D+	Yes	Michael Ferguson	Loyola-Ill
35	F	D+	Yes	Issac Kissi	Dayton	Combine
36	F	D+	No	Gerard Hefferon	Gardner-Webb
37	F	D+	No	Matt Bouraee	Cornell
38	F	D+	No	Giovanni Destasio	Iona
39	F	D	Yes	Zak Boggs	South Florida
40	F	D	Yes	Zach Prince	Charleston
41	F	D	Yes	Debola Ogunseye	Furman
42	F	D	Yes	Andy Stadler	GW
43	F	D	No	Alan McGreal	Canisus
44	F	D	Yes	Bright Dike	Notre Dame	Combine
45	F	D	No	Alex Weekes	Colgate
46	F	D	TV	Tim Ritter	Providence
47	F	D	No	Erkko Puranen	Rhode Island
48	F	D	Yes	Luke Gorczyca	Drake
49	F	D	TV	Scott Lorenz	Wisconsin
50	F	D	Yes	Griffin Gilstrap	Stetson
51	F	D	Yes	Ben Harms	Princeton
52	F	D	No	Brandon Fleak	Wright State
53	F	D	No	Andrew Feld	San Diego
54	F	D	No	Mark DeSantis	Umass
55	F	D-	No	Price Thomas	William & Mary
56	F	D-	Yes	Darren Yeagle	Indiana
57	F	D-	No	Cameron Sims	Cal Northridge
58	F	D-	No	Thomas Campbell	UNC Greensboro
59	F	D-	Yes	Evan Morgan	Stanford
60	F	F	No	Martin Browne	Western Illinois
61	F	F	No	Udi Naim	Saint Peter’s
62	F	F	Yes	Jeff Popella	Dayton
63	F	F	No	PJ Wilson	New Mexico
64	F	F	No	Steve Shively	Valparaiso
65	F	F	Yes	Scott Wisniewski	SLU
66	F	F	No	Daniel Ortega	San Diego State
67	F	F	Yes	Erick Perez – Segnini	GW
68	F	F	No	Kellen Wantulok	Santa Clara
69	F	F	No	Kevin Bielicki	SIUE
70	F	F	Yes	Bill Dworsky	UNC
71	F	F	TV	Shaun Taylor	Boston University

 

2010 MLS Draft: Defender Rankings – Final

[Updated 1/4/2010]
[Updated 1/14/2010]

After watching 82 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 118 on tape, composed of 102 different college teams, here is my assessment of the seniors and MLS signed Generation Adidas underclassman. My rankings take into account the values of GA, international status and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Cal, Denver, Portland, Tulsa and Houston Baptist live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on tape (e.g., Evansville, Bradley, SMU, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

UC-Irvine and San Diego are two teams that I regret not being able to see.

In addition to ranking each player sequentially, I’m assigning a letter grade using the following scale:

A=Can’t miss prospect. Should easily make the roster and may get time with the first team in 2010. By the end of the year, could be an impact player.

B=Likely to make the team. Could make roster, may take a year or more to get to the first team.

C=Probably not going to make the team. Has significant barriers to overcome. A very select few may eventually make it, but it would need to be a perfect storm (multiple injuries, playing out of their heads, fortuitous bounces, etc.).

D=Extremely unlikely to make a team.

F=No shot.

Within each grade, I’ve ranked each player.

This is a work-in-progress. I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine and I as review tape.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for defenders. I’ll follow this with rankings of forwards and over-all. Enjoy!

There are a plethora of bad defenders, but there are a few jewels. Too many of the defenders are too slow, even if they have good defensive skills.

#	Pos	Grade	See in 09?	Name	College	Combine?
1	D	A-	Yes	Ike Opara	Wake Forest	GA-Combine
2	D	B+	Yes	Justin Morrow	Notre Dame	Combine
3	D	B+	Yes	Zachary Loyd	UNC	Signed-Combine
4	D	B+	Yes	Kwame Watson-Siriboe	Connecticut	Combine
5	D	B	TV	Mark Blades	Northwestern
6	D	B-	Yes	Tim Ream	SLU	Combine
7	D	B-	TV	Doug Verhoff	Ohio State
8	D	C+	No	Chad Borak	Cal Northridge	Combine
9	D	C+	TV	Chris Schuler	Creighton	Combine
10	D	C+	Yes	Joel Gustafsson	St. John’s
11	D	C+	No	Kwaku Nyamekye	Harvard	Combine
12	D	C+	No	Ryan Peterman	San Diego	Combine
13	D	C+	No	Seth Sinovic	Creighton	Combine
14	D	C+	TV	Zachery Herold	U17	GA-Combine
15	D	C+	Yes	Phil Edginton	Louisville	Combine
16	D	C+	No	Simon Ejdemyr	New Mexico
17	D	C+	Yes	Richard Edgar	George Mason
18	D	C+	Yes	Ryan Handbury	Dayton
19	D	C+	No	Richard Martinez	Hofstra
20	D	C+	No	Nick Schuermann	Wofford
21	D	C	No	Nick Cardenas	San Diego State	Combine
22	D	C	Yes	Barry Rice	Kentucky
23	D	C	Yes	Ofori Sarkodie	Indiana	Combine
24	D	C	Yes	Martin Hedevag	UCSB	Combine
25	D	C	Yes	Julien Edwards	Drake	Combine
26	D	C	No	Justin Davis	New Mexico	Combine
27	D	C	Yes	Tyler Ruthven	South Carolina
28	D	C-	Yes	Joshua Bienenfeld	Duke
29	D	C-	TV	Travis English	Bradley
30	D	C-	Yes	Chris Christian	Villanova
31	D	C-	Yes	Kris Banghart	Denver	Combine
32	D	C-	Yes	Len Coleman	Georgetown
33	D	C-	No	Roger Bothe	William & Mary
34	D	C-	Yes	Steve Kinney	Elon	Combine
35	D	C-	No	Casey Cunningham	Washington
36	D	C-	Yes	Eddie Munnelly	Jacksonville
37	D	C-	TV	Zach Tierney	UIC
38	D	C-	No	David Lozano	UC Riverside
39	D	C-	Yes	David Newton	Clemson
40	D	C-	Yes	Pumi Maqubela	Dartmouth
41	D	D+	Yes	Rob Viviano	SLU
42	D	D+	No	Taylor Hoss	Washington
43	D	D+	No	Nick Barclay	Gonzaga
44	D	D+	No	Matt Sanders	Cal Fullerton
45	D	D+	Yes	Tennant McVea	Loyola-MD	Combine
46	D	D+	Yes	Ben Clack	St. John’s	Combine
47	D	D+	Yes	Robert Hodge	Stetson
48	D	D+	TV	Anthony DiBiase	Niagara
49	D	D+	No	Machel James	Oakland
50	D	D+	No	Tim Muravez	Gonzaga
51	D	D+	Yes	Pat Selwood	Bucknell
52	D	D	Yes	Tyler Barry	California	Combine
53	D	D	Yes	Mark Zeman	Georgetown
54	D	D	TV	Robert Younger	UIC
55	D	D	TV	Eric Conklin	Wisconsin
56	D	D	Yes	Korede Aiyegbusi	NC State	Combine
57	D	D	No	Sam Reeder	San Diego
58	D	D	No	Jason Coehle	Saint Mary’s
59	D	D	Yes	James Jaramillo	SLU
60	D	D	Yes	Adam Welch	Lehigh	Combine
61	D	D	Yes	Robert Brickley	Connecticut
62	D	D	No	Oscar Monjaras	SJ State
63	D	D	Yes	Kevin Tangney	Maryland	Combine
64	D	D	No	Cedomir Tomcic	Hartford
65	D	D	No	Joe Annese	New Hampshire
66	D	D	No	Anthony Matos	Saint Fran (NY)
67	D	D	No	Kevin Santora	UC Irvine
68	D	D	TV	Kyle Kucharski	Binghamton
69	D	D	No	Mike McTigue	Fordham
70	D	D	TV	Liam Carson	Binghamton
71	D	D	No	Michael Ward	Liberty
72	D	D	No	Josh Didion	Cal Poly
73	D	D	No	John David Hernandez	UMKC
74	D	D	No	Tim Grey	San Diego
75	D	D	No	Matthew Hollyoak	UNF
76	D	D	No	Branson Hyatt	Wofford
77	D	D	No	Josh Karsten	Northern Illinois
78	D	D-	Yes	Logan Emory	Portland
79	D	D-	Yes	Daniel Bostock	Monmouth
80	D	D-	Yes	Sean Alvarado	UCLA
81	D	D-	TV	Julian Robles	Michigan
82	D	D-	Yes	Cooper Bryant	American
83	D	D-	No	Jonathan Collier	Furman
84	D	D-	Yes	James Graf	Lehigh
85	D	D-	No	Steve Beitashour	San Diego State
86	D	D-	No	William Johnson	LMU
87	D	D-	Yes	Karsten Smith	American
88	D	D-	Yes	Alex Trujillo	Duquesnue
89	D	D-	Yes	Mario Burstein	South Carolina
90	D	D-	No	Martin Vickerton	Longwood
91	D	D-	No	Lars Okland	Northeastern
92	D	D-	No	Adam Lang	Washington
93	D	D-	No	Chris Salmon	Colgate
94	D	D-	Yes	Jacob Wilson	California
95	D	F	TV	Justin Kendro	San Francisco
96	D	F	No	Jamal Wallace	San Diego State
97	D	F	Yes	Calvin Clark	Drake
98	D	F	TV	Rick Alleman	Memphis
99	D	F	Yes	TJ Novak	Stanford
100	D	F	No	Chris Mandell	Liberty
101	D	F	No	Nathan Feltz	DePaul
102	D	F	No	Jamal Neptune	Hofstra
103	D	F	Yes	Randy Dennis	Dayton
104	D	F	No	Toussaint McClure	Providence
105	D	F	No	Tyler Bellamy	St Bonny
106	D	F	No	Mitch Boyer	Cleveland St
107	D	F	No	Kevin Gluchowski	Adelphi
108	D	F	No	Matt Elliott	UNC Greensboro
109	D	F	No	Javier Gonzalez	Saint Fran (NY)
110	D	F	No	Billy Von Rueden	Marquette
111	D	F	Yes	Collin Geoghegan	Stony Brook
112	D	F	No	Chris Koontz	Colgate
113	D	F	Yes	Greg Eckhardt	Clemson
114	D	F	No	Tim Jallow	Marquette
115	D	F	No	Matt McManus	San Diego State

 

2010 MLS Draft: Midfielder Rankings – Final

[UPDATED: 1/4/2010]
[UPDATED: 1/14/2010]

After watching 82 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 118 on tape, composed of 103 different college teams, here is my assessment of the seniors and MLS signed Generation Adidas underclassman. My rankings take into account the values of GA, international status and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Cal, Denver, Portland, Tulsa and Houston Baptist live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on tape (e.g., Evansville, Bradley, SMU, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

UC-Irvine and San Diego are two teams that I regret not being able to see.

In addition to ranking each player sequentially, I’m assigning a letter grade using the following scale:

A=Can’t miss prospect. Should easily make the roster and may get time with the first team in 2010. By the end of the year, could be an impact player.

B=Likely to make the team. Could make roster, may take a year or more to get to the first team.

C=Probably not going to make the team. Has significant barriers to overcome. A very select few may eventually make it, but it would need to be a perfect storm (multiple injuries, playing out of their heads, fortuitous bounces, etc.).

D=Extremely unlikely to make a team.

F=No shot.

Within each grade, I’ve ranked each player.

This is a work-in-progress. I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine and I as review tape.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for midfielders. I’ll follow this with rankings of defenders, forwards and over-all. Enjoy!

The midfielders have a few potential candidates that could make a mark in MLS. While there are many midfielders, the group is thin on talent.

#	Pos	Grade	See in 09?	Name	College	Combine?
1	M	A	Yes	Corben Bone	Wake Forest	GA-Combine
2	M	A-	Yes	Tony Tchani	UVA	GA-Combine
3	M	B+	Yes	Blair Gavin	Akron	GA-Combine
4	M	B+	Yes	Collen Warner	Portland	Combine
5	M	B+	Yes	Michael Thomas	Notre Dame	Combine
6	M	B+	TV	Dilly Duka	Rutgers	GA-Combine
7	M	B	Yes	Toni Stahl	Connecticut	Signed-Combine
8	M	B	Yes	Michael Seamon	Villanova	Combine
9	M	B	Yes	Michael Stephens	UCLA	Combine
10	M	B-	Yes	Conor O’Brien	Bucknell	Combine
11	M	B-	Yes	Jon Ports	YCP
12	M	B-	Yes	Neil Barlow	UVA
13	M	B-	Yes	Amobi Okugo	UCLA	GA-Combine
14	M	B-	No	Ryan Soroka	No School
15	M	C+	Yes	Austin da Luz	Wake Forest	Signed-Combine
16	M	C+	Yes	Ross LaBauex	UVA	Combine
17	M	C+	Yes	Eric Alexander	Indiana	Combine
18	M	C+	Yes	Nelson Becerra	St. John’s	Combine
19	M	C+	No	Two-Boys Gumede	UAB	Combine
20	M	C+	Yes	Kyle Nakazawa	UCLA	Combine
21	M	C+	Yes	Erfan Imeni	Elon
22	M	C+	Yes	J.T. Noone	Temple	Combine
23	M	C+	Yes	Francisco Aristeguieta	South Florida
24	M	C+	No	Djamel Bekka	Coastal Carolina
25	M	C	Yes	David Estrada	UCLA	Combine
26	M	C	Yes	Frank Costigliola	Penn State
27	M	C	No	Jase Griffiths	Kentucky
28	M	C	Yes	Alex Torda	Dayton
29	M	C	Yes	Pascal Milien	Tampa	Combine
30	M	C	TV	Grant Campbell	Bradley
31	M	C	Yes	Rogers Atugonza	Alabama A&M
32	M	C	Yes	Adam Gross	Charlotte
33	M	C	TV	Samuel Appiah	Boston University	Combine
34	M	C	Yes	Othaniel Yanez	Louisville	Combine
35	M	C	Yes	Ben Zemanski	Akron
36	M	C	No	Nick Cukar	SJ State
37	M	C	No	Vince Petrasso	Campbell
38	M	C	No	Ivan Guarin	Hartford
39	M	C	Yes	Adam Himeno	St. John’s
40	M	C	No	Arie Muniz	Appalachian State
41	M	C-	No	Stephen Nsereko	Winthrop
42	M	C-	Yes	Johnathan Villanueva	UVA
43	M	C-	Yes	Nick Elenz – Martin	Brown	Combine
44	M	C-	Yes	Eric Gehrig	Loyola-Ill
45	M	C-	No	Darren Christie	Delaware
46	M	C-	Yes	Gift Maworere	West Virginia
47	M	C-	Yes	Drew Yates	Maryland	Combine
48	M	C-	Yes	Alan Sanchez	NC State
49	M	C-	Yes	Doug Rodkey	Maryland
50	M	C-	Yes	Luke Exley	Charlotte
51	M	C-	No	Michael Luk	Winthrop
52	M	C-	No	Johannes Demarzi	Missouri State
53	M	C-	No	Sunghyun Kim	Cal Northridge
54	M	C-	TV	Dustin Dawes	Marshall
55	M	C-	No	Jonathan Levi	San Francisco
56	M	D+	Yes	Mike Pezza	Connecticut	Combine
57	M	D+	Yes	Collin Audley	Denver
58	M	D+	TV	Hanson Woodruff	Syracuse
59	M	D+	Yes	Stefan Runeman	Jacksonville
60	M	D+	Yes	Kevin Shrout	Drake
61	M	D+	No	David Znaty	UWGB
62	M	D+	No	Gary Crooks	Rhode Island
63	M	D	TV	Taylor Waspi	Wisconsin
64	M	D	Yes	Adam Gazda	Lehigh
65	M	D	Yes	Devin Muntz	Princeton
66	M	D	No	Fabio Assumpcao	Drexel
67	M	D	No	Kyle Vonden Benken	Butler
68	M	D	No	Ben Funkhouser	Gonzaga
69	M	D	No	Semso Nikocevic	Saint Fran (NY)
70	M	D	Yes	Freddy Braun	Louisville	Combine
71	M	D	No	Chris Ross	Colgate
72	M	D	Yes	Cameron Petty	American
73	M	D	No	Joel Senior	James Madison
74	M	D	Yes	Christian Uy	Fairfield
75	M	D	Yes	Jeff Scannella	South Carolina
76	M	D	No	Josh Williams	Cleveland St
77	M	D	No	Rob Youhill	Hofstra
78	M	D	TV	Ian Sarachan	UIC
79	M	D	No	Fernando Liserra	Iona
80	M	D	Yes	Nane Joseph	Old Dominion	Combine
81	M	D	No	Yousef Samy	Saint Mary’s
82	M	D	No	Paul Marcoux	Cal Davis
83	M	D	Yes	Michael Strickland	Stanford
84	M	D	Yes	Jesse Schram	Lehigh
85	M	D	Yes	Mark Wiltse	South Carolina
86	M	D	No	Matt Shaxton	Cal-Bakersfield
87	M	D	No	Carlos Villa	Hartford	Combine
88	M	D	No	Brian Grimm	Harvard
89	M	D	No	Juan Guzman	Liberty
90	M	D	No	James Stapleton	Coastal Carolina
91	M	D	No	Tyler Rosenhagen	W Michigan
92	M	D	No	Shay Spitz	Cal Fullerton
93	M	D-	Yes	Scott Larrabee	Georgetown
94	M	D-	TV	Eamon O’Neil	Northwestern
95	M	D-	Yes	Josh Aranda	SLU
96	M	D-	Yes	Sean King	Bucknell
97	M	D-	TV	Jon Rzepka	Wisconsin
98	M	D-	No	Cameron Hepple	Bowling Green
99	M	D-	No	Diego Zamudio	Western Illinois
100	M	D-	No	Kyle Windmueller	Missouri State
101	M	D-	TV	Dylan Riley	Cal Northridge
102	M	F	No	Kevin Rosser	Air Force
103	M	F	No	Michael Reed	New Mexico
104	M	F	No	Evan Toft	San Diego State
105	M	F	No	Brian Germain	Longwood
106	M	F	Yes	Flynn Glover	Richmond
107	M	F	TV	Richy Dorman	Boston University
108	M	F	No	Jordan Raybould	Yale
109	M	F	No	Shane Recklet	Quinipiac
110	M	F	No	Gustav Warfving	NJIT
111	M	F	Yes	Andrew Sinderhoff	UCLA
112	M	F	Yes	Thiago Sa Friere	Stanford
113	M	F	No	Adrian Lopez	Cal Northridge
114	M	F	Yes	Bryan Lowder	South Carolina

 

2010 MLS Draft: Goalkeeper Rankings – Final

[UPDATED: 1/4/2010]
[UPDATED: 1/14/2010]

After watching 82 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 116 on tape, composed of 102 different college teams, here is my assessment of the seniors and MLS signed Generation Adidas underclassman. My rankings take into account the values of GA, international status and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Cal, Denver, Portland, Tulsa and Houston Baptist live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on tape (e.g., Evansville, Bradley, SMU, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

UC-Irvine and San Diego are two teams that I regret not being able to see.

In addition to ranking each player sequentially, I’m assigning a letter grade using the following scale:

A=Can’t miss prospect. Should easily make the roster and may get time with the first team in 2010. By the end of the year, could be an impact player.

B=Likely to make the team. Could make roster, may take a year or more to get to the first team.

C=Probably not going to make the team. Has significant barriers to overcome. A very select few may eventually make it, but it would need to be a perfect storm (multiple injuries, playing out of their heads, fortuitous bounces, etc.).

D=Extremely unlikely to make a team.

F=No shot.

Within each grade, I’ve ranked each player.

This is a work-in-progress. I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine and I as review tape.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for goal keepers. I’ll follow this with rankings of defenders, midfielders, forwards and over-all. Enjoy!

Much like the rest of this draft, the goal keepers with realistic MLS expectations are pretty thin.

#	Pos	Grade	See in 09?	Name	College	Combine?
1	GK	B	Yes	Brian Perk	UCLA	Signed-Combine
2	GK	B	TV	Jovan Bubonja	UIC	Combine
3	GK	C+	Yes	Dan Williams	Kentucky
4	GK	C	Yes	Brooks Haggerty	UNC	Combine
5	GK	C	No	Sean Johnson	UCF	GA-Combine
6	GK	C	Yes	Sean Kelley	George Mason
7	GK	C	No	Frederick Hall	Quinipiac	Combine
8	GK	C	Yes	John Moore	Stanford	Combine
9	GK	C	Yes	Joe Willis	Denver
10	GK	C	Yes	Evan Newton	Old Dominion
11	GK	C	TV	Misha Rosenthal	Northwestern
12	GK	C-	TV	Phillip Nelson	Lafayette
13	GK	C-	Yes	Akira Fitzgerald	Wake Forest
14	GK	C-	Yes	Joseph Bendik	Clemson
15	GK	C-	No	Thomas Hunter	Wofford
16	GK	D+	TV	Jason Stenta	Binghamton
17	GK	D+	No	Kellen Briones	San Diego
18	GK	D	No	Mitch Hildebrandt	Oakland
19	GK	D	No	Nils Binstock	Iona
20	GK	D	No	Scott Rosman	ETSU
21	GK	D	Yes	Paul Musoke	Alabama A&M
22	GK	D	TV	Travis Chulick	Yale
23	GK	D	No	Patrick Sampson	LMU
24	GK	D	No	Stephen Paterson	Western Illinois
25	GK	D	No	Rylan Hawkins	Washington
26	GK	D-	No	Scott Barnum	Gonzaga
27	GK	D-	TV	Craig Hill	SMU
28	GK	F	Yes	Victor Thomas	Howard
29	GK	F	TV	Ryan Vint	Wisconsin
30	GK	F	No	Nate Berry	UNC Greensboro

 

2010 Draft Player List – Final

[Updated: Added 4 GA's, minor grammar]
[Updated: 1/4/2010]
[Updated: 1/14/2010 - minor tweaks]

This is the list of the players that I’ll be ranking in ALPHABETICAL order by last name. It doesn’t contain every senior. If there’s a senior that is an obvious miss, please leave a comment. Hopefuly, this doesn’t mean your brother’s friend’s son who had 2 starts at Centenary.

I do need your help in reviewing the positions. I’m sure that I don’t have each one correct. I rank each player as a goal keeper, defender, midfielder, forward. So, a Defender/Midfielder is put into one category.

Additionally, culling this list gets difficult with knowing what the player intends to do. For example, Eddie Ababio (from UNC) is going to try and get a red shirt. It’s also possible that a 5th year senior might have been missed.

I haven’t added the 4 Generation Adidas players (Blair, Bunbury, Duka, McInerney) that were announced this week.

I’ll start publishing the preliminary rankings in the next week, but expect updates following the combine and as I review additional tape.

Name	College	Pos	See in 09?	Comment
Carlos Aguilar	UC Irvine	F	No	1st Team All-Big West 22/22 GP/GS, 6 G, 7 A, 36 SH, .528 SOG% Bottom Line: transferred from Taft CC; only started for UCI in senior year, because of this reducing grade because Kuntz will play transfers. Also, moved from midfield to forward (according to UCI roster)
Korede Aiyegbusi	NC State	D	Yes	Combine 22/22 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 9 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: “IB”; fast small left back with powerful legs, caught up the field often, I’m not convinced that he has passing ability to not be a detriment; against Portland, “Senior left back Korede Aiyegbuse had a horrible game. His passing was off. He’d beat a player or two and either lose the ball off the dribble or off the pass. Regardless, turn-over was his specialty.”; against BC, no comment; against UNC, “I like senior left back Korede Aiyegbusi speed and power. He’s small, but he may be able to play at the next level.”; in 2008 against WF, no comment; in 2008 against VT, no comment;
Andre Akpan	Harvard	F	TV	Signed-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; Ivy POTY; 1st Team All-Ivy; 2008 1st Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-Ivy; 2007 2nd Team CSN AA; 2007 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 2007 1st Team All-Ivy 19/19 GP/GS, 12 G, 6 A, 71 SH, .465 SOG% Bottom Line: 2007 U20 team member with a large body and a nose for the goal; unable to beat people on dribble; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), Having a terrific game, with good touches, turns, passes. On the game winning goal he was ball watching – watching his team lose. ; In 2008 against Harvard, “Junior Andre Akpan set the Harvard record for most points and most assists with a goal and an assist. For me, he was too static waiting for something to happen. He didn’t beat anyone on the dribble to create his own shot. He has very good weight to his passes.” ; in 2007 against Uruguay, “An own goal was the result of continued pressure on the Uruguay goal. Freddy Adu knocked in the corner that wound up on Szetela’s (holds a Polish passport) foot. He shot it low and hard and it was deflected by the Uruguayan defender under extreme pressure from Akpan into the Uruguayan goal for an own goal at 86:19.” & “Summary: Good play by Szetela and correct run by Akpan.” & “At 15:29, Rogers pulled the ball back with his left foot and crossed to a wide open Akpan on the far side of the box, 12 yards from goal. Because it was driven hard enough, Caceres was able to recover and clear the ball over the touch line for a corner kick.” & “Akpan – Disappointing. I don’t think that he can play the same role that Altidore does. He’s not as fast or physically imposing. I think he needs service and another forward to work off of. He was involved in the first goal. On set pieces, he could be helpful. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time that I see Akpan play will be in the fall against an Ivy league opponent.” & “Andre Akpan and Gabe Ferrari had the opportunity to make a mark when Altidore got hurt in the Uruguay match. They didn’t capitalize. Akpan looked lost.”;
Eric Alexander	Indiana	M	Yes	Combine 2nd Team Big 10; 2008 2nd Team Big 10; 2007 1st Team Big 10 23 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 34 SH, .441 SOG% Bottom Line: will need to have a huge combine, potential role player; against FIU, “Alexander does many little things. He has sufficient technical skills. Because of his small touches, he opens up the midfield.”; against Akron, no comment; In 2008 against Ohio State, no comments; In 2008 against Akron, “Alexander doesn’t have enough composure on the ball under pressure.”; In 2008 against Duke, “The game winning goal was created by senior all-american candidate Brad Ring taking a square ball from Eric Alexander 35 yards from goal. Ring drove into the box, as Duke converged, he slipped the ball to senior midfielder John Mellencamp who hit the far side netting from 12 yards with 5 minutes left in the game.”
Rick Alleman	Memphis	D	TV	2nd Team All-Conference USA 15/15 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG%
Sean Alvarado	UCLA	D	Yes	Honorable Mention Pac 10 19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 12 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: tall, solid defender but lacks speed; against Gtown, “Senior center back Sean Alvarado was beat with speed by junior forward Jose Colchao. Colchao works hard but is not particularly fleet. He even out jumped the much taller Alvarado.”; in 2008 against UNC, no comment; in 2007 against ND, no comment;
Joe Annese	New Hampshire	D	No	1st Team All-America East 16/14 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 6 SH, .333 S%
Samuel Appiah	Boston University	M	TV	Combine 1st Team All-America East; 2008 2nd Team All-America East 18/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 41 SH, .341 SOG% Bottom Line: 25 yo (by the beginning of the 2010 season) slight center midfielder that shades back – at times interchanging with Dorman. Quick feet, not aggressive on high balls. Cruises around the midfield, but can accelerate if absolutely necessary. Doesn’t press his will on the game (passive); Against BC (tape), couple of solid tackles with his quick feet, didn’t impress. iffy first touch, made his shot high in the waning minutes; Against Binghamton (tape), much more aggressive when his team was down – His bad first touch at midfield and turn-over eventually led to the first goal. good passing; In 2006 against Ohio State, Appiah started, but no comments on his play;
Josh Aranda	SLU	M	Yes	Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 10 SH, .200 SOG% Bottom Line: He’ll be successful in the real world (but not in the soccer world) because of his heart and hard work. Against Temple, “Senior DM Josh Aranda used his body to eraticate the dribbler from the ball. I like his heart – but he just doesn’t have enough core soccer skills.”. Against Akron, “The third goal was the back breaker. SLU was pressuring forward from a corner kick trying to get on the board in the 71st minute. SLU senior DM Josh Aranda lost possession in the attacking third pressured by senior DM Ben Zemanski. Bunbury skirted along the sideline, breaking with numbers as he crossed midfield. Bunbury delivered the ball forward to freshman forward Yoram Mwila who was straddling the line of the last defender. Mwila drove into the box 1v1 against the goal keeper with freshman midfielder Ben Speas wide open on the far post , but his shot was denied by the able goal keeper. Mwila tracked down the rebound near to the end line and sent it back to Bunbury. Bunbury surveyed his opportunities, granting himself time with quick touches before finishing with a calm disposition.” Against FIU, “Senior DM Josh Aranda is a sure tackler but continued to lose possession with even the slightest pressure.”. In 2008 against UMass, “Josh Aranda playing DM add more bite to the midfield and he’s a fierce tackler. I contend that he gives SLU more defensive coverage than Eric Sweetin. However, he was a liability at the end of the game with his passing and his touch that was causing problems for SLU.” & “Calum Angus only passes to Patterson or Ream, because he trusts them with the ball. He won’t pass it to Aranda.” In 2007 against GW, “Patterson has blinding speed, but his first half was truly forgettable. As much as I was impressed with him against Duke, today, his passing and first touch were dreadful. Then, he started yelling at Josh Aranda. I can only assume it was to complain that Patterson was singularly making the right side look awful.” In 2007 against Duke, “Josh Aranda had a technically bad day with bad first touch and passing. “
Francisco Aristeguieta	South Florida	M	Yes	3rd Team Big East 20 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 13 SH, .154 SOG% Bottom Line: creative, but possibly not worth an international slot, will need to show more; against Tampa, “Fernando Gonzalez, Alessandro Bianchi and Francisco Aristeguieta weren’t in sync with each other in the first period, amassing a game worth of bad passes”; in 2008 against Gtown, “On the winning goal, Armante Marshall delivered a long cross to an open junior midfielder Franciso Aristeguieta. I didn’t see the cross because I was watching amazingly as Scott Larrabee, Robert Burnett and Mostafa Ebrahimnejad did not work together and they let Aristeguieta to be fully open in the box. This needs to be fixed. It’s pathetic.”
Fabio Assumpcao	Drexel	M	No	2nd Team All-Colonial 18/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 3 A, 57 SH, .526 SOG% Bottom Line: smallish, technical player that plays too slowly and methodically, with an inactive work rate; in 2008 against UMBC, “Assumpcao plays a simple passing game with soft passes. He doesn’t have enough players that understand how to work with him. Assumpcao doesn’t work very hard on both sides of the ball, but with his talent in college, others should pick up his slack. This may not be true at the next level.”; in 2007 against ODU, “Assumpcao has skill and understands his role. He plays more defense than his brother, but he still doesn’t seem terribly interested. With both of the brothers on the field, others pick up the defensive responsibilites.”;
Rogers Atugonza	Alabama A&M	M	Yes	17/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 30 SH, .367 SOG% Bottom Line: Good athlete with tremendous full-field vision, good passing; against Stetson, “Senior midfielder Rogers Atugonza had a much rougher first half than on Friday night. He just couldn’t put anything together. With the heat and playing two games in less than 40 hours, it’s a difficult task that the young Atugonza didn’t master.”; against Jacksonville, “In the 53rd minute, AAM tied the game from a well struck ball by junior forward Abraham Kassaye. The entry pass was possible because talented midfielder senior Rogers Atugonza was given too much time to present the perfect pass to Kassaye behind the defense. Kassaye hit the unstoppable shot well. Atugonza has exemplary quickness, technical skill and vision. I’d like to see him at the MLS combine. He’s that good. I may focus my attention on him on Sunday.”
Collin Audley	Denver	M	Yes	1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 1st Team All-MPSF; 2007 2nd Team All-MPSF 19/19 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 35 SH, .543 SOG% Bottom Line: difficult to call – but not likely; In spring of 2009 against WF, “Collin Audley was composed on the ball – one of the exceptions for Denver. He freed Garza into the corner for the best Denver scoring opportunity. Garza was able to cross to an open Marc Kocel on the far post. But, Kocel’s shot was wide. This was Denver’s lone shot in the first half.”;
Kris Banghart	Denver	D	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 2nd Team All-MPSF; 2007 2nd Team All-MPSF 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 11 SH, .455 SOG% Bottom Line: TBD at combine – injured during combine; in spring of 2009 against WF, no comment (but started)
Chris Banks	New Hampshire	F	No	1st Team All-America East; 2006 1st Team All-America East 18/17 GP/GS, 7 G, 4 A, 62 SH, .113 SOG%
Nick Barclay	Gonzaga	D	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 Defensive POTY; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .412 SOG%
Neil Barlow	UVA	M	Yes	2nd Team All-ACC 24/24 GP/GS, 5 G, 6 A, 39 SH Bottom Line: very small, but accelerates and holds the ball well; passing very good; may be undersized for MLS. Against Akron, “In the 22nd minute, the UVA midfielders sliced apart the Akron midfield with precise short passes from senior Neil Barlow to Tchani to senior Jonathan Villanueva back to Tchani.” & “Barlow was active both games with intricate dribbling. I enjoyed seeing him on the defensive side – stealing the ball from junior back Chris Korb, then driving to the end line before releasing a beautiful cross that his team mates squandered the opportunity. Barlow was tenacious in the final.”; Against WF, no comment; against Portland, “Barlow made a strong run blowing by two defenders before unleashing a powerful shot in the 37th minute. The shot was blocked by the goal keeper but he was unable to hold it. Dimas tracked down the rebound, but his cross was too high.”; against WF, no comment; against MD, no comment; against MD, “Senior midfielder Neil Barlow was awarded the red card in the 42nd minute for sliding into MD goal keeper Zac MacMath. This incited a scramble in the MD box which led to MD receiving a red card, as well.”; against BC, “UVA got on the board because of a scintillating pass from senior midfielder Neil Barlow to allow freshman forward Will Bates to get behind the defense. From an acute angle, Bates was able to shoot the ball into the goal on the near post side. In the 73rd minute, sophomore midfielder Brian Ownby added an insurance goal. Again the “freeing pass” was delivered by Barlow. With Ownby 1v1 with the goal keeper, he was able to survey the net before burying it into the corner.”; Against WV (exhibition), no comment; in 2008 against WF, “In the 82nd minute, the second goal was initiated by a long pass from midfield by junior left back Neil Barlow that struck the top of sophomore Chase Neinken’s head and looped into the goal.”; In 2008 against Duke, no comment; In 2008 against MD, “LaBauex scored for UVA in the 74th minute. He took a long pass near the midfield and the side line from junior Neil Barlow. LaBauex controlled the ball off his chest to squeeze between Delagarza and Gonzalez in the middle of the box.”; In 2008 against Central Connecticut State, “Barlow made a beautiful move using his heel to nutmeg Eddie Floyd then finished the play by making a good cross before the ball went over the end line.”
Scott Barnum	Gonzaga	GK	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC 18/18 GP/GS, 1.19 GAA, 21 GA, 98 S, .824 S%
Tyler Barry	California	D	Yes	Combine 2008 2nd team Pac-10; 2008 stats: 11/11 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .600 SOG% Bottom Line: after sitting out a year, he’ll need to overcome almost imposible odds A veritable 4 year starter until late in 2008, when he suffered a season-ending injury; Against MD in 2008, DNP; In 2007, against VT, “On the first VT goal, Patrick Nyarko beat Andrew Jacobson outside the box, cut and beat another Cal defender, Tyler Berry. Nyarko unleashed a shot that was blocked. It fell to Ben Nason who side volleyed it with power into side netting in the 25th minute.”.
Nelson Becerra	St. John’s	M	Yes	Combine 2nd Team Big East; 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 Big East Midfielder OTY; 2008 1st Team Big East 19/8 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 37 SH, .270 SOG% Bottom Line: Love his passing and his ability on the ball, can he physically hold up – I think so. The only regrets will be the teams that pass on him.; against ND, “Becerra has slick technical skills both with accurate passing, small touches to maintain possession and quick feet. I’d prefer for him to play more centrally, but playing wide may be his only alternative at the next level. Does he have sufficient speed to play wide midfield? I’m not sure.” & “Chiduku made an outstanding play in the 30th minute saving a ball destined to roll over the end line. He crossed the ball low and hard into the box, but Duckett’s clearance wasn’t very good and Becerra laid the ball off for left back senior David Reed. Reed’s shot squeaked just wide.”; in 2008 against SJU, “Their first goal came from a set piece. Junior midfielder Nelson Becerra was tripped 25 yards from goal. Terra Tadeu touched the ball to Becerra who shot the ball off the wall. Junior Ben Clack toe-poked the rebound into the goal from 15 yards.” & “Becerra is smooth on the ball. Becerra was originally planning on attending UConn until coach Ray Reid pulled his scholarship offer. Near the end of the first half, Becerra was combining well with junior midfielder Ryan Soroka and sophomore midfielder Ivo.”
Steve Beitashour	San Diego State	D	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10 17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 3 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG%
Djamel Bekka	Coastal Carolina	M	No	Big South POTY; 1st Team All-Big South 16/12 GP/GS, 2 G, 7 A, 23 SH, .087 S%
Tyler Bellamy	St Bonny	D	No	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 10 SH, .100 S%
Joseph Bendik	Clemson	GK	Yes	2008 2nd Team All-ACC 16/15 GP/GS, 1.38 GAA, 22 GA, 75 S, .733 S% Bottom Line: average goal keeper with a poorly organized defense in front of him.; Against VT, “I think that there are better goal keeping options in the pro ranks than senior Joseph Bendik. I don’t see Clemson often, so I’ll be interested to see how he does against WF.” In Spring of 2009, against UNCW and Charleston, “Bendik is solid in the goal. He’s a good shot blocker.”; In 2008 against BC, no comment; In 2007 against WF, no comment
Nate Berry	UNC Greensboro	GK	No	3/3 GP/GS, 1.77 GAA, 5 GA, 11 S, .688 S% Bottom Line: absolutely, positively, no; in spring 2007 against Clemson, no comment; in spring 2007 against South Carolina, may have missed him; in 2007 against Furman, DNP; in 2006 against VCU * famous forfeit game *, “Not overly impressed with Nate Berry. His positioning on the second goal wasn’t good. He just doesn’t provide me any level of confidence that he knows what he’s doing in the back. He is just a freshman”
Kevin Bielicki	SIUE	F	No	16/15 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 33 SH, .545 SOG%
Joshua Bienenfeld	Duke	D	Yes	20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 28 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line: pretty good defender, haven’t seen him play since 2008 – other than across 2 rain fields; in 2008 against UVA, “Junior Josh Bienenfeld has been playing left back for the last month. He neutralized Matt Mitchell.”; in 2008 against UMD, “I prefer to see junior Josh Bienenfeld wide and Cole Grossman in the AM.”; in 2008 against ND, “Because Grossman was having an off day Bienenfeld was moved more centrally. While he was adequate, I prefer him wide.”; In 2008 against IU, no comment;
Nils Binstock	Iona	GK	No	2nd Team All-MAAC; 2008 2nd Team All-MAAC 19/19 GP/GS, .666 GAA, 13 GA, 73 S, .849 S%
Mark Blades	Northwestern	D	TV	2nd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; B10 Co-Defender OTY; 1st Team Big 10; 2008 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 2nd Team Big 10; 2007 2nd Team Big 10 20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 4 A, 18 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: Terrific defender with the ability to get forward. He’s a winner, VERY small 5′6″ – downgrading because he wasn’t invited to the combine. I still believe that he’s a top notch LB; against Michigan (on tape), left after 1 minute because of ankle injury; against IU (on tape), good turn on defense, good tackle – freshmen IU fwd Bick beat Blades on the dribble in the 2nd half (little concerning); brilliant long passer forced a collission between IU gk and defender, on the 2nd goal nice pass to Eamon O’Neil; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), played both LM (1st H) and LB (2nd H), was instrumental in this game. opponent got red card for elbowing Blades in the face. His hustle on a poor initial pass, won the ball back and on the second cross was heading for Cutshaw’s head, but it was knocked in by Dylan Riley. Blades was favoring an ankle injury. I wonder if this is a re-occuring thing?; in 2007 against Northwestern, “Sophomore defender Mark Blades is pretty good.”; In 2007 against Ohio State, no comment; In 2007 against Wisconsin, “For the second goal, sophomore defender Mark Blades led freshman forward Matt Eliason who served a square ball to Roth who finished from 10 yards. The third goal was scored by Blades. He put on his superman impression! The play started with freshman forward Piro Bellizzi took a shot that the GK deflected. Blades threw himself head first at the rebound scoring on a dramatic diving header. Nice.”
Zak Boggs	South Florida	F	Yes	3rd Team Big East; 2008 3rd Team Big East 21 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 43 SH, .442 SOG% Bottom Line: though, I like him personally, I doubt that he’ll make it; against Tampa, “In the beginning of the third period, senior forward Zak Boggs got behind the UT defense and took a good shot that was only eclipsed by a better save by UT GK Ryan Thompson, conceding a corner kick to USF.” & “6 minutes later, Boggs served a long pass from midfield that senior forward (and Tampa resident) Ogi Perucica took off his chest while he bodied off a UT defender before burying a side volley! Gorgeous goal.” & “In the 84th minute, Boggs tallied his own goal, taking a pass from sophomore midfielder Brock Jennings, turning in the box and shooting it from 12 yards.” & “Boggs almost earned another assist flipping a ball to junior midfielder Shawn Chin (transfer from Boston College) that Chin brought down on his chest before volleying it past the on-rushing goal keeper but was denied by the post. Nice play.”; In 2008 against Gtown, “USF was fortunate to even the game right before halftime. In the 44th minute, senior Zak Boggs had his cross blocked. He won the free ball and sent the ball back to senior DM Kevon Neaves. Neaves attacked the goal, giving himself space by stepping over the ball and firing a hard shot. Gtown GK Mark Wilber blocked the shot but was unable to either hold the ball or get it out of bounds. Instead, junior midfielder Jorge Mora gathered it and placed the ball into the upper 90. Wilber could not recover quick enough.” In 2008 against MD (exhibition), “While blue chip freshman Zach MacMath surrendered both goals, a comparison against incumbant Will Swaim is not comparable because Swaim faced no shots in the first half. MacMath can’t be blamed for the second goal but his positioning on the free kick leading to the first goal may be at fault. In the 50th minute, MacMath had a superb 1v1 stop on a Zak Boggs break-away. By the end of the year (if not sooner), I expect that MacMath will be the starter. MD Alumni Chris Seitz didn’t start immediately at the beginning of his freshman year, either.”
Corben Bone	Wake Forest	M	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-ACC; 2008 2nd Team CSN AA; 2008 1st Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-ACC; 2007 Freshman OTY All-ACC Bottom Line: Smooth midfielder that passes exceptionally. Disbalances defenses with superb first touches. Can shoot on the dribble and plays effective defense. Against UVA, “Bone broke UVA’s 12 game scoring streak with a 70th minute strike. On the goal, Bone took a corner but it wasn’t cleared well so he slowly worked his way back down the field. Senior left midfielder Austin da Luz got the ball forward to Bone who drove around the corner. He shot the ball. Restrepo got his right hand on the ball, but it deflected into the goal.”; against UNCW, “The winning goal was scored in the 76th minute by freshman center back Anthony Arena. Junior midfielder Corben Bone served in a high corner kick to the back post that went over Duckworth’s out-stretched hands and to Arena’s head from 3 yards. Duckworth needed to do better.” & “Not only is Bone extremely quick, his acceleration is stunning. He is the linchpin of the WF attack. I can’t imagine that he’ll come back for his senior year. His passing vision is awe-inspiring. He’s very right-footed.”; against UVA, “Junior defender Mike Volt had a critical tackle on Bone before he got into the box.” & “Bone impacted the game mostly with his set piece taking – corners and free kicks.”; in the spring against MD, “Kyle Adams started the scoring in the 3rd minute from a Corbin Bone corner kick. MD GK MacMath had an opportunity to punch the ball away but didn’t get much of it and Adams headed from 6 yards from the back post. MD cleared the ball off the line, but the AR said that it went in. From midfield, I can’t contest the call. 15 minutes later, Cody Arnoux was fouled by Kevin Tangney just past midfield when he was breaking behind the defense (probably a smart play). However, Bone served a pretty free kick that Arnoux headed from the near post 10 yards out to his strike partner, Zack Schilawski, left alone on the far post 6 yards from goal. Schilawski finished this gift with his head. 3 touches, Bone’s foot, Arnoux’s head, Schilawski’s head –> Goal.”; in 2008 against UVA, “In the 53rd minute, Marcus Tracy opened the scoring with a blast from 15 yards. Starting the play, Cody Arnoux got the ball to Zack Schilawski at the top of the box before Arnoux was hacked from the back by Ross LaBauex. Schilawski dropped it to Corben Bone who sent it to Tracy near the top of the box leading to the goal after taking a settling touch.” & “Bone was spectacular. At the end of last year, his play had slowed down from minor injuries – he’s back. His quick feet stole the ball from the sure feet of senior Matt Poole.”; In 2008 against NC State, “The final goal was endemic of the simplistic NCSU defense. Freshman Luke Norman heeled a pass to senior Mike Lahoud and Norman immediately moved in anticipation of receiving the ball back. At this same time, senior left back Lyle Adams overlapped and Lahoud delivered the ball to him into space without any NCSU defensive coverage. Adams took the ball to the end line before putting it back to a waiting sophomore midfielder Corben Bone. Bone hit the ball to the lower right corner to end the scoring for WF.”; in 2008 against South Carolina, “Sophomore midfielder Corben Bone is back. When I saw him last year at this tournament, he was unstoppable against Bradley and Akron (2 2007 NCAA tournament teams). However, later in the year, he looked ordinary. According to WF staff, he suffered a quad injury that slowed him later in the year. Well, he looks good now. His dribbling is shifty and explosive. His passing is spot-on. He opens the door for many of the attacks by beating a man than laying off the ball to the open attacker. He is not afraid to take a shot and many of his shots were just off.”; in 2007 against UNC, no comment; in 2007 against Clemson, “WF had problems finding consistent attacking possessions. Corbin Bone played for only 30 minutes while he recovers from injury. This is crucial, because with senior Pat Phelan and junior Sam Cronin both of them are more defensive-oriented in the center of the midfield. WF looks like they have this big dough nut in their formation”; in 2007 against Bradley, “Bone was not as effective and seemed tired by the end of the game. He is elusive on the dribble making tiny feints and touches that have the best defenders wrong footed.” & “The last goal, just a minute later was Brown crossing the ball to Tracy near the penalty spot that clanked off Tracy’s chest onto the foot of Bone who finished low and in the corner.”; in 2007 against Akron, “Blue chip WF freshman Corben Bone scored two goals and added an assist to solidify the quest for Freshman of the Week. Akron’s Anthony Ampaipitakwong had an assist off a corner kick, but was unable to make further impact on the scoreboard.” & “MOTM: Corben Bone. Wow! Just Wow. He reminds me of a freshman Stephen King (UMD). He uses his body and his first touch so very well. He’s money. It’s not just his goals or assists that are crucial. It is Bone’s ability to penetrate and get other WF players involved that escalate his value. He’s the best freshman that I’ve seen this year. This includes Andy Adlard, Yannick Salmon, Rodney Wallace, Will Swaim, TJ Cyrus, and Ampaipitakwong. He’s going to be very good. His first goal was created by Marcus Tracy making a diagonal penetrating run from right to left attracting the attention of the Akron defense. Bone circled around the defenders and received the square pass from Tracy and Bone scored from 5 yards. Easiest goal, he may have this year. His second goal started from a free kick that senior Sam Cronin touched forward that Bone hit with authority from 19 yards. The ball was deflected and went in. Bone’s assist came off a corner kick to Cody Arnoux’s head that Arnoux flicked on from beyond near post. None of Bone’s goals were world class – but I assert that his goals or assists were the key to this game.”; 24/24 GP/GS, 3 G, 13 A, 62 SH, .048 S%
Chad Borak	Cal Northridge	D	No	Combine 1st Team All-Big West; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Big West 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 11 SH, .182 SOG% Bottom Line: Will be 23 by the 2010 MLS draft; has suffered injuries throughout his career; deferring grade change until after combine; didn’t play in 2008 against Creighton that I have on tape
Daniel Bostock	Monmouth	D	Yes	2nd Team NSCAA AA; NEC Defensive POTY; 1st Team All-NEC; 2008 1st Team All-NEC; 2007 2nd Team All-NEC 22/22 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 17 SH, .235 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall, plodding defender with inadequate technical skills; against Uconn, “Senior center back Daniel Bostock competed in the air against the imposing UConn center back. He lacks technical skill, but possesses solid defensive positioning.”; against FDU, no comment; in 2008 against Mount St Mary’s, no comment; in 2008 against Princeton, no comment; in spring 2008 against Delaware, no comment
Roger Bothe	William & Mary	D	No	2nd Team All-Colonial; 2008 3rd Team All-Colonial 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 5 A, 14 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line: haven’t seen much nor lately – average; against Winthrop, “Right before the half, WM scored again. Kalungi picked up a yellow on a hand ball to stop a WM breakaway near midfield. Normally, a good idea. However, tonight, junior Roger Bothe sent the free kick into the box. With the wind holding it up, Winthrop GK Parkick Mitrovich called for the ball and came out but did not get to it. Instead, Koger heard Mitrovich call for it and knew he’d be off his line and flicked it on and into the goal from the penalty mark.”; in 2008 against UMass, “With 3 minutes remaining, Baako scored again to tie the game. On this goal, junior left back Roger Bothe sent in a long diagonal to sophomore forward Alan Koger who settled the ball drawing the defense to him. Koger squared the ball to an open Baako at the top of the box. Simmons had no chance.”; in 2007 against VCU, no comment
Ronnie Bouemboue	NC State	F	Yes	Combine 2nd Team All-ACC; 2008 2nd Team All-ACC 22/22 GP/GS, 8 G, 10 A, 56 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line: fast small forward, passes well; finds gaps; odds against him for MLS career; against Portland, “Bouemboue was most effective when he went back into midfield to get the ball, face the goal and drive into the box.”; against BC, “Bouemboue scored the opening goal in the 7th minute from a driven corner kick by senior forward Alan Sanchez. Bouemboue buried the shot with authority. Bouemboue has soft feet. I question how successful he’ll be at the next level, if he needs to play wide midfield.”; against UNC, no comment; in 2008 against WF, “Sanchez delivered a pass to junior Ronnie Bouemboue at the top of the box. Bouemboue megged Wentzel before shooting the ball into the far post. Nice play by Bouemboue. He’s comfortable running at the defense with many defenders around him. However, in the 65th minute, Bouemboue broke away from the defense with a good chest touch to beat the defense before dribbling with Brown and Courtney pressuring. He should have distributed to his attacking partner Sanchez he chose to take a shot that was weak.”; in 2008 against VT, “Bouemboue scored two goals to propel NCSU into the ACC sacrifice match against Wake Forest tomorrow. The first goal was scored in the 33rd minute on a long cross from freshman Kris Byrd that found Bouemboue in the middle of the box who headed it low to the far post. In the second half, Bouemboue tallied his second goal demonstrating his strength with 2 VT defenders trying in vain to knock him off the ball. Junior Chrystel Bakong forwarded a pass to the Bouemboue in the box who turned watched the Vt players fall around him and then slotted the ball to the far side netting. The last goal scored in the waning seconds with VT sending everyone forward to get the tying goal was started by Bouemboue heading the ball to junior Alan Sanchez who dribbled from midfield to 35 yards from goal with all but the GK behind him. He slotted a ball to the far side to junior Federico Nachmann. With time dwindling, his shot was blocked by the closing keeper, but Nachmann was able to kick the rebound over the prone keeper into the open net with 48 seconds remaining in the VT season.”;
Matt Bouraee	Cornell	F	No	1st Team All-Ivy; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Ivy; 2007 2nd Team All-Ivy 17/16 GP/GS, 5 G, 6 A, 50 SH, .100 S%
Mitch Boyer	Cleveland St	D	No	2nd Team All-Horizon; 2007 2nd Team All-Horizon 13/12 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 3 SH, .667 SOG%
Freddy Braun	Louisville	M	Yes	Combine 20/20 GP/GS, 8 G, 4 A, 43 SH, .442 SOG% Bottom Line: Sketchy pick – invisible for much of the game; against Villanova, “Exactly 1 minute later, senior midfielder Freddie Braun got the first of his two header goals for the thirdy tally of the half. DelPiccolo stroked a corner kick onto Braun’s head. Braun struck it with authority from 4 yards down onto the goal line. This was too easy. In the 55th minute, the carnage continued with Braun adding an assist from a hard fought tackle and immediately getting the ball to Rolfe. (Braun was not credited with the assist – I believe this will be rectified after the tapes are reviewed). Rolfe controlled the ball outside of the box before dipping his shoulder and exploding to the center and striking the ball well into the lower far post for the fourth goal. In the 73rd minute, the final goal was similar to the third goal except that the ball started 45 yards from goal but the players were the same, DelPiccolo to Braun’s head – but this time the header floated over the goal keeper.” against UIC (tape), didn’t get forward enough against a bunkering defense. Entry lacking ; against ND (tape), good footwork, good header leading to a wide shot. good pass lead to good off the ball run. Good touch forced Thomas to foul and pick up a yellow; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), hard tackle, slow release on a shot in the first half in the box;
Robert Brickley	Connecticut	D	Yes	19/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: No; against Monmouth, “The MOTM was senior goal keeper Brian Visser. He made several critical stops including a heel flick by Robert Brickey in the waning seconds of the game.”; in 2008 against Gtown, no comment; in 2008 against SJU, no comment
Kellen Briones	San Diego	GK	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 19/18 GP/GS, .820 GAA, 16 GA, 59 S, .787 S%
Martin Browne	Western Illinois	F	No	2nd Team All-Summit; 2008 1st Team All-Summit 16/0 GP/GS, 6 G, 0 A, 29 SH, .517 SOG%
Cooper Bryant	American	D	Yes	1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 1st Team All-Patriot 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 6 SH, .167 SOG% Bottom Line: sufficient defender – odds against him ; against George Mason, no comment; in spring of 2009 against WV, DNP; in 2008 against Gtown, In the 54th minute, Scott Larrabee opened the scoring after a 50 yard diagonal by Seth C’deBaca found Larrabee open behind the defense. He took the ball into the box and with the AU GK closing the angle, Larrabee put the ball past him. Larrabee had another shot after Chandler Diggs bounced the ball off Cooper Bryant and the ball was presented to Larrabee in the box. Matt Makowski made a fantastic save by tipping the ball over the cross bar in the 66th minute. At the end of the 1st half, junior Justin Kondos body slammed Cooper Bryant and didn’t get a card – I’m not sure why not.; in 2008 against James Madison, no comment; in 2008 against Radford (ex), no comment; in 2007 against Lehigh, “Cooper Bryant has a terrific first touch making the ball silent immediately.”
Jovan Bubonja	UIC	GK	TV	Combine 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 1st Team NSCAA AA; 2008 GK OTY; 2008 1st Team All-Horizon; 2007 2nd Team CSN AA; 2007 1st Team All-Horizon 17/16 GP/GS, 1.16 GAA, 21 GA, 52 S, .712 S% Bottom Line: Top notch goal keeper but had a bad senior year after 3 successful prior years. I tend to believe the 1st 3 years.; Against Louisville (tape), made all the big plays – no chance on the goal. Made 1 error on a corner kick. no change; In 2007 against Umass, “Bubonja didn’t do much. In a different environment, he might have had more of an impact. However, in 6 play-off games (Horizon tournament and NCAA) prior to UMass, UIC surrender only 1 goal. He’s worth taking a look at next year.”
Teal Bunbury	Akron	F	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; All-MAC POTY; 1st Team All-MAC; Bottom Line: Strong, fast and the best forward in the draft – I’m concerned with his first touch (reminds me of DCU Emilio Luciano) – but Luciano won a MLS POTY. Bunbury is going to score goals – but his shooting accuracy is lacking; In the national championship penalty kick, Bunbury passed because of “an injury” – I wonder if was more nerve; against UVA, “Speas was able to make a brilliant pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe in the last minute of the first half. Nagbe quickly turned before distributing the ball to sophomore forward Teal Bunbury. Bunbury’s 20 yard shot wasn’t very good.” & “I believe that sophomore forward Teal Bunbury is going to win the Hermann. But, I’m concerned that he’s not going to be as successful in the pros. Here’s why – no one can doubt his speed, size, strength. He doesn’t have a precise first touch and his passing is not tight at times either. I am not sure that he’ll be able to get away with that at the next level, because the defenders are fast, strong and big. Usually, if a player wins the Hermann, I would recommend that he takes the MLS Generation Adidas contract, because his value will never be higher. However, Bunbury may benefit with another year at Akron.”; against Tulsa, “Bunbury is ready to move on to the MLS. He has the body, the speed and the ability to be a legitimate scoring threat. Bunbury may need a year to acclimate to the professional standard, but he has the talent. I would be shocked if he is back at Akron next year – unless he has other career ambitions. In the 72nd minute, Bunbury held off red shirt junior midfielder Hunter Christiansen with considerable strength exploding into 3v1. However, Bunbury’s pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe was not well placed putting Nagbe in a bad passing angle.”; against VT, “The first goal was scored by sophomore forward Teal Bunbury in the 37th minute. Sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie served in a long pass that Bunbury was able to fend off the defender and slot the ball into the goal after traisping into the box.” & “VT had no answer on controlling the speed of Nagbe and Bunbury. Bunbury needs to bury his open shots. For example, in the closing minutes of the game, junior left back Chris Korb threw the ball in the VT’s half. Senior DM Ben Zemanski, with VT defenders closing, split the defenders to find Bunbury near the top of the box. Bunbury had an open look but his shot was horribly high.”; against SLU, “The second goal was scored in the 54th minute by sophomore forward Teal Bunbury. Superb junior AM Anthony Ampaipitakwong quieted the ball, forcing SLU defenders to converge. Ampaipitakwong got the ball wide to Sarkodie, who calmly took the ball down the sideline before squaring the ball to Bunbury in the box. Bunbury buried the shot from an acute angle 10 yards from goal. The third goal was the back breaker. SLU was pressuring forward from a corner kick trying to get on the board in the 71st minute. SLU senior DM Josh Aranda lost possession in the attacking third pressured by senior DM Ben Zemanski. Bunbury skirted along the sideline, breaking with numbers as he crossed midfield. Bunbury delivered the ball forward to freshman forward Yoram Mwila who was straddling the line of the last defender. Mwila drove into the box 1v1 against the goal keeper with freshman midfielder Ben Speas wide open on the far post , but his shot was denied by the able goal keeper. Mwila tracked down the rebound near to the end line and sent it back to Bunbury. Bunbury surveyed his opportunities, granting himself time with quick touches before finishing with a calm disposition.”; against IU, “Red shirt freshman goal keeper Luis Soffner made several key stops including a key stop in the 50th minute 1v1 against Teal Bunbury.”; in 2008 against IU, “Bunbury had a few opportunities including at the beginning of the 2OT period that required a game saving clearance by Kevin Alston. Bunbury needs to learn to shoot with power while on the move.”; in 2008 against ND, “Senior captain Matt Tutich started up top with Steve Zakuani. He started at right midfield in the second half with Alex Bunbury partnering with Zakuani. I expect that this will be the ultimate line-up for Akron this year. Zakuani and Bunbury could evolve into a potent attack.” & “Zakuani’s goal came in the 72nd minute. It started when Ben Zemanski picked up the ball at midfield when a ND midfielder slipped. Zemanski passed the ball to Teal Bunbury on the far sideline. Zemanski stopped running.(?) Ugh. But, I digress. Bunbury beat a defender, then pulled the other ND defenders toward him before giving a square pass to Zakuani lurking on the far side outside of the box. Zakuani had a weak first touch with his left foot, needing 2 more touches before getting Traynor to go to ground. At that point, it was over, because Zakuani walked around him and fired a shot into the far post. Nice goal. Teal Bunbury is a fast, skillful forward. He’s very good. He reminds me of Zakuani at this time last year. They are going to be a fearsome attack with speed, skill and the willingness to play for each other.”; 25/25 GP/GS, 17 G, 5 A, 103 SH, .165 S%
Mario Burstein	South Carolina	D	Yes	15/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 2 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line: I don’t think so; didn’t play in spring of 2009; in 2008 against WF, “Burnstein made a good defensive stop on Tracy to prevent a 1v1 with the GK.”; in spring of 2008, no comment;
Grant Campbell	Bradley	M	TV	2nd Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 16/15 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 23 SH, .261 SOG% Bottom Line: hard tireless worker, but not technical enough – perhaps moving to the back; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), hard guy in the back. moved to right back to provide more coverage in the air by Rice; In 2007 against MD, no comment; in 2007 against WF, no comment; in 2007 against UNC, no comment; in 2007 against Belmont, no comment
Thomas Campbell	UNC Greensboro	F	No	2nd Team All-Southern; 2007 1st Team All-Southern 19/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 2 A, 44 SH, .523 SOG% Bottom Line: not good enough; in spring against , ; in 2007 against Clemson, no comment ; in spring 2007 against South Carolina, no comment; in 2007 against Furman, “Campbell was ineffective. He had several 1v1 opportunities near the end of the game. He was unable to convert because of the stalwart defense of Jon Leathers.”; in 2006 against VCU * Famous Forfeit game *, “Five red cards to UNCG players, ended this game early. None for fighting.” Campbell was one of the recipients;
Nick Cardenas	San Diego State	D	No	Combine 1st Team All-Pac10; 2008 2nd Team All-Pac 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Pac 10 17/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 25 SH, .520 SOG%
Liam Carson	Binghamton	D	TV	1st Team All-America East 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .250 S% Bottom Line: undersized center back that doesn’t move with urgency – doesn’t sound like the formula that MLS looks for; against BU (tape), on goal doesn’t recover with any urgency. Poor heading gave up a corner kick. did play the second defender on a fast BU freshmen; Saw Binghamton twice in 2008, Carson was out for the year.
Conor Chinn	San Francisco	F	No	Combine 1st Team All-WCC; 2008 POTY; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 19/18 GP/GS, 10 G, 3 A, 76 SH, .513 SOG% Bottom Line: Proflic college goal scorer (though last year – he was more productive), but I haven’t seen live in a few years; in 2006 against PSU, “came in off the bench, but didn’t do anything note-worthy”
Chris Christian	Villanova	D	Yes	3rd Team Big East 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 14 SH, .571 SOG% Bottom Line: big central defender – not the most mobile center back; against Louisville, “DelPiccolo started the next goal from a free kick that was earned from Villanova’s junior defender Chris Christian full body block in the 24th minute.” & “Christian is tremendous in the air. On the ground, not so much. His tackling is inconsistent. He uses his body too much rather than moving his feet. I’m not much of a fan. In the 80th minute, he misplayed an easy ball allowing Knight to get behind the defense. Freshman defender Ryan Whalen was able to close Knight down from behind to save yet another goal.”; in 2007 against Gtown, “Freshman defender Chris Christian served a long free kick 45 yards from goal. Sleece hit it well with his head that Gtown GK Devine let hit off his hands into the goal.” & “Christian had a good tackle in the open field against Diggs.”
Darren Christie	Delaware	M	No	1st Team All-Colonial; 2008 3rd Team All-Colonial 17/16 GP/GS, 9 G, 2 A, 61 SH, .508 SOG% Bottom Line: Hasn’t played when I have seen Delaware; in spring 2008 against Monmouth, “Darren Christie appears to have tons of talent, but he’s a petulant child without ambition and drive. Making his team’s offense stall by holding the ball too long and not combining with his teammates was frustrating to watch.”
Travis Chulick	Yale	GK	TV	2nd Team All-Ivy 16/16 GP/GS, 1.57 GAA, 26 GA, 60 S, .698 S%
Ben Clack	St. John’s	D	Yes	Combine 2nd Team Big East 14/13 GP/GS, 1 G, A, SH, . SOG% Bottom Line: not impressed – but I’m willing to change my mind, but I’m very skeptical; against ND, no comment (though I distinctly remember that he didn’t impress with his touch); In 2008 against UConn “Their first goal came from a set piece. Junior midfielder Nelson Becerra was tripped 25 yards from goal. Terra Tadeu touched the ball to Becerra who shot the ball off the wall. Junior Ben Clack toe-poked the rebound into the goal from 15 yards.”;
Calvin Clark	Drake	D	Yes	2nd Team All-MVC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-MVC 25/25 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 23 SH, .348 SOG% Bottom Line: not-so good defender; against UNC, no comment
Jason Coehle	Saint Mary’s	D	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-WCC 20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 9 SH, .889 SOG%
Len Coleman	Georgetown	D	Yes	2008 3rd Team Big East; 2007 3rd Team Big East 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, 1.000 SOG% Bottom Line: Big back but doesn’t read high balls, emblamatic by not pushing forward on set pieces; against ND, “Dike showed better than last year at Indiana and this year on TV. He was surprisingly good in the air, beating tall defender junior Len Coleman. He made a nice touch to flick the ball over the defender. Dike needs to finish his chances.”; against UCLA, “Coleman won every head ball – but still doesn’t go up for set pieces. I’ll need to ask the Gtown coach next time that I’m there. Coleman passing back to his goalkeeper was a disaster waiting to happen. In the 70th minute, Coleman sent a soft pass that was intercepted by sophomore forward Fernando Monge. Junior goal keeper Mark Wilber swiftly got out and was able to block Monge’s point-blank shot near the top corner of the box. Then, in the 86th minute, Coleman struck a poor inaccurate hard back pass that went for a corner kick. Coleman needs to be more precise.”; In 2008 against AU, no comment; In 2008 against UConn, “Coleman didn’t play as dominanting as I’ve seen him play. He didn’t play in the first half against Seton Hall. According to a frequent Gtown fan (so take the source accordingly), it wasn’t an injury but a team decision (code word for discipline). Unfortunately, Seton Hall scored while Coleman was sitting because of his “behavior”. I hope Coleman realizes the impact that this may have on his team.”; in 2008 against Depaul, “Why does Len Coleman cover the smallest player on the field? He should either be matched up with the tallest or play free to clean up anything that comes near the box.”; In 2008 against USF, “The first goal was started by junior defensive leader Len “the column” Coleman. Drove into the USF half, forcing USF to close on him. Zeller called for the ball and Coleman delivered. Zeller took 2 touches driving from the middle of midfield. Then, he hit Grasso ready at the top of the box. Grasso hit the shot well for the goal.”
Jonathan Collier	Furman	D	No	2nd Team All-Southern; 2008 2nd Team All-Southern 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 15 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: good college defender that has plateaued (sp?); in spring of 2009 against Winthrop/Kentucky, “Vorbe gathered a blocked shot from Jonathan Collier and finished it from 12 yards.”; In 2008 against Bowling Green, no comment; In 2007 against WF (while at VT), no comment; In 2007 against UConn (while at VT), no comment; In 2007 against Cal (while at VT), “VT extended their lead in the 56th minute on a Charlie Campbell goal. Just outside of the box, Nyarko headed the ball out to Bryan Collier, who dribbled the ball along the far side of the box. Collier squared the ball to an open Marcus Reed at the penalty spot who fed a pass to the near side to Campbell who hit it first time. The ball got under freshman goalkeeper Stefan Frei. A well struck shot that Frei should have stopped.”
Eric Conklin	Wisconsin	D	TV	2008 2nd Team Big 10 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: Big blond defender with inconsistent tackling and possession; Against PSU (tape), early in the first half, he held possession with a mess in front of the box – later his poor heading almost surrendered a PK; in the 2nd half, a sequence of bad head led to a missed tackle ; Against MSU (tape), not good on the ball, hesitent to defend 1v1, big, strong; In 2007 against NW, “Junior forward Eric Conklin is a tall target and has considerable skills. In the 80th minute, he had a good curling shot that was in the upper corner of the goal until the NW GK made an unbelievable save.”
Jeff Cosgriff	California	F	Yes	Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 Honorable Mention WCC (Santa Clara) 18/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 4 A, 21 SH, .524 SOG% Bottom Line: big target forward with surprising good ball skills; against Maryland, no comment; in 2008 against Loyola (ILL) while at Santa Clara, “Junior midfielder Jeff Cosgriff leads the attack. He is tall (6′4″). His passing is generally above average, but he had a howler in the second half that was just poor form. He’ll tackle with authority, but not stronger than many others. He took a lot of shots, but many were blocked close to him. I think this is because his shot takes a long time for him to wind up and get the ball off his foot.” & “SC got on the board on a disputed goal that began with a corner kick from Bruggner. Cosgriff headed it in with 11 minutes to play. According to the UIC coaching contingent that were relegated to the end-line (remember it was an SRO crowd), the ball never crossed the line.”
Frank Costigliola	Penn State	M	Yes	Bottom Line: I have no idea, how I missed Frank on my initial list; he’s like a terrier – pound for pound a fighter all the way; pesky defender who passes far better than average; undersized; quick with a good shot; Against Wisc (TV), good distribution and tough on the ball; Against Lehigh, no comment; In 2008 against Penn, “Junior midfielder Frank Costigliola came out doing “funny stuff” off the ball. For example, he threw his forearm to the back of freshman Christian Barreiro’s head. This was after he was stepping on senior Kevin Unger and pushing him. Costigliola also was trying to draw contact in front of another player. It took the ref almost the entire first half, before recognizing these extracurricular activities. Costigliola is too good to resort to these tactics.”; in 2008 against Marshall (ex), “Costigliola is the engine that drives the PSU attack. He needs to find a partner that can finish his creative passes. Costigliola has the best technical skills on PSU and plays honest defense.”; ; 21/21 GP/GS, 2 G, 5 3, 38 SH, .368 SOG%
Gary Crooks	Rhode Island	M	No	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 18/8 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 28 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line; I haven’t seen him play.
Nick Cukar	SJ State	M	No	1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 1st Team All-MPSF 20/20 GP/GS, 8 G, 1 A, 74 SH, .426 SOG%
Casey Cunningham	Washington	D	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2007 Honorable Mention Pac 10 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 37 SH, .054 S% Bottom Line: solid defender; In 2008 against Charleston, “The duo in the back sophomore and junior, Taylor Mueller and Casey Cunningham, respectively, complement each other exceptionally. Cunningham is cool bringing the ball out of the back. Mueller is tough in the air and he contributed several blocks while the game was still in question. Mueller could become very good if he continues to progress.”; In 2007 against SMU, “Both goals were scored in the second half. In the 51st minute, George John crossed the ball over to Casey Cunningham who touched it toward Ely Allen who was looking for a penalty and the ball bounced away, John collected the ball 25 yards from goal, took 1 dribble and cranked a hard shot in the the upper left corner of the goal for a shot that was unstoppable!” & “Allen could best be described as pesky. In the 30th minute, he split 2 SMU defenders with a chilling pass to Matt Van Houten that Van Houten shot right at the GK. Minutes later, he heeled it to a breaking Casey Cunningham in the box that was blocked by SMU Leone Cruz for a corner kick.” ; In 2007 against NM, no comment
Chris Cutshaw	Bradley	F	TV	1st Team All-MVC; 2008 2nd Team All-MVC 18/18 GP/GS, 10 G, 3 A, 53 SH, .509 SOG% Bottom Line: Talented forward with speed, guile and an accurate shooter; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), came on in the second half – had foot up hight forcing Riley to score the own goal. ; in 2007 against MD, “In the 2nd OT, Bradley’s Chris Cutshaw scored a controversial goal that MD coach Sasha Cirvoski contends was a new version of the “hand of god” & “the ball was headed around in the box without MD clearing when Chris Cutshaw flicked the ball over Swaim for the tying goal. In the 2nd OT, Paul Tracy sent in a long ball to the box. Cutshaw got his “body” on the ball and it went in the goal. The referee nor the AR saw an infraction – game over. Sophomore forward Chris Cutshaw came off the bench and provided bite and skill. I was surprised that he wasn’t starting. He was Bradley’s best option. (I wrote this at half time).”; in 2007 against WF, “Chris Cutshaw was the only offensive weapon. BU tactically just kicked the ball forward to Cutshaw to create his own shot. This wasn’t too successful.”; in 2007 against UNC, “With 15 minute to play in the second half and down by 1 goal, Drew DeGurian took a long throw-in that bounced twice in the box before Chris Cutshaw acrobatically, knocked in a bicycle kick from 6 yards to even the score. Sophomore Chris Cutshaw times his runs well and is dangerous up top. He started as an outside midfield and is not as effective. This could hurt him in the future if he doesn’t have positional flexibility. But for now, he’s pretty good up top.”; in 2007 against Belmont, “Cutshaw is the target man up top. He has talent, but he’s still young (sophomore). He distributed the ball to an open Thiago Wong that should have been the second goal if not for a horrible strike by Wong.”;
Austin da Luz	Wake Forest	M	Yes	Signed-Combine 1st Team All-ACC 24 GP, 6 G, 15 A, 71 SH, .479 SOG% Bottom Line: smart player with excellent left foot, but lacking sufficient athletic ability; against UVA, “da Luz got the ball forward to Bone who drove around the corner. He shot the ball. Restrepo got his right hand on the ball, but it deflected into the goal.” & “da Luz was granted tons of time on the left side and he continuously drove in cross after cross. WF couldn’t connect. Da Luz relies entirely on his left foot.” & “In the 68th minute, WF had a terrific build-up with multiple players participating to create a quality shot. The ball went from Schilawski to Norman back to Lubahn who left it for a da Luz shot that went off the cross bar.”; against UNCW, “da Luz scored the first goal in the 35th minute. The play started with da Luz crossed the ball across the top of the box, senior forward Zack Schilawski dummied the ball for sophomore forward Chris Estridge at the top of the box. His shot was blocked. Schilawski shot the rebound and it was blocked. Schilawski gathered the rebound and passed it back to da Luz in the box. He used the outside of his favored left foot to hook it into the far post.” & “da Luz is under-appreciated in the college game, but I’m not sure that his skills will translate well into the professional game. He’s an accurate passer that plays smartly. He’s very left-footed.”; in 2007 against Akron, “WF demonstrated depth not only in the back but throughout their line-up. Starting on their bench are Austin da Luz, Jamie Franks, Michael Lahoud, and Cody Arnoux.”
Jamie Darvill	Loyola-MD	F	Yes	Offensive POTY; 1st Team All-MAAC; 2008 Offensive POTY; 2008 1st Team All-MAAC 17/17 GP/GS, 10 G, 9 A, 74 SH, .432 SOG% Bottom Line: dynamic player, terrific shooter and passer, honest player – suffered a late-season hamstring injury; against Fairfield, “Darvill is savvy on the ball. His passing is exemplary. Darvill reminds me of Chris Pontius. Unfortunately, he left the game at the end of the of the first OT period with an apparent leg injury. He almost scored on a powerful free kick that was just over the cross bar near the end of regulation.”; against UMBC, “Darvill was dangerous – both crossing, dribbling, attacking. He just didn’t get enough help. Darvill has to take his fair share of blame, for missing a 1v1.”; in 2008 against Siena, no comment; In 2008 against Quinnipiac, “In the 19th minute, sophomore left back Charlie Hutton served a long pass from the back to junior forward Jamie Darvill who got all of it on the shot for the opening goal.” & “In the 60th minute, Loyola extended the lead to 3-1. Senior central defender Josh Taylor mis-hit a ball sending it high into the air from midfield. Sophomore forward Phil Bannister with pressure on his back turned on Uchoa sending in a cross to a breaking wide-open Darvill in the middle of the box for his second goal of the day.” & “The final score was set-up again by Bannister with less than a minute to play. He was trundled by a Q defender (I believe that it was Soubrier) right outside the box to the angst of the fan-side referee helpers and the fan-side unofficial assistant coaches. Darvill shot around the wall trying to get the game winner and the hat trick. It was blocked by Recklet and landed at freshman forward Mark Jaskolski’s foot and he hit the game winner with 30 seconds remaining.”; in 2008 against Mount St Mary’s, “Bannister is out with a MCL injury. While the initial reports were potentially season-ending, subsequent reports have determined that he might be out for just 2 weeks. This is a crucial absence, because it enabled MSM to man-mark Bannister’s tandem junior Jamie Darvill. This was an effective strategy.” & “Darvill scored in the 5th minute slotting the ball past the GK from 20 yards. As MSM coach Rob Ryerson said, “one mistake resulted in a goal.” In the second half, Darvill was much more successful when he slotted behind the target forward rather than being on his side. Loyola made a more persistent effort to get sophomore AM Eddie Dines overlapping, as well.” & “The other thing that I mentioned was the man-to-man marking on Darvill. Without Bannister playing to punish this action, Darvill didn’t work away from this well enough.”; In 2008 against Campbell, “Darvill stays involved but tends to dribble past rather than receiving the ball behind the defense. In the 75th minute, Dines crossed the ball to Darvill that he hit toward the near post rather than back toward the pass (far post). The header was wide. This should have finished the game.”; in 2007 against Liberty, “Jamie Darvill and Phil Bannister combine trenchantly. Both are equal to feeding the other. Their tendendancy is that they’ll take a long pass from the back and flick it forward to get behind the defenders. Then, the “flicker” will take an overlapping run to provide a option on the ground for the “flickee”.”; in 2007 against Fairfield, “Darvill (from England) scored the first goal in the opening minutes of the second half. Senior right back Janson Blake (from Canada) served in a long cross that Fairfield sophomore goalkeeper, Matt Cleveland, came out to receive but did not punch or catch the ball. Darvill headed the ball in from 6 yards with Cleveland hanging on him.” & “Darvill made a well timed run taking the ball to the corner. He sent the ball back to his midfield support, senior Julian Cantillo, who sent it back to Blake. Blake sent in a curling cross that found freshman Eddie Dines (from England) alone in the box. Dines volleyed the ball over the net from 5 yards. Best sequence for Loyola to that point.”
Justin Davis	New Mexico	D	No	Combine 1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 1st Team All-MPSF 20/19 GP/GS, 7 G, 6 A, 66 SH, .439 SOG% Bottom Line: Haven’t seen in 2 years – but looking forward to seeing in combine; in 2007 against UCSB, “When the ref finally called a foul, he didn’t assert himself by running over to the play, stopping the clock, addressing the NM player. Instead he stood at midfield and watched UCSB Ciaran O’Brien and Chris Pontius accost NM Justin Davis which started the melee. UCSB Jon Curry ran from the far side of the field to jump into the fight. In the scrum, NM Michael Reed punched UCSB Andy Iro who was choking him.”, no other comment; In 2007 against Washington, “Starting Washington sophomore goal keeper, Rylan Hawkins was taken to the hospital after contact to his head by Justin Davis’s boot (earning a yellow on the play). According to a Washington parent, Hawkins suffered a chipped tooth, broken nose and a concussion. I never want to see a kid hurt. Unfortunately, injuries will occur – I didn’t see malice on the play, just poor judgment by a player trying to get to a ball.” & “He is a weapon with a long throw. In the 32nd minute, his dribbling beat Washington defenders – really pretty dribbling. In the 82nd minute, he drove hard into the box, gaining a corner kick on the cross.”
Dustin Dawes	Marshall	M	TV	1st Team All-Conference USA 19 GP, 7 G, 2 A, 38 SH, .474 SOG% Bottom Line: saw only once; In 2008 against PSU, “The central defensive duo of freshman Kyle Sniatecki and junior Dustin Dawes worked well off each other and seem to be jelling.”
Johannes Demarzi	Missouri State	M	No	1st Team All-MVC; 2008 2nd Team All-MVC 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 10 A, 30 SH, .333 SOG%
Randy Dennis	Dayton	D	Yes	20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: After watching Dayton 3 times in the past year, including 2 games against Richmond (in 2009) and St Joe’s (in 2008) that Dennis started, I never recorded anything significant that he did.
Mark DeSantis	Umass	F	No	2008 1st Team All-Atlantic 10 12/10 GP/GS, 4 G, 0 A, 25 SH, .440 SOG% Bottom Line: Hasn’t impressed enough – for a forward inexcusable; In 2008 against Charlotte, no comment; In 2008 against SLU, “By moving Jaramillo to right back, it aids in the attack and transition because of his superlative passes. However, he isn’t a back (at least for now) and was beaten numerous with simple fakes. For example, junior Mark DeSantis did a step-over that put Jaramillo on his heels before DeSantis went by and made a good cross that wasn’t converted.”; In 2008 against William & Mary, no comment; In 2007 against OSU, no comment; In 2007 against UIC, no comment
Giovanni Destasio	Iona	F	No	1st Team All-MAAC 12/12 GP/GS, 10 G, 1 A, 42 SH, .500 SOG%
Anthony DiBiase	Niagara	D	TV	2nd Team All-MAAC; 2008 2nd Team All-MAAC 20 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 20 SH, .200 SOG%
Josh Didion	Cal Poly	D	No	2nd Team All-Big West 20/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG%
Bright Dike	Notre Dame	F	Yes	Combine Big East Attacker OTY; 1st Team Big East; 2008 1st Team Big East 23/13 GP/GS, 11 G, 4 A, 68 SH, .515 SOG% Bottom Line: big strong forward that doesn’t shoot accurately; against SJU, “Dike turns well, but his shots continue to be off target. He negates any goal scoring opportunity if the ball is not on target. Hmmm. D’oh! [note. after reviewing the stats and seeing that he had 6 shots and 3 were on goal, this might seem to be harsh, but his shots on goal were of the meek variety. I stand by my assessment.] I like his thundering shot. His first touch is acceptable.”‘; against Gtown, ” Dike showed better than last year at Indiana and this year on TV. He was surprisingly good in the air, beating tall defender junior Len Coleman. He made a nice touch to flick the ball over the defender. Dike needs to finish his chances. He’s not going to have the opportunities professionally, that they can be squandered. For example, in the 78th minute, he overpowered junior defender Ibu Otegbeye and had the goal keeper at his mercy at the top of the box and pushed the ball wide. Both Dike and senior forward Samba Tamba have poor positional spacing. They are both too self absorbed in what they are doing to be cognizant of what the other is doing.”; against Louisville (tape), scored the 3rd goal with a long run from midfield like he was a running back – much faster than I expected – but his first touch went under the goalie, almost like it was accidental. His assist (for the 4th goal) was a perfect dribble to provide space, before he hit his team mate in the chest on the far post. Came in midway of the second half ; in 2008 against Duke, “Midfielder junior Justin Morrow opened the scoring in the 7th minute from a Jeb Brovsky service that Morrow hit with authority to the far post. Morrow has more speed than I had previous noticed. He had a tremendous first half. MOTM if not for Dike’s 2 goals.” & “Dike scored two goals three minutes apart in the second half that essentially ended the day for Duke. Dike is a stocky, strong player. The first goal was a present from the indecisive Duke GK Trnka-Amrhein who couldn’t decide to come out or stay back. So, he decided to go halfway and was at Dike’s mercy. Dike struck the ball into the far post. In the 51st minute, he scored again by going around freshman Ian Kalis and driving a powerful low shot into the same spot.” In 2008 against Akron, “Dike is a powerful player that lacks a “top gear”. Playing the sole forward role was difficult for him without support from his withdrawn forward or wide midfielders. The ND transition is painfully slow.”
Richy Dorman	Boston University	M	TV	18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom line: competent college DM – not MLS quality; plays deep DM supporting the 3 defenders. Occassionally interchanges with Appiah getting forward; below average speed/quickness, Against BC (tape), Wasn’t able to recover with a man breaking to his box in the first half. Understands the game (e.g., good distribution into the box), uninspiring dribbler. After an accurate Bustamante free kick, he headed the ball wide because he didn’t put the ball back into the direction that it came; against Binghamton (tape), was air dribbled (looked confused), poor balance – slow feet. In the second half, nice hard tackle; In 2006 against Ohio State, Dorman didn’t start, but came on for the last 10 minutes, but no comments on his play;
Dilly Duka	Rutgers	M	TV	GA-Combine 2008 2nd Team All-Best East Bottom Line: skillful player, good passer; I’m not as high on him as others are – but I’d like to see his progress at the combine; in 2008 against Saint John’s, “The most talented player is sophomore withdrawn forward Dilly Duka. He is good on the ball and his passing is very accurate. He created the best opportunity crossing in a deep ball to senior midfielder Kevin McFadden’s head. But his header was wide off the side netting.”; in 2008 against UCSB, “MOTM was sophomore midfielder Dilly Duka – he was the key difference maker. He scored the first 2 goals. In the 49th minute, Duka skipped a shot off the wet surface from 20 yards into the lower left side of the goal. The second goal was from a set piece. Senior Kevin McFadden midfielder touched the ball to Duka. Duka took a mighty swing and hit the ball while his plant foot was slipping and the ball squeezed into the near post from 25 yards. It was an odd goal. It tied up the game at the time in the 75th minute. The third goal was scored less than 2 minutes later from another set piece. It started with Duka being fouled 25 yards from goal on the other post from the previous set piece that ended with the second goal. In this set piece sophomore Aly Mazhar struck another skipping low ball that UCSB GK freshman Trond Helge Takset couldn’t handle cleanly giving up a rebound that freshman Gaetano Panuccio was able to touch in from 5 yards for the game winner.” & “3 goals all off set pieces after wasting their 1st half set pieces. Duka is better at the set pieces than McFadden.”; in 2007 against ND, didn’t see much of the ball, because ND dominated both the game and possession. showed his quick feet to bump the ball to a team mate on the first touch. On the second goal, poor defense allowed Miller to get into the box with an open shot that Miller buried. Casual on defense allowed a corner kick. he showed that he has good potential on the ball – needs to be involved on the ball more ;; in 2008, 17/17 GP/GS, 8 G, 1 A, 51 SH, .490 SOG%
Bill Dworsky	UNC	F	Yes	9/0 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, 1.000 SOG% Bottom Line: after accolades coming into UNC, he’s been spotted only more than someone on witness protection. I hope that he got a good UNC education, because I don’t think that he has a professional career; in 2008 against UCLA, “According to UNC coach Elmer Bolowich junior Bill Dworsky is being held out by the medical staff due to an “unspecified injury”. He’s day-to-day. He has warmed up the last two matches, but has not participated. Bolowich expects that he’ll play this year.”; in 2007 against WF, “Senior defender Julian Valentin gave sophomore forward Bill Dworsky too much space right outside of his penalty area. I wonder if he wanted to ensure that Dworsky (who is slow) not to get by him. This could be problematic.”; in 2007 against Duke, “Dworsky stole a pass creating a quick transition into the Duke penalty area to Scott Campbell. Campbell drew the Duke defenders to him and squared the ball to an open Michael Callahan who finished from 6 yards into the open net.”; in 2007 against UVA, “Brian Shriver was active and tried to create opportunities. However, he was up top by himself and without sufficient support. No idea, why UNC leading goal scorer Bill Dworsky did not start. He came in with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.”; in 2007 against Akron, “Dworsky scored 2 goals. The first was a typical goal for Dworsky. Using his strength, he held off the defender, turned and shot with accuracy into the upper 90 with 22 minutes remaining in the first half. In the beginning of the second half, he received a through ball that he slotted into the goal for the final tally of the evening. As I mentioned from the Friday game, Dworsky has lost weight. But it hasn’t helped his speed. Plodding is the most accurate way to describe his pace. I can’t see that he will be able to go to the next level without significant improvement in this deficiency. I really like his game, though. He passes well, he can shoot, he understands the game. It’s just painful to watch him chase down a ball.”; in 2007 against Bradley, “Dworsky looks like he’s shed some weight and looks very trim compared to last year. This should help his productivity. He had some good touches; he frequently involves his team mates, but the real issue is can he beat people on the dribble and can he create his own shot. I don’t think he will and this may hamper his progress at the next level. Zach Loyd got the goal on some brilliant combination play with Dworsky and Scott Campbell.”
Greg Eckhardt	Clemson	D	Yes	9/9 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall defender, but not a very good defender; Against VT, “The senior center backs David Newton and Greg Eckhardt are tall defenders who win more than their share of balls in the air. Though the defense has problems working the ball out of the back from their defenders especially freshman right back Josh Shutter and Eckhardt.” In 2008 against BC, no comment; In 2008 against WF, no comment; In 2007 against MD, Bottom Line: average goal keeper with a poorly organized defense in front of him.; Against VT, “I think that there are better goal keeping options in the pro ranks than senior Joseph Bendik. I don’t see Clemson often, so I’ll be interested to see how he does against WF.” In Spring of 2009, against UNCW and Charleston, “Bendik is solid in the goal. He’s a good shot blocker.”; In 2008 against BC, no comment; In 2007 against WF, no comment; In 2007 against MD, “He didn’t close on King – he went backward giving Yates more space. Clemson defenders Greg Eckhardt (too far away) and David Newton (too slow) didn’t close on King either.” & “Greg Eckhardt scored the first Clemson goal. He found space – I’m not really sure who was supposed to be covering him, but no one did – and made an accurate shot with his head. Goal.”
Richard Edgar	George Mason	D	Yes	2nd Team All-Colonial; 2008 2nd Team All-Colonial; 2007 3rd Team All-Colonial 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 15 SH, .267 SOG% Bottom Line: Solid defender that doesn’t make many mistakes. Helped his PDL team to reach the final. He’s worth a shot; Against AU, no comment;in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), got forward out of his central midfield position, good crossing, hard tackling. needs to protect the ball better to maintain possession.; in 2008 against MD, “Edgar and Hugh Fike did well to keep the game as close as it was.”; In 2008 against Northeastern, no comment; In 2008 against Towson, “Fike served in the free kick, with junior center back Richard Edgar diving at the ball but missing – it froze the Towson defense – allowing senoir DM Tyler Orzak to dive from the far post side and hit the ball to the near post side netting in the 2nd minute.” & “Edgar is a physical defender. He makes good decisions. He was a force in the air against taller players.”; in 2008 against VCU, no comment; In 2008 against Richmond, no comment; in 2008 against Gtown (exhib), no comment;
Phil Edginton	Louisville	D	Yes	Combine 3rd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; Big East Co-Defender OTY; 1st Team Big East; 2007 3rd Team Big East 20/20 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 13 SH, .231 SOG% Bottom Line: Solid defender – international, questionable MLS speed – but need to evaluate at combine; against Villanova, “Senior central defender Phil Edginton is good in the air. He didn’t need to get forward much.”; against UIC (tape), comes back quickly to cover for his defense – doesn’t step up quickly to mark 1v1 ; against ND (tape), on the 3rd goal Dike blazed past Edgington and Dike didn’t see him again until after he celebrated his 50 yard romp with the student section. Worse even, on the 2nd goal, Edge drifted back too far keeping the goal scorer on side and he was drifting to cover the wide attacker (where was his RB?) ;
Julien Edwards	Drake	D	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 23/23 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 10 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall, athletic defender unable to control his emotions against UNC; against UNC, no comment
Simon Ejdemyr	New Mexico	D	No	1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 1st Team All-MPSF; 2007 1st Team All-MPSF 20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 18 SH, .667 SOG% Bottom Line: Big guy and powerful in the air; In 2007 against UCSB, no comment; In 2007 against Washington, “RS freshman Stephen Fung replaced injured goal keeper Rylan Hawkins. He did all right. But he did have a punt that was too low, NM sophomore defender Simon Ejdemyr shot it back from a full volley from his side of midfield. If the shot was on target, it would have been a goal. Alas, it was just off line.”
Nick Elenz – Martin	Brown	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Ivy; 2008 2nd Team All-Ivy; 2007 1st Team All-Ivy 19/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 4 A, 24 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: competent college play with not much more ceiling; Against Columbia, “In the 95th minute, senior midfielder Nick Elenz-Martin scored the game winner after 3 Brown shots were blocked by a mass of humanity patrolling the goal line.”; in 2008 against Penn, “Brown’s passing is simply dreadful. If not for some entertaining relatives of Brown’s midfielder Nick Elenz-Martin, I may have poked my eyes out with my pen (or at least left at HT). It was a miserable game.”; in 2007 against Rutgers, no comment
Matt Elliott	UNC Greensboro	D	No	2nd Team All-Southern 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: non-memorable; in 2007 against Clemson, no comment; in spring 2007 against South Carolina, no comment; in 2007 against Furman, no comment; in 2006 against VCU, DNP
Logan Emory	Portland	D	Yes	Honorable Mention All-WCC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-WCC 22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 6 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: acceptable defender that reads the game well, but is challenged in 1v1 defense; against UVA, “In the 87th minute, sophomore forward Brian Ownby held off senior defender Logan Emory near the sideline to get by him. Emory tracked back and tried bodying Ownby off the ball. Ownby cut the ball and lost Emory while tracking into the box. Ownby crushed a shot that was only stopped by a fantastic save from junior goal keeper Austin Guerrero.” & “While I expected that the UVA speed would cause problems for the Portland defense – which happened when UVA attacked. In the first half, Emory was closing down many of the UVA attacks. He stills plays too much with his hands rather than his feet for my liking.”; against NC State, “Emory uses his arms to fend off forwards and to off-balance them.”
Travis English	Bradley	D	TV	2nd Team All-MVC; 2008 2nd Team All-MVC 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .286 SOG% Bottom Line: Solid defender, has to over-come the death of his room mate early in his career – handled it like a professional and level-headed; In 2007 against MD, “English is a tough well balanced defender.”; in 2007 against WF, “English made a brilliant tackle with 10 minutes left in the game.”; in 2007 against UNC, “Bradley plays an interesting two sweeper alignment with the other 2 defenders marking man-to-man with the midfielders picking up the UNC midfielders. With insufficient defensive coverage, Travis English will mark man-to-man.”; in 2007 against Belmont, “English is calm on the ball. He is interesting. I need to watch him, too!”
David Estrada	UCLA	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Pac10; 2008 Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2007 Honorable Mention Pac 10 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 7 A, 33 SH, .394 SOG% Bottom Line: after a break-out freshman year, never able to reach that same level, quick dribbler, lots of question marks; against Gtown, “Senior right midfielder David Estrada was exceptional. He was willing to beat defenders on the dribble or distribute the ball to open team mates.”; in 2008 against UNC, “Estrada is a mere shadow of himself. While he was critical for driving UCLA to the 2006 championship game, he has not recaptured his previous form. In this game, his touch was atrocious. Even his dribbling that was so electric in his freshman year, is average at best.”; in 2007 against ND, “UCLA is missing 2006 freshmen of the year, David Estrada with a broken foot but is starting another freshmen, Kyle McAthy”;
Luke Exley	Charlotte	M	Yes	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 20/20 GP/GS, 5 G, 6 A, 30 SH, .167 S% Against Temple, “The first [Temple] goal was scored 48 seconds after Charlotte scored the opening tally. The play was created by a sloppy square ball from senior midfielder Luke Exley near midfield. ” & “The misplay by Exley was his second time that he gave up the ball near midfield in the first 12 minutes. He settled down after that.”. Against Saint Joseph’s, “Smith got the ball up to senior midfielder Luke Exley who curled a ball over and around the back line to Jennings. Jennings took a calming touch before putting it past the on-coming goal keeper.” & “Exley provides good accurate free kicks.”. In spring 2009 at Manchester cup, “Much of the attack comes through midfielder Luke Exley. He spreads the ball around to his swift counterparts. “. In 2008 against UMass, “Junior central midfielder Luke Exley is a hard tackler and is the linchpin for the attack. He’s a pretty good player, but his tackling can be ill-timed.”. In 2008 against MD, “Junior midfielder Luke Exley has good ball skills.”
Andrew Feld	San Diego	F	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-WCC 19/16 GP/GS, 6 G, 2 A, 42 SH, .452 SOG%
Nathan Feltz	DePaul	D	No	20 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 14 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line: haven’t seen recently enough to assess his recent game, but I’m skeptical that he’ll make a MLS team; in 2008 against Uconn, “Junior right back Nathan Feltz gets forward often. He has an amazing work rate. He spent a lot of the first half straddling the end line – UConn’s not his own!”; in 2008 against Gtown, “Feltz was able to beat Ebrahimnejad around the corner and served a low hard cross, but no one was supporting the run. The most attractive series resulted in Feltz dummying the ball to junior Steffen Vroom who sent the ball back to the on-rushing Feltz. Feltz’s cross was cleared by Gtown junior center back Len Coleman. Chivas does this same sequence.” & “Larrabee (who I justifiably trashed for his play on Friday) created the chance by pressuring Feltz in the corner and winning the ball. Larrabee sent the ball back to Ebrahimnejad who crossed the ball into the Depaul box. Depaul didn’t clear the ball well and it bounced to an open and waiting C’deBaca who hit the ball off the cross bar into the back of the goal.”
Michael Ferguson	Loyola-Ill	F	Yes	2nd Team All-Horizon; 2007 3rd Team CSN AA; 2007 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 2007 1st Team All-Horizon 16 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 56 SH, .411 SOG% Bottom Line: peaked in his sophomore year, didn’t perform to that level after that, very fast, quick; against MD, “”I’m not feeling well. I would have stayed home, but I really wanted to see Michael Ferguson. So, the bulk of this post will be strictly on him.”" & “” Ferguson was a 2007 3rd team All-American. Last season, I watched the diminutive Ferguson score a goal against Santa Clara over NYRB draft pick Ogunbiyi. But Ferguson battled injuries for much of the year and wasn’t as productive. Unfortunately, his scoring woes continue into this year. He’s only scored a single goal with over half of the season completed. While Ferguson started up top at the beginning of the game, by the end of the the first half, he was playing AM. Loyola didn’t get the ball to Ferguson enough. However, Ferguson doesn’t demand the ball enough and doesn’t show enough either. He’s good on the ball and he is willing to quickly distribute to the open man. His best asset is his quickness. He is quite small, but is deceptively strong.”" & “”Ferguson took a 4 minute break in the second half before going up top to try and get the equalizer. He’s quite dangerous when he times his runs on through ball. He had an opportunity, but wound up getting his legs tangled with freshman defender Ethan White. Ferguson has potential, but has not demonstrated the productivity that he had as a sophomore. He has talent, but I’m not sold that he’s a can’t miss. He’ll need to demonstrate his skill at the combine.”"; In 2008 against Butler, “”Ferguson is recovering from a hamstring injury and didn’t play on a such a cold day. That was a disappointment for me.”"; In 2008 against Santa Clara, “”One of the reasons that I came to this game is to see All-American candidate junior Michael Ferguson play against a top notch team. My assessment is incomplete. While he certainly has skill, I’m not sold that he’s a can’t miss MLS prospect. He re-acts. He needs to anticipate better and make those runs. On the first goal, he one-timed a low corner kick from Keum Sung Kim. The goal was created by Jordan Lewis picking Ferguson’s marker – Jide Ogunbiyi. Ogunbiyi didn’t fight through the pick and no one from SC supported him either. Eitz said this was not a set piece and that Lewis improvised this – kudos to the freshman defender.”"
Akira Fitzgerald	Wake Forest	GK	Yes	24 GP, .720 GAA, 17 GA, 85 S, .833 S% Bottom Line: undersized goal keeper who has gained a valuable WF education – and should plan on using it; against UVA, “Opara plays strong and is a quick player, but on the winning goal, he needs to do better and stop Ownby from getting the shot off. Fitzgerald didn’t help change my mind after this goal. Coming out – essentially eliminated himself from the play.”; against UNCW, “UNCW got a late goal in the 86th minute from sophomore forward Shawn Guderian (his name seems familiar – perhaps from the Manchester Cup). He flicked the ball up to beat his last defender and slotted the ball past goal keeper senior Akira Fitzgerald. Junior Daniel Roberts got the ball forward to earn the assist.”; against MD, “I don’t think that Akira Fitzgerald is a quality GK. He doesn’t move well. I question his ability to cover high balls – for example, Herrick out-jumped Fitzgerald – Herrick is not that tall.”; in 2008 against NC State, “He makes too many mistakes. Same opinion on WF GK Akira Fitzgerald.”; in 2008 against South Carolina, “MacVane took a balancing touch moving the ball into the box and space and shot low and hard. But, the shot was right at the WF GK Akira Fitzgerald who gathered up the shot without moving his feet. This was the lone shot for SC in the first half. Yes, this is true. 1 shot
Brandon Fleak	Wright State	F	No	2nd Team All-Horizon; 2008 1st Team All-Horizon 17 GP, 8 G, 1 A, 46 SH, .500 SOG%
Ben Funkhouser	Gonzaga	M	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 2nd Team All-WCC 18/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 34 SH, .382 SOG%
Mauro Fuzetti	Michigan	F	TV	Combine 1st Team Big 10; 2008 1st Team Big 10 17/17 GP/GS, 8 G, 3 A, 68 SH, .456 SOG% Bottom Line: short, quick, holds ball well with back to goal; Against Michigan (on tape), beautiful turn move that eventually led to the winning goal in 2OT, not impressed with his offensive spacing and his pressure on the ball at midfield (too passive); Against OSU (tape), played wide midfield with goggles to protect a scar on his eye lid; active throughout – 1st touch was golden,taking the ball out of the air softly. quickness, stymied by OSU Magill ;In 2007 against Ohio State, “Sophomore midfielder Mauro Fuzetti had a nice shot that was just off target.”
Irving Garcia	UC Irvine	F	No	Combine 2nd Team CSN AA; 3rd Team NSCAA AA; Big West Offensive POTY; 1st Team All-Big West; 2008 1st Team All-Big West; 2007 1st Team NSCAA Juco AA; 22/22 GP/GS, 8 G, 9 A, 42 SH, .476 SOG% Bottom Line: tiny AM/fwd; transferred from Yavabi CC in 2008; continues to dominate at every level. Combine is going to be key for his draft position;
Boris Gatzky	Butler	F	No	1st Team All-Horizon; 2008 2nd Team All-Horizon; 2007 2nd Team All-Horizon 19/19 GP/GS, 7 G, 7 A, 67 SH, .507 SOG%
Blair Gavin	Akron	M	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team All-Mac; 2008 1st Team All-Mac Bottom Line: key contributor to the best team in 2009, smart, good passing, tackling is superb; downgrading from A- to B+; Against UVA, “Akron’s best penalty taker (and the assigned PK taker in the regular season), Blair Gavin shot the ball over the cross bar and Akron lost the national championship.” & “Gavin and sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie pressured senior forward Jordan Evans in the 88th minute to get a corner kick. Gavin is sure and confident on the ball providing the escape valve to release pressure. He is going to be good. ” & “[Villanueva] confounded Gavin with a pass behind him to Tchani.”; against UNC, “Gavin is the engine. I like the way he plays. He is the conduit between the defense forward to Ampaipitakwong or over the top to the streaking forwards.”; against Tulsa, “In the 17th minute, sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie scored the game winner from a scintillating pass from junior midfielder Blair Gavin. The play started with senior midfielder Ben Zemanski stealing an errant pass and touching it to Gavin just on his defensive half. Gavin sliced a low hard pass right to the foot of the breaking Sarkodie just outside of the box. He took a balancing touch before burying it past the helpless goal keeper. Gavin didn’t play as well as I’ve seen him play before. Many of his passes were off-target – of course, not the goal scoring assist. He is nearly impossible to knock off the ball.”; Against VT, “The second goal was scored in the 80th minute from a penalty kick by sophomore midfielder Gavin Blair. Blair started the play that led to the PK. He sent in a forty yard pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe just outside the box. Nagbe used his speed to get past freshman central defender David Fiorello. With Nagbe bearing down 1v1 against the goal keeper close to the penalty spot, Fiorello reached around Nagbe’s shoulder and Nagbe went down easily. The ref had no option.”; Against SLU, “The linch-pin for the Akron team is a guy who won’t show up on the stat sheet, but thoroughly impressed me with his play this week-end. I can’t wait to see him play again in a couple of weeks. His name is junior DM Blair Gavin. Unjustly, he wasn’t even named to the tournament team. Really? It’s a travesty. I didn’t get a vote. Seriously, go out and watch this guy. If you’re not impressed, ask Caleb Porter for your money back. He’ll tell you no, but you can ask anyway. Blair Gavin is going to be a successful pro. Gavin learned a valuable lesson about being precise with his touch. Midway through the second half, with the game well in hand, Gavin made a hard touch giving up sure possession for a 50/50 ball, the SLU defender went in hard (but legally). Gavin was able to maintain possession, but his shin paid the price. Learning is a painful process, a better first touch doesn’t hurt as much!”; against IU, “Gavin has superior technical skills. His passing is precise and his ability to make space is key. I like that he’s willing to do the little things to help Akron succeed. If Akron wins the national championship, I expect that he’ll be in MLS next year.”; in 2008 against IU, “Gavin makes accurate passes. He was stymied from an assist by top-notch defending by Ofori Sarkodie on Zakuani.”; in 2008 against ND, “Akron’s best shot in the first half came from Blair Gavin from a corner kick rebound that fell to him outside of the box that he hooked to the upper corner – hitting the crossbar and post.”; in 2007 against UNC, “Gavin got himself tossed from the game because he didn’t play smartly. Gavin picked up a yellow in the first half. Then, 2 minutes into the second half, he changed the game by making an ill-advised tackle and getting his second yellow. Dumb. Freshman dumb. He needs to do better than that.”; ; 25/25 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 36 SH, .139 S%
Adam Gazda	Lehigh	M	Yes	1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 1st Team All-Patriot 18/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 7 A, 48 SH, .438 SOG% Bottom Line: successful college player being the conduit – doubtful propositions – good passer; against PSU, “Gazda is a spark-plug in the middle, providing the best attacking initiation on the Lehigh team.” ; against Stanford, “The winning goal came off a corner kick by sophomore left midfielder Neal Melchionni in the 73rd minute. However the corner was earned because Moore came out again and didn’t handle ball that he should have held onto. Melchionni served in a perfect ball to a wide open senior center defender Adam Welch who headed the ball down from 6 yards that Moore blocked let the ball rebound into the center of the goal area that senior midfielder Adam Gazda buried low and hard.”; in 2008 against MD, no comment; in 2007 against AU, DNP; in 2007 against MD, DNP
Eric Gehrig	Loyola-Ill	M	Yes	1st Team All-Horizon; 2008 1st Team All-Horizon; 2007 1st Team All-Horizon 16 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 46 SH, .239 SOG% Bottom Line: aggressive defensive midfielder with desire and adequate passing skills; against MD, wasn’t really noting his play, but I recall that he was fighting all night long for the ball; In 2008 against Butler, “Gehrig was making critical defensive toe pokes to prevent goal scoring opportunities.”; in 2008 against Santa Clara, “Gehrig plays the destroyer. While he understands the game, clock management and “gamesmanship”, his skills are average at best and he doesn’t have the necessary closing speed for the next level. He should enjoy his collegiate experience.”
Collin Geoghegan	Stony Brook	D	Yes	2nd Team All-America East 20/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 6 SH, .167 SOG% Bottom Line: didn’t make an impression on the 1 game that I watched; against UMBC, no comment
Brian Germain	Longwood	M	No	1st Team All-ASC 20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 6 A, 28 SH, .464 SOG%
Griffin Gilstrap	Stetson	F	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic Sun 20/20 GP/GS, 11 G, 4 A, 42 SH, .571 SOG% Bottom Line: can score, but I’m unsure that he’s a MLS quality forward; against Alabama A&M, no comment; against Charleston, “Stetson opened the scoring in the 16th minute from a goal by senior forward Griffin Gilstrap. The play started on the Stetson side of the half, when junior right back Ryan Corning battled senior midfielder Steven Nagy for the ball. Corning won and fed the ball centrally to senior forward Kevin Munz in the middle. With a nifty touch by Munz, he opened the field and fed the ball over the top to Gilstrap onto the goalie 1v1. Gilstrap finished.”
Flynn Glover	Richmond	M	Yes	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line: Run, don’t walk from this guy. Against Dayton, “Senior DM Fynn Glover distributes the ball well, but seems to be a headcase. At any moment, totally losing his mind and getting his head out of the game. Next year, Richmond may be better without him.”. In 2008 against George Mason, “The first goal was scored in the first minute (actually scored 23 seconds into the game) by freshman Axel Levry. His shirt was being tugged by Flynn Glover for 10 yards before Glover released him to score the goal with a toe poke at the top of the box from a long entry pass by sophomore Anthony Han.”
Kevin Gluchowski	Adelphi	D	No	2nd Team All-ASC 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 13 SH, .538 SOG%
Javier Gonzalez	Saint Fran (NY)	D	No	2nd Team All-NEC 18/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 16 SH, .438 SOG%
Luke Gorczyca	Drake	F	Yes	1st Team All-MVC; 2008 2nd Team All-MVC 25/25 GP/GS, 7 G, 2 A, 32 SH, .344 SOG% Bottom Line: tall forward works well off Webb; against UNC, no comment
James Graf	Lehigh	D	Yes	2nd Team All-Patriot; 2008 2nd Team All-Patriot 12/12 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 9 SH, .556 SOG% Bottom Line: not nearly good enough; against PSU, no comment; against Stanford, no comment; in 2008 against MD, “Sophomore James Graf was having a much harder time mark the speedy and elusive MD attackers.”; in 2007 against AU, no comment; in 2007 against MD, no comment
Tim Grey	San Diego	D	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-WCC 15/14 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG%
Jase Griffiths	Kentucky	M	No	1st Team All-Conference USA; 2008 1st Team All-Conference USA 18/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 25 SH, .440 SOG% Bottom Line: aggressive tackler – but not notable in the 4 times that I’ve seen him in the spring ; in spring of 2009 against UNCW/Furman, no comment; in 2008 against UCSB (tape), good on the ball – impressed with ability in tight spaces. Head up quickly on receiving passes; in 2008 against Tulsa (tape), consistent in the middle, not as many touches. PK stopped in OT – power on target, Lacey stopped ; in 2008 against KY (tape), calming influence in the middle of the field. good on the ball. very quiet effective player. I’m sure that he’ll be over-looked by the MLS brains; in spring of 2008 against Charleston/Furman, no comment
Brian Grimm	Harvard	M	No	2nd Team All-Ivy 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 3 A, 30 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: not particularly rememorable; In 2007 against Columbia, “Junior Brian Grimm is composed on the ball and is a key to transitioning from defense to offense with his passes.”
Adam Gross	Charlotte	M	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 20/20 GP/GS, 9 G, 6 A, 52 SH, .173 S% Against Temple, “I was praising senior midfielder Adam Gross after the last game. Today, he wasn’t moving. I wonder if he is coming down with the flu. He’s very right footed. In the 20th minute, he made a good move to provide a cross that Cuero tipped over to James that was finished – but it was disallowed because one of them was off-side. The AR had a much better look than I did.” Against Saint Joseph’s, “Senior midfielder Adam Gross is very good on the ball. He moves well and reads the game well. Don’t be surprised if he is playing professionally next year. His game is more subtle, but I think that he has a chance.” In spring of 2009 in Manchester Cup, “Right midfielder Adam Gross serves a nice cross.”
Ivan Guarin	Hartford	M	No	1st Team All-America East; 2008 1st Team All-America East 18/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 68 SH, .397 SOG%
Two-Boys Gumede	UAB	M	No	Combine 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Conference USA; 2008 1st Team All-Conference USA 18/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 34 SH, .382 SOG% Bottom Line: one of the players that I’m most looking to assess at the combine; changing grade based upon being a MF
Joel Gustafsson	St. John’s	D	Yes	2nd Team Big East; 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 Big East Defender OTY; 2008 1st Team Big East 20/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: Solid defender, surprised that he won’t be at the combine; against ND, “Senior defender Joel Gustafsson is a tremendous defender especially in the air. I like the way he steps up to win balls before the attacker can even receive the ball.”; In 2007 against VT, no comment
Juan Guzman	Liberty	M	No	18/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 4 A, 18 SH, .056 S% Bottom Line: Not good chances from my limited times watching him play; In 2008 against High Point, no comment; In 2007 against Loyola (MD), “Senior forward Justin Willoughby started the second half with a header that was just over the cross bar in the 48th minute. The service came from 35 yards from sophomore midfielder Juan Guzman. If the shot was on target, the game may have been different. Guzman was key in providing service on many of the most dangerous Liberty opportunities. For example, in the 52nd minute, Guzman passed to senior forward Adrian Bumbut who laid it off to senior right midfield Brandon Patterson. His shot was stopped by Kocic.”; in 2007 against UNCA, no comment;
Brooks Haggerty	UNC	GK	Yes	Combine 19/19 GP/GS, .55 GAA, 11 GA, 54 S, .831 S% Bottom Line: above average goal keeper that might have a shot with the right club, but I expect to see him in USL; against Akron, “Haggerty was successful in stopping many of the break-away chances. He did have a harrowing moment in the second half but was able to recover.” & “Ampaipitakwong had the best chance with a 20 yard free kick that Haggerty was able to push wide for a corner kick – “Aim it like Ampai”. “; against NC St, “Haggerty was having difficulty in the [rainy/windy] conditions.”; in 2008, “After last weeks loss to MD, UNC coach Elmar Bolowich switched goal keepers from his normal starter senior Jacob Wescoe (16 starts) to junior Brooks Haggerty (2 starts – Liberty & BC).”
Frederick Hall	Quinipiac	GK	No	Combine 1st Team All-NEC; 2007 2nd Team All-NEC 20/20 GP/GS, .750 GAA, 16 GA, 121 S, .844 S% Bottom Line: Quick athletic goal keeper with poor positioning and mechanics; in 2008 against Loyola (MD), “Last year, junior goal keeper Freddy Hall was impressive and his stats were exemplary. However, against Loyola his poor positioning was exposed as a liability. He sits back too far hoping to use his superior athleticism to stop shots. As he faces better players, this will be insufficient, because these players will be able to put the ball where Hall can’t get the ball.” & “The fourth goal was started by Steven Bantock with a long pass into the corner to Bannister. Q’s Ryan Smith momentarily stole the ball before Bannister stole it back. From a sharp angle, Bannister got on the scoreboard slotting the ball into the goal with Q GK Freddy Hall doing his best traffic cone impression.” & “Leitch had a terrific dribble splitting Rothbart and Silva to gain entry into the box and but for a terrific save by Hall a goal was inevitable.”; in 2007 against Mount St Mary’s, “If not for a heroic effort by sophomore goal keeper, Freddy Hall (Bermuda), Q would have yielded several more goals. Hall made 13 saves. On a wet day, he caught the ball better than expected.”
Ryan Handbury	Dayton	D	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 8 A, 9 SH, .556 SOG% Bottom Line: Solid defender, with good foot skills. Possible; Against Richmond, “Senior defender Ryan Handbury was able to trap a long ball over his shoulder very softly. Very nice bit of skill.”; in 2008 against St Joe’s, no comment; in 2008 against Fordham, no comment;
Ben Harms	Princeton	F	Yes	2nd Team All-Ivy 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 46 SH, .522 SOG% Bottom Line: average skill skeptical ; against Bucknell, “In the 35th minute, junior midfielder Tim Sedwitz passed the ball to senior forward Ben Harms who with a nifty first touch eluded the first defender before beating the second defender with a good second touch. He took over the match in the second half with his dribbling and passing. At this point, I don’t think, he’s MLS quality, but I’d like to see him at the combine.”; in 2008 against Monmouth, “Junior right midfielder Ben Harms doesn’t have the fitness level to play right midfielder. He cost his team in the first half on a good cross because he wasn’t on the far post.” (note. didn’t have the same impression in 2009);
Rylan Hawkins	Washington	GK	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10 18/18 GP/GS, .970 GAA, 19 GA, 73 S, .793 S% Bottom Line: Played in 2009 after suffering a tragic injury in 2007 – I’d take a pass ; In 2008 against Charleston, DNP ; In 2007 against SMU, DNP; “Washington coach Dean Wurzberger said, “injured goalkeeper [Rylan Hawkin's] prognosis doesn’t look good. The specialist will see him on Monday. However, it’s very possible that he’ll need facial reconstruction. It is a possible season-ending injury.” This is disappointing.”; In 2007 against NM, “After Washington scored in the second half, they had to endure a furious attack by NM. Starting Washington sophomore goal keeper, Rylan Hawkins was taken to the hospital after contact to his head by Justin Davis’s boot (earning a yellow on the play). According to a Washington parent, Hawkins suffered a chipped tooth, broken nose and a concussion. I never want to see a kid hurt. Unfortunately, injuries will occur – I didn’t see malice on the play, just poor judgment by a player trying to get to a ball. If the injuries are accurate as stated, I don’t think Hawkins will be back for this tournament, probably longer.”
Martin Hedevag	UCSB	D	Yes	Combine Defensive POTY; 1st Team All-Big West 24/22 GP/GS, 4 G, 3 A, 14 SH, .571 SOG% Bottom Line: hard hitter on defense with the ability to play forward (in college); against WV, “The second goal was scored by senior forward/midfielder David Walker in the 65th minute. Minutes before the goal was scored, senior midfielder Martin Hedevag suffered a leg injury sufficient enough apparently requiring a sub. Hedevag stayed in (getting undue credit for the assist). Hedevag started the play providing the entry ball. But, Silva got the ball after it hit other players to Walker at the top of the box. Walker struck a powerful shot in traffic that hit the cross bar and went in.”; in 2008 against Rutgers, “Edwards picked up the free kick because he was making a dangerous run requiring UCSB forward Hedevag to foul him preventing him from getting into the box.” & “Pontius delivered an accurate cross to Martin Hedevag’s head that went just wide in the 5th minute. The first goal was scored by senior DM Alfonso Motagalvan 6 yards from goal from a pass from Hedevag.” & “The second goal was scored by freshman midfielder Danny Barrera. It started when Barrera stole the ball 40 yards from goal. He combined with Pointus and then over to Hedevag who crossed the ball to the middle. Barrera hit a side volley that went over the Rutger’s GK, Amir Haghshenas, and hit the cross bar before landing into the goal. Nice, very nice.”; In 2008 against KY (tape), came on late in the first half to have his shot blocked – not much other than that
Gerard Hefferon	Gardner-Webb	F	No	1st Team All-Big South 17 GP, 10 G, 8 A, 58 SH, .672 SOG%
Cameron Hepple	Bowling Green	M	No	2nd Team All-MAC 12/12 GP/GS, 10 G, 1 A, 43 SH, .512 SOG% Bottom Line: didn’t start the one time that I watched Bowling Green – not likely; In 2008 against Furman, no comment
John David Hernandez	UMKC	D	No	1st Team All-Summit 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 3 SH, .667 SOG%
Zachery Herold	U17	D	TV	GA-Combine Bottom Line: Adequate defensive prospect, good athlete ; after reviewing the tape of the U17 tournament (Spain, Malawi, UAE), he is a project. His defensive positioning, tackling leaves much to be desired. His passing is acceptable. I came away unimpressed. Against UAE quick technical forwards, he had problems early dealing with the speed.;
Mitch Hildebrandt	Oakland	GK	No	Summit Defensive POTY; 1st Team All-Summit 17/17 GP/GS, .730 GAA, 13 GA, 94 S, .879 S% Bottom Line: didn’t become starter until 2009, most recent saw Oakland was in 2008
Craig Hill	SMU	GK	TV	14 GP, 1.44 GAA, 20 GA, 37 S, .649 S% Bottom Line: Pass; in 2008 against KY (tape),good dive to stop initial shot, but gave up a rebound that cost his team a goal. Not to blame on the 2nd goal (Da Silva raises hand), better than average goal kicks. ; in 2007 against Washington, no comment; in 2007 against UCSB, no comment
Adam Himeno	St. John’s	M	Yes	13/12 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 32 SH, .438 SOG% Bottom Line: injury prone; in 2008 against Uconn, “Himeno is out for a month because of a broken bone in his foot.”; in 2007 against VT, no comment;
Robert Hodge	Stetson	D	Yes	Atlantic Sun Defender OTY; 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2008 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2007 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 3 A, 8 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: I don’t have high hopes for a defender from the Atlantic Sun – he didn’t seem exceptional; against Alabama A&M, no comment; against Charleston, “With the score tied, Stetson let in the apparent game winner with less than 2 minutes remaining in regulation. Stetson was able to get their fourth goal with 50 seconds remaining. Mujica sent in a 40 yard free kick that the goal keeper didn’t hold (or should have punched) and the ball wound up at senior defender Robert Hodge’s foot from 4 yards. OT. In the 2nd OT period, Hodge sent in a quality cross, but Charleston wound up knocking it in to suffer the loss.”
Matthew Hollyoak	UNF	D	No	1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2007 2nd Team All-Atlantic Sun 17 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 20 SH, .500 SOG%
Taylor Hoss	Washington	D	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 Honorable Mention Pac 10 16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: probably not a prospect; In 2008 against Charleston, no comment ; In 2007 against SMU,”Taylor Hoss had a good game consistently clearing high balls in his penalty area. Taylor Mueller complimented Hoss – clearing the high balls that Hoss didn’t.” ; In 2007 against NM, no comment
Andrew Hoxie	William & Mary	F	No	Combine 3rd Team NSCAA AA; Colonial POTY; 1st Team All-Colonial; 2008 2nd Team All-Colonial 19/12 GP/GS, 10 G, 12 A, 67 SH, .478 SOG% Bottom Line: huge forward with very soft feet that don’t move rapidly; against Winthrop, “The first goal was scored in 34 seconds. Price Thomas drove the ball down the left wing crossing toward WM target forward junior Andrew Hoxie. The cross was blocked but was not cleared. Sophomore Nathanial Baako shot the loose ball from the top of the box, but it was blocked by Ben Kieffner. The rebound fell to Hoxie and he shot the ball from 15 yards in the middle of the box. The second goal was scored by Hoxie, as well. Sophomore Alan Koger went around senior left back Henry Kalungi before delivering a through ball to Hoxie with Cameron Alksnis on his back. Hoxie buried the open shot.” & “Hoxie isn’t fast but seems to get in good positions. His shot is hard and accurate.”; in 2008 against UMass, “I was surprised that target forward Andrew Hoxie did not return after leaving the game in the 65th minute. Hoxie had a shot after beating Thomson in the 5th minute, but the shot was wide. He didn’t get many more good goal scoring opportunities.”;
Thomas Hunter	Wofford	GK	No	2nd Team All-Southern 18 GP, .900 GAA, 17 GA, 61 S, .782 S%
Branson Hyatt	Wofford	D	No	2nd Team All-Southern 18 GS, 2 G, 5 A, 20 SH, .500 SOG%
Erfan Imeni	Elon	M	Yes	1st Team All-Southern; 2008 1st Team All-Southern 20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 7 A, 59 SH, .373 SOG% Bottom Line: small, skillful on the ball; against WVU, “Senior right midfielder Erfen Imeni is terrific on the ball. He plays a soft ball that his team mates can handle to continue the attack. In the 20th minute, he delivered a well weighted pass to senior forward Justin Wyatt who fed junior midfielder Stephen Dilger. The play was momentarily broke up by freshman central defender Eric Schoenle, but Dilger recovered the ball and was fouled by sophomore right back Raymon Gaddis for a 21 yard free kick. Elon tied up the game in the 88th minute off an Imeni 30 yard free kick that was headed in the box by WV and Elon but deflected off sophomore midfielder Ruben Garrido from 5 yards into his goal for an own goal. In the 10th minute, Imeni touched a short corner by Wyatt back to Wyatt. Wyatt blasted the ball in through traffic and the ball hit red shirt junior goal keeper Zach Johnson in the chest. Imeni is very left footed. He has good balance and is able to ride on the physical challenges. Worth another look at the combine.”
Tim Jallow	Marquette	D	No	5/5 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%
Machel James	Oakland	D	No	1st Team All-Summit; 2008 2nd Team All-Summit 17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: in the 3 games that Oakland played over the last 3 years, he didn’t start and I haven’t noted anything if he was a sub;
James Jaramillo	SLU	D	Yes	13/12 GP/GS, 1 G, 4 A, 6 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: I don’t hold out much hope for him. He’s not made an impression in the numerous games that he’s played in.DNP against Temple; Against Akron, no comment; Against FIU, “Senior right back James Jaramillo disappeared for much of the game.” In 2008 against Umass, “By moving Jaramillo to right back, it aids in the attack and transition because of his superlative passes. However, he isn’t a back (at least for now) and was beaten numerous with simple fakes. For example, junior Mark DeSantis did a step-over that put Jaramillo on his heels before DeSantis went by and made a good cross that wasn’t converted.” & “On the goal, Barklage took a 30 yard free kick that Angus headed but it was cleared. Jaramillo was able to retrieve the ball, he was pushed wide but was allowed to turn. He should have been pressured to face the sideline. Jaramillo crossed the ball and it landed 4 yards from goal in a scrum of players. Angus toe-poked it to Holmes who finished it to keep the game alive.”. In 2008 against LaSalle, no comment.
Sean Johnson	UCF	GK	No	GA-Combine Bottom Line: I don’t get this one – he’s not even the best Johnson GK in the NCAA (Zach Johnson WVU); down grading after combine performance in the first game.; in 2008 against ODU, “GK Sean Johnson punts very far.” – yep that’s it.; in 2008, 19/19 GP/GS, 1.30 GAA, 25 GA, 108 S, .812 S%
William Johnson	LMU	D	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC 21/21 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 15 SH, .533 SOG%
Nane Joseph	Old Dominion	M	Yes	Combine 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Colonial 17 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 25 SH, .640 SOG% Bottom Line: strong-willed athletic DM; Against Towson, “Senior DM Nane Joseph solidified the midfield clearly demonstrating more desire than his Towson counterpart – Nicolas Bermundez Roa. Joseph can shoot from distance, but seems to get anxious on shots within the box and rushes himself. I sincerely doubt that Joseph has a professional quality first touch. It’s too bad, because I like the kid.”; in 2008 against UCF, “Cooksey was strong and well balanced when he shielded the ball for a goal kick against an equally strong ODU Nane Joseph. I was surprised that this wasn’t a mismatch for ODU.” & “The other surprise is that long-standing DM Nane Joseph was playing forward. While he has good skills, his transition ability for the attack are going to be missed. He’s a target and has good heading technique that almost evened the game from a Bank cross in the 88th minute. He’ll combine well with the other forwards.”; in the spring of 2008 against South Carolina, “With 15 minutes remaining in the game, Joseph earned a straight red card on a vicious kick that knocked Mark Wiltse off his feet and eventually he had to leave the game.”; in 2007 against Drexel, no comment; in 2007 against Towson, no comment; in 2007 against James Madison, “Nane Joseph made a long pass to freshman T.J Beaulieu (for you NC State parents). Beaulieu fed a screaming, demanding Emmanuel who finished.”; in 2007 against MD, “Joseph is also from Cameroon. However, he was born in 1987 and has a chance to play as a youth international. He is a destroyer in midfield. However, his touch and passing need to improve to crack a MLS roster. I think he has ability to improve this short-coming.”
Josh Karsten	Northern Illinois	D	No	2nd Team All-MAC 19/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 1 A, 15 SH, .400 SOG%
Sean Kelley	George Mason	GK	Yes	1st Team All-Colonial; 2008 3rd Team All-Colonial 18/18 GP/GS, 1.00 GAA, 18 GA, 82 S, .820 S% Bottom Line: Average goal keeper after having a superlative freshman year, played better in junior year – prone to make super saves and silly errors; Against AU,”Kelley had a bad game. He couldn’t hold the ball eventually giving away the game like he did with the ball.”; in 2008 against MD, “The first goal was scored after considerable offensive pressure from MD. Senior playmaker Graham Zusi delivered a Zusi-like perfectly weighted pass that freshman Casey Townsend was able to assess the goalie’s position for shootin on the first shot past junior goalkeeper Sean Kelley.”; In 2008 against Northeastern, no comment; In 2008 against Towson, “Maloney turned quickly driving laterally toward the middle of the field when he got to the near post 25 yards from goal, he struck a hard ball that was able to dip under the bar but over GM GK Sean Kelley. Nice goal. ” ; in 2008 against VCU, “Kelley was as good as he was in his freshman year. He made two huge plays. The first was at the beginning of the second half stopping a David Rosenbaum break-away. The second play was even more impressive. VCU freshman Mirwies Zahelzi crossed the ball to Rosenbaum who flicked the ball with the side of his foot. Kelley thwarthed Rosenbaum again. It was a tremendous save.” & “VCU answered back a minute after GM scored their first goal. Senior midfielder Gerson Dos Santos pulled GM keeper Sean Kelley out to stop his shot, but Dos Santos squared the ball to junior Owusu Sekyere he plucked in the goal from 8 yards in the 67th minute. “; In 2008 against Richmond, no comment; in 2008 against Gtown (exhib), “Kelley while exposed by his defense for most of the goals, allowed the fourth goal to slip through his hands. He covered his box and made several forays outside his box to clear the ball. I haven’t seen Kelley since his freshman year when he was outstanding against Hofstra. His play against Gtown was dramatically worse than his play 2 years ago. Perhaps a bad day. I’m not sure.”;
Justin Kendro	San Francisco	D	TV	11/3 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 10 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: transferred from MD, not a good enough defender;
Sunghyun Kim	Cal Northridge	M	No	1st Team All-Big West; 2008 1st Team All-Big West; 2007 Honorable Mention All-Big West 20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 7 A, 61 SH, .443 SOG% Bottom Line: small wide midfielder with the ability to hold the ball effectively; in 2008 against Creighton (tape), he was dispossessed by Gotsmanov (not known for def); his crossing and his shooting were lacking; downgrading
Sean King	Bucknell	M	Yes	2nd Team All-Patriot 23/23 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 21 SH, .381 SOG% Bottom Line: consistent college player that doesn’t draw attention to his play – no chance ; against Princeton, no comment ; against St Francis (PA), no comment; in spring of 2008 against Oakland, no comment
Steve Kinney	Elon	D	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Southern; 2008 1st Team All-Southern 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 2 A, 20 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: Incomplete – after only seeing once ; against WVU, “Freshman midfielder Abel Sebele works very hard and is a tremendous asset on defensive transition. In the first over time, Sebele had a chance to win the game with a nifty touch that left senior central defender Steven Kinney in his wake.”
Issac Kissi	Dayton	F	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Atlantic 10 16/15 GP/GS, 9 G, 4 A, 45 SH, .422 SOG% Against Richmond, “The starting forwards of senior Isaac Kissi and grad student Peter Chilemena are both tall, powerful, fast and prone to take ill-advised long shots. In the 23rd minute, Kissi had a runner breaking through. He decided to take a 40 yard shot that cleared the net behind the goal.” & “Dayton persists in attacking directly relying on the speed of Kissi and Chilemena to break behind the defense. This was not effective. “. In 2008 against St Joe’s, “I was surprised that junior Isaac Kissi received a red card against Temple. He would have helped stablize the midfield.”. In 2008 against Fordham, “The goal was scored by senior Isaac Kissi in the 12th minute. Sophomore left back Tommy Watkins sent a long pass to junior forward Alex Torda. Torda made a great running estimating where he needed to be before the ball crossed the end line. The defender made a different run. Torda near the end line, passed the ball back to the penalty spot for Kissi to hit it full for the only goal. Kissi has a nice touch but his tactical awareness (where should he turn, on his first touch where should he put the ball to set up the next touch, running off the ball) is very raw.” & “Kissi and senior forward Florian DeCamps were having problem with spacing very early in the game, both running into a single open space.”
Chris Koontz	Colgate	D	No	14/9 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 6 SH, .000 SOG%
Kyle Kucharski	Binghamton	D	TV	2nd Team All-America East 19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 6 A, 15 SH, .133 S% Bottom Line: accurate on set pieces (free kicks and corner kicks); against BU (tape), his mis-tackle led to the first goal, this wasn’t his only poor tackle; in 2008 against UMBC, “Keith and Tiedt work off each other effectively. With two minutes remaining in the game, right back Kyle Kucharski passed a long ball to a wide open Keith from 12 yards with the UMBC GK out of position. The header went wide left.”; in 2008 against MD, no comment
Ross LaBauex	UVA	M	Yes	Combine 2nd Team All-ACC 22/22 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 12 SH Bottom Line: speed, playing several positions, AM, wing, forward and finally in his senior year DM. He’s good at closing on players. His technical skills leave much to be desired.; against Akron, “LaBauex continues to demonstrate his speed, as well as his rough first touch. He made an ill-advised tackle in the 10th minute. I love his closing speed; I would love him more if he cleaned up his touch.”; against WF, “While I’ve been very high on senior DM Ross LaBauex, I’m very disappointed with his lack of touch. I am enamored with his speed, but he relies on it instead of a tighter touch. I’m reconsidering.”; against Portland, “LaBauex continued to demonstrate why I think he’s going to be 1st round pick in less than 2 months. His tackling and tenaciousness accompanied by his speed make him a special player.” & “Luke is a quality goal scorer. He had the best opportunities in the first half. In the 35th minute, he broke toward the goal and seemed to be behind the defense for a freshman forward Ricardo Carrillo cross. But LaBauex used his closing speed to head the ball away.”; against WF, “LaBauex was suspended for his red card against MD. UVA was prepared for this event because in one prior ACC game this year, LaBauex was missing as well.”; against MD, “LaBauex earned 2 second half yellow cards and will the semi-final game on Friday.”; against MD, “LaBauex demonstrated his closing speed on a fierce tackle to junior forward Jason Herrick.”; against BC, no comment; against WV (exhib), “LaBauex is critical to the UVA success in a new role as defensive midfield. I hadn’t previously considered him playing there, but it’s a pretty savvy move by Gelnovatch. LaBauex’s speed can eliminate many attacks while UVA is able to send more players forward. Unfortunately, the experiment ended prematurely when LaBauex was stomped on and was barely able to leave the field on his own power in the 40th minute. After the game, Gelnovatch related that he expects that LaBauex has a bad bruise but not a break or sprain. He expects that LaBauex will be available on Friday. Before LaBauex departed, he made several critical tackles including one that led to a transition break-away that eventually led to a free-kick (that was wasted by UVA). In the second half, junior T. J. Cyrus manned the DM role, adequately. I really like LaBauex in this role.”; in 2008 against WF, “Tracy opened the scoring with a blast from 15 yards. Starting the play, Cody Arnoux got the ball to Zack Schilawski at the top of the box before Arnoux was hacked from the back by Ross LaBauex. Schilawski dropped it to Corben Bone who sent it to Tracy near the top of the box leading to the goal after taking a settling touch.” & “LaBauex was injured in the first half smacking his head on the ground. [EDIT]and did not return. When he returned he did not have the same impact that he normally has for UVA. In the OT, I commented that he must not have returned and my colleague agreed. I checked real quickly and missed that he started in the second half. He wasn’t subbed out until OT when he didn’t play. I rechecked my notes and I see my mistake. Thanks for the correction!”; In 2008 against Duke, “Finally after missing several break-aways, Brian Ownby finished on a perfect pass from Junior Ross LaBauex and Jimmy Simpson in the 80th minute. Villanueva and LaBauex were playing quickly and combining well together. Having both play central is effective.”; in 2008 against MD, “MD had a difficult time containing UVA’s speed. In the middle of the second half, Jeremy Hall was playing right back to neutralize Ross LaBauex from picking on Kwame Darko.” & ” LaBauex is playing like I expected at the beginning of the year. His speed, his touch and his power makes a unique player. If he plays like this during the ACC tournament with the MLS coaches watching him, he won’t be at UVA next year. If he hides on the field like I’ve seen before, he’ll be back next year at UVA and a coach the year after. LaBauex scored for UVA in the 74th minute. He took a long pass near the midfield and the side line from junior Neil Barlow. LaBauex controlled the ball off his chest to squeeze between Delagarza and Gonzalez in the middle of the box.” & “Herrick picked up a straight red on a hard tackle on UVA’s Ross LaBauex in the 35th minute. I thought yellow was justified, but the cleats were up and Andy Chapin had a pretty good look at it.”; in 2008 against Central CT, “Tchani added an assist in the 33rd minute with a long pass toward junior midfielder Ross LaBauex. While CCSU junior left back Eddie Floyd waited for the ball, LaBauex stepped in front of him with only the goalie to beat from 30 yards. LaBauex pulled the goalie to him before slotting the goal.”; In 2007 against St Peter’s, “LaBauex opened the scoring with a flick header off a Chris Tierney corner kick in the 50th minute. The second goal was scored off the free kick from the red card to Rahav. Tierney sent a through ball to Neil Barlow on the goal line. He delivered a cross that LaBauex struck right at St. Peter’s goal keeper, Matthew Lawlow. The deflection landed 8 yards from goal and Dane Murphy hit the shot well in the 77th minute.”; in 2007 against BC, no comment; in 2007 against NC State, “In the 3rd minute, UVA tallied the first goal on a defensive mistake. Ernesto di Laudo playing an unfamiliar right back, held a streaking Ross Labauex onside. Labauex received a through pass on the sideline from Jeremy Barlow. Labauex sent a well weighted cross onto Jonathan Villanueva who neatly tucked the ball into the near post.” & “I really like sophomore Ross LaBauex. He’s quick, he has good skills. He’s going to be a high draft pick in the next few years.”; in 2007 against MD, “LaBauex continues to show that he’s talented. He just doesn’t seem to be in positions that he can either make that last killer pass (or it goes wanting if he does) or he isn’t close enough to the goal to score.”; in 2007 against UNC, “LaBauex received stitches and needed to leave the game for 18 minutes in the first half. He was able to return and was dangerous on offense and defense. LaBauex forced the game winning goal in the 54th minute. With an exploding run into the box, he was 1v1 with the GK. He shot but UNC freshman GK, Tyler Deric, was able to block his shot. The rebound went high into the air and senior Chris Tierney hit a powerful header into the goal.”; In 2007 against VT, “Reyering scored the lone goal on a PK in the second half. Ross LaBauex earned the PK by getting pushed in the box.”&”LaBauex, NOW, he is a dangerous player. He is strong on the ball, quick, makes incisive decisions. He impressed me – I need to watch him more closely.”
Adam Lang	Washington	D	No	18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line: forget about it ; In 2008 against Charleston, “Less that 2 minutes later, Adam Lang got on the board gathering up a rebound from a bullet shot from Dylan Tucker-Gangnes that the GK blocked. Matt Van Houten started the play with a good pass to Tucker-Gangnes. he last goal was scored by Tucker-Gangnes in the the 55th minute with a header from 6 yards from an accurate pass Adam Lang.”; In 2007 against SMU, no comment; In 2007 against NM, no comment ;
Scott Larrabee	Georgetown	M	Yes	19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 32 SH, .250 SOG% Bottom Line: good crosser, but not quick enough to be a MLS midfielder; against ND, “In the 51st minute, senior midfielder Scott Larrabee headed in a goal that was generated by freshman midfielder Jimmy Nealis dribbling and a precise cross to Larrabee’s head.” & “Larrabee’s crosses were poor – which previously has been one of his strengths.” & “In the 84th minute, Suits hit a shot that Wilber again was able to tip away, but the ball hit the cross bar and rebounded back into the box. Gtown’s Zeman slid into the ball to clear it to safety, but it hit his team mate Scott Larrabee in the back for a corner kick. UCLA was snake bit.” & “The goal-scoring drought has ended after more than 5 goalless halves in 2009. The first goal was scored by Colchao in the 60th minute from 6 yards. Senior left midfielder Scott Larrabee served a sweet cross that junior center defender Alex Verdi headed across the face of the goal that Colchao plucked from the air with a side volley.” & “The final goal was scored by junior right midfielder Seth C’deBaca in the 82nd minute from a penalty kick. The play leading up to the PK found Larrabee again making a sweet cross, but Colchao couldn’t get high enough and it appeared to be going out for a UCLA throw in. Instead C’deBaca chased the ball down saving it from going out. He drove to the end line, cut back to unbalance his defender before crossing over against the end line. He was tripped in the box – an iffy call. On the PK, C’deBaca scorned the soccer gods by putting in the shot off the post and into the back of the net. Without the first goal, it wouldn’t have gone in.” & “Larrabee was having a hard time controlling the ball in the first half; He did much better in the second half.”; in 2008 against AU, “In the 54th minute, Scott Larrabee opened the scoring after a 50 yard diagonal by Seth C’deBaca found Larrabee open behind the defense. He took the ball into the box and with the AU GK closing the angle, Larrabee put the ball past him. Larrabee had another shot after Chandler Diggs bounced the ball off Cooper Bryant and the ball was presented to Larrabee in the box. Matt Makowski made a fantastic save by tipping the ball over the cross bar in the 66th minute.”; in 2008 against Uconn, “Larrabee was typically feeding in his precise crosses”; In 2008 against Depaul, “Larrabee (who I justifiably trashed for his play on Friday) created the chance by pressuring Feltz in the corner and winning the ball. Larrabee sent the ball back to Ebrahimnejad who crossed the ball into the Depaul box. Depaul didn’t clear the ball well and it bounced to an open and waiting C’deBaca who hit the ball off the cross bar into the back of the goal.”; in 2008 against USF, “On the winning goal, Armante Marshall delivered a long cross to an open junior midfielder Franciso Aristeguieta. I didn’t see the cross because I was watching amazingly as Scott Larrabee, Robert Burnett and Mostafa Ebrahimnejad did not work together and they let Aristeguieta to be fully open in the box. This needs to be fixed. It’s pathetic.” & “On the other wide midfield, junior Scott Larrabee wasn’t effective either. In the 28th minute, he needlessly lost the ball because he was too slow transitioning. In the second half, he had several bad passes without pressure.”
Jonathan Levi	San Francisco	M	No	2nd Team All-WCC; 2008 2nd Team All-WCC 17/15 GP/GS, 3 G, 5 A, 34 SH, .382 SOG% Bottom Line: haven’t seen; in 2006 against PSU, no comment, DNP?
Fernando Liserra	Iona	M	No	2nd Team All-MAAC 19/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 8 A, 58 SH, .517 SOG%
Adrian Lopez	Cal Northridge	M	No	3/0 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: didn’t play on the one tape that I had; not a starter as a senior.
Scott Lorenz	Wisconsin	F	TV	2nd Team Big 10; 2008 2nd Team Big 10 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 45 SH, .356 SOG% Bottom Line: Good ancilliary skills (long throw, accurate set pieces), but don’t see him as a scoring presence; left footed; Against PSU (tape), accurate set pieces; Against MSU (tape), scored a nice goal taking a bouncing ball and putting it over the gk and just under the cross-bar. This was his first goal of the year (on Oct 11th) that is a long time for a forward. Then scores a volley between the GK legs in 2OT – nice touch, GK should not have allowed this goal; In 2007, against NW, no comments
Bryan Lowder	South Carolina	M	Yes	17/1 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 8 SH, .250 S% Bottom Line: no; no comment after watching 5 games over 2 springs and in 2008 against WF
Zachary Loyd	UNC	D	Yes	Signed-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-ACC 17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 11 SH, .636 SOG% Bottom Line: smart player who started in midfield and migrated to the back in his senior year to perform admirably, I think he can play in MLS in some role; maybe wide back or wide midfielder; against Akron, “Loyd played simply out of his mind. He was reading the game well, and attacking the passing lanes. Even Akron coach Caleb Porter acknowledged his play.”; against Drake, “Loyd had his PK stopped. He placed it well, but with insufficient power. In the 25th minute, Loyd made a nice pass that junior midfielder Cameron Brown dummied letting the ball run to Schuler who laid it down the line to Brown. Brown drove the ball down the line and into the box. He cut the ball getting the defender off balance.”; against NC State, “Loyd is quick. His defensive anticipation is exceptional.”; in 2008 against MD, “MacMath continued his heroics, stopping a Zach Loyd break-away and a huge deflection on a Ababio blast.” In 2008 against UCLA, “Loyd is playing left back after playing forward and midfield in previous years. While he certainly has the skills to aid in the attack, I wondered how he would play defense. Except for 1 defensive tactical mistake that I observed, he did ok. His ability to get to the end line and deliver good crosses is a dangerous weapon.”; in 2007 against WF, “In OT, Brian Edwards almost gifted UNC a goal by making a poor goal kick that went right to sophomore Zach Loyd 35 yards from goal. Loyd passed to Ababio and received the return pass. Loyd’s shot was wide right.”; in 2007 against Bradley, “Loyd got the goal on some brilliant combination play with Dworsky and Scott Campbell.”
David Lozano	UC Riverside	D	No	2nd Team All-Big West; 2008 1st Team All-Big West; 2007 2nd Team All-Big West 16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 6 SH, .333 SOG%
Michael Luk	Winthrop	M	No	1st Team All-Big South 21 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 33 SH, .212 SOG% Bottom Line: good passer; just have not seen enough to be sold; In spring of 2009 against Furman/South Carolina, “Much of the play comes through Michael Luk. He moves the ball well.”; in 2008 against William & Mary, “The next best chance for Winthrop happened two minutes prior to the goal. Junior Michael Luk served in a long ball to the far post and Revivo chested the ball square to sophomore Miguel Casajuana. Casajuana was wide open from 15 yards and hit the ball with authority. Sophomore goal keeper Andrew McAdams made a terrific save that kept Winthrop off the board. “; in 2008 against VMI, “The final goal was scored by freshman Josh Goldstein from a deep pass by Michael Luk.”
Andrew Magill	Ohio State	F	TV	2nd Team Big 10; 2008 2nd Team Big 10 19/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 53 SH, .509 SOG% Bottom Line: I doubt that Magill can be a MLS forward – though I’m willing to concede that he might be serviceable; Against Mich (tape), played wide midfield – which is what I expect that he’ll play in MLS, very good on the ball, came back frequently to steal the ball from Mich Fuzetti, able to create his own shot with quick dribbling into the box; In 2008 against IU, “I wonder if OSU would do better with Warzycha as the target forward because he could hold the ball better than junior forward Andrew Magill but OSU would lose Magill’s speed and the ability to stretch the defense.”; In 2007 against WF, no comment; In 2007 against NW, “Balc is the man. He’s money with the ball. He doesn’t work very hard on the defensive side. If someone comes by, he’ll pressure but he won’t pursue. His goal was set up by another good cross by Roger Espinoza (junior) that Andrew Magill shot and wound up at Balc’s able foot.”; In 2007 against Michigan, “Danny Irizarry (today playing in #7, instead of his customary #8) distributed the ball getting it to Balc and Andrew Magill in good offensive positions.”
Sam Maheu	St Bonny	F	No	Atlantic 10 Offensive POTY; 1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 19/19 GP/GS, 12 G, 7 A, 71 SH, .169 S%
Chris Mandell	Liberty	D	No	1st Team All-Big South 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 11 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line; in 3 games, nothing memorable; In 2008 against High Point, no comment; In 2007 against Loyola (MD),no comment; in 2007 against UNCA, no comment;
Pumi Maqubela	Dartmouth	D	Yes	2nd Team All-Ivy; 2008 2nd Team All-Ivy 17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 1 SH, 1.000 SOG% Bottom Line: doubtful; Against Penn, “Senior right back Pumi Maqubela is an accurate long passer – hooking his passes into the center of the field.”
Paul Marcoux	Cal Davis	M	No	2nd Team All-Big West; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Big West 18/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 31 SH, .387 SOG%
Richard Martinez	Hofstra	D	No	Colonial Defender OTY; 1st Team All-Colonial; 2008 1st Team All-Colonial; 2007 2nd Team All-Colonial 17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .333 SOG%
Anthony Matos	Saint Fran (NY)	D	No	1st Team All-NEC 18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 17 SH, .529 SOG%
Gift Maworere	West Virginia	M	Yes	3rd Team Big East 18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 23 SH, .261 SOG% Bottom Line: solid DM; unsure if he’ll be good enough in MLS; against Elon, “Senior DM Gift Maworere anchors the midfield. With Garrido along side him, he has more liberty to get forward. I like the Garrido Maworere central midfield. They complement each other.” against UCSB, “Sophomore right back Raymon Gaddis started the best WV build-up in the first half. Gaddis dribbled to beat one before passing square to senior DM Gift Maworere; Gaddis took a horizontal run that looped back to the far side. Maworere distributed to freshman midfield Travis Pittman 30 yards from goal. Pittman delivered the ball on-stride to a breaking Gaddis who was wide open in the box. Gaddis successfully chipped the goal keeper, but the shot was wide left.” against UVA (exhibition), “The second goal was scored by senior captain defensive midfielder Gift Maworere on a beautiful hooking cross from sophomore captain right back Raymon Gaddis in the 31st minute. The play started with a deep throw in next to the corner flag by Gaddis to Silva yards from the corner. Silva enticed two UVA defenders to him before dishing the ball back to Gaddis for the goal producing cross. On the play, Restrepo came out to snag the cross but he didn’t get to it before Maworere who finished into the empty net from 6 yards.” & “Maworere is the key to this team. His leadership and experience will be called upon by the young attackers. I wonder if Garrido will either fill the DM if Maworere pushes more forward to provide more stability in the attack.”; in spring 2009 against AU, “In the first half, Gift Maworere was not shutting down the middle of the field. He wasn’t helped by Chase Dewese assistance. Dewese ill-advised dribbling was directly responsible for the second goal. Losing the ball in the AU half, the goal was 2 quick passes away from the shot. Dewese sat for the rest of the half after this exhibit. In the second half, Dewese must have gotten “stern instruction” to release the ball quicker. He was better until he yelled at his team mate for not running after one of his poor passes. Cancer. Many of Maworere passes are East-West which I can appreciate to reset the offense. But, if he is unwilling to gamble to make the killer pass, his value is reduced.”; in 2008 against Seton Hall, “Freshman Raymon Gaddis is being asked to play the “Gift Maworere hawking DM”. While Gaddis has the quickness, he lacks conceptual understanding of the defensive shape and the ability to consistently start the attack. With SH controlling the midfield, Maworere was needed (pre-Red Card) there to stop the attacks before they become an emergency. Gaddis could become a very good ball player, but he currently doesn’t have the technical skill. I like his effort.”; In 2007 against UVA, “Gift Maworere and Declan Coll anchored the defensive midfield. They were composed and comfortable with the ball at their feet. Maworere plays within himself, not making the electric play but playing a much more subtle brand of soccer.”
Toussaint McClure	Providence	D	No	19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .077 SOG% Bottom Line: not likely; In 2007 against Gtown, “Sophomore right back Toussaint McClure makes rash tackles. He’s not very good.”
Alan McGreal	Canisus	F	No	1st Team All-MAAC; 2008 2nd Team All-MAAC; 2007 1st Team All-MAAC 19/19 GP/GS, 10 G, 4 A, 75 SH, .133 S%
Jack McInerney	U17	F	TV	GA-Combine Bottom Line: Best young forward prospect; Has big body, will need to get stronger against professional players; accurate shooter – This is a terrific move by MLS; after reviewing the tape of the U17 tournament (Spain, Malawi, UAE), tracks back further than expected. honest player. Other than his hair cut, I like him and I see him as the best young forward prospect. Hopefully, he’ll go to a team that can help him develop.;
Matt McManus	San Diego State	D	No	2008 Honorable Mention Pac 10 9/8 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 12 SH, .500 SOG%
Mike McTigue	Fordham	D	No	Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 8 SH, .750 SOG% Bottom Line: In 2008 against Dayton, no notes on his play.
Tennant McVea	Loyola-MD	D	Yes	Combine Defensive POTY; 1st Team All-MAAC; 2008 3rd Team CSN AA; 2008 1st Team NSCAA AA; 2008 Defensive POTY; 2008 1st Team All-MAAC; 2007 Defensive POTY; 2007 1st Team All-MAAC 22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 6 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: great leadership, good defender and good in air, too slow; against Fairfield, “McVea has outstanding leadership skills, but his passing continues to be lacking. He likes the low-percentage long ball.” & “Christian Uy had several long shots that were just off-target. His best play was in the 30th minute, he recovered a McVea misplay, took two touches before hitting a 30 yard cracker off the post.”; against UMBC, “Senior All-American defender Tennant McVea is playing with a lack of emotion that I’ve seen in the past. His passing was imprecise.”; in 2008 against Siena, “McVea went up front for a free kick. He got open in the box, but the ball was intercepted by Siena before getting to him. Siena freshman back David Bonzerato didn’t clear the ball well enough and McVea took a shot that hit the cross bar. Seconds later, Hutton crossed the ball to right back (who was still up for the initial FK), Steven Bantock who headed the ball across the face of the box to an open McVea who hit this header with power from 5 yards for the goal.”; In 2008 against Quinnipiac, no comment; In 2008 against Mount St Mary’s, “MSM’s game plan was to attack down the right flank. This neutralized talented Tennant McVea to the role of the second defender rather than cleaning the crosses from the middle. Loyola should have flip-flopped Steven Bantock.”; in 2008 against Campbell, “McVea is good in the air and understands very well on how to position himself and the other defenders to succeed.” & “He was getting beat and making McVea step up to cover for him.” & “On Campbell corner kicks, they had a problem clearing the first Loyola defender (McVea) frequently.”; In 2007 against Liberty, no comment; In 2007 against Fairfield, no comment
Pascal Milien	Tampa	M	Yes	Combine 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Sunshine State Conference; 2008 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-Sunshine State Conference; 21/20 GP/GS, 12 G, 7 A, 81 SH, .432 SOG% Bottom Line: Dynamic attacking player who passes and shoots well; against USF (exhib), “Milien is a handful. Strong (for college) on the ball and as a dynamic attacking force with the ball. He has good wheels. He has serious potential. Watch for him. On the UT first goal, sophomore midfielder Mike Bethel combined quickly with Milien to get behind the USF defense. USF freshman defender cleared the ball but came through Milien on the end line that the ref ruled as a PK. It was a harsh call for USF, but it had followed another close play that UT didn’t get. Milien converted the PK in the 54th minute for the opening goal for UT.”
Oscar Monjaras	SJ State	D	No	1st Team All-MPSF 18/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .600 SOG%
John Moore	Stanford	GK	Yes	Combine Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Pac 10 20/19 GP/GS, .870 GAA, 18 GA, 77 S, .811 S% Bottom Line: horrible early game, but seems to have been the exception; against Lehigh, “Senior goal keeper John Moore was dreadful. He didn’t control his box. He didn’t catch the ball cleanly and his punches were inept (at best). I’m sure that I’ve seen worse keepers, but none come to mind.” & “Lehigh tallied the first goal in the 49th minute set-up by a Ciuffetelli long throw-in (CLT). CLT went to the middle of the box and Moore had a punch that went straight up into the air. So Moore tried again and whiffed again. But this time, senior midfielder Jesse Schram buried the 7 yard shot into the upper 90. The winning goal came off a corner kick by sophomore left midfielder Neal Melchionni in the 73rd minute. However the corner was earned because Moore came out again and didn’t handle ball that he should have held onto. Melchionni served in a perfect ball to a wide open senior center defender Adam Welch who headed the ball down from 6 yards that Moore blocked let the ball rebound into the center of the goal area that senior midfielder Adam Gazda buried low and hard.”
Evan Morgan	Stanford	F	Yes	2nd Team All-Pac 10 20/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 21 SH, .381 SOG% Bottom Line: don’t expect a pro paycheck; against Lehigh, didn’t start and no comment
Matt Morris	Charleston	F	Yes	1st Team All-Southern 18/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 6 A, 42 SH, .167 S% Bottom Line: continues to battle injuries, skillful goal scorer; against Jacksonville, “Senior forward Matt Morris didn’t play from multiple nagging injuries. But, scoring isn’t the problem.”; Against Stetson, no comment; In 2008 gainst Washington, “Less than a minute after Washington had extended their lead to 4-0, Yearwood powerfully struck with his head a cross from forward Matt Morris. ” Did not start (play?) against Winthrop (spring) and Kentucky (spring).
Justin Morrow	Notre Dame	D	Yes	Combine 2nd Team Big East 23/23 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 11 SH, .364 SOG% Bottom Line: a wide back that has played MF in previous years. He has a good chance to play wide back. Need to watch his 1v1 defending; against St John’s, “Morrow gets forward frequently; I like his crossing, but I question his technical ability in tight spaces. In the 55th minute, he found Dike open in the box, but Dike’s header hit the post.” against ND, “Morrow is a good defender with nice speed. He might have sufficient skill and athletic ability for the next level.”; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), came on in the second half in his previously more familiar left midfield – causing havoc with his speed and tenacity. He started a play with good defense then took the return from Akpan before shooting hard but very off-targer; in 2008 against Duke, “Grossman had a bad first half. His corner kicks were terrible – either right to the keeper or not clearing the first defender. Junior Justin Morrow beat him through the midfield because he took a poor defensive angle. Grossman left the game in the 25th minute and did not return. I expect that it wasn’t related to an injury (I could be wrong), but was more because of his quality.” & “Morrow opened the scoring in the 7th minute from a Jeb Brovsky service that Morrow hit with authority to the far post. Morrow has more speed than I had previous noticed. He had a tremendous first half. MOTM if not for Dike’s 2 goals.”; against Louisville (tape), had problems keeping his feet on 1v1 defending. athletic and aggressive getting forward; In 2008 against Akron, no comment; In 2007 against Gtown, “Morrow has an abundance of speed. He was creating havoc on the Gtown right side throughout the first half.”; in 2007 against Rutgers (tape), very active in the first half. terror on the wings. played midfield as a soph;
Arie Muniz	Appalachian State	M	No	1st Team All-Southern; 2008 1st Team All-Southern 17/17 GP/GS, 6 G, 4 A, 46 SH, .587 SOG%
Eddie Munnelly	Jacksonville	D	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2008 2nd Team All-Atlantic Sun 15/11 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 8 SH, .250 SOG% Bottom Line: Good outside back with the unique ability to provide good service. Very outside chance for a professional opportunity not based upon his skill but more upon being seen. He may have the ability to play MLS – but he may have to pay dues in USL.; Against Charleston, “Munnelly is confident on the ball and provides good service and the ability to attack from the back.”; against Alabama A&M, “In the 45th minute, Jax scored their lone goal by junior forward Nedim Hrustic. Senior defender Eddie Munnelly whipped in a long pass that found Hrustic’s head.”; In 2008 against Campbell, no comment
Devin Muntz	Princeton	M	Yes	1st Team All-Ivy; 2008 2nd Team All-Ivy; 2007 Honorable Mention All-Ivy 18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 32 SH, .406 SOG% Bottom Line: Active; against Bucknell, “Muntz plays like a chihuahua. Tenacious, driven, with abundant energy. Muntz hit a 35 yard free kick that the GK had to tip over the cross bar.”; In 2008 against Monmouth, “Muntz has some skill and somehow has the ability to win head balls in the box despite being diminutive. Muntz dragged the ball behind him accurately and appropriately to beat an onrushing defender.”
Tim Muravez	Gonzaga	D	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC; 2008 Honorable Mention All-WCC 17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 11 SH, .455 SOG%
Paul Musoke	Alabama A&M	GK	Yes	16/13 GP/GS, 1.82 GAA, 29 GA, 86 S, .748 S% Bottom Line: Very athletic that gives up too many goals; against Stetson, no comment; against Jacksonville, “The winning goal was scored by the goal keeper – senior Paul Musoke – from a screeching 25 yard free kick that was deposited in the lower right section of the net in the 67th minute. Musoke had a terrific night tending the nets – putting a cap on the goal. He moves around the box like a puma.”;
Danny Mwanga	Oregon State	F	No	GA-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; POTY Pac-10; 1st Team All-Pac 10; 2008 PAC-10 Freshman OTY; 2008 2nd Team All-PAC 10 Bottom Line: the player that I most want to see at the combine – well him and Garcia (UCI). Looking at the highlights, seem that Mwanga scores many goals 1v1. I’m interested in seeing if Mwanga can take on good defenders, create his own shot and score on quality goal keepers.; 18/18 GP/GS, 14 G, 2 A, 64 SH, .531 SOG%
Udi Naim	Saint Peter’s	F	No	2nd Team All-MAAC; 2008 2nd Team All-MAAC; 2007 2nd Team All-MAAC 17/15 GP/GS, 5 G, 4 A, 35 SH, .486 SOG% Bottom Line: no likely; In 2007 against UVA, “Sophomore forward Udi Naim doesn’t make good off-the-ball runs to support Wiredu.”
Kyle Nakazawa	UCLA	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Pac10; 2007 2nd Team All-Pac 10 19/19 GP/GS, 12 G, 7 A, 52 SH, .558 SOG% Bottom Line: took several years before he started producing – I would stay away; against Gtown, “Senior left midfielder Michael Stevens didn’t put his stamp on this game. He took a host of corner kicks with varying degrees of success. Some of his corner kicks found their mark – such as in the 15th minute when senior defender Danny Suits couldn’t convert the header or in the 65th minute when the corner wasn’t cleared well and sophmore midfielder Eder Arreola couldn’t finish his shot in the box. Stevens stayed wide for much of the game, providing an outlet, but I would like to see him combining more in the middle with Nakazawa.” & “Nakazawa grew frustrated and picked up a silly yellow card for dissent late in the second half. Although, I was pleasantly surprised that Nakazawa got back and played defense – something that was sadly missing from his game several years ago.”; in 2008 against UNC, “Junior midfielder Kyle Nakazawa is playing more defense this year than in prior years which was my primary complaint, well that, and effort. He seemed easy to offend and he could be taken out of a big game with niggling tackles inciting a response from him. He still has superior set piece skills and his passing is precise. Creativity is not his problem. Playing the entire game – bigger issue for him.”; in 2007 against ND, “Nakazawa still is not a complete player. With either a free kick or with the ball at his feet and just a single pass to spring a forward, Nakazawa is usually money. However, he won’t really commit to playing defense and run off the ball. Nakazawa was moved to the attacking midfield position when subs came in for UCLA. His shot was abhorrent.”
Phillip Nelson	Lafayette	GK	TV	Patriot GK OTY; 1st Team All-Patriot 14/14 GP/GS, .610 GAA, 9 GA, 56 S, .862 S%
Jamal Neptune	Hofstra	D	No	2nd Team All-Colonial 17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .222 SOG%
David Newton	Clemson	D	Yes	2008 2nd Team All-ACC 16/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall defender – see Eckhardt; Against VT, “The senior center backs David Newton and Greg Eckhardt are tall defenders who win more than their share of balls in the air. Though the defense has problems working the ball out of the back from their defenders especially freshman right back Josh Shutter and Eckhardt.” & “The other good opportunity in the first half came from a free kick by sophomore midfielder Connor Barbaree from 40 yards that was headed forward by Newton that the goal keeper stepped up to get before freshman midfielder Brannon Blanke could touch it.”; In 2008 against BC, no comment;
Evan Newton	Old Dominion	GK	Yes	18 GP, .750 GAA, 14 GA, 54 S, .794 S% Bottom Line: After coming back from a season ending injury in his junior year, if he can return to his prior status, could be a good backup in the future; against Towson, “The first goal was scored by senior midfielder Bobby Foglesong in the 59th minute to draw the score even. The play started with a long punt from junior goal keeper Evan Newton that freshman forward Shane Howard flicked on to Foglesong for a 25 yard well-placed shot. It’s good to see Newton back on the field after suffering a season-ending injury last year. He doesn’t look as sharp as he did 2 years ago. I would like to see the tape, but both goals appeared to be stoppable.”; in 2008 against UCF, “Brennan Kirkpatrick, playing because of Evan Newton’s season-ending broken arm, is not in the same league as Newton.”; in spring of 2008 against Georgetown, “Newton continues to be steady in the back but was unable to keep a clean sheet. He positioning was correct, but the defense let him down.”; in spring of 2008 against South Carolina, “Lindsay is a beast up top. He’s fast and strong. On the first goal, he did all the work and was credited with an assist. He split the 2 central defenders and ran onto the ball at midfield. He gathered the ball, advancing into the box unimpeded. GK Newton closed the angle and Lindsay crossed the ball to an open Sam Arthur who finished with his first touch into the open net.”; in 2007 against Drexel, “With Drexel not doing much in the first half, a mix-up in the back precipitated by normally stellar goal keeper Evan Newton needed Horst to clean up the play to prevent a goal late in the first half. Newton did not have to make a save, because there were no shots on goal by Drexel. It’s quite difficult to win many games when you have zero shots on goal. Hoping for an own goal doesn’t seem, at least to me, like the best tactics.”; in 2007 against Towson, “Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Newton is pretty solid.”
Semso Nikocevic	Saint Fran (NY)	M	No	1st Team All-NEC; 2008 1st Team All-NEC 17/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 4 A, 46 SH, .565 SOG%
J.T. Noone	Temple	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-Atlantic 10 17/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 7 A, 27 SH, .593 SOG% Bottom Line: has skill; very sweet cross; may either not have athletic ability or the drive to be in professional shape; Against Charlotte, “Temple immediately got the ball up the field with J.T. Noone getting tripped in the box by sophomore center back Charles Rodriguez. The ref awarded the PK. It was a legit PK,” & “The winning goal was scored by senior forward J. T. Noone from a 41st minute penalty kick.” & “With Noone playing on Sunday, after being suspended from yellow card accumulation, Temple was a different team. Sophomore forward Tyler Witmer received better service, had less defensive pressure and got better looks. Noone is a quality player on the ball, he’s calm and serves an excellent cross. He had hard shots with both feet. I think he has the technical and athletic ability to play professional. His production in 2009 has dwindled from 2008. My only concern is that his work rate is lacking and even more concerning is his conditioning. He needs to be in better shape for the MLS combine if he has serious interest in a professional career. I see him has a wide midfielder rather than a forward at the next level.” In summer of 2009, Noone played for the OC Barons against DCU. He didn’t show well; He could not create separation. In 2008, against GW, “Junior forward J. T. Noone is a “person of interest”. He’s very good; attacking defenders, incisive passes and he has a powerful shot. At first glance, he might have the potential for the next level. He scored both of the Temple goals. The first goal was typical of his play. After receiving the ball 35 years from goal, he dribbled diagonally toward the far post, as he went he would fake a shot, then dribble around the defender (who was anticipating the shot). When Noone got into the box, he shot to the far post (which was now the near post – uh…. the post closest to me!). I wouldn’t mind looking at the tape, but it seems that GW GK Scheer should have been better positioned to stop this shot. Noone is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. Noone’s second goal was on a PK – which should be a given. Well, except for GW (because GW missed their PK).” ; In the spring of 2008 against Colgate, Noone started, but no comment on Noone – but I was not satisfied with the Temple team in general.
TJ Novak	Stanford	D	Yes	Honorable Mention Pac 10 19/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 3 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: no; Against Lehigh, no comment
Stephen Nsereko	Winthrop	M	No	1st Team All-Big South; 2008 1st Team All-Big South; 2007 1st Team All-Big South 21 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 10 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: Extremely talented creator, but is oft-injured when I’ve seen Winthrop; In spring of 2009 against Furman/South Carolina, didn’t play; in 2008 against William & Mary, “Junior sensation Stephen Nsereko has not recovered from a knee injury and did not make the trip.”; in 2008 against VMI, “Nsereko is battling a knee injury and is visiting a doctor now and may be back against Liberty.”; in spring of 2008 against Charleston, “Nsereko is the play maker for Winthrop. His passes are well weighted.”; in spring of 2008 against UNCW, “Winthrop has many talented individuals. Melding them into a team will be the challenge. Nsereko and the coaching staff are going to have to insist that everyone is on the same page. One of the ways they get exposed is because Winthrop likes going forward even to the detriment of the defensive balance.”; in 2007 against High Point, “Sophomore left midfielder Stephen Nsereko (from Uganda) is very quick and crosses well. However, he turns the ball over with either a bad first touch, a bad pass or holding the ball too long.”
Kwaku Nyamekye	Harvard	D	No	Combine 1st Team All-Ivy; 2008 1st Team All-Ivy; 2007 2nd Team All-Ivy 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 21 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: Huge back; Pro potential; downgrading because he would occupy an international slot; In 2007 against Columbia, “Junior defender Kwaku Nyamekye is a mountain in the back with sure feet and a big head. In the 23rd minute, he came over to stop a Columbia attack by Kongsli and Castrillion like a school yard bully taking their lunch money!”
Conor O’Brien	Bucknell	M	Yes	Combine 2nd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; Patriot POTY; 1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 1st Team All-Patriot; 2007 2nd Team All-Patriot 23/23 GP/GS, 11 G, 9 A, 99 SH, .465 SOG% Bottom Line: wonderful ball handler and passer – his vision is exceptional ; against Princeton, “”The first goal was scored by Freshman forward Brendan Burgdorf from 8 yards with the assist going to senior captain midfielder Conor O’Brien in the 70th minute. O’Brien surgically placed the ball to a spot that only Burgdorf could receive. Burgdorf beat 1 defender before taking a shot that deflected off another defender and squeezed into the far side netting”"; against St Francis (PA), O’Brien is on a different page that his team mates. He sees the entire field and instinctively knows how the ball should be moved around. At times, he seems frustrated that his support either doesn’t make the right play or doesn’t technically perform the right play – difference being thinking/seeing vs physical. In the 27th minute, O’Brien got behind the defense with a quick head flick and an explosive turn. However, O’Brien took too long to release the shot and it was blocked. O’Brien’s passing wasn’t as sharp as I’ve seen before. Additionally, if O’Brien has professional aspirations, he may have to play right back. I question two main things – does he have the athletic ability to play in MLS. Second, does he play defense well enough. He absolutely has the vision, understanding and first touch to play professionally. In the 85th minute, O’Brien delivered a perfect corner kick that found sophomore midfielder Luke Joyner’s head. Joyner hit the ball well and it was saved off the line by SF’s right midfielder David Butler. Over-all, a pretty lack-luster effort for O’Brien.; in spring of 2008 against Oakland, O’Brien scored both goals. The first was a “Wow!” moment. He took a long pass from Meisel into the corner. From this acute angle, he chipped Oakland GK into the side netting from 6 yards from touch and 20 yards from the near post! Terrific goal. He deserves to be observed more by the media (er, me). The second goal was on a penalty that O’Brien deftly buried into the lower left corner. O’Brien is very active and is the key to Bucknell’s success.
Debola Ogunseye	Furman	F	Yes	15/15 GP/GS, 6 G, 6 A, 37 SH, .541 SOG% Bottom Line: undersized technically skillful but surprisingly didn’t produce in 2009; in spring of 2009 against Winthrop/Kentucky, “The attacking duo of sophomore Fabien Vorbe and Newberry transfer Debola (“Depo”) Ogunseye are fantastic – fast, skillful and athletic. They deserve another look in the fall.” & “Near midfield Depo used his guile to wrong foot Kentucky defender Reid Baker before accelerating by him and slotting the ball past the helpless goal keeper. Depo is going to be a handful for many opponents.”
Lars Okland	Northeastern	D	No	2nd Team All-Colonial; 2008 1st Team All-Colonial; 2007 1st Team All-Colonial 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 26 SH, .423 SOG% Bottom Line: ehh; in 2008 against George Mason, no comment about him, but remarked that the defense was too slow and unorganized
Amobi Okugo	UCLA	M	Yes	GA-Combine Freshman OTY; 2nd Team All-Pac 10 Bottom Line: I thought I had a tape of him playing PDL this past summer – but I can’t find it. I think he’ll be adequate in the long run. Maybe; against Gtown, “Freshman DM Amobi Okugo provides bite in the center of the field, but gets too emotional and gets drawn into sniping with the opponent. Okugo hit a powerful shot in the 60th minute that was just tipped over the cross bar by Gtown GK Wilber.”; ; 20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 17 SH, .294 SOG%
Eamon O’Neil	Northwestern	M	TV	20/5 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 16 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: not a starter – so odds are huge against him, but after watching him on tape, much more impressed; against Michigan (on tape), active up front, but not productive – nice service on corner kicks; against IU (tape), beautiful pass that led to the second goal, on the play he bent the ball around the defender with the outside of his foot; on the pass as it bent the defender lost his feet enabling Kupe to walk around the gk and score into the open net; his passing is accurate and he runs well; good defense forced a turn-over for a NW throw-in; in 2007 against Ohio State, “The main problem for NW is that they ran into a hot goal keeper who refused to let anything get by him. For example, with 15 seconds remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Eamon O’Neill sent a long bouncing pass that got around the OSU defenders right to sophomore midfielder Carl Pett who was 1v1 with the goal keeper Casey Latchem. Latchem closed the angle and blocked the point blank shot. As the ball bounded up with Latchem sprawled on the ground it dropped into his arms. Sometimes being lucky and good is effective!”
Ike Opara	Wake Forest	D	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-ACC; 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-ACC Bottom Line: the best center back in the NCAA; With the graduation of Cronin and the injury to Wentzel, Opara played DM. Didn’t have a tremendous College Cup; against UVA, “In the 39th minute, Berry crossed the ball to the far side to an open freshman forward Will Bates who headed it toward the goal. It was blocked by junior defender Ike Opara.” & “Opara plays strong and is a quick player, but on the winning goal, he needs to do better and stop Ownby from getting the shot off. “; against UNCW, “Of course, it’s a pleasure watching junior defender Ike Opara. He’s a scoring threat in the air. His footwork continues to improve. He was limping in the 7th minute, but gutted his way through the rest of the game.”; against UVA, “Junior center back Ike Opara was physical in the air. His foot skills have improved. He’s confident taking the ball out of the back with a few quick touches. Opara doesn’t panic with the ball at his feet.”; in spring of 2009 against MD, “WF has lost the best defender in college, Ike Opara, to injury. WF is going to need to learn to play without Opara because he’ll be gone for at least a month in the fall preparing and playing for the U20 team in Egypt.”; in 2008 against UVA, “Without sophomore Ike Opara in the middle to solidify the defense, WF can be exposed in the middle. On Wednesday’s game, WF teamed Wenzel with Kyle Adams in the first half but ultimately went to junior Nick Courtney in the second. Courtney again got the calling when Opara had to leave the game in the 60th minute from a chronic groin injury. While the break may help Opara, Coach Jay Vidovich is concerned with the long lay-off with the expected 1st round bye in the NCAA tournament. Opara is a terrific defender and huge target on set pieces with his vertical leap, but his passing was off. At the end of the first half, He gave up a corner kick because of a offline 45 yard back pass to the GK and followed that minutes later with a free kick that went harmlessly out of bounds.”; In 2008 against NC State, “WF has a senior ladened team and did not miss a beat even starting Marcus Tracy on the bench and with Ike Opara on the bench from an injury.”; in 2008 against South Carolina, “Ike Opara is a physical, athletic player that plays tremendous defense. He lost the ball when trying to pass while running at top speed – something to work on.”; in 2007 against Ohio State, “Opara was a stud in the back. With the score tied 1-1 and Espinoza charging around the corner (again), Opara broke up a cross that was bound for an open Balc in the box. Opara is one to watch.”; in 2008 against Virginia Tech, “Opara contained All-American Patrick Nyarko making Nyarko flow toward the center where WF had defensive support.”; in 2007 against UNC, no comment; in 2007 against Clemson, no comment; in 2007 against Bradley, no comment; in 2007 against Akron, “WF started a freshman, 2 sophomores and a junior in the back. Then, Opara and Lichtfuss picked up knocks during the game. WF demonstrated depth not only in the back but throughout their line-up. Starting on their bench are Austin da Luz, Jamie Franks, Michael Lahoud, and Cody Arnoux.”; ; 17/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 2 A, 15 SH, .200 S%
Daniel Ortega	San Diego State	F	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10 17/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 7 A, 30 SH, .467 SOG%
Jose Parada	Tulsa	F	TV	2nd Team All-Conference USA; 2008 3rd Team All-Conference USA; 2007 1st Team All-Conference USA 22 GP, 9 G, 5 A, 46 SH, .478 SOG% Bottom Line; small wide midfielder with adequate ball skills; against Akron, “In the 90th minute, senior midfielder Jose Parada took a close shot that was just wide.”; in 2008 against KY (tape), brilliant goal – may have been 1 of the best goals that I have seen in college. Out near the corner of the box, takes a good first touch before hooking it with the outside of his right foot into the upper 90. Unstoppable. Besides this one shot, didn’t provide much more – other than a wild shot
Stephen Paterson	Western Illinois	GK	No	2nd Team All-Summit; 2008 2nd Team All-Summit 18/18 GP/GS, 1.32 GAA, 24 GA, 85 S, .780 S%
Bryan Perez	UMKC	F	No	Summit POTY; 1st Team All-Summit; 2008 1st Team All-Summit; 2007 1st Team All-Summit 19/19 GP/GS, 11 G, 3 A, 54 SH, .500 SOG%
Erick Perez – Segnini	GW	F	Yes	2008 Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 16/14 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 22 SH, .591 SOG% Bottom Line: Nowhere good enough for MLS. Against Xavier, “In the 2nd minute, Randolph combined with senior midfielder Erick Perez-Segnini for space in the box. Randolph mishit the shot from 15 yards and it slowly rolled into the corner.” & “Perez-Segnini hustled to get to the ball before the X defender and struck it hopefully with the outside of his foot causing a high hooking ball. GK Marshall came out and dropped the ball. Rudolph hit the open netter. Too easy.” Against Howard, “In the 15th minute, freshman center back Anye Ngalla prevented a goal scoring opportunity with an athletic play to head the ball back to the goal keeper with senior forward Erick Perez-Segnini bearing down on him.” & “In the 79th minute, red shirt senior Mike Rollings crossed to a wide open senior midfielder Erick Perez-Segnini positioned 15 yards from goal without a Howard defender within spitting distance. Howard GK Thomas closed the angle – but Perez-Segnini shot wide. Pretty bad effort.”. In 2008 against Temple, “The fifth goal was scored by freshman midfielder Yoni Berhanu in the 75th minute. Intricate passing from Behanu to Erick Perez-Segnini and back to Behanu in the box with an accurate shot was the final score.” & “Perez-Segnini doesn’t maintain his width impacting his time and the GW shape.” In 2008 against Mount St Mary’s, “Junior Erick Perez-Segnini sent in a long ball from his half that was bouncing, Stadler air dribbled the ball with his head and foot with MSM defenders unable to knock him off the ball. Stadler put the ball under MSM sophomore GK Chris Davis for the game winner.” In 2007 against Richmond, “Sophomore midfielder Erick Perez-Segnini had a brutal first half but had a much better second half. He thinks too slow. His recognition of opportunities takes him too long to conceive. The defense has time to recover. Perez-Segnini has a very hard shot and is a big physical player. He’s nothing special though. Also, he had the assist on the goal.”
Tye Perido	Gonzaga	F	No	1st Team All-WCC; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 18/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 58 SH, .466 SOG%
Brian Perk	UCLA	GK	Yes	Signed-Combine 2nd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Pac10; 2008 2nd Team All-Pac 10; 2007 Honorable Mention Pac 10 14/14 GP/GS, .790 GAA, 11 GA, 50 S, .820 S% Bottom Line: solid goal keeper that has been on the U20 in 2007 and 2009, a little small; against Gtown, no comment; in 2008 against UNC, DNP; in 2007 against IU, “Daniel Kelley had an impressive run to the end line early in the game but his cross was snared by UCLA goal keeper, Brian Perk.” & “Perk had a whale of a game.”; in 2007 against ND, “Perk had a good game and can’t be blamed for either goal. His defense hung him out to dry.”
Ryan Peterman	San Diego	D	No	Combine 3rd Team NSCAA AA; POTY; 1st Team All-WCC; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 19/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG%
Vince Petrasso	Campbell	M	No	Atlantic Sun POTY; 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2008 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 18/16 GP/GS, 4 G, 11 A, 40 SH, .425 SOG% Bottom Line: pass; in 2008 against Jax, “Petrasso was the main offender of being off side. He was the 2007 ASC tourney MVP, but not this year.”; in 2008 against Loyola (Md), “Petrasso moves off the ball well. His passing is above average. He’s a key contributor when Campbell decides to combine.”
Cameron Petty	American	M	Yes	2008 2nd Team All-Patriot; 2007 2nd Team All-Patriot 17/14 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 26 SH, .231 SOG% Bottom Line: Good technically, may not be quick enough to play wide midfield – but an asset on the field (for AU); against George Mason, “Notable absences are senior midfielder Cameron Petty and junior midfielder Jamie Davin. Petty is one of the better technical players for AU”; in spring of 2009 against WV, “Many good things happen when Cameron Petty touches the ball. He is very aware of the field and is pretty good. I think he may have the potential to be a fringe pro player. Maybe.” ; in 2008 against Gtown, “To get more offense, junior Cameron Petty has moved up from right back to left mid. He may be the most complete AU player, while other players can do certain things better, he has the better game. He unbalances defense with his slick dribbling, he works hard to get back and his passing is pretty good. His shooting is erratic.”; in 2008 against James Madison, “Junior Cameron Petty does ok – though he seems to lose concentration during the game, giving up the ball too easily.”; in 2008 against Radford (ex), “The goal was started by a long pass from junior Cameron Petty into the box that struck Scott in his back 6 yards from goal and bounded back to a poaching sophomore David Menzie who hit the shot with authority in the 11th minute.” ; in 2007 against Lehigh, no comment
Mike Pezza	Connecticut	M	Yes	Combine 14/10 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 24 SH, .542 SOG% Bottom Line: undersized wide midfielder that can’t create a shot, but with an accurate cross – most MLS teams won’t be interested. Against Monmouth, no comment; in 2008 against Depaul, “In the first half, the best goal scoring opportunity came from a senior right back Mike Pezza 30 yard free kick that found high flying junior central back Kwame Watson-Siriboe’s head 10 yards from goal. Sure-handed Depaul goal keeper Brian Visser was able to scoop up the powerful header.”; in 2008 against Gtown, no comment; in 2008 against st. john’s, “CT started the scoring early with a 4th minute blast by Greg King. O’Brian White sent in a good diagonal to stud freshman Tony Cascio. He touched the ball to Mike Pezza who squared it onto King’s powerful left foot.”; In 2007 against VT, no comment; In 2007 against USF, “UConn came out early, scoring in the 2nd minute. Sophomore midfielder Mike Pezza stole a USF pass and delivered a through pass from 40 yards onto junior sensation O’Brian White’s foot that he slotted past the on-rushing goal keeper. The second goal was also delivered by Pezza with a terrific long ball. This time it was a curling ball from the sideline onto White’s head 4 yards from goal. White exhibited his athleticism by heading the cross that was 9 feet high! Wow!” & “At 46:46, UConn tallied their third goal. White got around the corner crossing the ball back into the center of the box. His pass was defected away with Pezza lurking. The ball bounded to Akeem Priestly loitering around the top of the box. Priestly buried it into the left netting for the third goal and to steal some of White’s glory.”
Jeff Popella	Dayton	F	Yes	11/1 GP/GS, 7 G, 1 A, 32 SH, .531 SOG%; in 2008 22/2 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 40 SH, .450 SOG% In 2008 against Saint Joe’s, “When Jeff Popella came on, his speed added a lot to the attack. He scored two goals, the second was because he just outpaced the entire SJU defense to get behind them from a free kick.”
Jon Ports	YCP	M	Yes	23/23 GP/GS, 7 G, 9 A, 63 SH, .460 SOG% Bottom Line: active player who can shoot, pass and runs well; Against Williams, “”YCP got on the scoreboard in the 5th minute. Senior midfielder Jon Ports squeezed a shot into the goal from a senior midfielder Justin Suchoski long pass.”" & “”Ports is outstanding. He’ll be greatly missed as a graduating senior. In the 23rd minute, with his exceptional quickness and dribbling ability, he beat the goal keeper, but he was near the end-line near the end of the goal area. He calmly slotted the ball to freshman midfielder Antonio Bua in the middle of the box. Bua skied the shot. This would have changed the game. The only question that I have is how would Ports compete against D1 players. I hope that Ports will be invited to the combine. If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if he signs with a USL1 team. He’s small, but he has quick feet. I think he could make a roster.”"; against Johns Hopkins, “”I finally figured out senior midfielder Jon Ports game. He is a complementary player rather than a dazzling individual. This is not intended as a slight. For example, he’s not going to try and dribble the opposing team. He will beat a player, distribute to a team mate and run to the open spot. Mark Ludwig compares him to Josh Gros with his high work rate. I submit that he crosses better than Gros, but while comparitive to him; he doesn’t have the lungs that Gros had (but who does). Ports is skillful on the ball. His passing is precise and well weighted. YCP performs better the more that Ports touches the ball. In the 2OT, he was playing AM which enabled YCP to control the attack (besides having the man advantage).”"; against Messiah, “”5 minutes later, senior midfielder Jon Ports delivered a picture perfect free kick 25 yards from goal near the sideline to sophomore midfielder Andy Stromberg on the far post 8 yards from goal. This time the GK stayed on his line and Stromberg headed it into the lower right corner. I normally don’t cover D3 – not because of arrogance, but for two simple reasons. First, to cover more college soccer in the compressed college soccer season would spread me too thin, reducing my effectiveness and analysis for all my coverage. Second, the number of professional soccer players coming from D1 is significantly higher than D2 or D3. I’m evaluating players for the MLS draft and their suitability for professional careers. Given the above, I specifically came to watch Jon Ports. He looked pretty good when I saw him play 2 years ago. Since then he has been a D3 All-American first team for the past 2 years. After watching him today, his grade is incomplete. Ports did a lot of good things, but I need to watch him without the wind impact and with me being more familiar with YCP. He didn’t impose his skill/talent on this game. I would expect that he could. In the 5th minute, Ports served a 30 yard free kick to Becker’s head, but Becker’s shot was wide left. A minute later, Ports creatively volleyed a ball at the top of the box with his heel, but O’Connell couldn’t muster a shot. In the second half with limited offensive opportunities, Ports was able to take a quick first touch in the 50th minute, turning an hitting the shot with the second touch, but the shot was high. In the 65th minute, I liked how he laid off a Messiah player receiving a long ball, then stealing the ball when the player didn’t have a sharp first touch. Smart play. All of these are positives things. But was he significantly better than all of the other players? No – not really. Will he be able to handle the quicker game – requiring a cleaner first touch? I’m not sure. Right now, I know that Ports has talent, turns quickly, plays honestly. Is he good enough? I don’t know. I need to see him play again.”";
Zach Prince	Charleston	F	Yes	2nd Team All-Southern 20/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 5 A, 45 SH, .111 S% Bottom Line: extremely skillful dribbler and shooter, but has had problems with work rate and playing with others; against Jacksonville, “The second goal was scored in the 29th minute by freshman forward George Khoury. The play was started by senior forward Zach Prince; good turn – good cross; Khoury finished with the outside of his foot from 4 yards.” ; against Stetson, “In the first half, Prince should have finished 1v1 with the goal keeper (twice), but didn’t. Prince still doesn’t work hard enough. He has brilliant technical skills, but doesn’t play quick enough nor work back fully to get the ball. However, I no longer think that he has a lung or heart condition. Now, if he could work more – his team will win more. I wasn’t satisfied with many of Prince’s set pieces. Some were on the mark, others were dreadful.” ; in spring of 2009, against Clemson/Charlotte , “Prince has tons of skill. I like watching him. He just needs to improve his work rate. He got the winning goal against Clemson.”; In 2008 against Washington, “Junior forward Zach Prince is a good player but he must have a lung ailment. He may be the worse conditioned player in college. He looks like he lost weight since the spring, now he needs to improve his heart. In the second he was better playing 25 minutes.”; In spring of 2008 against Winthrop, “The Charleston player that impressed me the most was Casey Gold. He served 2 terrific passes that weren’t converted, but should have been. Justice was served when he got the lone goal on a good cross from Prince that Gold touched from 12 yards with the outside of his foot into the far post.”; In spring of 2008 against Kentucky, “Zach Prince is technically proficient, physical and the key to the attack. However, Prince is not fit and he’ll need to improve his self-discipline if he expects to play at the next level.”;
Erkko Puranen	Rhode Island	F	No	Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10; 2008 2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 20/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 32 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: I haven’t seen him play.
Jordan Raybould	Yale	M	No	2007 Honorable Mention All-Ivy 17/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 8 SH, .375 SOG%
Tim Ream	SLU	D	Yes	Combine 2nd Team CSN AA; 3rd Team NSCAA AA; Atlantic 10 Defensive POTY; 1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 2nd Team All-Atlantic 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 22/22 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 28 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom line: His touch, size and head are professional quality. He isn’t the fastest defender – but I think he’ll overcome this minor deficiency. Against Temple, “I’m sold. Senior center back Tim Ream is going to be a successful professional. Without reviewing all the seniors, he might be one of the top 5 seniors chosen in the MLS draft. His defense is top-notch. His passing is accurate. He doesn’t rush himself. He’ll need to be quicker on his first touch. Ream is the bright spot on this team.” & “In the 88th minute, Ream served in a beautiful long free kick that Brown was able to gather and square it into the middle of the top of the box. Senior back James Dice hit the post.”; Against Akron, “In the 15th minute, senior center back Tim Ream took a low free kick that rebounded to sophomore forward Mike Roach in the box. Roach’s shot was blocked.” & “In the 60th minute, junior midfielder Stephen Bortolon’s errant free kick bounced back to him allowing him to serve a successful cross that was flicked on across the box by Ream to an open freshman midfielder Nick Maglasang hanging out at the far post. From 5 yards, Maglasang hit his shot directly at the goal keeper. This was the best SLU opportunity.” & “Ream and Viviano could argue who was responsible for marking the forward that scored the first goal – but the ultimate effect is that both of them are responsible for communicating. Without being able to review the tape, I would have thought that Viviano would have picked up the zippy fast forward.” Against FIU, “Senior center back (though I prefer him at left back) Tim Ream is very good on the ball. He made a late game header under pressure to eliminate a FIU threat. He demonstrated his athleticism by a ball that took an unexpected bad bounce destined to go over the sideline – rather than accepting his fate he acrobatically changed direction and was able to send the ball forward. I have high hopes for him in the pros. It’ll be interesting to see him at the combine.”. In 2008 against UMass, “Tim Ream provides good service; his passing is extremely precise. I can’t believe I “reamed” him against Duke last year.”; In 2008 against LaSalle, “Tim Ream and Barklage were terrorizing the left side. La Salle was struggling to hold on.”. In 2007 against George Washington, “On the goal, he started the play, passing the ball to Brandon Barklage on the left, who fed the overlapping Tim Ream, who crossed the ball onto the foot of the sliding Patterson. Patterson put the ball into the far side of the goal. It was a outstanding display of precision passing.”. & “I had pilloried Ream against Duke. Here’s my quote – “Tim Ream is a disaster as a left back. When he gets forward, he doesn’t add anything to the attack. Germanese was having a field day on him. SLU may want to investigate another option – unless this game was an anomaly.” Ream was fantastic today. His ball skills were top notch. He had 2 assists, because his crosses were accurate. I was impressed – if not for Wisniewski’s play, Ream was MOTM.”
Shane Recklet	Quinipiac	M	No	2nd Team All-NEC; 2008 2nd Team All-NEC 17/15 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 21 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom line: average college defender with a defense that permits way too many shots/goals; in 2008 against Loyola (MD), “Junior central defender Shane Recklet tackles well and distributes from the back. His passing is sharp and his tackling hard. For example, in the 36th minute, he won possession, took a good first touch, assessed the field, then distributed keeping possession for Q. On the first touch, I’ve seen too many defenders relieve pressure temporarily by clearing the ball without maintaining possession.” & “The final score was set-up again by Bannister with less than a minute to play. He was trundled by a Q defender (I believe that it was Soubrier) right outside the box to the angst of the fan-side referee helpers and the fan-side unofficial assistant coaches. Darvill shot around the wall trying to get the game winner and the hat trick. It was blocked by Recklet and landed at freshman forward Mark Jaskolski’s foot and he hit the game winner with 30 seconds remaining.”; in 2007 against Mount St Mary’s, no comment – but the defense was absent as well;
Michael Reed	New Mexico	M	No	20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 23 SH, .391 SOG% Bottom Line: Pigs flying; in 2007 against UCSB, “When the ref finally called a foul, he didn’t assert himself by running over to the play, stopping the clock, addressing the NM player. Instead he stood at midfield and watched UCSB Ciaran O’Brien and Chris Pontius accost NM Justin Davis which started the melee. UCSB Jon Curry ran from the far side of the field to jump into the fight. In the scrum, NM Michael Reed punched UCSB Andy Iro who was choking him. It was impossible to catch every punch thrown or identify every person involved – both benches had players and staff leave their benches. “; in 2007 against Washington, no comment
Sam Reeder	San Diego	D	No	2nd Team All-WCC 19/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .429 SOG%
Charles Reiter	Davidson	F	No	1st Team All-Southern 18/18 GP/GS, 12 G, 8 A, 71 SH, .437 SOG% Bottom Line: terrific senior year, unlikely to be in MLS; in 2006 against UVA, played 10 minutes at the end of the first half. No other comments
Barry Rice	Kentucky	D	Yes	3rd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Conference USA; 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 CUSA Defender OTY; 2008 1st Team All-Conference USA; 2007 CUSA Defender OTY; 2007 1st Team All-Conference USA 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 19 SH, .421 SOG% Bottom Line: unparalleled athleticism with a continued pedigree, has not been as impressive as his reputation; in spring of 2009 against UNCW/Furman, “The winning goal was scored by Shawn Guderian from a Rice mis-touch. Guderian recovered the ball at the top of the box, curling his shot around Rice into the lower right hand corner.” & ” I really like the way Tyler Wheaton crosses and dribbles. He’s very alert. He delivered a nice ball into the box that Guderian was able to shoulder block Rice off the ball.” & “I was most disappointed with Barry Rice. He’s started at right back, but his play was lacking from what I’ve come to expect from him. He kept losing the ball. He was knocked off the ball and didn’t immediately get back into the play even though UNCW was in his box. In the second game, Rice was better serving the ball. He hurt himself on a physical tackle, but worked through his difficulty. I have high hopes for Rice. I think he could be as good as MLS 2008 Rookie of the year, Sean Franklin. But, he needs to raise his level.”; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), good entry in the beginning of the game. started at RB – came into the center to help slow down Hamilton’s height and speed. ; in 2008 against UCSB (tape), Terrific in the air – good athletic ability. Poor tackling. Also, not good defensive position; in 2008 against Tulsa (tape), very confusing watching him. At times he’s making critical tackles, stepping up effectively, good defensive positioning. Then, he looks clueless against McInnes, on one play, heading it back too softly, then not shielding the ball for his goal keeper allowing forward and goal keeper collision. I just don’t know. Great athlete – inconsistent defender; in 2008 against KY (tape), the best complete game that I’ve seen him play. he was good in the air, of course. but he was stepping up. timing his tackles well. The only criticism that I had was that he was too casual on a clearance and it was blocked; ;in spring of 2008 against Charleston/Furman, “Rice was steady. His driven passes from the back are struck on a rope. He got behind the defense but his shot was lacking.”
Dylan Riley	Cal Northridge	M	TV	19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 2 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG% Bottom Line: disappears for much of the game; in PDL final against Chicago Fire PDL (tape), didn’t dissapear in this game – but probably wanted to crawl into a hole after scoring an own goal. Should have headed the ball over the cross bar. Good desire to get past a midfielder to get a shot in the first half. ; in 2008 against Creighton (on tape), a few erratic touches, did get knocked over by a dimunitive Tim Walters. Pass
Tim Ritter	Providence	F	TV	2nd Team Big East; 2008 3rd Team Big East 19/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 0 A, 27 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: didn’t see – in several years of watching providence
Julian Robles	Michigan	D	TV	18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: Plodding defender with deplorable defensive foot work; against NW (on tape), beaten by NW Kupe with poor foot work, brilliant touch by Eliason eliminated Robles in his wake, allowing an open 20 yard shot that was stopped by the GK; Robles weak on second defender as Eliason was able to easily provide service in the 30th minute. Robles good on holding off attackers; Against OSU (tape), good step up to steal ball, runs fwd, doesn’t get the ball back; too static as 2nd defender in 2nd half; in 2007 against OSU, “In the 65th minute, freshman forward Nowa Thiam got behind the Michigan defense. As he got into the box, Julian Robles pulled on him, but Thiam stayed up fighting off the challenge. Thiam’s shot was weak. A more savvy player would have let Robles take him down earning a PK.” – even then getting beaten by quicker players;
Doug Rodkey	Maryland	M	Yes	5/5 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 3 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom line: May try to get a 2nd Red shirt – if not, I’m not sure that he’s got a professional career; Injured early in 2009; against BC, “In the 7th minute, MD opened the scoring by forcing an error on BC freshman goal keeper. On the play, senior right back Doug Rodkey knocked the ball back to sophomore DM Matt Kassel who struck a high arching ball that sophomore forward Casey Townsend was able to challenge the BC goal keeper. It bounded away and junior Jason Herrick buried the shot into the empty goal.”; against Cal, “Junior defender A. J. Soares made a terrific stop on Md’s Doug Rodkey who appeared to be breaking through.”&”Rodkey has a precise foot work and a low center of gravity. He’s very good in tight spaces. His best opportunity came in the 55th minute after a terrific build-up from Yates to Herrick to Forbess finally to Rodkey. Rodkey couldn’t get his shot by the keeper. Also, Rodkey needs to stay on his feet on defense. Wiedeman got Rodkey in the air with a fake.”; in spring of 2009 against WF, “Doug Rodkey is slick, making space for himself to serve in dangerous crosses. Rodkey can be a key contributor, but he is going to need others around him to do well.”; in 2008 against Creighton, no comment; in 2008 against Cal, no comment; in 2008 against George Mason, “Doug Rodkey is not playing up to his normal standard of play. If he doesn’t improve, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his way to the subs bench.”; In 2008 against BC, no comment; In 2008 against UNC, “The first goal was scored by Jeremy Hall in the 14th minute. On the play, it started with senior right back Rich Costanzo taking the ball from midfield a quick pass to junior Doug Rodkey who gave it quickly back to the overlapping Costanzo. Before Costanzo received the ball, he faked his first touch which froze Ababio. Costanzo delivered an accurate cross to junior Jeremy Hall enjoying his solitude in the box on the far post. Hall took the ball off his chest and simply crushed the ball.”; in 2008 against UVA, no comment; in 2008 against Evansville, no comment; in 2008 against Lehigh, no comment; in 2008 against Charlotte, “Rodkey missed several opportunities early in the first half. The biggest miss was a cross from sophomore left back Rodney Wallace that Rodkey hit wide right. Rodkey had an opportunity to salvage his half dribbling into the box, but his shot was right at the goal keeper and was easily saved.”; in 2008 against Binghamton, “Rodkey was beating his defender getting to the endline without problems and serving in numerous crosses.”;
Tyler Rosenhagen	W Michigan	M	No	2nd Team All-MAC 14/14 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 27 SH, .481 SOG%
Misha Rosenthal	Northwestern	GK	TV	2008 2nd Team Big 10; 2007 2nd Team Big 10 18/18 GP/GS, .950 GAA, 18 GA, 89 S, .832 S% Bottom Line: Inconsistent. At times, unable to be beat, making unbelievable saves and I’ve seen him give up soft goals. Might be a concentration thing that he’ll improve on in the future. Because of several concussions wears head gear like Petr Cech – future injuries?; against Michigan (on tape), made several difficult saves. After making 3 consecutive saves, winning goal put past him – not his fault.; against IU (tape), more mixed impressions – for example, on a low Alexander shot, he allowed the ball to bound away, he was quick on his feet to chase it down – but he should have smothered the shot. Also, why wasn’t he given a yellow card for forgetting to wear shin guards. His bad positioning allowed the ball to go over his head but was saved by the cross bar. He’s a good shot stopper. If you need an ucler or want to torture your coach, draft him.
Scott Rosman	ETSU	GK	No	1st Team All-Atlantic Sun 17/17 GP/GS, 1.11 GAA, 20 GA, 45 S, .692 S%
Chris Ross	Colgate	M	No	1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 1st Team All-Patriot 15/14 GP/GS, 2 G, 4 A, 40 SH, .500 SOG%
Kevin Rosser	Air Force	M	No	1st Team All-MPSF; 2008 2nd Team All-MPSF 14 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 33 SH, .303 SOG% Bottom Line: other obligations besides, MLS
Stefan Runeman	Jacksonville	M	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2008 1st Team All-Atlantic Sun; 2007 2nd Team All-Atlantic Sun 17/16 GP/GS, 6 G, 1 A, 41 SH, .390 SOG% Bottom Line: Has some skill, but not someone that has stuck with me as a game changer. Nice kid, but odds don’t favor him; against Charleston, “The crucial play of the game was the game-tying penalty kick in the 50th minute that senior DM Stefan Runeman buried, not once but twice (because of infringement into the box) on both sides of the goal. Jax took the lead for good with another tally by Runeman in the 85th minute. Junior forward Nedim Hrustic received the ball with his back to goal just outside the box with a defender marking him tightly. He flipped the ball up into the box where Runeman touched it over his defender before volleying it into the left side of the goal. Pure magic.”; against Alabama A&M, “Runeman plays with effort, but his effort was lacking in the second half. I put much of the blame on him for the second half, because he’s a senior and in the middle. I expect him to provide the leadership to get his team to play with more purpose. Unfair? Maybe, but life is unfair – too bad.”; in 2008 against Campbell, no comment’
Tyler Ruthven	South Carolina	D	Yes	1st Team All-Conference USA; 2008 2nd Team All-Conference USA; 2007 3rd Team All-Conference USA 18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 1 SH, 1.000 S% Bottom Line: not noteworthy defender; In spring of 2009 against Charlotte/Winthrop no comment ; in 2008 against WF, no comment ; in spring of 2008 against ODU/UNCG, no comment
Jon Rzepka	Wisconsin	M	TV	18/14 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 19 SH, .579 SOG% Bottom Line: active player but is not an AM in MLS, upgraded; Against PSU (tape), good lungs, good defensive balance, weak passing; Against MSU (tape), not shy to be physical, good understanding of passing lanes – not able to pass precisely/confident to break the defense – at other times, too rushed. Beautiful pass to set up the game winning goal in 2OT
Thiago Sa Friere	Stanford	M	Yes	2/2 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG% injured early in the season? Red-shirt and play next year, possibly.
Dane Saintus	SMU	F	TV	1st Team All-Conference USA; 2007 2nd Team All-Conference USA 16 GP, 8 G, 5 A, 36 SH, .472 SOG% Bottom Line: quick, powerful forward, skeptical on his ability to be a consistent scorer; in 2008 against KY (tape), quick on the ball, knocked off the ball by Rice. played wide midfield – which probably be where he would need to play.; in 2007 against Washington, “Allen had a chippy moment in the 65th minute. He made a bad tackle on SMU captain Ben Shuleva that was called a foul that could have been a yellow. Of course, Shuleva and Dane Saintus felt the need to push Allen several times. The ref didn’t feel it necessary to admonish the SMU players.” & “Mueller was man-to-man on speedy SMU forward Dane Saintus and did an admirable job.”; in 2007 against UCSB, “SMU’s goal was scored by Dane Saintus’s determination. A long pass came from midfield to Saintus positioned just outside of the SMU penalty area. Saintus was marked closely by UCSB All-American Andy Iro. They were bumping into each other and Iro lost his balance and fell. With no other defensive coverage, UCSB red shirt freshman Bryant Rueckner closed the angle. Saintus alluded the keeper toward the touch line and shot into the open far post for SMU’s only goal.” & “Then 2 minutes into the second half, Dane Saintus came out with a knock and was replaced with another new player (one that didn’t start in the first half) freshman Osorio Keoka.” & “aintus, as well as scoring the lone goal in the 93rd minute, showed me his dribbling skill and his ability to hold the ball in the box while being harassed by several defenders. He’s a good player and someone to watch in the next couple of years.”
Chris Salmon	Colgate	D	No	2nd Team All-Patriot 15/15 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG% Bottom Line: doubtful; In spring of 2008 against Temple, no notes ; in spring of 2008 against Penn, no notes
Patrick Sampson	LMU	GK	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC; 2008 2nd Team All-WCC 11/8 GP/GS, 1.33 GAA, 12 GA, 41 S, .774 S%
Yousef Samy	Saint Mary’s	M	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 16/14 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .538 SOG%
Alan Sanchez	NC State	M	Yes	1st Team All-ACC; 2008 2nd Team All-ACC 22/22 GP/GS, 7 G, 9 A, 63 SH, .476 SOG% Bottom Line: good passing; tricky player; no shot at MLS for such a self-absorbed non-athletic player; against Portland, “Sanchez spends to much time on the ball. By slowing up the play, he allows the defense to form. He needs to work quicker. I can’t say that I’m enamored with his play enough to want him on my team (at the next level).”; against BC, “Bouemboue scored the opening goal in the 7th minute from a driven corner kick by senior forward Alan Sanchez. Bouemboue buried the shot with authority.” & “Nachmann accelerated, making a shoulder shrug to get into the back. He passed the ball to Sanchez. With the goal keeper the only man to beat, Sanchez tried to chip the keeper from 20 yards. It was a soft pass directly to the keeper’s chest. ugh! “; against UNC, “Sanchez sees a lot of the ball. He’s a creative player that is thicker than when I saw him last year. His work rate is insufficient for the next level. He’ll probably get drafted, but I can’t foresee that he’ll be successful.”; in 2008 against WF, “Sanchez delivered a pass to junior Ronnie Bouemboue at the top of the box. Bouemboue megged Wentzel before shooting the ball into the far post. Nice play by Bouemboue. He’s comfortable running at the defense with many defenders around him. However, in the 65th minute, Bouemboue broke away from the defense with a good chest touch to beat the defense before dribbling with Brown and Courtney pressuring. He should have distributed to his attacking partner Sanchez he chose to take a shot that was weak. Sanchez is a very good player that is much stronger than he was last year.”; in 2008 against VT, “The last goal scored in the waning seconds with VT sending everyone forward to get the tying goal was started by Bouemboue heading the ball to junior Alan Sanchez who dribbled from midfield to 35 yards from goal with all but the GK behind him. He slotted a ball to the far side to junior Federico Nachmann. With time dwindling, his shot was blocked by the closing keeper, but Nachmann was able to kick the rebound over the prone keeper into the open net with 48 seconds remaining in the VT season.” & “Sanchez is a good passer and he is good on the ball. He looks for the pass first sometimes too much.”; in 2007 against UVA, suspended for yellow card accumulation; In 2007 against MD, “didn’t get involved in the game”; In 2007 against UVA, “The most notable drama queen is the most talented NCSU player, sophomore attacking midfielder Alan Sanchez. If he brings this act to MLS, I expect that Dema, Olsen, Armas (if he doesn’t retire) or whoever the veteran leader on “his” team is, will break him in half. Sanchez can hold the ball, feinting and dribbling, his leaping ability is above average and his passing is golden. He reminds me of Medhi Ballouchy – a slim player that has silky moves and killer passes. I doubt that Sanchez will mature in the NCSU environment. So rather than recommending that he stay in school to mature, a professional environment might be better for him. I question if this will be successful because of this maturity gap.” – side note, only Dema is still around, funny how one thinks 3 years ago.
Matt Sanders	Cal Fullerton	D	No	Honorable Mention All-Big West; 2008 1st Team All-Big West; 2007 Honorable Mention All-Big West 16/16 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 26 SH, .385 SOG%
Kevin Santora	UC Irvine	D	No	1st Team All-Big West 22/22 GP/GS, 3 G, 5 A, 14 SH, .357 SOG% Bottom Line: left back that can get forward, but in the 1 TV game was consistently caught ball watching; in 2007 against UCSB, sophomore left back Kevin Santora was either caught ball watching (in 43rd minute) or standing around (on the third goal). Additionally, he provided too much space to Avila on the first goal. In the 32nd minute, he turned the ball over in his corner that eventually led to the second goal. He gets forward easily – grade still the same.
Ian Sarachan	UIC	M	TV	13/10 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .571 SOG% Bottom Line: small midfielder with a quick soccer mind, but not enough talent; Against Louisville (tape), nothing inspirational – many other players in college do the same thing; In 2007 against UMass “Bubonja didn’t do much. In a different environment, he might have had more of an impact. However, in 6 play-off games (Horizon tournament and NCAA) prior to UMass, UIC surrender only 1 goal. He’s worth taking a look at next year.”
Ofori Sarkodie	Indiana	D	Yes	Combine 2nd Team Big 10; 2007 1st Team Big 10 22 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 3 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: loses his man in the box too often, after having a succesful U20 tournament never consistently had the same level of success. He’s worthy of a low round draft pick expecting little.; Against FIU, no comment; Against Akron, “Sarkodie is a solid defender. He doesn’t do anything exceptional, but does all of the little things consistently.” & “Kofi Sarkodie is fast. Right now, I’d take him over his older brother Ofori Sarkodie (regardless of the U20 experience). I like his foot skills and his ability to get the ball into dangerous spots in front of the goal.”; in 2008 against Ohio State, “Sarkodie saved a ball off the goal line to keep the game scoreless in the first half. On this play, a 40 yard free kick was sent in and sophomore Konrad Warzycha headed the ball from 10 yards in a mass of IU defenders with the IU goal keeper, Chay Cain coming out and not getting enough on the ball. The header was bouncing into the goal until Sarkodie arrived to save the day.”; in 2008 against Akron, “Gavin makes accurate passes. He was stymied from an assist by top-notch defending by Ofori Sarkodie on Zakuani.” & “The Battle of the Sarkodie’s (Kofi on Akron and Ofori on IU) was like the match – a scoreless draw.”; In 2008 against Duke, “Freshman central defender Tommy Meyer teamed well with Ofori Sarkodie.”; In 2007 against UCLA, “Sarkodie anchors the defense. Solid. When I spoke to him after the U20 game in Ottawa (Brazil), he was considering trying to go professional. However, he decided that because he wasn’t fully healthy and hadn’t created sufficient buzz at the U20 tournament that he would be best served to come back to IU. I think that he made the right decision. I expect that this will be his last year at IU.”
Jeff Scannella	South Carolina	M	Yes	2008 2nd Team All-Conference USA; 2007 1st Team All-Conference USA 16/11 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 12 SH, .083 S% Bottom Line: very technical; very small, very unlikely that he’ll be in MLS in 2010; In spring of 2009 against Charlotte/Winthrop, “Jeff Scannella changed his number from 10 to 7. He’s technically very good, but the more that I see him, I can’t discard the Justin Moose label – small, quick, but just not good enough. Scannella was getting frustrated with his team mates not getting him the ball.”; in 2008 against WF, “In the first half, senior left midfielder Jeff Scannella fended off 2 WF defenders to get the ball to senior midfielder Spencer Lewis. Lewis drew the defenders to him before getting the ball to an open freshman midfielder David MacVane at the top of the box. MacVane took a balancing touch moving the ball into the box and space and shot low and hard. But, the shot was right at the WF GK Akira Fitzgerald who gathered up the shot without moving his feet. This was the lone shot for SC in the first half. Yes, this is true. 1 shot.” ; in spring of 2008 against ODU/UNCG, “was surprised in how small Jeff Scannella is – guess that I need a bigger TV. He had a few brilliant moments. Scannella turns quickly and delivers the ball accurately. He pinches in too much. He’d be better served by staying wider to give himself more time before the defense can close.” & “Scannella was able to shrug off a shoulder charge from a much larger opponent.”
Zack Schilawski	Wake Forest	F	Yes	Combine 2nd Team CSN AA; 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 2nd Team All-ACC 24 GP, 14 G, 7 A, 82 SH, .439 SOG% Bottom Line: good forward, accurate shooter, good passer, I liked Arnoux just a little more – who I compared to Pontius; against UVA, “Schilawski connects well with his team mates. In the 21st minute, he got the ball wide to sophomore midfielder Luke Norman who touched it to Schilawski in the box. But his shot was wide. This was the game that he could have won. He’s a good player; honest player. I like him.”; against UNCW, “da Luz scored the first goal in the 35th minute. The play started with da Luz crossed the ball across the top of the box, senior forward Zack Schilawski dummied the ball for sophomore forward Chris Estridge at the top of the box. His shot was blocked. Schilawski shot the rebound and it was blocked. Schilawski gathered the rebound and passed it back to da Luz in the box. He used the outside of his favored left foot to hook it into the far post.”; against UVA, “Lubahn sees the game very quickly and can play well off senior Zach Schilawski.” & “Schilawski beat Volk around the corner forcing Volk to foul him.”; in spring of 2009 against MD, “Arnoux was fouled by Kevin Tangney just past midfield when he was breaking behind the defense (probably a smart play). However, Bone served a pretty free kick that Arnoux headed from the near post 10 yards out to his strike partner, Zack Schilawski, left alone on the far post 6 yards from goal. Schilawski finished this gift with his head. 3 touches, Bone’s foot, Arnoux’s head, Schilawski’s head –> Goal.” & “The last goal was assisted by Schilawski driving down the left side crossing the ball on the ground past Tangney (who needed to do more than whiff on the cross) to an open Luke Norman from 5 yards in the 30th minute.”; in the spring against Denver, “Wake Forest’s “Three Amigos” are worth the price of admission. Cody Arnoux, Zack Schilawski, and Corbin Bone play quickly, precisely and effectively. They are simply fun to watch. These three may be the best attacking combination in college soccer. Schilawski scored a goal in each half. With just seconds remaining in the first half, Bone fired a shot that was too hot for Denver GK Joe Willis to handle. Schilawski pounced on the free ball to score into the open goal from 7 yards. His second goal was a clinical build-up with WF moving the ball around the Denver area. From 2 yards, Schilawski tapped in an Arnoux driven cross for the final tally.”; in 2008 against UVA, “Tracy opened the scoring with a blast from 15 yards. Starting the play, Cody Arnoux got the ball to Zack Schilawski at the top of the box before Arnoux was hacked from the back by Ross LaBauex. Schilawski dropped it to Corben Bone who sent it to Tracy near the top of the box leading to the goal after taking a settling touch.” & “WF trio of forwards (Tracy, Schilawski, Arnoux) are very dangerous with varying degrees of speed, guile and skill amongst them. Tracy is the best athlete. I like Arnoux skill and his patience. Schilawski plays honestly and is always a threat to score.”; in 2008 against NC State, “Franks scored the first WF goal in the 23rd minute. Junior Zack Schilawski squared the ball to Jamie Franks 30 yards from goal. Franks sent the ball forwarded to senior Cody Arnoux who one touched it square to Franks who buried the shot.”; in the 2007 NCAA final against Ohio State, “The winning goal originated from Lomnicki’s side again. Tracy received the ball behind Lomnicki beating Verhoff on the dribble. With Brunner closing, Tracy slotted the ball to Schilawski who finished hooking the ball around Latchem. Latchem complained about a handball but it wasn’t seen by Prus or Tsapos. I couldn’t find it on the replay, either.”
Jesse Schram	Lehigh	M	Yes	2nd Team All-Patriot; 2007 2nd Team All-Patriot 18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 19 SH, .316 SOG% Bottom Line: extremely unlikely ; against PSU, no comment; against Stanford, “Lehigh tallied the first goal in the 49th minute set-up by a Ciuffetelli long throw-in (CLT). CLT went to the middle of the box and Moore had a punch that went straight up into the air. So Moore tried again and whiffed again. But this time, senior midfielder Jesse Schram buried the 7 yard shot into the upper 90.”; in 2008 against MD, no comment ; in 2007 against AU, no comment ; in 2007 against MD, no comment
Nick Schuermann	Wofford	D	No	3rd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-Southern 18 GP, 5 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .538 SOG%
Chris Schuler	Creighton	D	TV	Combine 1st Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team CSN AA; 2008 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 MVC Defender OTY; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 16/16 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 18 SH, .389 SOG% Bottom Line: Athletic ball winner center back; in PDL final against Ventura County Fusion PDL (tape), disappointing. allowed first goal off corner kick losing his man. In 2nd half – better with the man advantage. Poor dribbling (almost embarrassing); in 2008 against MD, “Schuler is delivering on the promise that I expected. He reminds me of former UVA’s #4 – Bakary Soumare. He has long legs that lets him close on defenders quickly. Because of this, he has the ability to force bad shots from attackers because of that closing threat.”; in 2008 against Cal Northridge (tape), “stepping up to stop attacks”
Michael Seamon	Villanova	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team Big East; 2008 3rd Team Big East; 2007 2nd Team Big East 18/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 7 A, 73 SH, .384 SOG% Bottom Line: very good on the ball and good passer, many of the parents would like Seamon to pass the ball around, but as a non-bias watcher, I’m confident with Seamon’s discretion; against Louisville, “The best player on Villanova is senior forward Mike Seamon. He has professional potential. His dribbling, vision, passing is outstanding. The problem is that he doesn’t have enough support. For example, in the 70th minute, he flipped a pass to junior midfielder Sean Mergenthal behind the defense in the box. Mergenthal’s volley was off target.”; in 2007 against MD, “Other than Mike Del Guercio’s awe-inspiring turn and cannon of a shot that clanged off the cross bar in the 12th minute and Mike Seamon’s powerful and fast dribbling runs up the left side, Nova played like a bunch of lambs. Toothless lambs. This can’t possibly be the same team that held Duke scoreless.”; in 2007 against Gtown, “I wasn’t impressed with freshman left back Mostafa Ebrahimnejad. In the first half, he was over-matched on the left side by Nova’s Joe Taylor. Then, he was beaten by Nova’s Mike Seamon on a step over. In the 76th minute, he made an impressive run beating 3 Nova defenders but could not uncoil a shot because the ball stayed on his less favored right foot. Ending the game, Ebrahimnejad had a momentary lack of concentration. A throw in was earned by Gtown deep in the Nova area with less than a minute in the game. While Ebrahimnejad was expecting to make a long throw in, his team mate Scott Larrabee threw it in to him and he CAUGHT it. Hand ball – end of the game.”
Pat Selwood	Bucknell	D	Yes	1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 2nd Team All-Patriot 22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: good defender ; against Princeton, no comment ; against St Francis (PA), “The red card was preceded by a pushing incident between junior midfielder Patrick Fleming and Bucknell’s senior central defender Patrick Selwood – both players received yellows. On the play, Selwood came in hard, but Fleming jumped over Selwood, but Fleming felt compelled to push Selwood.” & “Selwood served a long pass to freshman left midfielder CK Kumah. Kumah took too long to shoot the ball. “; in spring of 2008 against Oakland, “Selwood is steady in the back.”
Joel Senior	James Madison	M	No	3rd Team All-Colonial 16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 14 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line: not memorable; in 2008 against AU, no comment; in 2007 against ODU, no comment;
Matt Shaxton	Cal-Bakersfield	M	No	1st Team All-MPSF 17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 4 A, 38 SH, .474 SOG%
Steve Shively	Valparaiso	F	No	2nd Team All-Horizon 18/15 GP/GS, 5 G, 4 A, 43 SH, .419 SOG%
Kevin Shrout	Drake	M	Yes	1st Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 24/24 GP/GS, 5 G, 8 A, 55 SH, .345 SOG% Bottom Line: Good tackler, but doesn’t have the skill and ability to play in MLS; against UNC, “Shrout is a sure tackler and he had plenty of opportunities to tackle against the attack minded Tar Heels.”
Cameron Sims	Cal Northridge	F	No	1st Team All-Big West 20/20 GP/GS, 7 G, 1 A, 74 SH, .365 SOG% Bottom Line: Big forward, transferred from Mt. San Antonio CC in 2008; didn’t play in the only game that I have on tape; upgraded slightly.
Andrew Sinderhoff	UCLA	M	Yes	9/2 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG% Bottom Line: not a starter in college – no chance; against Gtown, no comment; In 2008 against UNC, “Junior midfielder Andrew Sinderhoff is a proficient crosser.”
Seth Sinovic	Creighton	D	No	Combine 1st Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 16/16 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 35 SH, .429 SOG% Bottom Line: adequate defender; In 2008 against MD, “Senior left back Seth Sinovic is a good defender but I am not sure if he has sufficient ball skills for MLS.”; On TV, against Creighton, on long throw-in from Sinovic that directly leads to the Finley goal; in 2008 against Cal Northridge, “huge run in the 59th minute” & “looks comfortable with the ball”
Matt Skonicki	Winthrop	F	No	1st Team All-Big South; 2008 2nd Team All-Big South 20 GP, 13 G, 9 A, 70 SH, .543 SOG% Bottom Line: Consistent goal scorer and competent passer. Can he play with the big boys?; In spring of 2009 against Furman/South Carolina, “Skonicki scored twice to battle back from a goal deficit to ultimately earn the draw. He is the lone goal scorer remaining on the team.” & “Lacey fed Skonicki into a 1v1 confrontation with the South Carolina GK, but Skoniki’s shot was snagged. The central midfield was too soft, allowing South Carolina too much space without tacit pressure.” ; in 2008 against William & Mary, “Skonicki came up with another injury in the first half which hurt the Winthrop attack. Staying on the field has been Skonicki’s biggest challenge.”; in 2008 against VMI, “Araujo is a typical small Brazilian player that can turn on a dime and has exceptional passing skills. He is the engine. He tallied 2 assists the first on the second goal off a corner kick to junior Cameron Alksnis in the 41st minute. The second was on a steal before he distributed the ball to junior Matthew Skonicki that he shot past the keeper from 15 yards. Skonicki chipped the keeper from 30 yards 3 minutes later for his second goal. Skonicki is a player to watch. I like the way that he shoots and his composure on the ball – then again against VMI, I’d have composure!”; in spring of 2008 against Charleston/UNCW, no comments started at left back; in 2007 against High Point, no comment – played left back.
Karsten Smith	American	D	Yes	2nd Team All-Patriot; 2008 1st Team All-Patriot; 2007 2nd Team All-Patriot 17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall rangy player, but won’t be playing in MLS ; against George Mason, “In the 87th minute, GM got on the board – but it was a little late. Sophomore Draymond Washington cranked a shot from 12 yards. On the play, AU’s Karsten Smith made a rash tackle and was ejected. ” ; in spring of 2009 against WV, no comment ; in 2008 against Gtown, no comment ; in 2008 against James Madison, “Nydal stole the ball from AU’s Karsten Smith and delivered a good pass that Sapong should have converted but didn’t.” & “The goal was scored by junior Karsten Smith in the 38th minute. The play was created by sophomore Jamie Davin beating Gannon on the dribble, then driving a good cross to Smith’s head to open the scoring. While Smith scored the goal, he makes some questionable decisions in the back including giving up the ball to allow JMU to transition.” ; in 2008 against Radford (ex), no comment ; in 2007 against Lehigh, no comment
Ryan Soroka	No School	M	No	2008 3rd Team Big East in 2008 – 25/25 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 30 SH, .433 SOG% Bottom Line: Sat out 2009 after some sort of disagreement, alledgedly will be trying out for expansion Philly; in 2008 against Rutgers, no comment; in 2008 against Uconn, “Junior midfielder Nelson Becerra is smooth on the ball. Becerra was originally planning on attending UConn until coach Ray Reid pulled his scholarship offer. Near the end of the first half, Becerra was combining well with junior midfielder Ryan Soroka and sophomore midfielder Ivo. Soroka still has plenty of talent. However, he never fully met the expectations when he entered SJU several years ago. I expected a dependable scorer. He’s good, just not as good as I expected.”; in 2007 against VT, “Alexander Ivo aggressive dribbling starting at midfield earned a FK from 25 yards. Ryan Soroka took the free kick that was deflected off the wall, but the ball squibbed through still going toward goal. Brendan Dunn was able to grab the loose ball with a SJu attacker threatening. Yes, that was the 1 shot in the first half. Yawn. Ryan Soroka was isolated up top in the first half, fighting to get any touches. In the second half,he was stationed out on the wide right side. Coach Dave Masur said, “tactically, we wanted to give him more touches. He worked tremendously hard yesterday in the heat.” Of more concern is that Soroka picked up a slight injury – his back stiffened up. SJU doesn’t have the depth to replace Soroka for a substantial period of time. In the second half, Soroka was providing good service until he departed with 15 minutes remaining. Soroka is going to be a competent professional, but I see that he may play more outside midfield than forwards at the next level.”
Shay Spitz	Cal Fullerton	M	No	Honorable Mention All-Big West 19/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 37 SH, .351 SOG%
Stefan St. Louis	Oakland	F	No	1st Team All-Summit; 2008 1st Team All-Summit 15/14 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 33 SH, .424 SOG% Bottom Line: Powerful runner/dribbler, unproductive stats are mystifying; against IUPUI, “In the 11th minute, Oakland opened the scoring starting with a throw in 75 yards from goal and only 1 touch! Junior right back Stew Givens threw the ball 30 yards in the air. Junior Stefan St. Louis used his body to seal off left back Derek Craig and turn unimpeded to the goal. St. Louis let the ball run to the top corner of the box and shot a low hard shot just inside the near post. How could the Freshman IUPUI GK Tyler Keever leave his near post exposed? Craig can’t let St. Louis seal him off – foul near midfield.” & “The third goal was scored in the 65th minute by St. Louis again. On this goal, senior midfielder Piotr Nowak made a precise pass to St. Louis. On the dribble, he beat freshman left back Tyler Fritcha and junior forward(?) Eric Weigman (I may have identified the wrong IUPUI defender) with a slick move. With those two in his wake, Dan Heidari draped himself on St. Louis in the box. St. Louis cranked a shot that was hard to see! IUPUI freshman GK Tyler Keever probably is still waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats and nightmares from this shot! Wow! In the first half, freshman Yogi Snider tried to muscle St. Louis off the ball (and Snider is a big boy). St. Louis just shrugged him away. I really like St. Louis. He has size, speed, ball control, he can create his own shot.”; in spring 2007 against Towson,”St. Louis has powerful runs and is very strong. He was the only offensive option.” ; in spring 2007 against Bucknell, “St. Louis is a strong dribbler with excellent skill and the ability to shrug off physical challenges.”
Andy Stadler	GW	F	Yes	1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 1st Team All-Atlantic 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 13/13 GP/GS, 13 G, 0 A, 42 SH, .524 SOG% Bottom Line: He can’t stay healthy in a short college season. I can’t see how he can stay healthy in a strenuous MLS season. Against Xavier, “2009 Hermann trophy candidate senior forward Andy Stadler is not in the starting line-up, because of injury suffered against LaSalle last week-end.”. Against Howard, “The first goal was scored by senior forward Andy Stadler on a 20 yard free kick in the 64th minute. The free kick was set up by a pass from Stadler to freshman forward Seth Rudolph. On the entry ball, senior defender Kareem Williams who had just entered the game seconds before, carrying a yellow from the first half, stumbled and body blocked Rudolph at the top of the 18. Williams was presented with his second yellow and ejected. Then, Stadler scored the goal to make it even more difficult for Howard.”
Toni Stahl	Connecticut	M	Yes	Signed-Combine 2nd Team NSCAA AA; Big East Midfielder OTY; 1st Team Big East; 2008 1st Team Big East; 2007 1st Team Big East 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 3 A, 16 SH, .250 SOG% Bottom Line: good defensive player. I think he may ultimately play defense. He’s fericiuos attacking the ball; against Monmouth, “Stahl makes good decisions. His passing is accurate and he is a steady defender. He’s going to be drafted. In the 20th minute, he made a good pass to freshman midfielder Stephane Diop. Diop made a pass back to where Stahl should have been. Stahl immediately acknowledged that he didn’t make the run and should have. It’s good to see the senior do this – To often, I see the guy who made the mistake yell at the younger player unjustly.”; in 2008 against Depaul, no comment; In 2008 against Gtown, “C’deBaca was muscled off the ball by Stahl (who is quite strong), but Seth needs to be stronger.” & “Stahl is a fearsome DM. He had considerable defensive duties covering for Priestly on the left. I surprised that Gtown didn’t try to draw him to the side and move the ball quickly to the middle to expose the CT defense.”; in 2008 against St. John’s, “Stahl was not playing as well as he was last year. His passing wasn’t sharp. He still tackles with authority.”; In 2007 against VT, no comment; In 2007 against USF, “Stahl is playing aggressively and if he avoids his second yellow it will be a successful day.”;
James Stapleton	Coastal Carolina	M	No	2nd Team All-Big South 13/12 GP/GS, 5 G, 2 A, 11 SH, .455 S%
Jason Stenta	Binghamton	GK	TV	2nd Team All-America East; 2006 2nd Team All-America East 19/16 GP/GS, 1.09 GAA, 21 GA, 87 S, .806 S% Bottom Line: Did well covering crosses, but didn’t impress in 2008 after watching him live twice.; against BU (tape), good shot stopper, long punts – goal kicks below average, but not horrible. should have been better positioned on goal. Huge save in the last few minutes to preserve the win; in 2008 against UMBC, no comment; in 2008 against MD, no comment
Michael Stephens	UCLA	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Pac10; 2008 3rd Team CSN AA; 2008 Pac 10 POTY; 2008 1st Team All-Pac 10 14/14 GP/GS, 0 G, 7 A, 19 SH, .421 SOG% Bottom Line: U20 player, but never has made significant impression, competent on the ball; against Gtown, no comment; in 2008 against UNC no comment;
Michael Strickland	Stanford	M	Yes	1st Team All-Pac10; 2008 1st Team All-Pac 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Pac 10 20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 3 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: average at best; against Lehigh, “Senior defensive midfielder Michael Strickland is a smart ball player, but he lost his man on the game-winner. He is has a good work rate.”
Kevin Tangney	Maryland	D	Yes	Combine 2nd Team All-ACC 23/23 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 12 SH, .583 SOG% Bottom Line: suffered years from multiple ACL tears; has stayed relatively healthy for the past 2 years. Good in the air, but has slowed since the injury; against UVA, no comment; against UVA, “Tangney made several key tackles.”; against Seton Hall, no comments; against VT, “Tangney scored in the 87th minute to provide hope to the MD team. On the play, freshman midfielder Paul Torres served a corner into the center of the box. It was bounced away, but it was not cleared well enough. Tangney used his feet (instead of his head) to rip in a low shot from 20 yards.”; against Loyola (Chicago), no comment; against Duquenue; “Townsend tallied the second goal a minute later from a Kassel corner kick that senior Kevin Tangney headed to Townsend patrolling the far post for a simple goal from 3 yards.”; against BC, “The second goal was scored by senior center back Kevin Tangney with a header from 5 yards from a precise corner kick by sophomore Matt Kassel. An open header from 5 yards is simply unstoppable.”; against Cal, “Just seeing red shirt senior Kevin Tangney on the field is reward enough, but even with his experience he allowed a head ball to go mindlessly straight up rather than to a team mate.”; in spring of 2009 against WF, “15 minutes later, Cody Arnoux was fouled by Kevin Tangney just past midfield when he was breaking behind the defense (probably a smart play). However, Bone served a pretty free kick that Arnoux headed from the near post 10 yards out to his strike partner, Zack Schilawski, left alone on the far post 6 yards from goal. Schilawski finished this gift with his head. 3 touches, Bone’s foot, Arnoux’s head, Schilawski’s head –> Goal.” & “The last goal was assisted by Schilawski driving down the left side crossing the ball on the ground past Tangney (who needed to do more than whiff on the cross) to an open Luke Norman from 5 yards in the 30th minute.” & “The MD defense was abysmal. They were in disarray for much of the first half. Flatley and Tangney have been in the program for several years. I don’t understand this confusion. Generally, MD was too soft in the back.” & “Tangney played horribly. Making a soft pass that WF was able to intercept forcing MacMath to make a point-blank save to save a goal. Tangney is better than he displayed at RFK.”;
Shaun Taylor	Boston University	F	TV	1/1 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 1 SH, 1.000 SOG%; in 2008 – 20/20 GP/GS, 9 G, 3 A, 44 SH, .545 SOG% Bottom Line: I expect that he’ll get a red shirt and play in 2010 (after scoring 9 goals in 2008 – and breaking his foot after 1 game in 2009); I haven’t seen him live since his freshman year; In 2006 against Ohio State, Taylor didn’t start, but came on for 22 minutes in each half, “Taylor is a big kid, who seems to like the physical aspects of the game. His first touch is wanting. He takes too long to calm the ball. His elevation off the post and Kirby’s follow was the reason for the first goal.”
Tony Tchani	UVA	M	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team CSN AA; 1st Team NSCAA AA; 2008 Freshman OTY All-ACC; 2008 2nd Team All-ACC; Bottom Line: strong powerful that has been overpowering for 2 years at UVA; against Akron, “Jumper hit sophomore Tony Tchani on the head but his header was high. In the 22nd minute, the UVA midfielders sliced apart the Akron midfield with precise short passes from senior Neil Barlow to Tchani to senior Jonathan Villanueva back to Tchani” & “Tchani is the real deal. He should seriously consider going pro.”; against WF, “The first goal was scored by All-American midfielder Tony Tchani from a rebound in the 55th minute. Sophomore left back Hunter Jumper passed to senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva who made a brilliant first touch and fired a blast that the goal keeper stopped but had no chance to hold. Tchani hopped on the ball and fired it in.”; against Portland, “To start the play, sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani buried a long pass into the corner that Berry tracked down. Tchani had a rough game with his touch. It reminded me of him in pre-season as he was working himself back into shape after suffering last year’s season-ending injury.”; against WF, “Tchani had another terrific game. He continues to have a superlative first touch, enabling him to set up the second touch. He uses his strength very well to hold opponents off the ball. I like how he would play on the defensive side. He is strong in the air.”; against MD, “UVA had a fist full of good opportunities in the first half. The best chance was a sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani shot that got past sophomore goal keeper Zac MacMath, but freshman defender Ethan White calmly stopped the shot before clearing it from danger. Tchani made a deep run to get behind the MD defense. With him being 1v1 against MacMath, Tchani got the ball under the goal keeper for the winning goal.”; against MD, “Tchani is starting to get his technical skills back after suffering a season-ending injury last year.”; against BC, “Tchani was not anticipating his runs off the ball. He was re-acting which slows his game. He was better last year – before his injury than he is now.”; against WV (ex), “Tchani was whistled for a hand ball (that I thought was a push or head butt) in the box. Silva converted calmly.” & “Tchani missed a golden opportunity in the 65th minute wide open in the box but hit the shot high. According to Gelnovatch, Tchani is still working on his timing and rhythm. I agree, last year, he buried these chances.”; in 2008 against UVA, “Both teams are battling injury problems, UVA has lost both freshman of the year candidates Chris Agorsor (earlier in the year) and Tony Tchani (recently) to season-ending ACL injuries. “; in 2008 against Central CT State, “Tchani scored the first two goals in the first half. In the sixth minute, freshman left back Hunter Jumper forwarded a pass to Tchani 30 yards from goal off to the left of the goal. Tchani turned driving diagonally toward the goal, shooting from 20 yards into the lower left of the goal. Tchani’s second goal in the 17th minute was an expensive penalty kick that Tchani converted to the lower right, but it was at the expense of Agorsor’s season. Tchani had a 20 minute wait before taking the kick because of the injury. Pretty good concentration. Tchani added an assist in the 33rd minute with a long pass toward junior midfielder Ross LaBauex. While CCSU junior left back Eddie Floyd waited for the ball, LaBauex stepped in front of him with only the goalie to beat from 30 yards. LaBauex pulled the goalie to him before slotting the goal. MOTM Tchani is ready to move on. He’s going to have more trouble getting PK’s with Agorsor’s injury.”; in 2008 against VCU, “Tchani converted the PK by putting the ball in the upper right on a well placed shot in the 39th minute. Tchani is already an accomplished player. He is difficult to knock off the ball. He is a terrific passer with good vision. He made a pass to junior Jonathan Villanueva that would have been a goal if not for a great save by senior goal keeper Andrew Dykstra. He freed Agorsor in the 29th minute that Dykstra took off Agorsor’s foot. Tchani’s best run started 60 yards from goal. He eluded 4 defenders, getting to the end line before serving a beautiful pass to Agorsor at the top of box. Agorsor kicked the ball into the atmosphere missing a sure goal.”; in 2008 against WV (ex), “Giallombardo is still inconsistent. He played both halves and wasn’t challenged in the second half. He makes too many mistakes for my liking. For example, at today’s game, on a deep free kick just inside his box, he called for the ball, ran out and punched it away. But the ball arced high into the air backwards toward his own goal. Tony Tchani cleared the ball away from the goal inside the 6 yard box! New-comer Tony Tchani from Cameroon is an impact player. He is tall, strong and skillful. He scored the first goal from 18 yards in the 51st minute.”; ; 24/23 GP/GS, 8 G, 4 A, 63 SH .127 S%
Michael Thomas	Notre Dame	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team Big East; 2008 2nd Team Big East 23/23 GP/GS, 6 G, 6 A, 50 SH, .480 SOG% Bottom Line: one of the smartest players in college soccer, he’s a winner; against St John’s, “Saint John’s (SJU) won the Big East championship in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw with Notre Dame (ND). ND had advanced in their last two games from PKs, but senior midfielder Michael Thomas opened the door missing the second ND PK and that is all that SJU needed burying all 5 of their shots.” & “Senior midfielder Michael Thomas is a thinker and a worker. He has a shot at making a MLS roster. The only thing holding him back will be his athletic ability. I like his strength, but does he have closing speed?”‘; against Gtown, “In the 38th minute, sophomore midfielder Brendan King served a 40 yard free kick that senior midfielder Michael Thomas hit with a well-placed powerful header into the upper corner to open the scoring.” & “Thomas is a solid, smart player. He’s gritty. He may have the best chance of any of these players – but is far from a slam dunk pick.”; against Louisville (tape), very composed on the ball – shows well for the ball. Opened the scoring on a set piece aggressively getting into the box and heading in the first goal. On the second goal, his outside of the foot cut pass was simply brilliant. BRILLIANT!; In 2008 against Duke, “Steve Perry (taking the 80’s rocker title with the graduation of Northwestern’s David Roth) scored the second goal with a low hard shot that got under Fitgerald. Michael Thomas forwarded the pass to Perry.”; in 2008 against Akron, no comment; in 2007 against Rutgers (tape), not playing, because of a broken jaw against UCLA;
Price Thomas	William & Mary	F	No	3rd Team All-Colonial; 2008 3rd Team All-Colonial; 2007 1st Team All-Colonial 19/19 GP/GS, 7 G, 3 A, 37 SH, .432 SOG% Bottom Line: speed to burn up top; needs to convert more consistently; against Winthrop, “The first goal was scored in 34 seconds. Price Thomas drove the ball down the left wing crossing toward WM target forward junior Andrew Hoxie. The cross was blocked but was not cleared. Sophomore Nathanial Baako shot the loose ball from the top of the box, but it was blocked by Ben Kieffner. The rebound fell to Hoxie and he shot the ball from 15 yards in the middle of the box.” & “Thomas is fast and caused problems for the Winthrop left side all night.”; in 2008 against UMass, “The first WM goal was started from pressure by junior midfielder Jeremy Harris on Thomson in the box. Harris heeled the ball to junior forward Price Thomas who crossed the ball to AM sophomore Nathaniel Baako 3 yards out on the far post. Baako finished to take the 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.” & “Thomas needs to finish better. He has tons of athleticism and is a pretty good ball handler, but a forward that doesn’t score isn’t really a forward. He needs to finish better.”; in 2007 against VCU, “Thomas is quick and has a powerful right foot. He scored the lone goal in the 60th minute from a well weighted through pass from Ryan Overdevest. Thomas squandered several attacking opportunities because his left foot is just an appendage on his left side and he can’t pass, cross or shoot adequately with it.”
Victor Thomas	Howard	GK	Yes	2nd Team All-ASC 17/14 GP/GS, 1.75 GAA, 28 GA, 109 S, .796 S% Bottom Line: better options; against Houston Baptist, no comments; against GW, “If not for senior goal keeper Victor Thomas’s heroics, the score would have been significantly worse. He made several point blank saves – though his play wasn’t flawless.” & “In the 79th minute, red shirt senior Mike Rollings crossed to a wide open senior midfielder Erick Perez-Segnini positioned 15 yards from goal without a Howard defender within spitting distance. Howard GK Thomas closed the angle – but Perez-Segnini shot wide. Pretty bad effort.”.
Zach Tierney	UIC	D	TV	12/12 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: After transferring from NM for his senior year, injured for some games; Against Louisville (tape), plays very physically – blamed for goal. allowed his attacker to roll off the pressure and turn and run into the box. Wasn’t supported by his team mates.; In 2007 against UCSB, “Tierney back from a personal/family issue on Friday’s game was a beast in the back for NM. I would have liked to watch him one more time – it’s just very hard to watch a player in 1 game and assess him with 21 other players, as well. He’s a sophomore, so there’s time. He’s a big guy with a good head.”
Evan Toft	San Diego State	M	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 2nd Team All-Pac 10; 2007 2nd Team All-Pac 10 9/8 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 24 SH, .333 SOG%
Cedomir Tomcic	Hartford	D	No	1st Team All-America East 18/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .615 SOG%
Alex Torda	Dayton	M	Yes	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10; 2008 2nd Team All-Atlantic 10; 2007 1st Team All-Atlantic 10 20/16 GP/GS, 6 G, 3 A, 37 SH, .514 SOG% Bottom Line: Has skills, doesn’t engage enough. I’m skeptical. Against Richmond, “Senior right midfielder Alex Torda was not getting the touches to properly influence the game. He was missing for so much of the game, a search-and-rescue party was being engaged. What compounded this “decision” to not play down the right side, was that Richmond had two freshmen at the left center back and the left back. Why wouldn’t you make them stop you? I have no idea, but it was frustrating to watch this exhibit.”. In 2008 against St Joe’s, “Junior Alex Torda scored the sixth goal, but was not involved in any assists. He’s pretty good, but I think that he has marginal skills at the next level. He’ll need to work over the next year to be more consistent and to take on players.”. In 2008 against Fordham, “The goal was scored by senior Isaac Kissi in the 12th minute. Sophomore left back Tommy Watkins sent a long pass to junior forward Alex Torda. Torda made a great running estimating where he needed to be before the ball crossed the end line. The defender made a different run. Torda near the end line, passed the ball back to the penalty spot for Kissi to hit it full for the only goal. “. & “I really like the way that Torda plays. He makes good runs, his passing is good and his dribbling is pretty good. He had a shot off the cross bar in the first half. Torda works well with senior left midfielder Joe Olwig to combine for some intricate possession. “
Alex Trujillo	Duquesnue	D	Yes	2nd Team All-Atlantic 10 17/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 15 SH, .533 SOG% Bottom Line: against MD, no notes on his play.
Slavisa Ubiparipovic	Cleveland St	F	No	1st Team All-Horizon; 2008 1st Team All-Horizon 19/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 31 SH, .452 SOG%
Christian Uy	Fairfield	M	Yes	2nd Team All-MAAC; 2008 1st Team All-MAAC 13/12 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 32 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: not quite good enough; against Loyola (MD), “Uy had several long shots that were just off-target. His best play was in the 30th minute, he recovered a McVea misplay, took two touches before hitting a 30 yard cracker off the post.”; in 2007 against Loyola (MD), “Fairfield has a trio of very good players. Brothers sophomore Christian Uy and freshman Matthew Uy and sophomore David Piedrahita all have terrific technical ball skills. They are the key for creative and effective attacks. Christian Uy is very quick and was able to get around the corner numerous times.”
Doug Verhoff	Ohio State	D	TV	3rd Team CSN AA; B10 Co-Defender OTY; 1st Team Big 10 21/21 GP/GS, 4 G, 0 A, 28 SH, .571 SOG% Bottom Line: He may be able to play MLS defense; not invited to combine only reminds me that many in MLS decision-making positions are idiots; against Mich (tape), steps up into the midfield effectively, in the second half, he stole the ball at midfield, trundled into the Mich half and fired a wobbler of a shot – good defensive thinker; 2008 against IU, “The second OSU goal was scored by senior Patrick Roan from a Tim Gabel long throw-in that Doug Verhoff flicked to the far side and the waiting Roan. Roan hit it with power in the 77th minute.”; in 2007 against WF, “The winning goal originated from Lomnicki’s side again. Tracy received the ball behind Lomnicki beating Verhoff on the dribble. With Brunner closing, Tracy slotted the ball to Schilawski who finished hooking the ball around Latchem. Latchem complained about a handball but it wasn’t seen by Prus or Tsapos. I couldn’t find it on the replay, either.” & “On the first goal, Xavier Balc centered a corner that Tim Gabel touched toward the goal from 15 yards. Eric Brunner knocked it backward accidentally and Doug Verhoff headed the ball that was saved by the right post. The deflection landed 6 yards in front of the left post. Roger Espinoza finished with authority putting the shot between Jamie Franks legs.” & “Verhoff after getting an assist when he would have preferred tallying the goal picked up a persistent infringement caution. He saved the ball off the line in the second half. Finally, he was beaten by Tracy for the game winner.”; In 2007 against UMass, “Because UMass couldn’t sustain an offensive attack, the OSU defenders, Patrick Roan, Doug Verhoff and Tim Gabel would investigate deep offensive forays into the UMass penalty area.” In 2007 against IU, “For the first 5 shooters for OSU, Xavier Balc, Irizarry, Tim Gabels and Eric Brunner all made their shots. Roger Espinoza missed badly. IU Billy Weaver, Andy Adlard, Eric Alexander and Greg Stevning all made their shots. Brad Ring’s shot was blocked by Casey Latchem’s foot. When both IU Kevin Noschang and OSU Patrick Roan both had their shots stopped, the penalty kicks continued. IU Daniel Kelley had his shot blocked. OSU Doug Verhoff buried his shot and the game was over.”; In 2007 against Michigan, “Balc delivered a free kick to Doug Verhoff in the box that he headed off target. I’m glad that I get to watch Balc again tomorrow.”
Martin Vickerton	Longwood	D	No	2nd Team All-ASC 20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 33 SH, .424 SOG%
Carlos Villa	Hartford	M	No	Combine 16/14 GP/GS, 8 G, 2 A, 52 SH, .538 SOG% Missed combine with no explanation – I expect he’s looking at other options;
Johnathan Villanueva	UVA	M	Yes	25/22 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 47 SH Bottom Line: talented player that has never produced effectively; questionable decision-making; against Akron, “the UVA midfielders sliced apart the Akron midfield with precise short passes from senior Neil Barlow to Tchani to senior Jonathan Villanueva back to Tchani.” & “Although named the Final 4 Offensive MVP, Villanueva wasn’t as impressive to me. He didn’t put together a complete half, let alone a complete game. I liked some of his play. In the 52nd minute, he confounded Gavin with a pass behind him to Tchani.”; Against WF, “The first goal was scored by All-American midfielder Tony Tchani from a rebound in the 55th minute. Sophomore left back Hunter Jumper passed to senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva who made a brilliant first touch and fired a blast that the goal keeper stopped but had no chance to hold. Tchani hopped on the ball and fired it in. Villanueva regaled that he “hit it as hard as he could, knowing that Ownby could outrun most people”. WF Anthony Arena noted “that he knew Ownby was fast, but he underestimated his speed”. Villanueva attempted to impress his will onto the game. WF stifled him. Even with Villanueva having his first two assists of the year, he had a terrible game. In the 70th minute, a deep cross was wasted with a Villanueva poorly struck volley.” & “Sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Redmond was stopping UVA – he wsa taking the ball from Villanueva like a bully taking his lunch money. Redmond has good speed. “; against Portland, no comment; against WF, no comment; against MD, no comment; against MD, no comment; against BC, “Villanueva continues his inconsistent play. He’ll make a nice play one minute and the next he’ll turn the ball over on a mistouch. At this point, I can’t see him being successful. In the 30th minute, he stroked a 23 yard free kick that was goal bound if not for the goal keeper tipping it wide for a corner kick.”; against WV (exhib), “Villanueva had the lone quality free kick. Driving a 25 yard shot that was into the lower corner except for a nice save by WV goal keeper Zach Johnson. Additionally, Villanueva served in a terrific 40 yard pass over the defender and right onto the foot of freshman forward Will Bates at the top of the box. Bates didn’t have the skill to softly bring the ball down to set up his shot (I think it was too high to hit the shot on the volley).”; in 2008 against WF, “The first goal started with Ownby turning near midfield and driving with power toward the box and junior Jonathan Villanueva. Villanueva took the ball from Ownby dribbling it into the box and chipping the WF GK in the 69th minute. Up to that point, Villanueva was having a quiet game.”; in 2008 against Duke, “In the 19th minute, junior Jonathan Villanueva earned a PK because junior Matthew Thomas pushed from behind in the box.” & “Villanueva and LaBauex were playing quickly and combining well together. Having both play central is effective.”; in 2008 against MD, “Villanueva is starting to play up to the level of the expectations when he started. His strength and his passing are exemplary. He had MD’s freshman Matt Kassel all over the place on convincing head and shoulder fakes. He was very active. While Villanueva likes to play in the middle, I believe that he’ll be better wide in the pros. Villanueva and LaBauex combine very well in the central midfield.”; in 2008 against Central CT, “Villanueva is starting to fulfill the potential from the expectations prior to his freshman year. His passing is improving. His corner kicks are dangerous. He’s taking dangerous shots. Now, he needs to continue this against better competition.”; in 2008 against VCU, “Villanueva was ok. He’s playing more defense and I have always like his passing. He just hasn’t progressed much since his freshman year. One would think that he’d get better after 2 years of college. UVA almost got on the board in the first 10 minutes from a 35 yard free kick from senior DM Matt Poole forcing Dykstra to deflect the shot away from the goal. Villanueva gathered the rebound and hit the post for a goal kick.”; in 2007 against St Peter’s, “Villanueva continues to play well. His work rate was sufficient.”; in 2007 against BC, “Villanueva continued to have an excellent tournament showcasing his considerable skills. I expect that he’ll return to UVA next year to work on his consistency. In the 88th minute, Chase Neinken made a beautiful cross right around the defender onto Villanueva’s foot. The subsequent shot was weak and wide.”; in 2007 against NC State, “Labauex received a through pass on the sideline from Jeremy Barlow. Labauex sent a well weighted cross onto Jonathan Villanueva who neatly tucked the ball into the near post.” & “This was Villanueva’s best half. He was dynamic making the passes and cuts that he was making last year. With a 2 goal lead at half and Boston College tomorrow, he didn’t play in the second half.”; in 2007 against MD, “I like sophomore midfielder Jonathan Villanueva a lot. When I saw him last year, I was amazed with his skill, speed, power and his understanding of the game. He’s a shell of the player that I saw last year. He just isn’t playing well and he looks lost out there. I don’t have an easy answer, but something isn’t right with the kid. I don’t think that he’s hit a plateau, but I’m not sure what’s wrong.”
Ryan Vint	Wisconsin	GK	TV	2/1 GP/GS, .000 GAA, 0 GA, 2 S, 1.000 S% Bottom Line: no chance in hell; start sending out your resumes
Rob Viviano	SLU	D	Yes	15/14 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: good defender; but his talent doesn’t outweigh having to deal with him; Injuries ended his season prematurely. Didn’t play against Temple; Against Akron, “Viviano served a 40 yard free kick that sophomore Alex Johnston headed high by several yards.” & “Ream and Viviano could argue who was responsible for marking the forward that scored the first goal – but the ultimate effect is that both of them are responsible for communicating. Without being able to review the tape, I would have thought that Viviano would have picked up the zippy fast forward. Viviano can be unjustly abrasive. For example, he kicked the ball long but the forward had checked back long before the pass was released. Viviano blamed the player rather than playing the ball to where the player ran. I can see both sides – but the receiver determines where he wants the ball.”; Against FIU, “Senior central defender Rob Viviano is quick to get forward – perhaps sensing a feeding frenzy. In the 5th minute, he tried to dribble away between 2 attackers and was dispossessed. He is a solid defender”; In 2008 against UMass, “Freshman forward Chris Roswess has holey moley speed. His acceleration is amazing. His leaping ability surprised me and it appeared to surprise SLU because he kept outjumping taller players (Angus/Viviano) that normally win balls in the air.” & “Free-kick specialist Ben Arikian drove in a free kick that deflected off Ofosu and Bryan Hogan heading toward the goal, but Viviano cleared the ball off the line.”; In 2008 against LaSalle, “The central defender duo of senior Calem Angus and junior Rob Viviano are quite good. Their play complements each other with Angus a more rugged player. Good things happen when Viviano starts the transition. He has tremendous vision.” & “Viviano made a crucial tackle in the 70th minute to stop a La Salle attack.”
Billy Von Rueden	Marquette	D	No	17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 15 SH, .467 SOG%
Kyle Vonden Benken	Butler	M	No	1st Team All-Horizon 19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 6 A, 36 SH, .194 SOG% Bottom Line: haven’t seen since 2008 – and I don’t recall his play; in 2008 against Loyola (Illinois), “In the 48th minute, junior left back Kyle VondenBenken make an ankle-breaking step over that he was able to elude his defender before crossing the ball to Patano who headed the ball too high.”
Stefan Vroom	DePaul	F	No	Combine 1st Team Big East; 2008 2nd Team Big East 19 GP, 8 G, 4 A, 35 SH, .543 SOG% Bottom Line: maybe. If he comes to the combine in the best shape of his life. He has a chance.; why did Vroom not play against Uconn in 2008 late in the year?… in 2008 against Gtown, “Feltz was able to beat Ebrahimnejad around the corner and served a low hard cross, but no one was supporting the run. The most attractive series resulted in Feltz dummying the ball to junior Steffen Vroom who sent the ball back to the on-rushing Feltz. Feltz’s cross was cleared by Gtown junior center back Len Coleman. Chivas does this same sequence. Vroom finds space behind the Gtown DM entirely too easily.”; in 2007 against Cinncinnati, “While Cincinnati had the better opportunities in the first half, they weren’t able to score and the second half was more level. The telling moment occurred in the 50th minute, senior Julian Chille took a side volley from 10 yards that handcuffed Cincinnati freshman goal keeper Miguel Rosales. The resultant rebound was put in from 5 yards on a bicycle kick from sophomore forward Steffen Vroom.” & “The player that impressed me the most was sophomore withdrawn forward Steffen Vroom. Besides the goal, he has good size and has exceptional ball skills. At the end of the game, he beat 2 Cincinnati defenders before the third pulled him down just outside of the box. Earlier in the game, he was able to evade three defenders and circle away from the trouble.”
David Walker	UCSB	F	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-Big West; 2008 Honorable Mention All-Big West 23/22 GP/GS, 10 G, 4 A, 57 SH, .474 SOG% Bottom Line: Extremely fast, has played wide midfield and forward; talented; against WV, “The second goal was scored by senior forward/midfielder David Walker in the 65th minute. Minutes before the goal was scored, senior midfielder Martin Hedevag suffered a leg injury sufficient enough apparently requiring a sub. Hedevag stayed in (getting undue credit for the assist). Hedevag started the play providing the entry ball. But, Silva got the ball after it hit other players to Walker at the top of the box. Walker struck a powerful shot in traffic that hit the cross bar and went in.” & “I was better able to appreciate freshman center back Eric Schoenle play against UCSB. Specifically in the second half, he had a few series with good tackle and showed his speed keeping up with the swift David Walker.”; In 2008 against Rutgers, “2 years ago, I was touting Eric Avila after watching him work against Akron. Last year, I was singing praises about Chris Pontius after the New Mexico tourney. This year, the next big star for UCSB is going to be junior David Walker. He has wonderful skill and he is fearless taking on defenders. Walker is going to be a star next year.”;In 2008 against KY (tape), terrific header off a corner kick for the sole goal. Speed, speed, speed, good dribbling; In 2007 against NM, no comments; In 2007 against SMU, no comment;
Jamal Wallace	San Diego State	D	No	Honorable Mention Pac 10; 2008 2nd Team All-Pac 10; 2007 Honorable Mention Pac 10 17/15 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .429 SOG%
Kellen Wantulok	Santa Clara	F	No	Honorable Mention All-WCC 18/15 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .444 SOG% Bottom Line:no shot in hell; in 2008 against Loyola (Ill), With the game still 2-0, sophomore Kellen Wantulok took a 35 yard free kick passing it out of bounds instead of pumping the ball into the box. This is just one example of SC wasting opportunities.
Michael Ward	Liberty	D	No	1st Team All-Big South 18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 2 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line; in 3 games, nothing memorable; In 2008 against High Point, no comment; In 2007 against Loyola (MD),no comment; in 2007 against UNCA, no comment;
Gustav Warfving	NJIT	M	No	2nd Team All-ASC 20/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 6 A, 32 SH, .250 SOG%
Collen Warner	Portland	M	Yes	Combine 1st Team All-WCC; 2008 1st Team All-WCC 21/21 GP/GS, 9 G, 7 A, 58 SH, .414 SOG% Bottom Line: exceptional crossing ability, times his runs well and he is quick; minor upgrade; against UVA, “Senior midfielder Collen Warner had a tremendous shot from an acute angle. As the time wound down, he moved further forward. He’s got the speed for the next level and his passing is very good. It took 3 UVA defenders to get him off the ball. I like the way that he plays. But his touch was off in the first half.”; against NC State, “The second goal (and winning goal) was scored by junior forward Ryan Luke with a header from 3 yards. The goal was created by precision dribbling from senior midfielder Collen Warner, opening space with quick touches before delivering the ball onto Luke’s head. The cross was so precise that Luke never changed speed, he ran right into the ball. One of the best crosses that I’ve seen this year. Warner is exceptional on the ball. He was good vertical ability.”
Taylor Waspi	Wisconsin	M	TV	2008 2nd Team Big 10 17/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 15 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: big guy with good verticals, but disappears for long stretches; against PSU (tape), big hit on Costigliola; against MSU (tape), not responsible for the MSU goal, but he didn’t step up to cut angle, either. Also got in the way in his box to mess up the clearance; In 2007, against NW, “I don’t think that Wisconsin had a plan for sophomore defender Taylor Waspi to take David Roth out of the game, but it worked for the first half”.
Kwame Watson-Siriboe	Connecticut	D	Yes	Combine 1st Team CSN AA; Big East Co-Defender OTY; 1st Team Big East 19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 27 SH, .333 SOG% Bottom Line: impact center back that has huge upside and is an stop-dead defender; against Monmouth, “Watson-Siriboe is a quality defender, winning the majority of balls in the air. He is difficult to beat on the ground, too. He has quick feet. In the 4th minute, he headed a freshman AM Carlos Alvarez corner kick off the cross-bar.”; in 2008 against Depaul, “In the first half, the best goal scoring opportunity came from a senior right back Mike Pezza 30 yard free kick that found high flying junior central back Kwame Watson-Siriboe’s head 10 yards from goal. Sure-handed Depaul goal keeper Brian Visser was able to scoop up the powerful header.” & “Siriboe is very good in the back, but he has been battling foot injuries all season.”; In 2008 against Gtown, “In the 15th minute, Diggs wasn’t paying attention and Watson-Siriboe stuck him from behind with a clean but physical talent. This didn’t seem to wake him up. In the second half, he was much more involved.” & “Junior central defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe is great in the air, physically challenging anyone with the termerity to come into his area. I like him. I like him a lot.”; In 2007 against VT, “Kwame Watson-Siriboe is challenged by his feet.”
Garrett Webb	Drake	F	Yes	3rd Team CSN AA; 2nd Team NSCAA AA; 1st Team All-MVC; 2008 1st Team All-MVC 24/24 GP/GS, 13 G, 5 A, 50 SH, .520 SOG% Bottom Line: Tall, athletic attacker; Good target, but unsure if he can create his own shot and if he has sufficient technical skill; against UNC, “Webb didn’t have sufficient touches or quality touches to really impress. He has some speed and size. I’d need to see him in the combine to see how he holds and moves the ball.”
Alex Weekes	Colgate	F	No	1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 2nd Team All-Patriot 16/16 GP/GS, 7 G, 4 A, 71 SH, .592 SOG% Bottom Line: maybe, but I would be skeptical; In spring of 2008 against Temple, no comment ; in spring of 2008 against Penn, Weekes scored in the second half with a powerful header for the only goal in this game!
Adam Welch	Lehigh	D	Yes	Combine Patriot Defender OTY; 1st Team All-Patriot; 2008 2nd Team All-Patriot; 2007 2nd Team All-Patriot 18/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 5 A, 48 SH, .396 SOG% Bottom Line: playing center back for the last 2 years, after starting his career as a central midfielder – good passer, good tackler – MLS long shot, combine is going to be critical for him ; against PSU, “Desperately trying to tie the game, Lehigh pushed numbers forward on a corner kick. The corner kick was cleared, but Lehigh maintained possession resetting the attack. Sophomore left midfielder Neal Melchionni served in a crisp cross that senior defender Adam Welch was able to redirect with an extended foot from 8 yards in the 88th minute.” ; against Stanford, “The winning goal came off a corner kick by sophomore left midfielder Neal Melchionni in the 73rd minute. However the corner was earned because Moore came out again and didn’t handle ball that he should have held onto. Melchionni served in a perfect ball to a wide open senior center defender Adam Welch who headed the ball down from 6 yards that Moore blocked let the ball rebound into the center of the goal area that senior midfielder Adam Gazda buried low and hard.”; in 2008 against MD, “Junior central defender Adam Welch was helping stop some of the MD attacks with good tackles and forcing bad shots.” ; in 2007 against AU, no comment ; in 2007 against MD, “The goal was scored by junior forward Jim Taranto (transfer from UVA) in the 80th minute. Adam Welch started the play near midfield. With Omar Gonzalez stepping up to pressure the ball, Welch fed senior right back Michael Hessemer. This unbalanced the MD defense. Hessemer drove the ball down the middle feeding an open Taranto who finished with confidence.”
Andrew Wiedeman	California	F	Yes	GA-Combine 1st Team All-Pac 10; 2008 3rd Team CSN AA; 2008 3rd Team NSCAA AA; 2008 1st Team All-PAC 10 Bottom Line: Simply a goal scorer – accurate and powerful shooter; has the body to hold off defenders; against MD, “Even before the goal, Salciccia served in a good corner to Wiedeman, but his header was blocked. In the 43rd minute, he earned his first shot on goal, by turning quickly but still hitting his shot with authority from 20 yards. Junior forward Andrew Wiedeman is the primary goal scoring threat. He works off the ball well and isn’t easy to knock off the ball. In the 7th minute, Wiedeman got to a head ball before the GK could clear that was bound toward the open goal but was too high.”; in 2008 against MD, “After being stymied for most of the game, Cal’s leading scorer Andrew Wiedeman opened the scoring in the 68th minute. A long ball from Jacob Wilson bounced outside of the box and with MacMath coming out – Wiedeman was able to flick into the unguarded goal.” & “Freshman goal keeper Zac MacMath continues to shine. He has claimed ownership of the position for as long as he remains healthy at Maryland. He made a critical save on a Wiedeman break-away minutes after the goal. Big save. Big win.”; in 2007 against VT, no comment; ; 18/18 GP/GS, 11 G, 4 A, 61 SH, .475 SOG%
Dan Williams	Kentucky	GK	Yes	2nd Team All-Conference USA; 2008 3rd Team All-Conference USA 19/19 GP/GS, .780 GAA, 15 GA, 54 S, .783 S% Bottom Line: interesting goal keeper that might be a good pickup; in spring of 2009 against UNCW/Furman, “Dan Williams aggressively attacks the ball without restraint. In one play, he essentially tackled the UNCW forward before picking the ball off the ground! “; in 2008 against UCSB (tape), can’t be blamed for goal when David Walker hit an open header from 9 yards that his defense was slow to converge. Made several HUGE saves. UGLY yellow shorts and socks; in 2008 against Tulsa (tape), terrific keeping KY in the game. I’m downgrading from B- to C+ not because of bad play – but GK value and limited roster spots; in 2008 against KY (tape), BRILLIANT save against Da Silva coming into the box 1v1. good play on low hard shot. ; in spring of 2008 against Charleston/Furman, no comment
Josh Williams	Cleveland St	M	No	1st Team All-Horizon 20/20 GP/GS, 6 G, 2 A, 25 SH, .400 SOG%
Joe Willis	Denver	GK	Yes	19/18 GP/GS, 1.44 GAA, 28 GA, 82 S, .745 S% Bottom Line: bad stats – but showed well in the one game that I saw – doubtful; in spring of 2009 against WF, “Schilawski scored a goal in each half. With just seconds remaining in the first half, Bone fired a shot that was too hot for Denver GK Joe Willis to handle. Schilawski pounced on the free ball to score into the open goal from 7 yards.” & “Willis kept Denver in the game with his superlative positioning and reflexes. He’s pretty good.”
Jacob Wilson	California	D	Yes	11/11 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .143 SOG% Bottom Line: nope ; against MD, “I’m not sure if Soares or red shirt senior defender Jacob Wilson was responsible for marking Herrick on the over-time goal – but they were muscled off the ball and led to the defeat.”; in 2007 against VT, did not start and no comments
PJ Wilson	New Mexico	F	No	18/10 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 18 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: No, not likely; In 2007 against UCSB, “C.J. Wilson wasn’t as impactful as Friday. He’s still battling a hip pointer. He only played 18 minutes in the first half and didn’t return in the second half.”; In 2007 against Washington, “The game changed for NM when forward, P. J. Wilson, entered the game at the 25th minute. He is a starter that was questionable because of a hip pointer injury. At this point, NM started using the wings and playing short passes to open the Washington defense. While NM was able to hold possession better, they were unable to score.”
Mark Wiltse	South Carolina	M	Yes	2/1 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 S% Bottom Line:not likely; In spring of 2009 against Charlotte/Winthrop, didn’t play; in 2008 against WF, “Junior right back Mark Wiltse is a chippy player that positions his body well to defend shots.” ; in spring of 2008 against ODU/UNCG, “With 15 minutes remaining in the game, Joseph earned a straight red card on a vicious kick that knocked Mark Wiltse off his feet and eventually he had to leave the game. ODU looked pretty bad throughout.” & “The second goal was prettiest goal of the morning. Stewart got the ball wide to Wiltse on a good pass with considerable pressure. Wiltse brought the ball down the line and delivered a beautiful cross that only Arthur could reach at the penalty spot. Arthur hit a diving header that went into the lower corner of the side netting.” & “The goal was scored by a Tim Master’s header from a Manyama cross. This cross was not pressured by Mark Wiltse. But the preceding pass from midfield wasn’t closed down by USC either allowing Manyama to easily receive the pass. Kevan Hawkins was missing from the USC defensive midfield and Stewart was unable to mark all of the UNCG midfielders. In this second game, I noted that the defense looks unsettled compared to the first game. Wiltse returned from a late injury against ODU.” & “Wiltse’s dribbling was too predictive and slow.”
Kyle Windmueller	Missouri State	M	No	2nd Team All-MVC 19/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 4 A, 21 SH, .524 SOG%
Scott Wisniewski	SLU	F	Yes	12/0 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG% Bottom Line: skillful when not injured; not on the field enough; Against Temple, came off the bench, “In the 21st minute, senior forward Scott Wisniewski dummied a ball to Roach in the middle of the box. “; He didn’t play/start against Akron, FIU. In 2008 against UMass didn’t start may not have played. In 2008 against LaSalle, started but no comment; In 2007 against GW, “MOTM was sophomore forward Scott Wisniewski who picked up the slack left by the injury to Hamzagic. Wisniewski scored the first SLU goal minutes into the second half, by “sombrero-ing” GW defender Byron Walker and hitting a low hard shot into the goal. More impressive was Wisniewski’s assist on the third goal. Left back Tim Ream sent a bending cross that drew GW GK diving out to try and corral the ball. It went over his head, but Wisniewski was able to get to the end line and one touch it to on-rushing sophomore Jimmy Holmes who buried it into the goal. Brilliant!”
Hanson Woodruff	Syracuse	M	TV	2nd Team Big East; 2008 2nd Team Big East; 2007 2nd Team Big East 18 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 48 SH, .438 SOG% Bottom Line: not memorable; On TV against Rutgers, scored a goal because of horrific goalie. low work rate, poor runs off the ball; In 2008 against Cinn, “Junior Hansen Woodruff moved up top to use his dribbling skill and quickness to challenge the Cincinnati central defense. At the beginning of the game, he had several runs, but wasn’t able to convert. Cincinnati was able to adapt and stop this as the game progressed.”
Justin Wyatt	Elon	F	Yes	1st Team All-Southern; 2008 1st Team All-Southern; 2007 1st Team All-Southern 20/20 GP/GS, 5 G, 5 A, 62 SH, .452 SOG% Bottom Line: quick withdrawn midfielder who gets forward with skill and vision; against WVU, “In the 20th minute, Imeni delivered a well weighted pass to senior forward Justin Wyatt who fed junior midfielder Stephen Dilger. The play was momentarily broke up by freshman central defender Eric Schoenle, but Dilger recovered the ball and was fouled by sophomore right back Raymon Gaddis for a 21 yard free kick.” & “In the 10th minute, Imeni touched a short corner by Wyatt back to Wyatt. Wyatt blasted the ball in through traffic and the ball hit red shirt junior goal keeper Zach Johnson in the chest.” & “Wyatt fed Dilger in the 30th minute allowing Dilger to use his speed to get by senior defender Jason Bristol. Wyatt is very good with the ball at his feet.”;
Othaniel Yanez	Louisville	M	Yes	Combine 20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 7 SH, .714 SOG% Bottom Line: No way, Jose. Too negative, much better options for other DM; against Villanova, no comment against UIC (tape), sits in front of the defense, doesn’t penetrate. accurate square balls; against ND (tape), lost the ball on the dribble eventually led to 4th goal.;
Drew Yates	Maryland	M	Yes	Combine 23/23 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 33 SH, .364 SOG% Bottom Line: Intricate dribbler with a cany ability to draw PK’s; Tremendous vision; unexemplary work rate; against UVA, “The best opportunity came from a long entry pass the goal keeper came outside his box to knock back to midfield. Senior midfielder Drew Yates tried driving a long shot, but the goal keeper kicked this away, too. Red shirt junior Jason Herrick chipped the rebound over the open goal.”; against UVA, no comment; against Seton Hall, “In the 34th minute, MD evened the score but paid for it with another injury to a starter. On a soft clearance, senior right back Kwame Darko went up high winning the header forward into the box. An unaware SH defender mistakenly ran straight into Darko – flipping Darko onto his back. Senior midfielder Drew Yates ran onto the ball and shot into the far post.”; against VT, “Yates raised the level of his play – which helped pressure VT for much of the game. He beat 2 defenders (senior James Gilson and junior Evan Slusser) with brilliant dribbling in the 52nd minute. In the 75th minute, he made a tremendous first touch providing space behind his defender. Yates set up sophomore right back Alex Lee, but Lee’s shot was off target.”; against Loyola (Chicago), no comment; against Duquesnue, “Yates scored the third goal from a penalty kick in the 25th minute after getting “tripped” in the box.”; against BC, “BC doesn’t generate much attack. BC started with talented sophomore Edvin Worley up top in the first half, but moved him to right midfield trying to get him more touches. Worley just didn’t do enough except getting in off-the-ball jawing and intentional content with MD senior Drew Yates (for a long time in the 2nd half), sophomore Matt Kassel, and freshman Ethan White. This isn’t to say that it was just Worley, but that the MD players were just as involved in instigating. Luckily, refereee Abbey Okulaja was oblivious to this action amongst other infractions.”; against Cal, “The game winning goal, in the 7th minute of over time, was received by Herrick via a long pass from senior midfielder Drew Yates. Herrick fought off a defender and struck it low.” & “Last year, Yates was the first sub off the bench usually playing the wide midfield. This year his role is different as one of the more experienced players. He rotates from AM to left midfield. He probably prefers AM better, but MD is more effective with him wide and Forbess as the AM. Yates has quick touches and can draw fouls in and near the box from clumsy tackles.”; in spring of 2009 against WF, “Yates (with a new number #10) played wide midfield. His dribbling is fun to watch. He’s not overly quick or fast, but he keeps the ball on a string, step overs, enable him to keep defenders off balance. Yates will never be questioned about going forward. However, getting back that is a different story.”;
Darren Yeagle	Indiana	F	Yes	21 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 30 SH, .367 SOG% Bottom Line: middling prospect for a player that isn’t a consistent starter ; against FIU, “On the game winner, senior midfield Darren Yeagle served a 50 yard pass into the box. Bruin was able to muscle FIU freshman Nicolas Jones off the ball and Bruin finished the open shot. It was a fair challenge. Adlard fought hard to maintain possession to get the ball to Yeagle.”; against Akron, no comment; In 2008 against Ohio State, no comment; In 2008 against Akron, no comment; In 2008 against Duke, “Darren Yeagle wasn’t impressive. He didn’t get involved and when he did – didn’t look good.”
Jason Yeisley	Penn State	F	Yes	Combine B10 Offender OTY; 1st Team Big 10; 2007 1st Team Big 10 22/22 GP/GS, 8 G, 5 A, 82 SH, .488 SOG% Bottom Line: I doubt that he has sufficient skill to be MLS successful. Also, I’m concerned with his long-term health – he has rods in both feet and a repaired knee – courageous, but risky; against Lehigh, “PSU got on the board first after knocking on the goal for the majority of the second half. Sophomore midfielder Corey Hertzog tapped in a goal between Lehigh’s Kevin Strunk and goal keeper Jonathan Nydell in the 72nd minute. Senior forward Jason Yeisley served the perfect cross for Hertzog to run onto to finish.” & “With 20 seconds remaining senior Vincent Salvatico served a cross that Yeisley crushed with a powerful header. The GK made a miraculous save before spilling the ball and it dribbled along the goal line before being cleared by a defender.” & “In the 105th minute, Yeisley got behind the Lehigh defense, the goal keeper went down Yeisley beat the keeper, but the defense recovered and blocked the shot to keep the game alive.”;
Rob Youhill	Hofstra	M	No	1st Team All-Colonial; 2008 2nd Team All-Colonial 17/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 6 A, 24 SH, .500 SOG%
Robert Younger	UIC	D	TV	2008 Defender OTY; 2008 1st Team All-Horizon 11/10 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG% Bottom Line: ehhh – Didn’t show much against Lville; Against Louisville (tape), weak pass back to the keeper – saved by Bubonja. On goal, didn’t provide defensive support; In 2007 against Umass, “I really like the way that junior Pat McMahon and freshman Robert Younger patrol the central defense.”
Diego Zamudio	Western Illinois	M	No	1st Team All-Summit 17/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%
Mark Zeman	Georgetown	D	Yes	18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 16 SH, .438 SOG% Bottom Line: good college soccer defender; I dread the day that he’ll be playing against me in a DC WISL match; against ND, no comment; against UCLA, “In the 84th minute, Suits hit a shot that Wilber again was able to tip away, but the ball hit the cross bar and rebounded back into the box. Gtown’s Zeman slid into the ball to clear it to safety, but it hit his team mate Scott Larrabee in the back for a corner kick. UCLA was snake bit.” & “Zeman takes all of the deep free kicks. He does adequately. Zeman made several key tackles and blocks to maintain the clean sheet.”; in 2008 against AU, ” AU earned the PK by a Mark Zeman foul on Petty. No doubt about the PK.” ; in 2008 against UConn, “Zeman hits a powerful free kick.” & “In the 20th minute, Priestly broke down the left side freezing Gtown right back Mark Zeman. Priestly drove the ball to the end line and hooked it back to the center of the area finding White’s head but the shot went wide left. Both central Gtown defenders were standing admiring White’s athleticism.” & “Castillo flew down the line blowing by left back Mostafa Ebrahimnejad. Castillo crossed the ball but Zeman intercepted the pass. It took 25 more minutes for a similar run. Why?”; In 2008 against Depaul, no comment; In 2008 against USF, “Sophomore DM Rob Burnett is not playing well enough. He was absolutely stunning last year – this year, he keeps loosing his man. Concentration? Burnett had a good run and provided a small glimpse to last year when he took a pass from Zeman and stepped-over the ball to give himself space before USF closed.”
Ben Zemanski	Akron	M	Yes	2nd Team All-MAC 25/25 GP/GS, 2 G, 4 A, 23 SH, .087 S% Bottom Line: small chance to play in MLS, because speed and adequate passing and negligible dribbling ability, reads the game exceptionally; Against UVA, “Zemanski had a quality tournament looking better than I’ve seen him in his 4 years at Akron. For example, in the 8th minute off a weak Shawn Berry clearance, Zemanski held off Ross LaBauex to take a shot – but the shot was directly at the goal keeper.”; against UNC, no comment; against Tulsa, “The play started with senior midfielder Ben Zemanski stealing an errant pass and touching it to Gavin just on his defensive half. Gavin sliced a low hard pass right to the foot of the breaking Sarkodie just outside of the box. He took a balancing touch before burying it past the helpless goal keeper. Zemanski had a terrific half, continuing to break up many attacks.”; against VT, “Zemanski, with VT defenders closing, split the defenders to find Bunbury near the top of the box. Bunbury had an open look but his shot was horribly high.”; against SLU, “SLU senior DM Josh Aranda lost possession in the attacking third pressured by senior DM Ben Zemanski. Bunbury skirted along the sideline, breaking with numbers as he crossed midfield. Bunbury delivered the ball forward to freshman forward Yoram Mwila who was straddling the line of the last defender. Mwila drove into the box 1v1 against the goal keeper with freshman midfielder Ben Speas wide open on the far post , but his shot was denied by the able goal keeper. Mwila tracked down the rebound near to the end line and sent it back to Bunbury. Bunbury surveyed his opportunities, granting himself time with quick touches before finishing with a calm disposition.”; against IU, “Zemanski is a competent college player, but he probably isn’t good enough for MLS.”; in 2008 against IU, no comment; in 2008 against ND, “Zakuani’s goal came in the 72nd minute. It started when Ben Zemanski picked up the ball at midfield when a ND midfielder slipped. Zemanski passed the ball to Teal Bunbury on the far sideline. Zemanski stopped running.(?) Ugh. But, I digress. Bunbury beat a defender, then pulled the other ND defenders toward him before giving a square pass to Zakuani lurking on the far side outside of the box. Zakuani had a weak first touch with his left foot, needing 2 more touches before getting Traynor to go to ground. At that point, it was over, because Zakuani walked around him and fired a shot into the far post. Nice goal.”; in 2007 against UNC, no comment; in 2007 against WF, no comment
David Znaty	UWGB	M	No	1st Team All-Horizon 19 GP, 8 G, 4 A, 45 SH, .422 SOG%

 

NCAA: Akron vs Virginia *UPDATED*

Cary, NC – On a rain-drenched field, UVA beat Akron 3-2 in penalty kicks after another scoreless draw.  PKs are a cruel way to lose, but the way that the kicks panned out was even more incredible.

With UVA up 3-1 with 2 chances to end the game, David Meves made 2 stops to give his team a chance to continue.  Akron’s best penalty taker (and the assigned PK taker in the regular season), Blair Gavin shot the ball over the cross bar and Akron lost the national championship.

• UVA PK Made: Tony Tchani, Ari Dimas, Sean Hiller
• UVA PK Missed: Jonathan Villanueva, Greg Monaco
• Akron PK Made: Ben Zemanski, Scott Caldwell
• Akron PK Missed: Zarek Valentin, Kofi Sarkodie, Blain Gavin

With an oddity of NCAA championships, UVA gets the win and Akron gets their first loss whereas in other games besides the championship, the PK winner and loser both are awarded a draw.  Odd, but true.

UVA attacked better than I expected.  They had the better scoring chances in the first half including hitting the post in the 5th minute..

Akron needed to address gaps in the midfield at half time which they did.

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

Akron 4-4-2.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

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

G: David Meves

Akron observations:

Akron was disappointed. Although they not allow a goal in the NCAA tournament; they leave the tournament without “any hardware”.

Freshman goal keeper David Meves came up huge on a number saves – especially stopping the two PKs to give his team a chance.

Losing junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong early in the second half was a big loss that stalled the best offensive team.

I appreciated the play of freshman Ben Speas. Prior to Ampaipitakwong’s departure, Speas was able to make a brilliant pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe in the last minute of the first half. Nagbe quickly turned before distributing the ball to sophomore forward Teal Bunbury. Bunbury’s 20 yard shot wasn’t very good.

Freshman center back Chad Barson had a timely tackle in the 48th minute.

Senior DM Ben Zemanski had a quality tournament looking better than I’ve seen him in his 4 years at Akron. For example, in the 8th minute off a weak Shawn Berry clearance, Zemanski held off Ross LaBauex to take a shot – but the shot was directly at the goal keeper.

Junior midfielder Blair Gavin and sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie pressured senior forward Jordan Evans in the 88th minute to get a corner kick.  Gavin is sure and confident on the ball providing the escape valve to release pressure.  He is going to be good.  Sarkodie may take a little longer, but his future is equally as bright.  In the 41st minute with advantage and on the break,  Sarkodie had the ball taken away from him by the ref rather than letting play continue.

Freshman midfielder Scott Caldwell is tiny (not Dimas tiny, but in the same ball park).  He is highly technical and adept at passing.
UVA observations:

In the 5th minute, sophomore right back Hunter Jumper delivered an accurate cross to the near post 4 yards from goal that freshman forward Will Bates headed past the goal keeper but it hit the post.

Jumper had another good cross in the 25th minute, bring his defender to ground with a slick cut move beforehand.  He hit sophomore Tony Tchani on the head but his header was high.

In the 22nd minute, the UVA midfielders sliced apart the Akron midfield with precise short passes from senior Neil Barlow to Tchani to senior Jonathan Villanueva back to Tchani

Junior center back Mike Volk is one of the keys of the outstanding UVA defense.  In the 84th minute, he made a huge steal on a through ball.  He followed up with a big tackle on Speas in the 95th minute.

Barlow was active both games with intricate dribbling.  I enjoyed seeing him on the defensive side – stealing the ball from junior back Chris Korb, then driving to the end line before releasing a beautiful cross that his team mates squandered the opportunity. Barlow was tenacious in the final.

Although named the Final 4 Offensive MVP, Villanueva wasn’t as impressive to me.   He didn’t put together a complete half, let alone a complete game. I liked some of his play.  In the 52nd minute, he confounded Gavin with a pass behind him to Tchani.

Tchani is the real deal.  He should seriously consider going pro.

LaBauex continues to demonstrate his speed, as well as his rough first touch.  He made an ill-advised tackle in the 10th minute.  I love his closing speed; I would love him more if he cleaned up his touch.

Junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo was solid but wasn’t tested significantly.  He needs to be better with his distribution.  Restrepo plunked a goal kick harmlessly out for a throw in.

 

NCAA: North Carolina vs Akron

Cary, NC – Akron advanced to the NCAA final winning in penalty kicks 5-4 after a scoreless draw against North Carolina.

This season Akron has only had to go to over-time once (against NIU) and never to penalty kicks.  Remarkedly, they have only been behind once (against Hartwick).  This game – officially recorded as a draw – is the only mark against the perfect season.

UNC has been the best team that Akron has faced this year.  Given that I believe that the top 4 teams are in the final four this year, this shouldn’t be a big surprise.

• UNC Made: Michael Farfan, Zach Loyd, Drew McKinney, Kirk Urso
• UNC Missed: Jordan Graye
• Akron Made: Zarek Valentin, Ben Zemanski, Kofi Sarkodie, Scott Caldwell, Blain Gavin

Starting Lineups:

NC 4-5-1

F: Billy Schuler

M: Cameron Brown, Michael Farfan, Alex Dixon

DM: Kirk Urso, Dustin McCarty

D: Brett King, Drew McKinney, Zach Loyd, Jordan Graye

G: Brooks Hagerty

Akron 4-4-2.  Akron plays 2 DM (Zemanski and Gavin) with Ampaipitakwong as the AM and Speas as the LM leaving a gap in front of Sarkodie.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

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

G: David Meves

NC observations:

There were three keys to the game.  First, when redshirt sophomore left back Brett King received his second yellow in the 70th minute. Second, when senior right back Jordan Graye missed his penalty kick. Third, UNC had a scoring opportunity late in the game, but didn’t convert.

The red card to King was justified.  The first yellow was for persistent infringement and the second was just enough (for me) to get the second.  Referee Alex Prus doesn’t call every persnickety foul and doesn’t issue many yellows.

Graye’s PK was horrific.  It was so far into the parking lot that they had to get another ball.  Up to that point Graye was playing tough defense.  In the 89th minute, Graye pushed a player to make space to head an Urso corner kick.  Graye’s header was goal bound but was cleared off the line by Valentin [correction - Speas].

Loyd played simply out of his mind.  He was reading the game well, and attacking the passing lanes.  Even Akron coach Caleb Porter acknowledged his play.

Sophomore forward Billy Schuler is quick, but didn’t get enough good looks at the goal.

Whereas sophomore forward Alex Dixon had a few good looks, his judgment and skill were lacking.  In the 59th minute, he had a look, took a bad first touch then whiffed on the ball because his left foot defended against himself.  In the second overtime, Dixon got the transition that UNC had been waiting for the entire game.  With Akron pushed up, Dixon had but 1 defender to beat just on his side of the field.  Instead of taking a touch, then pushing the ball into the pastures of open space, Dixon decided to put the ball into the middle to junior midfielder Michael Farfan.  The pass wasn’t precise and Dixon didn’t stream into the space down the sideline and Farfan brought the ball back eliminating the opportunity.

Farfan was better than he was against Drake.  Oddly, he has his ankle taped on the outside – I suppose – so that everyone is aware that he’s suffering from a minor ankle injury.  Thanks Farfan… Farfan was showing his guile by changing pace with his tight foot work.  He started one of the better opportunities in the 28th minute eventually earning a corner kick.  In the 2 OT, he took a dipping shot that the goal keeper had to tap over the bar.

Freshman substitute Enzo Martinez is going to be a future star for UNC – if he doesn’t find himself in Bolowich’s purgatory (worse than a doghouse) and we never see him again (e.g., Bill Dworsky, Stephen Bickford, etc.).  Martinez with limited minutes tied for the most shots on goal. He thinks quickly and passes accurately.

Senior goal keeper Brooks Haggerty was successful in stopping many of the break-away chances.  He did have a harrowing moment in the second half but was able to recover.

Akron observations:

Akron was better.  They deserved to win.  Their passing was better.  I love watching them receiving a ball, softly caressing the ball preparing for their next touch (well most of them).  Akron is much better with junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong on the field.

Ampaipitakwong has been suffering a sports hernia (similar to UVA’s Ownby).  Porter said, “he’ll be all right and expect to see him play [on Sunday]“.  Ampaipitakwong had the best chance with a 20 yard free kick that Haggerty was able to push wide for a corner kick – “Aim it like Ampai”. His best skill is receiving the ball.  I think he may have hurt himself on a second half shot that went softly to Haggerty.

I’m becoming a Chad Barson fan.  The freshman center back moves very well and gets in good defensive positions.  Smart player.

I believe that sophomore forward Teal Bunbury is going to win the Hermann.  But, I’m concerned that he’s not going to be as successful in the pros.  Here’s why – no one can doubt his speed, size, strength.  He doesn’t have a precise first touch and his passing is not tight at times either.  I am not sure that he’ll be able to get away with that at the next level, because the defenders are fast, strong  and big.  Usually, if a player wins the Hermann, I would recommend that he takes the MLS Generation Adidas contract, because his value will never be higher.  However, Bunbury may benefit with another year at Akron.

Right now, sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe may be the better professional option.  His balance and touch and speed are phenomenal.

Junior midfielder Blair Gavin is the engine.  I like the way he plays.  He is the conduit between the defense forward to Ampaipitakwong or over the top to the streaking forwards.

Freshman goal keeper David Meves continues to elevate his game against the best teams in the country.

Freshman midfielder Ben Speas was active, playing more centrally when Ampaipitakwong was on the bench.  Speas had a good shot in the second over time that was low and dangerous.  Speas limits his space by not getting wide enough when he’s playing left midfield.

Sophomore right back Kori Sarkodie has speed, gets forward and combines well with his forwards/midfielders.

 

NCAA: Wake Forest vs Virginia

Cary, NC – On a cold December evening, UVA beat WF 2-1 in the first OT.  While WF controlled much of the game, UVA was able to score from a long ball that “super-sub” Brian Ownby was able to poke over the goal keeper for the game winner and a ticket to the NCAA final.

Starting Lineups:

WF 4-1-3-2.

F: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

M: Austin da Luz, Corben Bone, Luke Norman

DM: Sam Redmond

D: Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Ike Opara, Justin Lichtfuss

G: Akira Fitzgerald

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

UVA observations:

UVA came out tentative and WF took advantage of the situation.  UVA was better in the second half.

The first goal was scored by All-American midfielder Tony Tchani from a rebound in the 55th minute.  Sophomore left back Hunter Jumper passed to senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva who made a brilliant first touch and fired a blast that the goal keeper stopped but had no chance to hold.  Tchani hopped on the ball and fired it in.

Villanueva regaled that he “hit it as hard as he could, knowing that Ownby could outrun most people”.  WF Anthony Arena noted “that he knew Ownby was fast, but he underestimated his speed”.

Sophomore center back Greg Monaco effectively uses his body to shield attackers away from crosses enabling junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo to smother crosses.

Villanueva attempted to impress his will onto the game.  WF stifled him.  Even with Villanueva having his first two assists of the year, he had a terrible game.  In the 70th minute, a deep cross was wasted with a Villanueva poorly struck volley.

While I’ve been very high on senior DM Ross LaBauex, I’m very disappointed with his lack of touch.  I am enamored with his speed, but he relies on it instead of a tighter touch.  I’m reconsidering.

Restrepo continues to play very well regardless of the goal scoring streak.

Sophomore right back Shawn Berry was being pressured and not handling it very well.  He’s lightning fast, but his passing is rushed as well.  Boot it far seemed to be the rule.  He recovers well.  Berry has poor defensive balance. In the 39th minute, Berry crossed the ball to the far side to an open freshman forward Will Bates who headed it toward the goal.  It was blocked by junior defender Ike Opara.

Bates didn’t threaten the WF defense.

WF observations:

Junior midfielder Corben Bone broke UVA’s 12 game scoring streak with a 70th minute strike.  On the goal, Bone took a corner but it wasn’t cleared well so he slowly worked his way back down the field. Senior left midfielder Austin da Luz got the ball forward to Bone who drove around the corner.  He shot the ball.  Restrepo got his right hand on the ball, but it deflected into the goal.

WF attacked in waves throughout the first half – dominating throughout the early part of the half, but it evened up slightly in the latter parts of the first half.  WF was the better team, but soccer is cruel and sometimes the better team doesn’t win.

Sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Redmond was stopping UVA – he wsa taking the ball from Villanueva like a bully taking his lunch money. Redmond has good speed.  He’s someone to continue to watch.

da Luz was granted tons of time on the left side and he continuously drove in cross after cross.  WF couldn’t connect.  Da Luz relies entirely on his left foot.

Senior forward Zack Schilawski connects well with his team mates.  In the 21st minute, he got the ball wide to sophomore midfielder Luke Norman who touched it to Schilawski in the box.  But his shot was wide.  This was the game that he could have won.  He’s a good player; honest player.  I like him.

In the 68th minute, WF had a terrific build-up with multiple players participating to create a quality shot.  The ball went from Schilawski to Norman back to Lubahn who left it for a da Luz shot that went off the cross bar.

WF had several shots hit the cross bar.

Opara plays strong and is a quick player, but on the winning goal, he needs to do better and stop Ownby from getting the shot off.  Fitzgerald didn’t help change my mind after this goal.  Coming out – essentially eliminated himself from the play.

 

NCAA: Tulsa @ Akron – FINAL

Akron, OH – #1 Akron was able to hold onto an early goal advantage and hold off waves of Tulsa second half attackers to earn a 1-0 victor.  Akron faces against North Carolina on Friday at the College Cup. Tulsa played with pride and determination, but were not able to get a goal.

The second half  was the worst that I’ve seen Akron play this year.  With Tulsa attacking with numbers, it forced Akron to deploy additional numbers in the back.  This provided Akron with break-away opportunities.  However, Akron was unable to convert.   The other concern was the lack of possession by Akron in the second half especially the unforced errors.

Starting Lineups:

Tulsa: 4-4-2 – Tulsa attacks with a lot of numbers.

F: Austin Neil, Kilian Poeschk

M: Jose Parada, Sidney Steward, Chris Taylor, Ashley McInnes

D: Blaine Gonsalves, Hunter Christiansen, Justin Chavez, Matt Boullt

G: Andy Aguilar

Akron 4-4-2.  Akron plays 2 DM (Zemanski and Gavin) with Ampaipitakwong as the AM and Speas as the LM leaving a gap in front of Sarkodie.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski,Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

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

G: David Meves

Akron observations:

In the 17th minute, sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie scored the game winner from a scintillating pass from junior midfielder Blair Gavin.  The play started with senior midfielder Ben Zemanski stealing an errant pass and touching it to Gavin just on his defensive half.   Gavin sliced a low hard pass right to the foot of the breaking Sarkodie just outside of the box.  He took a balancing touch before burying it past the helpless goal keeper.

Zemanski had a terrific half, continuing to break up many attacks.

Gavin didn’t play as well as I’ve seen him play before.  Many of his passes were off-target – of course, not the goal scoring assist.  He is nearly impossible to knock off the ball.

The freshmen defensive duo of Zarek Valentin and Chad Barson were fantastic.  Barson was all over the back in the first half – squelching the attacks before Tulsa was too close to the goal.   In the second half, Valentin was crucial in stopping numerous attacks.

Typically, the young defenders of Valentin, Barson and Sarkodie are exclaimed.  However, junior left back Chris Korb was my MOTM in the back tonight.  In the 58th minute, twice he stopped shots in the goal mouth.  He repeated this in the 70th minute and added a saavy tackle in the 73rd minute.  Korb was playing out of his head.  Without him in the back, I don’t think Akron wins.

In the previous 3 games that I’ve watched Akron, David Meves could have been finger-painting on the goal as much as he was challenged.  Tonight, he performed; stopping a point blank shot in the final minutes.

Senior forward Teal Bunbury is ready to move on to the MLS.  He has the body, the speed and the ability to be a legitimate scoring threat.  Bunbury may need a year to acclimate to the professional standard, but he has the talent.  I would be shocked if he is back at Akron next year – unless he has other career ambitions.  In the 72nd minute, Bunbury held off red shirt junior midfielder Hunter Christiansen with considerable strength exploding into 3v1.  However, Bunbury’s pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe was not well placed putting Nagbe in a bad passing angle.

On Friday night, UNC finished their breakaway with Drake pressing forward.  Akron didn’t.  This could be the difference.

Nagbe was a terror in the first half.  He has good balance, strength.  He is difficult to defend when he accelerates out of turn.  While he was on the bench in the second half, the momentum went to Tulsa.

With assist leader, red-shirt sophomore midfielder Michael Nanchoff on the bench with an injury, Akron’s depth was shown to be lacking.  None of the bench players positively impacted the game.

Tulsa observations:

Junior midfielder Ashley McInnes is a small quick player with exemplary technical skill.  In the 69th minute, senior midfielder Joe Salem crossed the ball to the back post, McInnes crushed GK Meves dislodging the ball but Meves hit the ground and immediately recovered the ball.

In the 87th minute, sophomore defender Justin Chavez shot the ball after an inadequate corner kick clearance with Meves making a critical save.

Sophomore forward Austin Neil pulled his hamstring in the 60th minute. Before that he was winning more than his share of high balls.  With the Tulsa attack prominent in the second half, losing a target forward was unfortunate.  Neil holds the ball up top exceptionally well.

Even though Christiansen was fought off the ball by Bunbury, his tackling was critical in the second half to allow the other players to get forward.

In the 90th minute, senior midfielder Jose Parada took a close shot that was just wide.

 

NCAA: Drake @ North Carolina *UPDATED*

Chapel Hill, NC – UNC beat Drake 2-1 to advance to the final four next week against tomorrow’s winner between Tulsa and Akron.

UNC is much quicker, has better team speed, and has far superior passing.  Drake is more direct trying to get their tall forwards behind the UNC defense.  UNC was the better team – as graciously acknowledged by the Drake coach.

Starting Lineups:

Drake 4-4-2

F: Garrett Webb, Hunter Kennedy

M: Matt Kuhn, Kevin Shrout, Luke Gorczyca, Thomas Ostrander

D: Brian Wurst, Julien Edwards, Calvin Clark, Nick Foster

G: Jordan Kadlec

NC 4-5-1

F: Billy Schuler

M: Cameron Brown, Michael Farfan, Alex Dixon

DM: Kirk Urso, Dustin McCarty

D: Brett King, Drew McKinney, Zach Loyd, Jordan Graye

G: Brooks Hagerty

Drake observations:

The lone goal – ending a UNC shut out – was started by junior forward Evan Harrison. He crossed the ball to junior forward Kenan Malicevic in the box.  Malicevic slotted a near post shot with 41 seconds remaining in the game.

After starting goal keeper red shirt junior Michael Thaden allowed 3 goals in 50 minutes in the last game against Boston College, Drake inserted back up red shirt sophomore keeper Jordan Kadlec to finish the game.  While Kadlec gave up one more goal, he did enough to preserve the win.   Kadlec started last night.

Kaldec stopped a penalty kick in the 37th minute to maintain the scoreless draw going into the half.  While the coach looked like a genius at half time, I wonder if a more experienced goal keeper could have stopped the first goal.  Kaldec continuously was found off his line.

Senior midfielder Kevin Shrout is a sure tackler and he had plenty of opportunities to tackle against the attack minded Tar Heels.

Senior forward Garrett Webb didn’t have sufficient touches or quality touches to really impress.  He has some speed and size.  I’d need to see him in the combine to see how he holds and moves the ball.

Junior Matt Kuhn had the best shot before the goal in the 60th minute but it went just wide. I like the way that he plays, but he needs to be quicker with his touch and more precise with his passing for the next level.

Senior defender Brian Wurst made a necessary stop in the 16th minute against his speedy opponent, Alex Dixon.  In the 85th minute, he was able to get past red shirt senior Jordan Graye.  As he loped down the sideline, he had no idea what to do, so he made a half shot and half cross that went harmlessly for a goal kick.

NC observations:

In the 55th minute, after a corner kick defended by Drake, the ball was fed by junior midfielder Michael Farfan to sophomore midfielder Kirk Urso.  He struck a 20 yard shot near the corner of the penalty area that went over the goal keeper and under the cross bar.  It was a blazing shot, but the GK should have been able to touch it.

In the 18th minute, Urso caught the goal keeper off the line and fired a 40 yard shot that hit the cross bar and bounced down but not over the line.  Perhaps Urso took this shot into consideration on his goal.  Urso said, “that he has a good long shot and attempts them when given the chance.”

Just a little over 2 minutes after the first goal, UNC had a 3v2 break-away that they converted.  The play started with a Drake free kick.  After the initial free kick was stymied the clearance went to Foster.  He tried to put the ball back into the box, but his entry was blocked by Farfan and it deflected to sophomore midfielder Alex Dixon.  Dixon got the ball quickly forward to sophomore forward Billy Schuler who gave it to Dixon behind the defense and he slotted a shot home from 18 yards with 2 Drake defenders and the goal keeper converging.

Senior defender Zach Loyd had his PK stopped.  He placed it well, but with insufficient power.

In the 25th minute, Loyd made a nice pass that junior midfielder Cameron Brown dummied letting the ball run to Schuler who laid it down the line to Brown.  Brown drove the ball down the line and into the box.  He cut the ball getting the defender off balance.  As he went by him, Brown stabbed his foot into the foot of the defender (I believe junior defender Nick Foster).  Brown dropped like he’d been shot trying to draw a PK.  Instead he drew a yellow card for diving.  Nice call.

Brown may be the king of drama llamas in the NCAA tournament.  He’s very technical.  He doesn’t need these types of antics.

I really like Schuler’s precision dribbling.  He’s confident (and skilled enough) to take on multiple defenders.

The UNC defense didn’t finish the game and mentally checked out before the final whistle. Elmar Bolowich commented, “The final 5 minutes we lost our concentration [and losing the ball] on unforced errors”.

While UNC was dominating, Farfan was not as dominating as he was against NCST in the ACC tournament.  This statement is indicative of the power that UNC possesses that one of their marquis players doesn’t play to his potential and still win handily in the elite 8.  The other thing that is interesting is that Farfan was involved in both goals but I still hold him in such high regard that I expect much.

 

NCAA: Portland @ Virginia *UPDATED*

Charlottesville, VA – On a brisk sunny Sunday afternoon, UVA beat Portland 1-0 in the NCAA round of sixteen (octal finals?).  UVA will host Maryland at 7 pm on Friday.

UVA attacked well in the first half but absorbed pressure in the second after scoring their goal.

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

Portland 4- 4-2
F: Ryan Luke, Ricardo Carrillo

M: Jarad van Schaik, Joe Sleven, Drew Chrostek, Collen Warner

D: Alex Kraus, Logan Emory, Ryan Kawulok, Keith Grubisich

G: Austin Guerrero

UVA observations:

1 minute and nine seconds after half time, red-shirt freshman midfielder Ari Dimas scored on a shot that trickled over the goal after he received a driven cross by sophomore right back Shawn Berry.  To start the play, sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani buried a long pass into the corner that Berry tracked down.

Tchani had a rough game with his touch.  It reminded me of him in pre-season as he was working himself back into shape after suffering last year’s season-ending injury.

Dimas has a sweet first touch, but his defense is severely lacking.

Senior DM Ross LaBauex continued to demonstrate why I think he’s going to be 1st round pick in less than 2 months.  His tackling and tenaciousness accompanied by his speed make him a special player.

Red shirt junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo was instrumental in maintaining the scoreless streak.  He made countless point blank shots and he was positioning himself well.

Senior midfielder Neil Barlow made a strong run blowing by two defenders before unleashing a powerful shot in the 37th minute.  The shot was blocked by the goal keeper but he was unable to hold it.  Dimas tracked down the rebound, but his cross was too high.

This was a problem in the first half that UVA kept shooting – but directly at the goal keeper.

In the second, UVA fell back with many of the midfielders bunkering in the box.  UVA said that the wind and sun – it was difficult to defend.  Also, they gave Portland a lot of credit for their direct game.  I saw it that the attacking intensity waned after the goal.

In the 87th minute, sophomore forward Brian Ownby held off senior defender Logan Emory near the sideline to get by him.  Emory tracked back and tried bodying Ownby off the ball.  Ownby cut the ball and lost Emory while tracking into the box.  Ownby crushed a shot that was only stopped by a fantastic save from junior goal keeper Austin Guerrero.

Ownby has only been playing 15-20 minutes in the second half as he recovers from a groin injury.  With his speed and skill, he is a terrific weapon to spring on tiring defenses in the second half.

Portland observations:

Portland wouldn’t use the travel as an excuse, but I have to question the judgment of sending a team across the country needlessly.  “We’re student athletes.”  Yep, but to travel from Raleigh (last week against NC ST) via Portland and back to Charlottesville, VA (a roughly 3 hour bus trip), doesn’t position your team to win – especially being a holiday week,

Junior forward Ryan “Screech” Luke is a quality goal scorer.  He had the best opportunities in the first half.  In the 35th minute, he broke toward the goal and seemed to be behind the defense for a freshman forward Ricardo Carrillo cross.  But LaBauex used his closing speed to head the ball away.

Additionally, Luke was denied an 8 yard goal by a superlative stop by Restrepo in the 43rd minute.  Carillo had beated Dimas into the corner before cutting the ball back from the end line into the center of the box for a first touch strike by Luke.

Luke gets to good positions to score.

Senior midfielder Collen Warner had a tremendous shot from an acute angle.  As the time wound down, he moved further forward.  He’s got the speed for the next level and his passing is very good.   It took 3 UVA defenders to get him off the ball.  I like the way that he plays.   But his touch was off in the first half.

While I expected that the UVA speed would cause problems for the Portland defense – which happened when UVA attacked.   In the first half, Emory was closing down many of the UVA attacks.  He stills plays too much with his hands rather than his feet for my liking.

 

NCAA: UNC-Wilmington @ Wake Forest *UPDATED*

Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest beat UNC-Wilmington 2-1.

UNCW looked intimidated in the first half.  They looked more secure in the second half.  WF just plays too quickly and are just much better.  UNCW should be proud of their effort.

Starting Lineups:

WF 4-1-3-2.

F: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

M: Corben Bone, Austin da Luz, Luke Norman

DM: Sam Redmond

D: Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Ike Opara, Justin Lichtfuss

G: Akira Fitzgerald

UNCW 4-2- 3-1
F: Nassim Berhouni

M: Allen Lomax, Daniel Roberts, Kirk Hudgins

DM: Etienne Boulanger, Brian Harrison

D: Christian Davidson, David Acosta, Indy Smith, Shaun Utterson

G: Brock Duckworth

UNCW observations:

UNCW got a late goal in the 86th minute from sophomore forward Shawn Guderian (his name seems familiar – perhaps from the Manchester Cup).  He flicked the ball up to beat his last defender and slotted the ball past goal keeper senior Akira Fitzgerald.  Junior Daniel Roberts got the ball forward to earn the assist.

Sophomore defender Christian Davidson threw a long ball that junior central defender Indy Smith flicked on that was just wide in the 31st minute.  This was the best UNCW opportunity in the first half.

Guderian broke behind the WF defense in the 42nd minute, but slipped on the wet grass ending any scoring possibility.

In the 44th minute, I was impressed by both the 60 yard run from deep in the UNCW area by junior left midfielder Allen Lomax and with sophomore midfielder Luke Norman tracking him the entire way.  After this run, Lomax got the ball forward to junior forward Tyler Wheaton.  But Wheaton’s shot was wide.

In the 64th minute, junior forward Nassim Berhouni was stretchered off the field after the ball appeared to hit him dead in the face.

Other than the winning goal, junior goal keeper Brock Duckworth was solid in goal stopping a ton of shots.  See below for the winning goal.

WF observations:

Senior midfielder Austin da Luz scored the first goal in the 35th minute.  The play started with da Luz crossed the ball across the top of the box, senior forward Zack Schilawski dummied the ball for sophomore forward Chris Estridge at the top of the box. His shot was blocked.  Schilawski shot the rebound and it was blocked.  Schilawski gathered the rebound and passed it back to da Luz in the box.  He used the outside of his favored left foot to hook it into the far post.

The winning goal was scored in the 76th minute by freshman center back Anthony Arena.  Junior midfielder Corben Bone served in a high corner kick to the back post that went over Duckworth’s out-stretched hands and to Arena’s head from 3 yards.  Duckworth needed to do better.

WF defends with urgency all over the field.  It unnerves teams to have players pressuring around the field.  Then, with precision passing they slice through the dis-arrayed defense.

Not only is Bone extremely quick, his acceleration is stunning.   He is the linchpin of the WF attack.  I can’t imagine that he’ll come back for his senior year.  His passing vision is awe-inspiring. He’s very right-footed.

da Luz is under-appreciated in the college game, but I’m not sure that his skills will translate well into the professional game.  He’s an accurate passer that plays smartly.  He’s very left-footed.

It is good to see senior Justin Lichtfuss return from injury.  He is a competent defender.

Of course, it’s a pleasure watching junior defender Ike Opara.  He’s a scoring threat in the air.  His footwork continues to improve.  He was limping in the 7th minute, but gutted his way through the rest of the game.

In the 25th minute, freshman forward Andy Lubahn chipped the goal keeper but the shot was wide.

 

 

NCAA: Portland @ North Carolina State

Raleigh, NC – After winning in New Mexico on Thursday, Portland traveled to North Carolina and upset North Carolina State (NCST) 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.  With this victory, Portland adds to their frequent flier miles traveling to Charlottesville, Va for Sunday’s match-up against UVA.

NCST attacked, attacked, attacked and attacked.  They were not able to put the ball in the net sufficiently.

In the first half, I was surprised that NCST didn’t challenge the freshman goal keeper that had only played for a couple of minutes all season.  The normal goal keeper was red carded late in the NM game.  In the second, they challenged him more, but he came up with a couple of mistakes and 1 huge save!

The Portland defense is going to be shredded by the speed of the UVA attackers.

Starting Lineups:

NC State 4-4-2

F: Ronnie Bouemboue

W/D F: Alan Sanchez

M: Kris Byrd, Chris Zuerner, Farouk Bseiso, Federico Nachmann

D: Korede Aiyegbusi, Tyler Lassiter, Romulo Manzano, Lucas Carpenter

G: Christopher Widman

Portland 4- 4-2
F: Ryan Lukke, Ricardo Carrillo

M: Jarad vanSchaik, Joe Sleven, Drew Chrostek, Collen Warner

D: Alex Kraus, Logan Emory, Ryan Kawulok, Keith Grubisich

G: Justin Baarts

NC State observations:

In the 60th minute, junior transfer forward Akil DeFreitas chipped the goal keeper to momentarily even the score.  The pass from the far left side by senior midfielder Chrystel Bakong into the box with DeFreitas facing the goal easily saw that the GK hadn’t anticipated quickly enough or didn’t stay back and was stuck in no-man’s land.

Junior defender Tyler Lassiter was dominating in the air.  With NCST down late in the game, he moved into midfield to aid in the attack.  He was consistent in his tackles.  In the 47th minute, Lassiter had a change 3 yards from goal after the goal keeper dropped the ball after a free kick.  Lassiter put the touch wide. MOTM for NCST.

Senior forward Ronnie Bouemboue was most effective when he went back into midfield to get the ball, face the goal and drive into the box.

Junior defender Lucas Carpenter struck a sizzler in the 53rd minute that required freshman goal keeper Justin Baarts to make a spectacular diving save as the ball was destined to be in the upper left 90.

Senior left back Korede Aiyegbuse had a horrible game.  His passing was off.  He’d beat a player or two and either lose the ball off the dribble or off the pass.  Regardless, turn-over was his specialty.

Senior AM Alan Sanchez spends to much time on the ball.  By slowing up the play, he allows the defense to form.  He needs to work quicker.  I can’t say that I’m enamored with his play enough to want him on my team (at the next level).

Portland observations:

In the 2nd minute, senior DM Drew Chrostek scored a goal on a hooking shot from 25 yards.  The play started with junior midfielder Jarad vanSchaik passing a low ball from a corner kick to Chrostek at the top of the box.  Widman should have stopped the shot.  It wasn’t struck hard, but it did loop into the corner.

The second goal (and winning goal) was scored by junior forward Ryan Luke with a header from 3 yards.  The goal was created by precision dribbling from senior midfielder Collen Warner, opening space with quick touches before delivering the ball onto Luke’s head.  The cross was so precise that Luke never changed speed, he ran right into the ball.  One of the best crosses that I’ve seen this year.

Warner is exceptional on the ball.  He was good vertical ability.

vanSchaik serves accurate set pieces.

Sophomore midfielder had a fine first half (sitting on the bench) and horrific second half wandering around the field.  His dribbling is erratic.  His passing is worse.  How he stayed on the field was an abomination to all decent soccer fans everywhere.

The Portland defense is not quick.  Senior back Logan Emory uses his arms to fend off forwards and to off-balance them.  Freshman right back keith Grubisich was toasted the entire first half by sophomore Kris Byrd.

Freshman goal keeper Justin Baarts was tentative in the first half – unsure to attack crosses. He played not to lose the game.  In the second half, he dropped a free kick and was fortunate not to have a goal scored upon him.

Baarts made a huge save on Carpenter’s blazing shot.  Portland will welcome back starting goal keeper Austin Guerrero against UVA.  Unfortunately, Guerrero is going to be facing a team that put in 5 goals against Bucknell.

 

NCAA D3: Williams @ York College of Pennsylvania

York, PA – For the fourth year out of five, York College of Pennsylvania (YCP) was eliminated in penalty kicks (7-6). This year Williams College advanced to the NCAA division 3 sectional final after each team scored one goal through regulation and over-time.

YCP had a 1 PK goal advantage going into the 5th and potential winning PK.  The anticipated fifth PK taker, senior defender Scott Becker, was on his way to the hospital after suffering a harrowing head injury (more below).  Instead, junior midfielder Lucas Emil crushed a shot off the cross bar enabling Williams an opportunity to bury 4 consecutive PKs including the game winner.

• YCP Made: Travis Williams, Jon Ports, Aaron Good, Kemal Nuspahic, Adam Good, Eric Mackin
• YCP Missed: Lucas Emil, Cody Pearson
• Williams Made: Gaston Kelly, Joe Vella, Philip Vestergaard, Colin Ainsworth, Charles Romero, Pierre Meloty-Kapella, Matt Ratajczak
• Williams Missed: Conor Smith

YCP controlled the first 35 minutes, but Williams fought back with a spirited final 10 minutes of the first half.

Williams came out fast in the second half, peppering the goal with multiple shots leading to several corner kicks.  They maintained this dominance for the first 20 minutes of the second half (because they committed more numbers into the midfield attack).  Then, the game was back-and-forth with both teams having quality chances to end the game during regulation and in over time.

 

Starting Lineups:

Williams 4-4-1-1.
F: Pierre Meloty-Kapella

W/Drawn F: Charles Romero

M: Gaston Kelly, Alex Johnson, Colin Ainsworth, Will Whiston

D: Matt Ratajczak, Joe Vella, Conor Smith, Philip Vestergaard

G: Andrew Graham

YCP 4-4-1-1.
F: Kemal Nuspahic

W/Drawn F: Jon Ports

M: Antonio Bua, Lucas Emil, Mike Gill, Justin Suchoski,

D: Andy Stromberg, Scott Becker, Adam Good, Travis Williams

G: Ryan Hock

Williams observations:

In the 43rd minute, “grade 13″ (according to the Williams website) midfielder Patrick Ebobisse blasted a 30 yard bomb into the far post – best touch from either team in the half.  The play started with “grade 12″ defender Philip Vestergaard head flicked to “grade 12″ forward Daniel Morrisroe’s feet over to “grade 12″ Angus Kennedy.  Kennedy got the ball wide to Ebobisse.  One touch later the bomb was dropped!

In the 9th minute, “Grade 11″ forward Charles Romero beat senior defender Scott Becker around the corner and crossed to “grade 10″  forward Pierre Meloty-Kapella who hit the shot over the cross bar.  This was the best opportunity in the first half until the goal.

In the 46th minute, Meloty-Kapella forwarded the pass to “grade 10″  midfielder Will Whiston good cross that “grade 11″ cheeky used his heel to shoot from 4 yards, but the goal keeper tipped it away for a corner kick.

Meloty-Kapella is quick.  He had several break-aways that I was surprised that YCP defenders were able to recover quick enough to stymie.

Romero is tremendous on the ball, causing much concern for the YCP defense.

“Grade 11″ midfielder Colin Ainsworth hit a 30 yard shot that hit the cross bar in the waning minutes of the game.

NOTE. I got a late comment about the “Grade xx”.  It’s the graduating year.  So Grade 11 would be graduating in 2011.  Ok, that makes sense.

YCP observations:

YCP got on the scoreboard in the 5th minute. Senior midfielder Jon Ports squeezed a shot into the goal from a senior midfielder Justin Suchoski long pass.

The turning point for YCP in the game came in the 51st minute.  A high ball came into the box, a tremendous collision occurred between senior goal keeper Ryan Hock, Becker and a Williams attacker.  It might have been a Hock punch, or head-to-head contact, but Becker collapsed and had a brutal cut that required “cleansing the field”.  He was assisted off the field.  Medical staff worked feverishly to stop the bleeding and applied ice to his gash.  Unfortunately, after a protracted period of time, Becker was brought to the hospital.  Coach Mark Ludwig had planned to use Becker as the anchor on the PK’s.

It’s an unfortunate way for Becker to end his college career.

GK Hock had a huge game, making the correct decision on punching, catching, coming off his line.  He made several critical stops – the lone goal was unstoppable.

Ports is outstanding.  He’ll be greatly missed as a graduating senior.  In the 23rd minute, with his exceptional quickness and dribbling ability, he beat the goal keeper, but he was near the end-line near the end of the goal area.  He calmly slotted the ball to freshman midfielder Antonio Bua in the middle of the box.  Bua skied the shot.  This would have changed the game.  The only question that I have is how would Ports compete against D1 players.  I hope that Ports will be invited to the combine.  If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if he signs with a USL1 team.  He’s small, but he has quick feet.  I think he could make a roster.

Bua is a good dribbler.

Junior forward Mike O’Connell had an open look in the 85th minute after a nice first touch.  His shot was straight at the goal keeper.

It’s hard to lose a game like this, but “it is what it is”.

 

NCAA: Bucknell @ Princeton

Princeton, NJ – On a rainy evening, Bucknell beat Princeton 1-0 to advance to play UVA on Sunday.  The game was delayed for 30 minutes for a lightning delay.

Princeton star forward Antoine Hoppenot, after picking up his 5th yellow in the last regular season game against Yale, was suspended for this match.  I’m sure that Hoppenot would have sacrificed one of his three goals to erase the yellow and play in the NCAA.

Rule note.  If a player has 4 yellow cards going into the NCAA tournament, the limit for suspension is raised to 8 yellow cards.

Starting Lineups:

Bucknell 4-1-4-1.

F: Brendan Burgdorf

M: CK Kumah, Sean King, Conor O’Brien, Ryan Sappington

DM: Ross Liberati

D: Andrew Powell, Jermaine Jarrett, Patrick Selwood, Travis Rand

G: Tommy Caso

Princeton 4-4-2.

F: Matt Sanner, Brandon Busch

M: Lester Nare, Manny Sardinha, Devin Muntz, Ben Harms

D: Josh Walburn, Mark Linnville, Benjamin Burton, Teddy Schneider

G: Sean Lynch

Bucknell observations:

The first goal was scored by Freshman forward Brendan Burgdorf from 8 yards with the assist going to senior captain midfielder Conor O’Brien in the 70th minute.  O’Brien surgically placed the ball to a spot that only Burgdorf could receive.  Burgdorf beat 1 defender before taking a shot that deflected off another defender and squeezed into the far side netting

Freshman midfielder CK Kumah was unable to follow the game well enough.  Partially because of this, his first touch was failing him.

In the 44th minute, junior midfielder Tommy McCabe crossed a ball to freshman forward Josh Plump open 10 yards from the goal but missed the ball.

Burgdorf is a strong forward, fighting off defenders.  He could become very good.

Princeton observations:

Senior Devin Muntz plays like a chihuahua.  Tenacious, driven, with abundant energy.  Muntz hit a 35 yard free kick that the GK had to tip over the cross bar.

In the 35th minute, junior midfielder Tim Sedwitz passed the ball to senior forward Ben Harms who with a nifty first touch eluded the first defender before beating the second defender with a good second touch.  He took over the match in the second half with his dribbling and passing.  At this point, I don’t think, he’s MLS quality, but I’d like to see him at the combine.

Junior forward Max Hare uses his body to ward off defenders.

Junior midfielder Josh Walburn took a 35 yard shot that forced Caso to leap to tip the ball over the cross bar. In the 75th minute, Walburn stuck a blazing free kick from the same spot.  This time Caso barely did the same thing, tipping the ball over the cross bar.

Freshman forward Matt Sanner is a force in the box.  In the 86th minute with a chance for the equalizer, but forced a long range shot with out the pace to challenge the GK.