In preparation for the 2009 regular season, I’ve created a list of games that I’m planning on attending. The games earlier in the year are much more firm. Later in the year if a team from nowhere starts to be interesting or a player is making a name for himself AND the team has a game near the mid-Atlantic area.  I may skip a game from teams that I’ve already seen. So consider this schedule tentative, but I would expect that I’ll see 90% game on this schedule.

There are a few teams that I haven’t figured out how to see play.  For example, I couldn’t find a way to see UIC – perhaps in the tournament.  I was investigating flying out to Washington to see Cal-Poly, Washington, Portland and Creighton.  But it just didn’t fit into the travel budget, this year.

With this plan, I’ll see 80 teams play not including conference and NCAA tournaments.  But that means that I will be missing over 100 teams.

Any suggestions on seeing other teams, leave me a comment.

Match Date Time Comment
Tampa (D2) @ USF (ex) 8/17/2009 730
Tampa (D2) @ JAX (ex – tent.) 8/19/2009 6 tentative
Virginia Tech @ VCU (ex) 8/28/2009 7
WV @ UVA (ex) 8/29/2009 7
Stanford @ Lehigh 9/1/2009 7
AU vs George Washington 9/2/2009 5
Howard @ George Mason 9/2/2009 730
Buffalo vs Pittsburgh 9/4/2009 5
UCSB @ WV 9/4/2009 7
Howard vs George Washington 9/5/2009 5
AU @ George Mason 9/5/2009 730
UCLA @ Georgetown 9/6/2009 230
Cal @ MD 9/6/2009 7
Navy vs Mount St Mary’s 9/10/2009 2
St Francis (Pa) @ UMBC 9/10/2009 430
Princeton @ AU 9/11/2009 3
Boston College @ MD 9/11/2009 7
Navy vs St Francis (PA) 9/12/2009 12
Mount St Mary’s @ UMBC 9/12/2009 230
St Joe’s @ Towson 9/13/2009 1
Princeton @ Seton Hall – tent. 9/14/2009 7 tentative
Duquesne @ MD 9/15/2009 730
Towson @ UMBC 9/16/2009 330
SLU vs Florida International 9/18/2009 230
Indiana @ Akron 9/18/2009 730
Florida International vs Indiana 9/20/2009 12
SLU @ Akron 9/20/2009 230
UNCW @ Duke 9/22/2009 7
Elon @ WF 9/23/2009 7
South Florida @ WV 9/25/2009 8
Monmouth @ Loyola 9/26/2009 1
Mount St Mary’s @ FDU 10/2/2009 330 Week-end is tentative
Saint John’s @ Villanova 10/3/2009 12 Week-end is tentative
Brown @ Columbia 10/3/2009 7 Week-end is tentative
Bucknell @ Navy 10/3/2009 8 Week-end is tentative
Sienna @ Temple 10/3/2009 Week-end is tentative
Monmouth @ FDU 10/4/2009 1 Week-end is tentative
Loyola (Ill) @ MD 10/6/2009 730
James Madison @ VCU 10/7/2009 7
Connecticut @ WV 10/9/2009 7
SMU @ Marshall 10/10/2009 7
Northwestern @ Penn State 10/11/2009 330
Akron @ Virginia Tech 10/13/2009 7
Elon @ WV 10/14/2009 7
Quinnipiac @ FDU 10/16/2009 330
Louisville @ Saint John’s 10/17/2009 730
UNCW @ Towson 10/18/2009 1
Seton Hall @ Maryland 10/20/2009 730
Notre Dame @ Georgetown 10/21/2009 3
Xavier @ George Washington 10/23/2009 1
Dayton @ Richmond 10/23/2009 730
Connecticut @ Seton Hall 10/24/2009 7
James Madison @ Drexel 10/24/2009 4 tentative
Boston College @ UVA 10/25/2009 2
Houston-Baptist @ Howard 10/30/2009 7
Jacksonville @ Campbell 10/31/2009 7 tentative
Louisville @ Villanova 10/31/2009 1 tentative
WV @ Seton Hall 10/31/2009 7 tentative
Fairfield @ Loyola 11/1/2009 1
ODU @ George Mason 11/4/2009 7
SLU @ Temple 11/6/2009
Charlotte @ Saint Joe’s 11/6/2009 7
Big East QF 11/7/2009
Harvard @ Columbia 11/7/2009 4 tentative
Princeton @ Penn 11/7/2009 730
Charlotte @ Temple 11/8/2009 1
ACC: NC State vs #9 11/10/2009
ACC: QF 11/11/2009
ACC: QF 11/11/2009
ACC: QF 11/11/2009
ACC: QF 11/11/2009
Big South #4-#5 11/12/2009
Big South #1-#8 11/12/2009
Big South #3-#6 11/12/2009
Big South #2-#7 11/12/2009
ACC: Semi 11/13/2009
ACC: Semi 11/13/2009
ACC: Final 11/15/2009
NCAA R1 11/20/2009
NCAA R1 11/21/2009
NCAA R2 11/24/2009
NCAA R2 11/25/2009
NCAA R3 11/28/2009
NCAA Q 12/4/2009
NCAA S 12/11/2009
NCAA S 12/11/2009
NCAA F 12/13/2009

On the top navigation, here’s a helpful link of the 2009 Division I men’s soccer schedule. It’ll be there all season for easy access for the results of your favorite team. Right now, I’ve got 58% of the schools schedules updated. Some of the schools haven’t officially released their schedules. As they do, I’ll update the page.

Click on this link for the 2009 Schedule.

Washington, DC – On a beautiful spring afternoon, Wake Forest beat Maryland 3-1 in a preliminary match before the main event New England Revolution vs. DC United at RFK Stadium.

New England’s coach, Steve Nichols has used WF as his personal farm team drafting or acquiring Michael Parkhurst, Wells Thompson, Pat Phelan, James Riley, Ryan Solle, Jeremiah White, etc.

DCU has tapped the talent pool from Maryland, as well, with the following players playing for DCU in the past few years, Rodney Wallace, Marc Burch, Dom Mediate, Kenny Bertz, Leo Cullen amongst others.

Maryland wore pink uniforms as part of their Kicks Against Breast Cancer campaign.  With those pink uniforms, Maryland reminded me of newborn white mice: helpless, blind and motionless.  Wake in their black uniforms imitated a large black cat toying with the helpless mice before putting them out of their misery.

The match was over in the first 30 minutes with WF up 3-0.  Both teams are mere shadows of their 2008 teams when MD won the national championship and WF was arguably the best team in the country.

MD has lost their entire starting defense and 3 of the 4 starting midfielders from 2008.  WF lost key defenders and much of their midfield.  Additionally, 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.

MD was simply awful in the back.  WF is going to have problems if they don’t play better in the back, as well.  WF is not holding the ball as well as they have in years past.

Just a reminder, player identification is sketchy in the spring, because players change numbers.

Starting Lineups:

WF 4-4-2 flat central midfield with Bone migrating centrally.

F: Zack Schilawski, Cody Arnoux

M: Luke Norman, Danny Wenzel (wearing #2), Kyle Adams, Corben Bone

D: Nick Courtney, Nick Millington, Justin Lichtfuss, Chris Estridge

G: Akira Fitzgerald

MD 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.

F: Jason Herrick, Casey Townsend (wearing #11)

M: Drew Yates (wearing #10), Matt Kassel, Kaoru Forbess, Doug Rodkey

D: Kwame Darko, Sean Flatley, Kevin Tangney, Alex Lee

G: Zac MacMath

WF Observations:

While WF dominated a helpless MD defense, WF shouldn’t be too content with their play, because they are not even close to the team that they have had for the past couple of years.  WF has a lot of work to do to get back to that level.

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.

These three are going to be involved in most of the WF goals in the fall.

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.

Arnoux is a sniper with accurate shots.  He can shoot.

Kyle Adams’s passing needs to improve. He is not good on the ball.

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.

Danny Wenzel is cementing the central DM position.

Norman is good as the wide midfield.

Incoming freshman Ben Newnam is confident on the ball.  He’s going to be a good one.

I don’t care for Nick Millington teaming with Wenzell.

Nick Courtney makes poor decisions.  He may have the skills, but isn’t thinking clearly.  For example, in the 67th minute, he had space with the ball coming to him, rather than calmly bringing the ball down with his chest and maintaining possession.  He headed the ball back up the field giving the ball back to MD.

Arnoux is a MLS first round draft pick – he reminds me of Pontius last year.

MD Observations:

Kaoru Forbess impressed me with his ball skill.  It’s something that I hadn’t seen in the fall.  He played AM (another surprise for me) and was competent.  He started the play that resulted in the lone MD goal.  Forbess was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise lackluster MD performance.

Drew 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.

Matt Kassel serves a sweet free kick, but he was unsuccessful stopping WF attacks through his middle. His shooting was erratic, too.

Matt Oduaran played the last 53 minutes.  He has a body like Jozy Altidore, big and fast.  Oduaran scored the goal from a long service by Forbess getting behind the WF defense.  He pulled the ball back avoiding the retreating defenders, dragging the ball along the top of the box before slotting the ball into the lower corner.

Oduaran doesn’t have sufficient skill nor confidence on the ball in the box.

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.

Flatley has never impressed me (other than an emergency fill-in).  He did nothing to change my opinion.  On a free kick, he let Arnoux had too much space in the box.  How could he permit one of Wake’s best snipers any space?

I never considered Kwame Darko more than a practice player or someone getting a few mop-up minutes.  He’s fast but he just didn’t do anything that made me anxious to see more of him.

Alex Lee was rumored to be transferring to PSU to play with his twin brother.   He was continuously exposed by Arnoux and Schilawski on the dribble.

Even MacMath, who I think may be the best freshman GK in the country, had a very shaky game.  He kept dropping the ball.  He has better hands that what I saw in this game.  If MacMath has a bad year, MD is done in 2009.  He is going to have a lot of pressure to save the weak MD defense.

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.

Casey Townsend left late in the first half suffering a “leg injury”.  He tried to warm up in the second half but running with a limp – I’m glad to see that he was shut down.

Townsend and Herrick have a lot of responsibility to score given the defense is like a sieve.  Townsend seems to have grown a few inches.

MD may lose the alumni game on May 1.

Washington, DC – On a rainy, cool afternoon, AU was able to hold off a fierce WVU 2nd half attack after scoring 2 first half goals to win the game 2-1.

AU and WVU shared dominance with AU taking the first half while WV was much better in the second.

Just a reminder, player identification is sketchy in the spring, because players change numbers.

Starting Lineups:

WVU 4-4-2.

F:  Alex Silva, Declan Coll

M: Ryan Gillespie, Chase Dewese, Gift Maworere, Tuan Doan

D:  Dan Hagey, Jason Bristol, Ruben Garrido, Raymon Gaddis

G: Zach Johnson

AU 4-4-2.

F:  Jack Scott, Mike Worden

M: Cameron Petty, Mark Wysocki (#13 – I think the player identification is incorrect), Colin Zizzi, David Menzie

D: Dor Yasur, Karsten Smith, Jon Freimark, Michael Roberts

G: Matt Makowski

WVU observations:

WVU were pathetic in the first half.  The midfield allowed AU to freely deliver balls behind the WVU defense without pressure.  Additionally, WVU came out in the first assuming that AU would roll-over from a team from the mighty Big East.  They were sadly mistaken.  WV was in disarray after the second goal.  Half time was their salvation.

In the second half, WVU were much better, holding the ball and pressuring AU.  They scored there lone goal in the 81st minute to make the end of the game exciting.

Centerback Ruben Garrido scored the goal acrobatically after a corner kick was bounced around the AU box. Garrido biggest contribution is his ability to read the game and support the other defenders.  I like him a lot.  He might have the best professional opportunities of any player on the field today.

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.

Rightback Raymon Gaddis has tremendous speed and athleticism, but has unacceptable ball skills and his defending requires too much Garrido recovery.

Zach Johnson was horrific in the first half.  In the half-dozen games that I’ve seen him, the first half was by far his worst.  He looked better in the second.  Perhaps the wet field caused him concern.  If so, he won’t be joining former team mates in England!

Forward Declan Coll has a sweet first touch.  At times, he tries to be too clever settling for flash over substance.

Alex Silva delivers a dangerous corner kick, but was ineffective on free kicks just outside of the box.

AU observations:

AU seems to win their share of games over teams that are more talented.  This is indicative of their desire and their fanatical task master, Todd West.

After dominating the first half, West tried bleeding the clock by making continuous substitutions.  However, this served WVU by never allowing AU to find their rhythm in the second half.

The first goal was scored by Mike Worden in the 22nd minute.  He received a long pass from Colin Zizzi (I think – notes got wet).  Worden’s first touch beat both Jason Bristol and Zach Johnson (who just wandered out there without purpose) to find himself with an open goal.

The second goal was from a terrific strike by Jack Scott in the 28th minute.  After dispossessing Dewese (see above), AU quickly worked the ball out of midfield with the final pass a long ball that was bouncing.  Scott struck the bouncing ball from 25 yards, looping the ball into the upper right corner in a spot that the goal keeper could not reach.  Delightful.

I like Worden’s first touch.  He expertly puts the ball exactly where he wants it.  I like the way that he plays.  He needs to improve his awareness to stay on-side.

Scott is fast, but his touch is normally very ugly.

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.

Dor Yasur had a forgettable game.  He would win the ball then promptly turn it over.  He left his football feet in the locker room, today.  Yasur has played better than this.

Goalkeeper Matt Makowski didn’t have too much to do in the first half.  In the second, he enjoyed the bench.

With a tightening travel budget, here are the remaining 2009 spring matches that I plan to attend:

4/11 West Virginia @ American at 1pm

4/17 Wake Forest vs Maryland at RFK 4pm (definite)

ah, forgot to publish this.

The main article is on College Soccer News.

Just a reminder, players change uniform numbers and new players are brought on during the spring.  If I made a mistake identifying a player, send me a note.

Kentucky vs UNCW

Kentucky in a 4-4-2 with the central midfield flat.

Fwd: Taylor White, Marco dos Santos

Mid: Stephen Beiro, Tyler Burns, Jason Griffiths, Chad Hagerty

Def: Reid Baker, Brad Walker, Tim Muessig, Barry Rice

GK: Dan Williams

UNCW in a 4-4-1-1 with the midfield configured in a diamond.

Fwd: Devan Carroll

W/Drawn Fwd: Nassim Berhouni

Mid: Allen Lomax, Brian Harrison, Daniel Roberts, Tyler Wheaton

Def: Jeffrey Shapiro, Jeremy Lappas, Indy Smith, Shaun Utterson

GK: Brandon Miller

Furman vs Winthrop

Furman were not wearing numbered jerseys for this game, but according to a knowledgeable Furman fan here is the Furman 4-4-2.

Fwd: Debola Ogunseye, Fabien Vorbe

Mid: Brooks Duff, Jordan Howard, Coleton Henning, Warren Creavalle

Def: Jonathan Collier, Patrick White, Nasarachi Onyeuku, Eric Cobleigh

GK: Alec Kann

Winthrop was in  a 4-3-3.  This is one of the teams that has many players switching numbers).

Fwd: Matthew Skonicki, Michael Luk, #11 – not Grant Wise

Mid: Andrew Murphy, Matt Lacey, Miguel Casajuana

Def: Magnus Leung,  #4 – Not Henry Kalungi, Jordan Osborn, Matt Horn

GK: (didn’t record – but Mike McCullion started 2nd game)

College of Charleston vs Clemson

College of Charleston plays a 4-5-1 which at times transforms into a 4-4-1-1.

Fwd: Kareem Yearwood

Mid: Zach Prince, Branko Gavric, Diego del Castillo, Gus Teren, Jake Helmig

Def: John Bello, Rudi Hellberger, Sean Bateau, Will Moore

GK: Clark Hankins

Clemson plays a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield

Fwd: Nathan Thornton, Hassan Ibrahim

Mid: Rene Onate, Connor Barbaree, Keegan Priest, Tommy Drake

Def: Riley Sumpter, David Newton, Mackenzie Ward, Greg Eckhardt

GK: Joseph Bendik

Charlotte vs South Carolina

Charlotte plays a typical 4-4-2 with a diamond.

Fwd: Andres Cuero, Evan James

Mid: Isaac Caughran, Jason Hawes, Luke Exley, Adam Gross

Def: Justin Tucker, Charles Rodriguez, Nathan Mathers, Alexander Deitz

GK: David Martin

South Carolina 4-4-2 (diamond)

Fwd: Sam Arthur, Blake Brettschneider

Mid: Jeff Scannella, Stephen Morrissey, Vance Benson, Schuyler Reardon

Def: Danny Cates, Tyler Ruthven, Will Traynor, Daniel Lynch

GK: Jimmy Maurer

————————Second Games————————————–

Furman vs Kentucky

Furman wearing numbered jerseys for this game in a 4-4-2.

Fwd: Debola Ogunseye (wearing #17 but not Eric Baffour), Brooks Duff

Mid: Coleton Henning, Jordan Howard, Caleb Suri, Warren Creavalle

Def: Jonathan Collier, Michael Erwood, Walker Jernigan, Eric Cobleigh

GK: Alec Kann

Kentucky in a 4-4-2 with the central midfield flat.

Fwd: Taylor White, Marco dos Santos

Mid: C. J. Tappel, Jason Griffiths, Kyle Smith Chad Hagerty

Def: Tim Muessig, Reid Baker, Brad Walker, Barry Rice

GK: Didn’t record but I think it was Dan Williams

Clemson vs UNC Wilmington

Clemson plays a 4-4-2 with a flat central midfield

Fwd: Konnor McGee, Rene Onate

Mid: Tommy Drake, Connor Barbaree, Keegan Priest, Eric Cava

Def: Riley Sumpter, David Newton, Francklin Blaise, Greg Eckhardt

GK: Joseph Bendik

UNCW in a 4-4-1-1 with the midfield utilizing 2 central DM.

Fwd: Shawn Guderian

W/Drawn Fwd: Nassim Berhouni

Mid: Allen Lomax, Brian Harrison, Daniel Roberts, Tyler Wheaton

Def: Christian Davidson, Jeremy Lappas, Indy Smith, Jeff Shapiro

GK: Brandon Miller

Winthrop vs South Carolina

Winthrop was in  a 4-3-3.  This is one of the teams that has many players switching numbers).

Fwd: Said Abdi, Miguel Casajuana, Matthew Skonicki

Mid: Michael Luk,  Matt Lacey, Andrew Murphy

Def: #11 Not Grant Wise, #4 – Not Henry Kalungi, Jordan Osborn, Matt Horn

GK: Mike McCullion

South Carolina 4-4-2 (diamond)

Fwd: Sam Arthur, Blake Brettschneider

Mid: Jeff Scannella, Stephen Morrissey, Vance Benson, Schuyler Reardon

Def: Danny Cates, Tyler Ruthven, Will Traynor, Daniel Lynch

GK: Jimmy Maurer

Charlotte vs College of Charleston

Charlotte in 4-4-2 with a diamond.

Fwd: Andres Cuero, Evan James

Mid: Isaac Caughran, Jason Hawes, Luke Exley, Adam Gross

Def: Justin Tucker, Charles Rodriguez, Nathan Mathers, Alexander Deitz

GK: David Martin

College of Charleston playing a 4-4-1-1 (perhaps that was what they were playing in the first game).

Fwd: Kareem Yearwood

W/Drawn Fwd: Andrew Autenzio

Mid: Jake Helmig, Branko Gavric, Diego del Castillo, Zach Prince

Def: John Bello, Rudi Hellberger, Sean Bateau, Will Moore

GK: Brendan Smith

After a full week-end which started with excitement and some Willie Nelson (”On the Road again”), it ended arriving home on Monday morning at 2am with work week starting just a couple of hours later.  Appropriately, Bob Seger’s “Turn the page” came on the radio with 90 minutes remaining in the drive.

But your thoughts will soon be wandering
the way they always do
When you’re ridin’ sixteen hours
and there’s nothin’ much to do
And you don’t feel much like ridin’,
you just wish the trip was through

The main article is at Collge Soccer News.

Here is the formation of the starting line-ups.

Denver in a 4-1-4-1.

Fwd: Sam Garza

Mid: Jarod Stigall, Ryan Garren, Collin Audley, Marc Kocel

DM: Alex DeCosta

Def: Blake Shannon, Kris Banghart, Kyle Varvil, Michael Perry

GK: Joe Willis

Wake Forest. Started playing a 4-4-2 with the 2 central midfielders playing more defensive.  Corben Bone abandoned his position to play more centrally as the first half progressed.

Fwd: Zack Schilawski, Cody Arnoux

Mid: Luke Norman, Ben Newman, Danny Wenzel, Corben Bone

Def: Nick Millington, Justin Lichtfuss, Nick Courtney, Kyle Adams

GK: Akira Fitzgerald

Due to inclement weather, the Manchester Cup in Rock Hill, South Carolina is postponed until Sunday for the college teams.

Here is a link with a revised schedule.

On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is ‘watchin soccer’ with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

Spring is here.  It’s time to get started.  While my unbridled enthusiasm is muted somewhat by the economy which has forced me to reduce my spring travel from previous years, I’m in the Carolinas for a week-end of college soccer.

My week-end exploits will be posted on the big board, CollegeSoccerNews.com early next week.

On Friday, I watched Wake Forest continue their dominance over Denver with two Zack Schilawski goals to win 2-0 on a rainy evening.

On Saturday, I travel to Rock Hill, South Carolina for 10 games on a forecasted rainy day (send sympathy, aspirin and tissues) for the Manchester Cup.

Here is the schedule:

1st game:

  • UNC Wilmington vs Kentucky
  • Winthrop vs Furman
  • Clemson vs ODU
  • South Carolina vs UNCG
  • Charlotte vs College of Charleston

2nd game:

  • Furman vs Kentucky
  • Clemson vs UNC Wilmington
  • Charlotte vs South Carolina
  • College of Charleston vs ODU
  • Winthrop vs UNCG

These are some of the best teams in the southeast that I would have a hard time seeing in the Fall.  I came to this tournament last year and really enjoyed the format – essentially non-stop soccer all day.  There are two fields that are back-to-back and the tournament starts at staggard times allowing no down time.  It’s a soccer junkie’s nirvana.

As I mentioned, my travels this spring is significantly reduced, I only have a few more games on my schedule after this week-end.

West Virginia @ American

Maryland vs Wake Forest

Again, look at CollegeSoccerNews.com for my article on this week-end’s game early next week.  I’ll post a note with a link when the article is published.

I was surprised to see a few omissions from the draft eligible list.  This is a list that I saw that had a list of all of the players eligible to be drafted at the 2009 list.

It’s quite possible that the list that I have is wrong (for example, Keum Sung Kim is listed as attend Loyola – MARYLAND, close it’s the other one).

Additionally, it’s possible that some of these players have another year of eligibility.  One other possibility is that a player has told MLS is that he is not interested in playing MLS.  I’m sure that there are other reasons.

Here’s the list of the most surprising omissions:

  • Danny Irizarry (OSU) – A team mate of new Columbus coach, Robert Warzycha and a critical central midfielder for the team that went to the 2007 NCAA finals.  He was my 13th ranked player!
  • Craig Henderson (Dartmouth) – A New Zealand international and Olympian.  He was the engine for the Dartmouth Attack
  • Tim Gabel (OSU) – Does Columbus not like OSU?  Gabel is a rock at left back and may have been the key piece that lost the 2007 NCAA championship when he left injured.
  • Seth Sinovic (Creighton) – Originally scheduled to be at the combine, but suffered an injury.  Now not even on the list?  Doesn’t make sense.
  • Bright Dike (Notre Dame) – Since he didn’t play in 2007, he may have a year left of eligibility.  Big forward in a class that is missing forward depth.
  • Alen Husidic (UIC) – This surprised me, because I spoke to him at the combine (where he was watching his brother – and working the night spots, ahh to be young!).  He told me that he was already on the list.  Another source told me that 2 teams had requested that he be included.

It’s quite possible that this list is wrong.  We’ll know in a few hours!

After watching the 2009 MLS college combine some interesting patterns have emerged leading into the 2009 MLS Super Draft on Thursday, January 15, 2009.

Temper Expectations

There are very few college players in this draft class that will be able to start on day one. Fans need to temper their expectations. Teams looking to mine the draft for candidates to help with depth will do better. Quick fixes, such as drafting a position of need rather than the best player available will ultimately fail. Lastly, if a team showed up at the combine unprepared (e.g., blank slate), draft mistakes are inevitable. The combine should be to fine-tune your selections, perhaps observe a player that you may have seen on tape but haven’t seen live. A player that has produced in high level competition and has been consistent probably shouldn’t move significantly unless a noticeable flaw was discovered.

As of Tuesday morning, four seniors (Sam Cronin, Mike Lahoud, Yohance Marshall and Chris Pontius) have signed with MLS. This eliminates the risk that these players will pursue a USL or European deal. Last year, Ryan Cordeiro from Connecticut was drafted earlier than expected by D.C. United partially because he was already signed before the draft. The primary difference between these seniors and the GA class is the salary cap savings. The GA still take a roster spot. Roster spots will be at a premium this year after MLS reduced the rosters by 4 players to 24 players.

Seniors who could start

Of the 71 players at the combine, only Sam Cronin (Wake Forest) is ready to start, now. His play exemplified the difference between a player ready to make the leap and many of the college projects still remaining. The only other player in this same class was Chris Pontius (UCSB). He has a chance to start early, but it depends on the team situation. Pontius may get minutes by playing the utility role – a reliable forward this year; Pontius has been able to shine playing at right back and right midfield in his college career. This position flexibility is one area that he excels above Cronin. I have not seen Cronin play anything but central midfield. Either of these players would improve a team.

European-bound seniors

The 2009 senior draft class was diluted by some of the best offensive players pursuing European options. Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College), Marcus Tracy, (Wake Forest) and Mike Grella (Duke) all decided to try Europe rather than going the MLS route.

Of these three, only Grella has not signed a contract and could re-appear in MLS this year. A smart team might take Grella with a low pick hoping that he could be persuaded to sign with MLS. Bedoya has signed a contract with Örebro SK (Sweden) and Tracy has reportedly set to sign with Aalborg (Denmark). So, if Tracy hasn’t signed, he might be worth a flyer. It protects the roster restrictions for a possibility that he might return (like Grella).

Reuben Arayna (Boston College) signed with GAIS Gothenburg last summer.

GA Investment

Generation Adidas (GA) goal keeper Stefan Frei has been phenomenal at the combine. I’m sold on his potential. With his Swiss citizenship, hard work and professional polish, a move to Europe is expected. A savvy team might invest in him as a method to gather valuable allocation windfall in the future. He could be as good as Guzan.

Top GAs

Jeremy Hall, Rodney Wallace, Kevin Alston and Omar Gonzalez are at the top of the GA class. I’ve seen these players enough that nothing that they did or didn’t do was going to sway my opinion. At most, maybe nudge me one way or another.

Wallace and Hall did not have a good combine. Gonzalez was bad the first day and better on the second. Alston started slow, but progressed as the combine continued.

Gonzalez appears to be the sole central defender prospect which initially appeared to be ripe with candidates, but has since dwindled (see below). Gonzalez is a warrior in the air. Gonzalez is not quick – can he overcome that? He needs a partner who can complement him. The Maryland tandem of Delagarza and Gonzalez was very effective; he’ll need a similar arrangement to be successful in MLS. This hurts his value – to me.

Alston, Hall and Wallace are the prizes of the GA class (excluding Frei).

· All have speed;

· All played on the left side in college;

· All can get forward;

· Wallace is more raw at left back than Alston;

· Wallace is better in the air;

· Alston may be a step quicker.

· Hall is a better goal scorer;

· Hall plays wide midfield;

· All should get minutes in the first team;

· Wallace is the bigger risk, but could turn out to be the best player.

This is one area where team need might factor in as the determining factor, because they are all good ball players.

Phenom?

Steve Zakuani’s quickness is special. When he accelerates, it’s fun to watch. He has the ability to go by players and to create separation. I don’t think it’s enough. I was amazed when I first saw him in September 2007 against Wake Forest and North Carolina. I came to see fellow Akron freshman Anthony Ampaipitakwong, but walked away impressed with Zakuani. Right now, he’s not complete. He has the tools and the potential, but does he have the drive to learn how to be a MLS professional. Huge upside.

Up Elevator

Here are a few players that have helped themselves with a sterling combine. These are players that I had ranked low but are upgrading based upon their performance.

  • Wes Knight (College of Charleston), right back, thoroughly impressed me with his passing and overlapping. He had trouble staying with the quick Amarikwa and he didn’t clear with the defensive line on a corner kick holding the opponent forward on-side. He could be a contributor next year.
  • Dave Hertel (Michigan State), left back, is a quick player that was able to get forward picking up an assist. He’s a tough defender with speed that really didn’t appear on the tape. As an aside, I asked him after the second day who was the toughest attacker to stop. He responded, “Marosevic”. I was surprised that a MSU guy would respond with a Michigan guy and not his MSU team mate, Doug DeMartin! We had a good laugh about it.
  • Joshua Boateng (Liberty), left midfielder, is one of the slickest dribblers and creators at the combine. I knew he had talent, but it was difficult to gauge the level based upon his Big South competition. Very small and may not be strong enough to take the pounding of a MLS season. This is another good kid that won’t be a problem.
  • Steward Ceus (Albany), goal keeper, was not an unknown commodity prior to the combine, because other conference players and coaches had told me about the “Giant Goal keeper”, but this was the first time that I was able to see him. At 6’ 6”, he’s a giant but moves quickly with good hands. He is going to be a project that could bear fruit in a few years.

Elevator Shaft – Central Defenders

Of course, if there’s an up elevator, there needs to be a down elevator. These players were a disappointment from either what I’ve seen previously or from my initial exposure.

  • Yohance Marshall (South Florida) probably the biggest surprise for me at the combine. He was awful. He just kept making dumb plays. This is not the same player that was playing at USF. Before I would draft him, I would want to have a long conversation with Coach Keifer and re-review more tape to see is there something going on. Was his role different or was he put into a situation that he didn’t know how to handle? I shudder at affixing the dreaded “Stokes” label on him. He has tons of speed, athletic ability, but his inconsistent understanding of what to do is perplexing. He is going to be drafted, because he already signed a MLS contract.
  • Michael Holody (Michigan) re-inforced my notion that he couldn’t get around the back sufficiently. I watched some tape on him pre-Combine and it seemed that way. He has nice feet and can aid in the attack, if necessary.
  • Chris Clements (Tulsa) looked like a stud on tape – good feet, marking 1v1 and terrific in the air. Although this year he was slowed with injuries early, but he looked fine later in the year. I don’t know what is going on with him and it bothers me. He just didn’t play well; tentative; never stepped up.
  • Matt Besler (Notre Dame) was a question mark coming into the draft. I’ve seen Besler several times over the last 2 years with mixed evaluations. He obviously can play a nice ball and he has soccer acumen, but he lacks athletic ability.
  • Lyle Adams (Wake Forest) – not a central defender, but I’m lumping him in here – was repeatedly beaten on the dribble by masses of players. I was wondering if any of the assistant coaches would want to get in on the action. Left or right back – it didn’t matter. This is a guy that was a starter for the best college team last year. Did Opara cover his mistakes? What have I missed? This is very concerning. He used to be a left midfielder, but was shifted to the defense when WF was bereft with injuries at the beginning of the year. Am I over-thinking it and should disregard the combine?

Elevator Shaft – Forwards

  • Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac) had a brilliant game against Loyola (earlier this year), but the combine showed that Brito is more like the player that I saw against Mount Saint Mary’s last year. He’s tall, fast and strong. But, he plays too statically up top – only looking for through balls to use his speed to get behind the defense. He doesn’t have very good dribbling skills. His overall soccer I.Q. is average at best.
  • Daniel Revivo (Winthrop) is a top goal scoring forward in the Big South conference. For a big guy, he is too soft; He needs to be more assertive, coming back to get the ball and taking open shots. He has a cannon, but never showed it. The combine confirmed that the real Daniel Revivo that didn’t have a shot against William & Mary in an NCAA game is the real one.

Elevator Shaft – Goal keepers

  • Neal Kitson (Saint John’s) had a terrific season, but he was a disaster at the combine. Countless physical mistakes were compounded by mental ones.
  • Sean Milligan (Dartmouth) is too static for a professional goal keeper. The anemic white team attackers were having a feeding frenzy taking shots at the hapless goal keeper.

Assume the position

Some players are going to have a hard time at the next level at the position that they played in college.

  • A. J. Delagarza (Maryland) started in central defense on 2 NCAA championship teams (2005, 2008). In his freshman year, Maryland tried him at left back and wound up having to bring back grad student David Glaudemans to fill the hole. Delagarza couldn’t man mark sufficiently. A few years later Maryland experimented with moving Delagarza again with the same conclusion. Delagarza is better for Maryland in the middle. It’s not that Delagarza doesn’t want to play wide, the best part of his game is reading the play and intercepting the passes before they become a problem. His 1v1 defending is good – but not exceptional. Any MLS team that drafts him with the allusion that they’ll move him wide is fooling themselves. He had a good combine and his size is his primary limitation.
  • Aaron Clapham (Louisville) played attacking midfield at the combine. Previously, I’ve only seen him on TV. Even as a New Zealand youth international at the U20 world cup in Canada, he didn’t play during the game that I watched. I don’t project him as a MLS AM. I’m not sure what position would he be best suited. Good soccer players can adapt, but it’ll take longer.
  • Graham Zusi (Maryland) played attacking midfield leading his team to the 2008 NCAA national championship scoring key goals along the way. Prior to this year, he played withdrawn forward because All-American (and now Seattle Sounders FC) Stephen King manned AM his entire 4 year term. Forward is not Zusi’s best position, but he’s not good enough to play MLS AM. I question whether he has the motor to play wide midfield (which he did as a Maryland freshman, spelling Now-Columbus Crew left midfielder Robbie Rogers). I’d take a flyer on Zusi. He’s an honest player and a hard worker. I wonder if he’d make a good right back. He gave me the stock answer, “I’ll play wherever they want me to play. I just want to play.” With him, I wholly believe him.

After scrounging in the trash cans behind the MLS Headquarters, I was able to see a copy of the MLS draft eligible player list.

I compared the list to my rankings and created a list of the players that I do not have in my current rankings. The vast majority of these players are from small schools, out west and I haven’t seen. Given time constraints, I’ll comment on the players that I’ve seen, but won’t attempt to grade/rank them.

Seen in 08? Name College Pos Comment
Yes Eddie Ababio UNC D He must be graduating early; because I had him as a junior; Very, very fast; if you like the way the Marvell Wynn plays – you might be interested in him. Plays some forward;
Yes Ryan Adeleye UNC D This was a miss by me; Adeleye has good wheels, physical good in the air; I would have graded him a “C”
Yes Dori Arad Connecticut M 26 years old; very sturdy DM; ball skills aren’t exceptional
No Miguel Benitez Cal-Dominguez Hills GK
No Futhi Bhembe Alabama A&M F
No JD Binger Messiah D
No Frank Brown UAB M
No Justin Burse Fairfield M
No Brian Bush Middlebury GK
No Josh Cameron Oregon State M
Yes Robert Cavicchia Syracuse GK Didn’t do much against Cincinnati
No Jeff Clark Concordia F
No Bruno Conceicao Tusculum F
No Andy Connor Carthage M
No Jawaan Delaney Loyola-Marymount F
Yes Gerson Dos Santos VCU D Tall, technical with average speed; lost the end of the season from a knee injury;
Yes Brendan Fitzgerald Duke GK average at best
2007 Guilherme Fonseca Howard M Saw Fonseca when he was playing with Shepard College against UMBC and Navy; very small but very technically proficient; quick and dangerous; an attacking midfielder;
No Adam Garcia Frostburg M
Yes Kevin Gnatiko UMBC M You’ve got to be kidding me; “Tiko” probably was a terror at U-8 when it was 1 against everyone else; he doesn’t pass nor cross; he’ll dribble until he loses the ball or runs across the end line;
No William Gregory Alabama? M
No Tommy Heinemann Rockhurst F
No Joe Held Ohio Dominican M
Yes Stephen Hepburn Boston College D played RB at the ACC tournament for the last 2 years, I didn’t comment on his play
No Jarius Holmes McKendree M
No Nolan Intermoia West Florida D
No Cory Kendall FIU D
No Brayton Knapp Portland D
Yes John Kornfield DePaul M Kornfeld is very good at anticipating where the ball is going to be and making sure tackles.
No Eric LeFebvre Houghton GK
No John Maloney Montevallo F
No Taurean Manders Iona M
No Lwazi Maziya Alabama A&M M
TV Ryan McDonald Louisville D
No Tom Montgomery Stanford M
No Marcos Morales FDU D
No Nick Paterson UNLV M
No Abimbola Pedro George Washington M Someones trying to pull a fast one, he didn’t play with GW this year; I had him in the draft last year;
No Ferman Anthony Peters WV Wesleyan D
No Tyrone Petrakis Trinity M
No Tiyiselani Shipalane Lindsey Wilson M
No Nano Short Lynn D
Yes Joe Sondag DePaul D no comments on his play from 3 games;
Yes Ryan Swaim Charlotte D not impressed
No Robert Swann Midwestern State D
No Matt Watts Mobile D
No Adam Worrall Mt Vernon Nazarene F

I’ve consolidated, ruminated and re-investigated my 2009 MLS rankings.  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

adiTunit (blue) beat adiPure (green) 2-1 in a game that adiTunit controlled over a hapless team of under-achievers to close out the combine.

1st half (green):

G: Alec Dufty (Evansville)

D: Darrius Barnes (Duke), Michael Holody (Michigan),  Matt Besler (Notre Dame), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Daniel Cruz (GA/UNLV), Jokul Elisabetarson (UNCG), Aaron Clapham (Louisville), Raphael Cox (Washington)

F: Jordan Seabrook (USF), Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac)

2nd half (green):

G: Neal Kitson (SJU)

D: Wes Knight (College of Charleston), Darrius Barnes (Duke), Matt Besler (Notre Dame), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Juan Guerra (FIU), Paul Nicholson (Rio Grande), Jean Alexandre (Lynn), Jeremy Hall (GA/MD)

F:  Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason), Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac)

1st half (Blue):
GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: AJ Delagarza (MD), Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara), Trevor Banks (ODU), Paul Gerstenberger (BC)
M: Kyle Patterson (SLU), Pavelid Castaneda (Duke), Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton), Brandon Barklage (SLU)
F: Daniel Revivo (Winthrop), Chris Pontius

2nd half (Blue):

GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: AJ Delagarza (MD), Kyle Russell (Coastal Carolina), Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara), Paul Gerstenberger (BC)
M: Kyle Patterson (SLU), Matt Poole (UVA), Josua Boateng (Liberty), Chris Pontius (UCSB)
F: Richard Jata (Campbell), Peri Marosevic (GA/Michigan)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game comments and assessment classification.

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

  • Clapham (green) – composed; good passer; only question for me is where will he play? not good enough as MLS AM; from 1/11/09 (+): tremendous; dominated the middle in the second half that enabled green to control much of the second half (now if one of the forwards could finish); from 1/10/09 (adequate): nervous early; good dribbling move to beat Lahoud and open up the middle – weak shot, wide left;
  • Barnes (green) – playing well inside and outside, positional flexibility; good in the air; good on the ball; speed; nice; from 1/11/09 (adequate): good in air; part of the tandem that lost Amarikwa on the dribble; potential; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good defensive anticipation; showed well wide and centrally; long throw started an attack;
  • Pontius (blue) – class of the day; scored a goal on a combination with Marosevic; placement of the shot was classy;  from 1/11/09 (+): playing left midfield, willing to take on defenders; dribbling is very good; from 1/10/09 (+): besides the cracker of a goal, he was playing both sides of the ball.  Holding the ball too long at times; best player of the day
  • Marosevic (blue) – added an assist on a nifty chip into the box that Pontius converted; scored a goal on a Kitson brain fart; from 1/11/09 (adequate): scored the goal taking the shot to the near post; good run; his 1st touch especially off the chest is abhorrent – it bounces up; from 1/10/09 (-): touch was rough, played as I expected.  shooting off the dribble horrible shot.

Who was adequate?

  • Adjeman-Pamboe (green) – took credit for the blue defensive collapse on a long free kick got a piece when Frei and the defense stood around looking at each other; has had a good combine – ; from 1/11/09 (adequate): brilliant move on Adams; runs very well; tactically immature; touch raw; from 1/10/09 (adequate): dangerous opportunity driving the ball to the end line before crossing it back to the Seabrook in the box;
  • Guerra (green) – looks more confident on the ball; probably not worth an international slot;  from 1/11/09 (adequate): advanced the ball effectively to setup attacks (that died on the attackers feet; from 1/10/09 (-): good dribbler; doesn’t defend well enough to play wide midfield;
  • Seabrook (green) - quickness on the dribble; inconsistent; from 1/11/09 (-): has to finish when given open shots; from 1/10/09 (+): finished his chance; sometimes that is all a forward needs to do; will need to step it up if he wants to get into the first round;
  • Dufty (green) – wasn’t challenged – did ok; from 1/11/09 (-): didn’t do anything noteworthy; no opinion; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Delagarza (blue) – did well playing right back; able to get forward and made a nice cross; any MLS team that drafts him and hopes to make him a right back, will be sorely disappointed; MD tried him in his freshman and senior year wide; it didn’t work; his best asset is reading the game – he’s more effective central; oh well; from 1/11/09 (+): solid; came on in the 2nd half; nice line on defensive defensive approach to prevent attacker from reaching the ball; from 1/10/09 (+): played his game; anticipation; had a nice clearing diving header; increasing his stock;
  • Patterson (blue) – only negative is his goal side defense is lazy at times; dangerous runs and on the ball;  from 1/11/09 (+): dangerous willing to attack; only placed 2nd half; from 1/10/09 (+): very active in the attack; trying too hard to impress (anxious); speed
  • Banks (blue) – gets back well; gravitating to where I expected him; did ok playing in the middle against a toothless attacking team; from 1/11/09 (+): much better! in just the second half, much more assertive; overlapping, stealing the ball; tough d; by end of the half, ran out of steam, technique suffered on a wild shot; from 1/10/09 (-): giving too much space to the left midfielder
  • Castaneda (blue) – ehh; nothing special; took a shot right at the GK, ehh; from 1/11/09 (adequate): playing simple; not a flashy player but too slow to slow Maxwell; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Barklage (blue) – couple of passes; nothing horrible – nothing extra-ordinary; never going to be a star – but maybe that workman-like rate is his forte – maybe; from 1/11/09 (adequate): hard; willing to put himself in harms way to get to the ball; good breaking up a play by anticipating the play while playing centrally; I prefer Barklage wide; put on a dribbling exhibit taking on 2 players several times in the same 5 yard area (not very productive); from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Gerstenberger (blue) – nothing awful – fought through the pain to play, made a few good crosses – stock dropping; from 1/11/09 (-): tried playing for the last 30 minutes; suffering from painful calf problems; limped around; got forward to combine with Pontius; can’t really evaluate completely; from 1/10/09 (-): rusty on the ball; his passing was inconsistent – trying to make the beautiful long killer pass

Who needs to improve?

  • Knight (green) – held Pontius on-side for the game winning goal; I really like Knight – huge ranking jump for me;from 1/11/09 (+): terrific getting forward; touch was above average; beaten by Amarikwa for first goal; from 1/10/09 (+): showed well; confident out of the back; good passing/tackling;
  • Traynor (green) – too slow for MLS; not enough technical skill; from 1/11/09 (+): better; attacking the line, making nice crosses – Alexandre misses the shot; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good tackling and dribbling; treading water (e.g., not really improving his standing);
  • Besler (green) - doesn’t close attackers; too slow in the central defense; takes too long to deliver passes; reckless with the ball in his zone (dispossessed); from 1/11/09 (+): aided in the attack, brilliant pass around Kim to ND team mate Traynor out on the wing to set up a good chance; got forward with a good run has adequate foot skills; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Elisabetarson (green) – exposed for his inability to pressure quick midfielders and forwards; never showed his hooking corner kick; not good enough; from 1/11/09 (adequate): couple of nice tackles – not too impressive; looked slow running next to Zakuani; from 1/10/09 (+): creative; nice passing; hard tackling
  • Cruz (green) – fast – if it wasn’t this little soccer thing, he could be very good; from 1/11/09 (adequate): adequate – not setting himself apart from the crowd; powerful shot; from 1/10/09 (-): horrible game; passing, dribbling and even his dive in the box was amateurish;
  • Holody (green) – too slow; allowed Revivo to stand there, receive the ball and turn – how about messing up his hair at least?  from 1/11/09 (adequate): team played better defense with Holody in the game; from 1/10/09 (-): slower than I thought; allowed the ball to enter his box that Perara could not convert;
  • Alexandre (green) – While others may like him, I don’t see the skill; after making a particularly hard foul and being chastised by the ref, seemed to just wander around without being involved in the game; I don’t like his touch; from 1/11/09 (-): brutal 1st touch; missed his shots; did have one shot that was struck well and on target; from 1/10/09 (adequate): aggressive hard tackler, reckless at times; technically weak; reminds me of Brandon McDonald; probably will have many suspensions;
  • Hall (green) – not doing anything; from 1/11/09 (-): coasting; not finishing (had a swing and miss at a rolling ball.  Received a cross from Adjeman-Pamboe 15 yards from goal on the far post and tried to either pass or float a shot or heaven knows what – turned out to be a drunken quail that resulted in a goal kick; from 1/10/09 (adequate): didn’t differentiate himself against the competition; needs to assert himself more; his central midfield is a black hole at times;
  • Boateng (blue) – not sharp; will he be able to last a MLS season?;  from 1/11/09 (+): MOTM; played left midfield but frequently gravitated into the center; created havoc with his dribbling; on the goal, he beat Alston with a “high kick (from Alston’s perspective)” then drove immediately toward the goal drawing defenders to him; he sliced the ball behind the defense to an on-rushing Marosevic who finished near post; from 1/10/09 (+): silky moves; showed that he belongs; increasing his stock.
  • Poole (blue) - just hasn’t done enough; he’s good at what he does – but isn’t enough for MLS; thank you good bye; from 1/11/09 (adequate): couple of good tackles; not setting himself apart from others; from 1/10/09 (adequate): he is what he is; good ball tackler, but just as likely to be dispossessed.
  • Frei (blue) – not sure what the problem was with the goal – whether it was communication or minor brain freeze – unacceptable;  from 1/11/09 (+): solid; hands are quick; takes forever to take a goal kick (won’t last in central america – yellow cards for time wasting); from 1/10/09 (+): moved well, good hands; starting to believe;
  • Ogunbiyi (blue) – balance is shakey; not impressed – but he has a big body; from 1/11/09 (-): misjudged cross and ball went over his head – embarrassing; from 1/10/09 (adequate): played quietly, starting the attacks with small touches to Poole and Gotsmanov; held off DeMartin in the box; big player; better than I expected;
  • Jata (blue) – didn’t do anything besides getting in the way; from 1/11/09 (-): doesn’t know how to run off the ball – nice pass to Boateng runs right at him; in a real game either would have been carded for 3 ill-timed dangerous tackles (guess someone told him to play some defense (guess no one said good defense); another bad free kick – c’mon guy, I’ve seen you hit a rocket free kick; from 1/10/09 (-): bad free kicks (1 was a roller into the box); not executing with others; comfortable on the ball;
  • Russell (blue) – didn’t embarrass himself; from 1/11/09 (-): didn’t cover the cross when the ball went over Ogunbiyi’s head; only played the first half; the less that he plays the better that I like him; from 1/10/09 (horrific):  Tried hard, but couldn’t stop anyone without fouling; he should put in a toll booth the way players were going around him; Zakuani should use some of that $175K (allegedly) to buy him some beers if he’s going to take advantage of him!

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

  • Brito (green) – grrrrr; I’m very disappointed.  He just hasn’t done anything; he has speed and doesn’t know the best way to use it; his soccer acumen is abysmal; from 1/11/09 (adequate): didn’t finish in the first half; ran well off the ball; from 1/10/09 (-): clumsy – showed his front-end speed; not good enough on the ball; played much better against Loyola this season; nerves – perhaps.
  • Nicholson (green) -absolute and utter crap; even the backs refuse to pass it to him, because he was so bad; from 1/11/09 (-): much better – still not nearly enough, but was able to rise to mediocre; too many touches – needs to play quicker; from 1/10/09 (horrific): clueless, not nearly good enough;
  • Kitson (green)horrible; gave up the first goal on a bad touch that Marosevic converted; from 1/11/09 (-): let in both goals, but swatted away a Cronin corner kick that he should have caught or “punched” away; brutal goal kick; rotten performance – disaster; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Revivo  (blue) – not checking back – waiting for the ball to come to him; just not pressing himself; not MLS quality; from 1/11/09 (-): hesitant to take an open shot; weak on the ball allowing players to muscle him off the ball expecting the ref to save him (not happening) – time to put on the big boy pants; from 1/10/09 (-): didn’t do much, attempted a killer through pass but it wasn’t good enough; had a good 1st touch that beat Mirsky. knocked off the ball by Cronin

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

  • Cox (green) – didn’t do anything that generated a comment; from 1/11/09 (-): blew a good opportunity by passing to the wing rather than the breaking Brito; beat Adams on the dribbling; very left foot centric; from 1/10/09 (-): small; bad game passing; needs to use his speed more to create space;

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Wallace (blue) – did not play; from 1/11/09 (-): having trouble marking Maxwell; not until very late in the first half did he make a note worthy play getting forward to cross the ball to Revivo in the box in a dangerous position; from 1/10/09 (adequate): pressing to begin, didn’t let the game come to him; better in the second half;
  • Gotsmanov (blue) -  tried to play, couldn’t stepped off after 20 minutes; did nothing to change my pre-combine opinion about him; from 1/11/09 (missing): suffered  a hyper-extended leg early in the first game; very disapointed that he can’t play; getting treatment; wants to play on Tuesday – unsure; from 1/10/09 (adequate): nice first touch, but his passing was off, reflective of not knowing his team mates; played as expected;

Tiro (white) beat PowerSwerve (red) 3-2 with 2 late goals by GA Baggio Husidic.

1st half (Red):
GK: Sean Milligan (Dartmouth)
D:  Oscar Castillo (UConn), Yohance Marshall (USF), Ryan Mirsky (SMU), Lyle Adams (WF)
M: Doug DeMartin (MSU), Sam Cronin (WF), Pat Murray (Furman), Keum Sung Kim (Loyola-Illinois),
F:  Bryan Irwin (Portland), Quincy Amarikwa (UC-Davis)

2nd half (Red):
GK: Sean Milligan (Dartmouth)
D: Oscar Castillo (UConn), Ryan Mirsky (SMU), Yohance Marshall (USF), Lyle Adams (WF)
M: Quincy Amarikwa (UC-Davis), Pat Murray (Furman) , Akeem Priestley (UConn), Nick Zimmerman (JMU)
F: Doug DeMartin (MSU), Steve Zakuani (GA/Akron)

1st half (white):

G: Steward Ceus (Albany)

D: Evan Brown (WF), George John (Washington), Calum Angus (SLU), Dave Hertel (MSU)

M: Graham Zusi (MD), Michael Lahoud (WF), Ryan Maduro (Providence), Dylan Curtis (UC-Davis)

F: Nick Perera (UCSB), Chris Salvaggione (UNC-Charlotte)

2nd half (white):

G: Milos Kocic (Loyola-MD)

D: Evan Brown (WF), Chris Clements (Tulsa), George John (Washington), Kevin Alston (GA/IU)

M: Ryan Maxwell (Tampa), Baggio Husidic (GA/UIC), Graham Zusi (MD), Alex Grendi (Penn)

F: Nick Perera (UCSB), Ross Schunk (Redlands)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game commments and assessment classification.

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

  • Brown (white) – good defense on Amarikwa; tackles well; from 1/11/09 (+): showed that he can get forward effectively; good work rate; did well in the middle; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Hertel (white) – assisted on the winning goal on a tremendous cross; from 1/11/09 (+): very nice; good speed (quicker than on tape-surprised me); was able to hold off a stronger player (Revivo) in the box; though later lost Revivo in the box enabling a shot; suffered calf cramps in the second half, but told me that he anticipates playing on Tuesday; nice kid; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Husidic (white) – scored twice from inside the box within 2 minutes – easy shots – but he made them; from 1/11/09 (adequate): composed on small passes; very patient – at times too patient (for me), some of his longer passes were off target without pressure; nice pass to setup Salvaggione in the box late in the game; from 1/10/09 (adequate): nice first touch to get the ball ready to attack (space); question his work rate;

Who was adequate?

  • Amarikwa (red) – hacks George John (re-injurying his knee) – but John was able to continue, but was greatly affected; later blew by the injuried John and made a good cross; tried a bike (looked silly);  petulant about playing midfield; fouls frequently;  from 1/11/09 (+): scored 2 goals in the second half; neither goal was great; his first goal showed his confidence to dribble in the box with 2 defenders (Barnes/Knight) covering; seemed to be covered pretty well, but the shot squirted in (may have been a deflection).  The second goal was a disaster for Kitson from a Cronin corner kick that Amarikwa may have got a foot on to tip the ball in from 3 yards.  I don’t think he has MLS quality; from 1/10/09 (-): trying to hard; tons of speed; willing to be assertive; may not have enough talent – a player that deserves more attention.
  • DeMartin (red) – earned the only combine PK and scored on the PK; skeptical about his MLS prospect; from 1/11/09 (adequate): smart runs not able to beat a defender 1v1; from 1/10/09 (adequate): tries hard; not able to get around sufficiently; makes good runs;
  • Irwin (red) – from 1/11/09 (-): scored a goal from 10 yards off a driven Adam’s cross; other than that didn’t do much; not MLS quality; received a pass behind the defense but poor touch gave it to keeper; he’s lostfrom 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Ceus (white) – mistimed his jump on a high ball; not to be blamed for PK; from 1/11/09 (+): Nice; moves very well; from 1/10/09 (+): very quick on his feet for the imposing GK.  Hung out to dry on the first goal; kept his team in the game by making a series of saves.  Upgrading;
  • Alston (white) – in his groove; doing what I expected; from 1/11/09 (+): got forward creating good goal scoring opportunities. touch is rough at times (that’s my main worry); from 1/10/09 (adequate): made a few forays forward, but his touch was horrific at times;
  • Salvaggione (white) – tried a bike – missed badly; brilliant cross to a wide open Schunk – Schunk misses from 1/11/09 (adequate): only playing a half, didn’t do much to distinguish himself; dragged a cross to set up a team mate that didn’t read the play; from 1/10/09 (+): very active; good balance; better than he showed me at UMass and MD; can he keep it up?
  • Kocic (white) – defense let him down on the goal allowing Irwin to easily re-direct it to the far post; from 1/11/09 (adequate): showed too much on the near post for the goal; also calls for the ball very late. from 1/10/09 (+): not challenged a lot, but moved well; tipped a dangerous shot over the bar; played like he did last year;
  • Lahoud (white) – good defensive stops; from 1/11/09 (adequate): couple of nice passes nothing extra-0rdinary; from 1/10/09 (+): confident; dangerous in the box; covering sideline to sideline well;
  • Angus (white) – nothing extraordinary; from 1/11/09 (adequate): didn’t embarrass himself playing right back; enamored with long diagonal – not simple enough; can I combine Husidic and Angus? from 1/10/09 (adequate): delivers a nice long ball; beaten for the goal;
  • Maduro (white) – uses his elbows too much; not good enough; his sombrero led to the first goal in the closing seconds of the first half; tries to no look all of his passes – too easy to read; from 1/11/09 (adequate): does not have the personality (fortitude) to play DM; drove from midfield to the box with 4 defenders accompanying without causing severe distress; made a killer one touch pass to get Maxwell behind the defense; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good passer, drops into the midfield too much; don’t see too much upside;
  • John (white) – re-injured his knee from Amarikwa contact; tried to keep playing through it but was essentially done from that point onward; some like him – I’m not one of them; from 1/11/09 (adequate):aggressive in the air, stepping up to break-up attacks before the forward can receive the pass; from an offensive corner brought the ball down and drove to the end-line and made a nice cross that required Frei to make a difficult play to stop; generally good defense; from 1/10/09 (-): painfully slow in the back; good touch to allude a forward; tall;
  • Grendi (white) – was able to play for more than a few minutes; beat Adams multiple times including beating Mirsky to drive into the goal laying the ball off to Zusi; at the combine, needs to be more selfish – take the shot; from 1/11/09 (-): re-injured ankle again; before that had a powerful shot off the dribble; he needs to be able to show what he can do; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Zusi (white) – beautiful second assist from a long looping cross that found Schunk’s 6 yards from goal – Schunk put the ball back to Husidic rather than missing another goal; Zusi tried chipping the keeper just high because he realized that Milligan couldn’t move; shot from 6 yards blocked – need to finish that; from 1/11/09 (adequate): composed (funny – I write my comments before entering them here, opinion didn’t really change); good powerful shot just wide right; blew a break-away with a poor pass in the first half.  started a good sequence with a good pass to Husidic. from 1/10/09 (adequate): composed on the ball; played as expected;

Who needs to improve?

  • Zimmerman (red) - poor touch in the box squandered a goal scoring opportunity; from 1/11/09 (+): dangerous in the box; nice touch; big body; made a vicious bone-crunching tackle on Wes Knight; this year’s Geoff Cameron? maybe; from 1/10/09 (+): made a neat move on Wallace, pulling the ball back to draw Wallace in before putting it past him to attack from the sideline across the top of the box and hitting a good left foot strike; another weird play was his attempted throw in that slipped out of his hands and touched a red player; everyone stopped and he recovered the ball and dribbled past 2 and picked up a free kick right outside the box;
  • Castillo (red) – lost Perera in the box luckily it was just Perera; from 1/11/09 (adequate): regressed with poor timing on his tackling; from 1/10/09 (+): overlapping, demonstrating his speed out of the back,  making sticking tackles; 2nd half – played worse;
  • Priestley (red) – not aiding in the attack; as an attacking midfielder – not meeting the basic requirements; from 1/11/09 (-): not creating enough; strong on the ball; but not making the critical pass to spring his forwards; from 1/10/09 (-): good on the ball but doesn’t play defense; as part of the central midfield duo that surrendered the middle of the field to blue
  • Mirsky (red) – lost his man in the box; struggled to stay with Dylan Curtis (who isn’t a blazer); just not good enough; good jumping ability;  stuck Maduro as retribution for the Cronin elbow; from 1/11/09 (no observations): only played 2nd half as a right back – no observations; from 1/10/09 (-): not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;
  • Maxwell (white) – too many bad touches and holding the ball too long; from 1/11/09 (+): tremendous improvement; playing quicker; causing problems in front of GA Rodney Wallace; his play created the first goal; have to wonder why he didn’t start demanding the ball with an injured player (Gerstenberger) in front of him – though no one from his identified it; from 1/10/09 (-): confident on the ball; takes too long to deliver the ball;
  • Curtis (white) – ran by Mirsky – this may be his MLS career highlight; from 1/11/09 (-): I don’t like his game; his touch, passing, decision making;  as a plus probably a very nice person and kind to his mother; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Clements (white) – one of the biggest disappointments to me; he just isn’t playing nearly good enough; from 1/11/09 (-): mixed feelings; good step on defense; beat on dribble by Boateng in the box; very concerned about his ability; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);

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

  • Adams (red) – beaten by many attackers on the left and right; like a revolving door; got an assist with a tremendous cross; college resume may be sufficient and that the combine is an aberration; I’m not so sure; from 1/11/09 (-): beaten often and regularly; tried to get forward without adequate rotation; from 1/10/09 (adequate): getting forward; doing fine;
  • Marshall (red) – making dumb plays; tried to dribble out of the back and loses the ball; losing his man; he made a few defensive stops; he’ll be on a MLS roster; from 1/11/09 (adequate): better, though doesn’t look comfortable; good defensive positioning; from 1/10/09 (-): not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;
  • Kim (red) - more of the same; from 1/11/09 (horrific): better, but wasn’t possible to be any worse; not MLS player; from 1/10/09 (horrific): Worse player out there; I’ve seen him twice this year and today was like they got some kid off the street; different player; he was dreadful; if this is your best, fake an injury.
  • Murray (red) – blah; from 1/11/09 (horrific): in 70 minutes, absolutely nothing productive; from 1/10/09 (horrific): nothing redeeming in his half of play;
  • Milligan (red) – doesn’t move well enough; from 1/11/09 (didn’t play): according to my notes, he didn’t play – though he was scheduled to play in the first half; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Perera (white) – there are studs and duds – Nick is one of the latter; from 1/11/09 (-): scored a goal but still doesn’t do much more than take up space; from 1/10/09 (-): just not good enough; received a long ball from Angus that he wasn’t able to control or strike;
  • Schunk (white) – should be compelled to return the combine T-shirt; from 1/11/09 (horrific):  more of the same – no comments; from 1/10/09 (horrific):  may be too quick to judge, but he just hung around the box which may be good enough to outjump smaller college players, insufficient;

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

  • Cronin (red) – after an errant Maduro elbow connected with Cronin’s lip, he called it a day and left the park; from 1/11/09 (+): the most polished player at the combine; good tackle; timing; from 1/10/09 (+): solid, solid, solid, giving away too much space in the first half along with his “defensive” midfielder Priestly. stock moving up;
  • Zakuani (red) – did nothing significant in the second half; from 1/11/09 (adequate): burned down the side with Elisabetarson in his wake; got a slight window in the box with Knight battling to stay with him, but Zakuani hit a weak shot; hasn’t put his stamp on this combine; from 1/10/09 (adequate): quick; stealing the ball or going past his new butler (Russell); not able to pull the trigger when in the box; needs to relax;

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Bush (red) – did not play; from 1/11/09 (-): indecisive; from 1/10/09 (adequate): not blamed on either goal, but could have increased his ranking by stepping up and making the big save;
  • Bernstein (red) – from 1/11/09 (didn’t play): pulled hamstring on first day of practice;
  • Gonzalez (red) – did not play; from 1/11/09 (adequate): better getting around; for those surprised that he is ploddingly – no kidding; needs to read the game quicker; what I expected; from 1/10/09 (adequate): 2nd half only, winning head balls – but not adding enough to transition;
  • Harwell (red) – did not play; from 1/11/09 (adequate): started but suffered a knee injury on ball-to-ball contact; in his limited time had a good pass getting aroung the corner and a weak free kick that rolled to the keeper; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good shot off the dribble – active; need to watch more closely;

Sorry for the delay….

PowerSwerve (red) beat adiPure (green)  2-0 in the late game of the second day of the 2009 combine.  Both goals were scored by Quincy Amarikwa in the second half.

1st half (green):

G: Alec Dufty (Evansville)

D: Wes Knight (College of Charleston), Michael Holody (Michigan), Darrius Barnes (Duke), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Daniel Cruz (GA/UNLV), Paul Nicholson (Rio Grande), Jean Alexandre (Lynn), Raphael Cox (Washington)

F: Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason), Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac)

2nd half (green):

G: Neal Kitson (SJU)

D: Wes Knight (College of Charleston), Darrius Barnes (Duke), Matt Besler (Notre Dame), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Juan Guerra (FIU), Jokul Elisabetarson (UNCG), Aaron Clapham (Louisville), Jeremy Hall (GA/MD)

F: Jordan Seabrook (USF), Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason)

1st half (Red):
GK: Evan Bush (GA/Cal)
D:  Lyle Adams (WF), Yohance Marshall (USF), Omar Gonzalez (GA/MD), Oscar Castillo (UConn),
M: Nick Zimmerman (JMU), Pat Murray (Furman), Akeem Priestley (UConn), Jeff Harwell (SMU)
F: Doug DeMartin (MSU), Steve Zakuani (GA/Akron)

2nd half (Red):
GK: Evan Bush (GA/Cal)
D: Ryan Mirsky (SMU), Yohance Marshall (USF), Omar Gonzalez (GA/MD), Oscar Castillo (UConn)
M: Nick Zimmerman (JMU), Sam Cronin (WF), Pat Murray (Furman) , Keum Sung Kim (Loyola-Illinois),
F: Bryan Irwin (Portland), Quincy Amarikwa (UC-Davis)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game commments and assessment classification.

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

  • Knight (green) – terrific getting forward; touch was above average; beaten by Amarikwa for first goal; from 1/10/09 (+): showed well; confident out of the back; good passing/tackling;
  • Clapham (green) – tremendous; dominated the middle in the second half that enabled green to control much of the second half (now if one of the forwards could finish); from 1/10/09 (adequate): nervous early; good dribbling move to beat Lahoud and open up the middle – weak shot, wide left;
  • Traynor (green) – better; attacking the line, making nice crosses – Alexandre misses the shot; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good tackling and dribbling; treading water (e.g., not really improving his standing);
  • Besler (green) - aided in the attack, brilliant pass around Kim to ND team mate Traynor out on the wing to set up a good chance; got forward with a good run has adequate foot skills; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Cronin (red) – the most polished player at the combine; good tackle; timing;  from 1/10/09 (+): solid, solid, solid, giving away too much space in the first half along with his “defensive” midfielder Priestly. stock moving up;
  • Zimmerman (red) - dangerous in the box; nice touch; big body; made a bone-crunching vicious tackle on Wes Knight; this year’s Geoff Cameron? maybe; from 1/10/09 (+): made a neat move on Wallace, pulling the ball back to draw Wallace in before putting it past him to attack from the sideline across the top of the box and hitting a good left foot strike; another weird play was his attempted throw in that slipped out of his hands and touched a red player; everyone stopped and he recovered the ball and dribbled past 2 and picked up a free kick right outside the box;
  • Amarikwa (red) – scored 2 goals in the second half; neither goal was great; his first goal showed his confidence to dribble in the box with 2 defenders (Barnes/Knight) covering; seemed to be covered pretty well, but the shot squirted in (may have been a deflection).  The second goal was a disaster for Kitson from a Cronin corner kick that Amarikwa may have got a foot on to tip the ball in from 3 yards.  I don’t think he has MLS quality; from 1/10/09 (-): trying to hard; tons of speed; willing to be assertive; may not have enough talent – a player that deserves more attention.

Who was adequate?

  • Elisabetarson (green) – couple of nice tackles – not too impressive; looked slow running next to Zakuani;  from 1/10/09 (+): creative; nice passing; hard tackling
  • Adjeman-Pamboe (green) – brilliant move on Adams; runs very well; tactically immature; touch raw; from 1/10/09 (adequate): dangerous opportunity driving the ball to the end line before crossing it back to the Seabrook in the box;
  • Barnes (green) – good in air; part of the tandem that lost Amarikwa on the dribble; potential; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good defensive anticipation; showed well wide and centrally; long throw started an attack;
  • Cruz (green) – adequate – not setting himself apart from the crowd; powerful shot; from 1/10/09 (-): horrible game; passing, dribbling and even his dive in the box was amateurish;
  • Brito (green) – didn’t finish in the first half; ran well off the ball; from 1/10/09 (-): clumsy – showed his front-end speed; not good enough on the ball; played much better against Loyola this season; nerves – perhaps.
  • Holody (green) – team played better defense with Holody in the game;  from 1/10/09 (-): slower than I thought; allowed the ball to enter his box that Perara could not convert;
  • Guerra (green) – advanced the ball effectively to setup attacks (that died on the attackers feet; from 1/10/09 (-): good dribbler; doesn’t defend well enough to play wide midfield;
  • Castillo (red) – regressed with poor timing on his tackling; from 1/10/09 (+): overlapping, demonstrating his speed out of the back,  making sticking tackles; 2nd half – played worse;
  • Gonzalez (red) – better getting around; for those surprised that he is ploddingly – no kidding; needs to read the game quicker; what I expected; from 1/10/09 (adequate): 2nd half only, winning head balls – but not adding enough to transition;
  • Harwell (red) – started but suffered a knee injury on ball-to-ball contact; in his limited time had a good pass getting aroung the corner and a weak free kick that rolled to the keeper; from 1/10/09 (adequate): good shot off the dribble – active; need to watch more closely;
  • Zakuani (red) – burned down the side with Elisabetarson in his wake; got a slight window in the box with Knight battling to stay with him, but Zakuani hit a weak shot; hasn’t put his stamp on this combine; from 1/10/09 (adequate): quick; stealing the ball or going past his new butler (Russell); not able to pull the trigger when in the box; needs to relax;
  • DeMartin (red) – smart runs not able to beat a defender 1v1; from 1/10/09 (adequate): tries hard; not able to get around sufficiently; makes good runs;
  • Marshall (red) -better, though doesn’t look comfortable; good defensive positioning; from 1/10/09 (-): not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;

Who needs to improve?

  • Seabrook (green) – has to finish when given open shots; from 1/10/09 (+): finished his chance; sometimes that is all a forward needs to do; will need to step it up if he wants to get into the first round;
  • Alexandre (green) – brutal 1st touch; missed his shots; did have one shot that was struck well and on target; from 1/10/09 (adequate): aggressive hard tackler, reckless at times; technically weak; reminds me of Brandon McDonald; probably will have many suspensions;
  • Hall (green) – coasting; not finishing (had a swing and miss at a rolling ball.  Received a cross from Adjeman-Pamboe 15 yards from goal on the far post and tried to either pass or float a shot or heaven knows what – turned out to be a drunken quail that resulted in a goal kick;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): didn’t differentiate himself against the competition; needs to assert himself more; his central midfield is a black hole at times;
  • Cox (green) – blew a good opportunity by passing to the wing rather than the breaking Brito; beat Adams on the dribbling; very left foot centric; from 1/10/09 (-): small; bad game passing; needs to use his speed more to create space;
  • Nicholson (green) – much better – still not nearly enough, but was able to rise to mediocre; too many touches – needs to play quicker; from 1/10/09 (horrific): clueless, not nearly good enough;
  • Kitson (green)let in both goals, but swatted away a Cronin corner kick that he should have caught or “punched” away; brutal goal kick; rotten performance – disaster; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Bush (red) – indecisive; from 1/10/09 (adequate): not blamed on either goal, but could have increased his ranking by stepping up and making the big save;
  • Adams (red) -beaten often and regularly; tried to get forward without adequate rotation; from 1/10/09 (adequate): getting forward; doing fine;
  • Priestley (red) -not creating enough; strong on the ball; but not making the critical pass to spring his forwards; from 1/10/09 (-): good on the ball but doesn’t play defense; as part of the central midfield duo that surrendered the middle of the field to blue
  • Irwin (red) – received a pass behind the defense but poor touch gave it to keeper; he’s lost;  from 1/10/09 (no opinion):

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

  • Kim (red) - better, but wasn’t possible to be any worse; not MLS player; from 1/10/09 (horrific): Worse player out there; I’ve seen him twice this year and today was like they got some kid off the street; different player; he was dreadful; if this is your best, fake an injury.
  • Murray (red) – in 70 minutes, absolutely nothing productive;  from 1/10/09 (horrific): nothing redeeming in his half of play;

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

  • Dufty (green) – didn’t do anything noteworthy; no opinion; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):
  • Mirsky (red) – only played 2nd half as a right back – no observations; from 1/10/09 (-): not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Bernstein (red) – pulled hamstring on first day of practice;
  • Milligan (red) – according to my notes, he didn’t play – though he was scheduled to play in the first half; from 1/10/09 (no opinion):

adiTunit (Blue) tied  Tiro (white) 1-1 in the first game of the second day of the 2009 combine.

1st half (white):

G: Milos Kocic (Loyola-MD)

D: Kevin Alston (GA/IU), Chris Clements (Tulsa), George John (Washington), Dave Hertel (MSU)

M: Ryan Maxwell (Tampa), Ryan Maduro (Providence), Graham Zusi (MD), Alex Grendi (Penn)

F: Nick Perera (UCSB), Ross Schunk (Redlands)

2nd half (white):

G: Steward Ceus (Albany)

D:  Calum Angus (SLU), George John (Washington), Evan Brown (WF), Dave Hertel (MSU)

M: Michael Lahoud (WF), Baggio Husidic (GA/UIC),  Ryan Maduro (Providence), Dylan Curtis (UC-Davis)

F: Chris Salvaggione (UNC-Charlotte), Ross Schunk (Redlands)

1st half (Blue):
GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: Kyle Russel, Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara), Pavelid Castaneda (Duke), Rodney Wallace (GA/MD)
M: Brandon Barklage (SLU), Matt Poole (UVA), Richard Jata (Campbell), Joshua Boateng (Liberty)
F: Daniel Revivo (Winthrop), Peri Marosevic (GA/Michigan)

2nd half (Blue):

GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: Trevor Banks (ODU), Pavelid Castaneda (Duke), AJ Delagarza (MD), Rodney Wallace (GA/MD)
M: Kyle Patterson (SLU), Matt Poole (UVA), Brandon Barklage (SLU), Chris Pontius (UCSB)
F: Daniel Revivo (Winthrop), Peri Marosevic (GA/Michigan)

ASSESSMENT

In italics are the previous game commments and assessment classification.

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

  • Ceus (white) – Nice; moves very well;  from 1/10/09 (+): very quick on his feet for the imposing GK.  Hung out to dry on the first goal; kept his team in the game by making a series of saves.  Upgrading;
  • Alston (white) – got forward creating good goal scoring opportunities. touch is rough at times (that’s my main worry);  from 1/10/09 (adequate): made a few forays forward, but his touch was horrific at times;
  • Maxwell (white) – tremendous improvement; playing quicker; causing problems in front of GA Rodney Wallace; his play created the first goal; have to wonder why he didn’t start demanding the ball with an injured player (Gerstenberger) in front of him – though no one from his identified it;  from 1/10/09 (-): confident on the ball; takes too long to deliver the ball;
  • Brown (white) – showed that he can get forward effectively; good work rate; did well in the middle; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Hertel (white) – very nice; good speed (quicker than on tape-surprised me); was able to hold off a stronger player (Revivo) in the box; though later lost Revivo in the box enabling a shot; suffered calf cramps in the second half, but told me that he anticipates playing on Tuesday; nice kid; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Delagarza (blue) – solid; came on in the 2nd half; nice line on defensive defensive approach to prevent attacker from reaching the ball; from 1/10/09 (+): played his game; anticipation; had a nice clearing diving header; increasing his stock;
  • Pontius (blue) – playing left midfield, willing to take on defenders; dribbling is very good; from 1/10/09 (+): besides the cracker of a goal, he was playing both sides of the ball.  Holding the ball too long at times; best player of the day
  • Patterson (blue) – dangerous willing to attack; only placed 2nd half; from 1/10/09 (+): very active in the attack; trying too hard to impress (anxious); speed
  • Boateng (blue) – MOTM; played left midfield but frequently gravitated into the center; created havoc with his dribbling; on the goal, he beat Alston with a “high kick (from Alston’s perspective)” then drove immediately toward the goal drawing defenders to him; he sliced the ball behind the defense to an on-rushing Marosevic who finished near post; from 1/10/09 (+): silky moves; showed that he belongs; increasing his stock.
  • Frei (blue) – solid; hands are quick; takes forever to take a goal kick (won’t last in central america – yellow cards for time wasting); from 1/10/09 (+): moved well, good hands; starting to believe;
  • Banks (blue) – much better! in just the second half, much more assertive; overlapping, stealing the ball; tough d; by end of the half, ran out of steam, technique suffered on a wild shot;  from 1/10/09 (-): giving too much space to the left midfielder

Who was adequate?

  • Salvaggione (white) – only playing a half, didn’t do much to distinguish himself; dragged a cross to set up a team mate that didn’t read the play;  from 1/10/09 (+): very active; good balance; better than he showed me at UMass and MD; can he keep it up?
  • Kocic (white) – showed too much on the near post for the goal; also calls for the ball very late. from 1/10/09 (+): not challenged a lot, but moved well; tipped a dangerous shot over the bar; played like he did last year;
  • Lahoud (white) – couple of nice passes nothing extra-0rdinary; from 1/10/09 (+): confident; dangerous in the box; covering sideline to sideline well;
  • Husidic (white) -composed on small passes; very patient – at times too patient (for me), some of his longer passes were off target without pressure; nice pass to setup Salvaggione in the box late in the game;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): nice first touch to get the ball ready to attack (space); question his work rate;
  • Angus (white) – didn’t embarrass himself playing right back; enamored with long diagonal – not simple enough; can I mix Husidic and Angus? from 1/10/09 (adequate): delivers a nice long ball; beaten for the goal;
  • Zusi (white) – composed (funny – I write my comments before entering them here, opinion didn’t really change); good powerful shot just wide right; blew a break-away with a poor pass in the first half.  started a good sequence with a good pass to Husidic. from 1/10/09 (adequate): composed on the ball; played as expected;
  • Maduro (white) – does not have the personality (fortitude) to play DM; drove from midfield to the box with 4 defenders accompanying without causing severe distress; made a killer one touch pass to get Maxwell behind the defense;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): good passer, drops into the midfield too much; don’t see too much upside;
  • John (white) – aggressive in the air, stepping up to break-up attacks before the forward can receive the pass; from an offensive corner brought the ball down and drove to the end-line and made a nice cross that required Frei to make a difficult play to stop; generally good defense; from 1/10/09 (-): painfully slow in the back; good touch to allude a forward; tall;
  • Poole (blue) – couple of good tackles; not setting himself apart from others;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): he is what he is; good ball tackler, but just as likely to be dispossessed.
  • Marosevic (blue) – scored the goal taking the shot to the near post; good run; his 1st touch especially off the chest is abhorrent – it bounces up;   from 1/10/09 (-): touch was rough, played as I expected.  shooting off the dribble horrible shot.
  • Castaneda (blue) playing simple; not a flashy player but too slow to slow Maxwell;  from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Barklage (blue) hard; willing to put himself in harms way to get to the ball; good breaking up a play by anticipating the play while playing centrally; I prefer Barklage wide; put on a dribbling exhibit taking on 2 players several times in the same 5 yard area (not very productive); from 1/10/09 (no opinion);

Who needs to improve?

  • Perera (white) – scored a goal but still doesn’t do much more than take up space;  from 1/10/09 (-): just not good enough; received a long ball from Angus that he wasn’t able to control or strike;
  • Curtis (white) – I don’t like his game; his touch, passing, decision making;  as a plus probably a very nice person and kind to his mother; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Clements (white) – mixed feelings; good step on defense; beat on dribble by Boateng in the box; very concerned about his ability; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Grendi (white) – re-injured ankle again; before that had a powerful shot off the dribble; he needs to be able to show what he can do; from 1/10/09 (no opinion);
  • Wallace (blue) – having trouble marking Maxwell; not until very late in the first half did he make a note worthy play getting forward to cross the ball to Revivo in the box in a dangerous position;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): pressing to begin, didn’t let the game come to him; better in the second half;
  • Ogunbiyi (blue) – misjudged cross and ball went over his head – embarrassing;  from 1/10/09 (adequate): played quietly, starting the attacks with small touches to Poole and Gotsmanov; held off DeMartin in the box; big player; better than I expected;
  • Jata (blue) – doesn’t know how to run off the ball – nice pass to Boateng runs right at him; in a real game either would have been carded for 3 ill-timed dangerous tackles (guess someone told him to play some defense (guess no one said good defense); another bad free kick – c’mon guy, I’ve seen you hit a rocket free kick; from 1/10/09 (-): bad free kicks (1 was a roller into the box); not executing with others; comfortable on the ball;
  • Revivo  (blue) – hesitant to take an open shot; weak on the ball allowing players to muscle him off the ball expecting the ref to save him (not happening) – time to put on the big boy pants;  from 1/10/09 (-): didn’t do much, attempted a killer through pass but it wasn’t good enough; had a good 1st touch that beat Mirsky. knocked off the ball by Cronin
  • Gerstenberger (blue) – tried playing for the last 30 minutes; suffering from painful calf problems; limped around; got forward to combine with Pontius; can’t really evaluate completely;  from 1/10/09 (-): rusty on the ball; his passing was inconsistent – trying to make the beautiful long killer pass
  • Russell (blue) -didn’t cover the cross when the ball went over Ogunbiyi’s head; only played the first half; the less that he plays the better that I like him;  from 1/10/09 (horrific):  Tried hard, but couldn’t stop anyone without fouling; he should put in a toll booth the way players were going around him; Zakuani should use some of that $175K (allegedly) to buy him some beers if he’s going to take advantage of him!

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

  • Schunk (white) -  from 1/10/09 (horrific):  may be too quick to judge, but he just hung around the box which may be good enough to outjump smaller college players, insufficient;

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

  • no one

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Gotsmanov (blue) -  suffered  a hyper-extended leg early in the first game; very disapointed that he can’t play; getting treatment; wants to play on Tuesday – unsure; from 1/10/09 (adequate): nice first touch, but his passing was off, reflective of not knowing his team mates; played as expected;

A player’s value in the draft can change depending if they are an international player.  MLS allows 8 (10 for Toronto) international players.  A player that has a US green card (such as Jaime Moreno) doesn’t count against the international player limit.

According to the 2009 adidas MLS combine information guide, the following players have the following citizenship status:

  • Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe – USA
  • Jean Alexandre – Haiti
  • Graciano Brito – Cape Verde, but holds a US green card (that surprised me)!
  • Aaron Clapham – New Zealand (yep, he was at the U20 tourney in Canada)
  • Stefan Frei – Switzerland (ok, GA – but does he count as an international? – probably)
  • Andrei Gotsmanov – USA and Belarus
  • Juan Guerra – Venezuela
  • Baggio Husidic – USA and Bosnia (this surprised me as well)
  • Milos Kocic – Serbia
  • Yohance Marshall – T&T (no surprise, here)
  • Ryan Maxwell – Jamaica
  • Paul Nicholson – England (not that it matters)
  • Jide Ogunbiyi – USA and Nigeria (another surprise)
  • Kyle Patterson – England (ok what I thought)
  • Akeem Priestley – Jamaica
  • Daniel Revivo – Canada (I have media stuff from Winthrop that he has both Canadian and USA citizenship.  I followed up with their media guy and he confirmed it, but couldn’t explain it.  I’ll follow up tomorrow).
  • Rodney Wallace – Costa Rica and USA green card.  (This was a big surprise that he had a green card).
  • Steve Zakuani – United Kingdom.

FYI – I followed up with the UConn media folks and she confirmed that O’Brian White is a Canadian resident.

adiPure (green) beat Tiro (white) 1-0 in the late game of the first day of the 2009 combine.

Nerves seemed to affect more of the players in this match.

The goal was created by a terrific pass that Jokull Elisabetarson looped over Calum Angus to Jordan Seabrook in the box that Seabrook slotted past Neal Kitson.

Much more challenging game for me, because there were so many players that I hadn’t seen.  Also, like many of the players, I’ve lost my edge with the month-long layoff.  By the second game, I was tired of being squeezed in those tiny chairs – perhaps it’s my large rear (but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)!

1st half (green):

G: Neal Kitson (SJU)

D: Wes Knight (College of Charleston), Darrius Barnes (Duke), Matt Besler (Notre Dame), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Jeremy Hall (GA/MD), Jokul Elisabetarson (UNCG), Aaron Clapham (Louisville), Juan Guerra (FIU)

F: Jordan Seabrook (USF), Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason)

1st half (white):

G: Steward Ceus (Albany)

D: Evan Brown (WF), Calum Angus (SLU), Chris Clements (Tulsa), Kevin Alston (GA/IU)

M: Ryan Maxwell (Tampa), Michael Lahoud (WF), Baggio Husidic (GA/UIC), Dylan Curtis (UC-Davis)

F: Chris Salvaggione (UNC-Charlotte), Ross Schunk (Redlands)

2nd half (green):

G: Alec Dufty (Evansville)

D: Wes Knight (College of Charleston), Michael Holody (Michigan), Matt Besler (Notre Dame), Jack Traynor (Notre Dame)

M: Daniel Cruz (GA/UNLV), Paul Nicholson (Rio Grande), Jean Alexandre (Lynn), Raphael Cox (Washington)

F: Jordan Seabrook (USF), Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac)

2nd half (white):

G: Milos Kocic (Loyola-MD)

D: Kevin Alston (GA/IU), Calum Angus (SLU), George John (Washington), Dave Hertel (MSU)

M: Alex Grendi (Penn), Michael Lahoud (WF), Graham Zusi (MD), Dylan Curtis (UC-Davis)

F: Nick Perera (UCSB), Ryan Maduro (Providence)

ASSESSMENT

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

  • Ceus (white) – very quick on his feet for the imposing GK.  Hung out to dry on the first goal; kept his team in the game by making a series of saves.  Upgrading;
  • Salvaggione (white) – very active; good balance; better than he showed me at UMass and MD; can he keep it up?
  • Kocic (white) – not challenged a lot, but moved well; tipped a dangerous shot over the bar; played like he did last year;
  • Lahoud (white) – confident; dangerous in the box; covering sideline to sideline well;
  • Knight (green) – showed well; confident out of the back; good passing/tackling;
  • Elisabetarson (green) – creative; nice passing; hard tackling
  • Seabrook (green) – finished his chance; sometimes that is all a forward needs to do; will need to step it up if he wants to get into the first round;

Who was adequate?

  • Husidic (white) – nice first touch to get the ball ready to attack (space); question his work rate;
  • Angus (white) – delivers a nice long ball; beaten for the goal;
  • Zusi (white) – composed on the ball; played as expected;
  • Maduro (white) – good passer, drops into the midfield too much; don’t see too much upside;
  • Alston (white) – made a few forays forward, but his touch was horrific at times;
  • Alexandre (green) – aggressive hard tackler, reckless at times; technically weak; reminds me of Brandon McDonald; probably will have many suspensions;
  • Adjeman-Pamboe (green) – dangerous opportunity driving the ball to the end line before crossing it back to the Seabrook in the box;
  • Barnes (green) – good defensive anticipation; showed well wide and centrally; long throw started an attack;
  • Clapham (green) – nervous early; good dribbling move to beat Lahoud and open up the middle – weak shot, wide left;
  • Hall (green) – didn’t differentiate himself against the competition; needs to assert himself more; his central midfield is a black hole at times;
  • Traynor (green) – good tackling and dribbling; treading water (e.g., not really improving his standing);

Who needs to improve?

  • Maxwell (white) – confident on the ball; takes too long to deliver the ball;
  • John (white) – painfully slow in the back; good touch to allude a forward; tall;
  • Perera (white) – just not good enough; received a long ball from Angus that he wasn’t able to control or strike;
  • Cruz (green) – horrible game; passing, dribbling and even his dive in the box was amateurish;
  • Brito (green) – clumsy – showed his front-end speed; not good enough on the ball; played much better against Loyola this season; nerves – perhaps.
  • Cox (green) – small; bad game passing; needs to use his speed more to create space;
  • Holody (green) – slower than I thought; allowed the ball to enter his box that Perara could not convert;
  • Guerra (green) – good dribbler; doesn’t defend well enough to play wide midfield

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

  • Schunk (white) – may be too quick to judge, but he just hung around the box which may be good enough to outjump smaller college players, insufficient;
  • Nicholson (green) – clueless, not nearly good enough;

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

  • Curtis (white)
  • Clements (white)
  • Brown (white)
  • Grendi (white)
  • Hertel (white)
  • Dufty (green)
  • Kitson (green)
  • Besler (green)

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Otto Loewy (Winthrop) is MIA; 3 days ago he dropped out because of injury and Holody was brought in.  Loewy suffered a serious ankle injury against William & Mary in the 1st round of the NCAA.  He was on crutches for the post-game.

adiTunit (Blue) beat Powerserve (Red) 2-0 in the opening game of the 2009 Combine.

Chris Pointius (UCSB) opened the scoring in the 24th minute with an unstoppable blast from 20 yards that was in the upper corner before Evan Bush (Akron) could react.

GA Peri Marosevic (Michigan) added the second goal minutes before half time on a misplay following a corner kick. The corner kick defense clearance was inadequate and Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara) headed the ball to Marosevic who was behind the defense (except for a player that didn’t get forward quickly enough. Marosevic took a touch and slotted ball past the help goal keeper (Bush).

Game was much better than last year and was better played than today’s later game.

Not too many surprises for me, but from both team I had seen all but 4 players live over the last 2 years. Of these 4, I had seen tape on all of them except Amarikwa.

All of the teams were primarily playing a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.

1st half (Blue):
GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: Trevor Banks (ODU), Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara), AJ Delagarza (MD), Paul Gerstenberger (BC)
M: Kyle Patterson (SLU), Matt Poole (UVA), Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton), Rodney Wallace (GA/MD)
F: Peri Marosevic (GA/Michigan), Chris Pontius (UCSB)

1st half (Red):
GK: Evan Bush (GA/Cal)
D: Oscar Catillo (UConn), Ryan Mirsky (SMU), Yohance Marshall (USF), Lyle Adams (WF)
M: Jeff Harwell (SMU), Sam Cronin (WF), Akeem Priestley (UConn), Keum Sung Kim (Loyola-Illinois)
F: Doug DeMartin (MSU), Quincy Amarikwa (UC-Davis)

2nd half (Blue):
GK: Stefan Frei (GA/Cal)
D: Kyle Russel, Jide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara), AJ Delagarza (MD), Rodney Wallace (GA/MD)
M: Brandon Barklage (SLU), Pavelid Castaneda (Duke), Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton), Joshua Boateng (Liberty)
F: Daniel Revivo (Winthrop), Chris Pontius (UCSB)

2nd half (Red):
GK: Sean Milligan (Dartmouth)
D: Oscar Catillo (UConn), Ryan Mirsky (SMU), Omar Gonzalez (GA/MD), Lyle Adams (WF)
M: Nick Zimmerman (JMU), Sam Cronin (WF), Akeem Priestley (UConn), Pat Murray (Furman)
F: Bryan Irwin (Portland), Steve Zakuani (GA/Akron)

ASSESSMENT

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

  • Pontius (blue) – besides the cracker of a goal, he was playing both sides of the ball.  Holding the ball too long at times; best player of the day
  • Delagarza (blue) – played his game; anticipation; had a nice clearing diving header; increasing his stock;
  • Patterson (blue) – very active in the attack; trying too hard to impress (anxious); speed
  • Boateng (blue) – silky moves; showed that he belongs; increasing his stock.
  • Frei (blue) – moved well, good hands; starting to believe;
  • Cronin (red) – solid, solid, solid, giving away too much space in the first half along with his “defensive” midfielder Priestly. stock moving up;
  • Castillo (red) – overlapping, demonstrating his speed out of the back,  making sticking tackles; 2nd half – played worse;
  • Zimmerman (red) – made a neat move on Wallace, pulling the ball back to draw Wallace in before putting it past him to attack from the sideline across the top of the box and hitting a good left foot strike; another weird play was his attempted throw in that slipped out of his hands and touched a red player; everyone stopped and he recovered the ball and dribbled past 2 and picked up a free kick right outside the box;

Who was adequate?

  • Gotsmanov (blue) – nice first touch, but his passing was off, reflective of not knowing his team mates; played as expected;
  • Poole (blue) – he is what he is; good ball tackler, but just as likely to be dispossessed.
  • Wallace (blue) – pressing to begin, didn’t let the game come to him; better in the second half;
  • Ogunbiyi (blue) – played quietly, starting the attacks with small touches to Poole and Gotsmanov; held off DeMartin in the box; big player; better than I expected;
  • Bush (red) – not blamed on either goal, but could have increased his ranking by stepping up and making the big save;
  • Gonzalez (red) – 2nd half only, winning head balls – but not adding enough to transition;
  • Adams (red) – getting forward; doing fine;
  • Harwell (red) – good shot off the dribble – active; need to watch more closely;
  • Zakuani (red) – quick; stealing the ball or going past his new butler (Russell); not able to pull the trigger when in the box; needs to relax;
  • DeMartin (red) – tries hard; probably not able to get around sufficiently; makes good runs;

Who needs to improve?

  • Marosevic (blue) – touch was rough, played as I expected.  shooting off the dribble horrible shot.
  • Jata (blue) – bad free kicks (1 was a roller into the box); not executing with others; comfortable on the ball;
  • Revivo  (blue) – didn’t do much, attempted a killer through pass but it wasn’t good enough; had a good 1st touch that beat Mirsky. knocked off the ball by Cronin
  • Banks (blue) – giving too much space to the left midfielder
  • Gerstenberger (blue) – rusty on the ball; his passing was inconsistent – trying to make the beautiful long killer pass
  • Priestley (red) – good on the ball but doesn’t play defense; as part of the central midfield duo that surrendered the middle of the field to blue
  • Marshall (red) – not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;
  • Mirsky (red) – not controlling the middle, didn’t stop Pontius;
  • Amarikwa (red) – trying to hard; tons of speed; willing to be assertive; may not have enough talent – a player that deserves more attention.

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

  • Russell (blue) – Tried hard, but couldn’t stop anyone without fouling; he should put in a toll booth the way players were going around him; Zakuani should use some of that $175K (allegedly) to buy him some beers if he’s going to take advantage of him!
  • Kim (red) – Worse player out there; I’ve seen him twice this year and today was like they got some kid off the street; different player; he was dreadful; if this is your best, fake an injury.
  • Murray (red) – nothing redeeming in his half of play;

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

  • Castaneda (blue)
  • Barklage (blue)
  • Milligan (red)
  • Irwin (red)

Who didn’t play/missing?

  • Bernstein (red) – no idea why he didn’t play.

[Ok, really final, final: removed the players not on the draft eligible list. ]

[Updated - Final]

After watching over 100 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 40 on TV, composed of 101 different teams, here is my assessment of the draftees.  My rankings take into account the values of GA 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, Santa Clara, Cal and Washington live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on TV (e.g., Tulsa, Cal-Poly, Cal-Northridge, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

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

Based upon feedback that I received last year, 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 2009. 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.

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

Seq Gr See in 08? Pos Name College
1 A- Yes D Kevin Alston Indiana
2 A- Yes M Jeremy Hall Maryland
3 A- Yes M Sam Cronin Wake Forest
4 A- Yes D Rodney Wallace Maryland
5 A- Yes F Steve Zakuani Akron
6 A- Yes GK Stefan Frei Cal
7 A- Yes F Chris Pontius UCSB
8 B+ Yes D Omar Gonzalez Maryland
9 B+ Yes M Kyle Patterson St. Louis
10 B+ Yes F Mike Grella Duke
11 B+ Yes D Yohance Marshall South Florida
12 B+ TV F Peri Marosevic Michigan
13 B+ Yes M Brad Ring Indiana
14 B+ No M Baggio Husidic UIC
15 B+ Yes M Joshua Boateng Liberty
16 B+ TV D Chris Clements Tulsa
17 B+ TV D Michael Holody Michigan
18 B Yes D Rhett Bernstein Brown
19 B Yes M Michael Lahoud Wake Forest
20 B Yes D Calum Angus St. Louis
21 B Yes F O’Brian White Connecticut
22 B No M Daniel Cruz UNLV
23 B Yes M Piotr Nowak Oakland
24 B Yes D Brad Rusin UCLA
25 B TV M Aaron Clapham Louisville
26 B Yes D Wes Knight College of Charleston
27 B TV D Dave Hertel Michigan State
28 B- No F Quincy Amarikwa UC Davis
29 B- Yes F Jordan Seabrook South Florida
30 B- No F Patrick Figueiredo Adelphi
31 B+ Yes GK Milos Kocic Loyola (MD)
32 B- No F Brad Peters Eastern Illinois
33 B- Yes F Marcus Tracy Wake Forest
34 B- Yes F Michael Fucito Harvard
35 B- Yes M Graham Zusi Maryland
36 B- Yes M Nick Zimmerman James Madison
37 B- Yes M Brandon Barklage St. Louis
38 B- No M Matt Murphy UC Irvine
39 C+ Yes D Darrius Barnes Duke
40 C+ Yes F Chris Salvaggione Charlotte
41 C+ Yes D Evan Brown Wake Forest
42 C+ Yes D Lyle Adams Wake Forest
43 C+ Yes F Kyle Hall Syracuse
44 C+ No M Lamar Neagle UNLV
45 C+ Yes M Kevon Neaves South Florida
46 C+ Yes M John Stamatis Harvard
47 C+ TV F Jake Stacy Michigan
48 B Yes GK Zack Simmons Massachusetts
49 C+ Yes F Jason Leopoldo UCLA
50 C+ Yes F Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe George Mason
51 C No M Juan Guerra Florida International
52 C Yes M Andrei Gotsmanov Creighton
53 C Yes M Jamie Franks Wake Forest
54 C No M Ryan Maduro Providence
55 C Yes D Matt Besler Notre Dame
56 C Yes M Akeem Priestly Connecticut
57 C No D David Sias UC Irvine
58 C Yes D Ian Daniels Oakland
59 C Yes D A.J. Delagarza Maryland
60 C Yes F Brian Shriver UNC
61 C No F Kyle Christensen Denver
62 C+ No GK Steward Ceus Albany
63 C TV F Doug DeMartin Michigan State
64 C Yes M Michael Callahan UNC
65 C Yes M George John Washington
66 C Yes F Maxwell Griffin UCLA
67 C No M Ryan Maxwell Tampa
68 C No F Tosaint Ricketts UW-GB
69 C Yes M Yan Klukowski Central Connecticut State
70 C No M Chris DeAbreau St. Peter’s
71 C Yes D Jide Ogunbiyi Santa Clara
72 C No D Dan Schultz Boston University
73 C Yes D Paul Gerstenberger Boston College
74 C Yes D Trevor Banks Old Dominion
75 C TV D Michael Coburn Memphis
76 C No M Joey Mathot Denver
77 C Yes GK Chris Brown Boston College
78 C No F Matt Durand Niagara
79 C- Yes D Otto Loewy Winthrop
80 C- Yes D Oscar Castillo Connecticut
81 C- Yes D Alex Yoshinaga Notre Dame
82 C- Yes D Jack Traynor Notre Dame
83 C- TV M Jeff Harwell SMU
84 C- Yes F Ramak Niakan Safi Jacksonville
85 C- TV D Ryan Mirsky SMU
86 C- No D Liam Parrington Hartwick
87 C- Yes M Dado Hamzagic St. Louis
88 C- Yes M Richard Jata Campbell
89 C- Yes M Sterling Flunder Marshall
90 C- Yes M Alex Grendi Pennsylvania
91 C- No D Ed Brand SJ State
92 C- Yes M Raphael Cox Washington
93 C- Yes F Peter Grasso Georgetown
94 C- Yes F Florian DeCamps Dayton
95 C- Yes M Alfonso Motagalvan UCSB
96 C- No D Daniel Leach Oregon State
97 C- No D Billy Gustafson Niagara
98 C Yes GK Brian Visser DePaul
99 C TV GK Tyrel Lacey Tulsa
100 C- No D Anthony Anzevui Sacred Heart
101 C- Yes D Pavelid Castaneda Duke
102 C- No D Bolade Ogunmade Mercer
103 C- No D Daniel Gwyther Buffalo
104 C TV GK Kevin Guppy Cal State Northridge
105 C- Yes M Phil Purdy American
106 C- Yes M Garry Lewis UNC
107 C- No M Jokull Elisabetarson UNC Greensboro
108 D+ Yes D Karol Wasielewski Syracuse
109 D+ No D Pat McMahon Illinois – Chicago
110 D+ Yes D Dirk Dittrich VCU
111 D+ Yes F Graciano Brito Quinnipiac
112 D+ Yes D Henry Kalungi Winthrop
113 D+ Yes D Richard Costanzo Maryland
114 D+ Yes D John Pardini Fordham
115 D+ No M Jona Andrade W. Illinois
116 D+ Yes D Douglas Nyame Liberty
117 D+ Yes D Graham Dugoni Duke
118 D+ No F Chris Wright New Mexico
119 D+ Yes D Barry Neville Binghamton
120 D+ Yes D David Tyrie Central Connecticut State
121 D+ TV D Ryan Imamura Stanford
122 D+ No F Kedan Crosby Rhode Island
123 C No GK Matthew Jones Sacred Heart
124 C TV GK Eric Branagan-Franco Cal Poly
125 D Yes F Daniel Revivo Winthrop
126 D Yes D Bryan Collier Central Florida
127 D Yes F Jim Taranto Lehigh
128 D Yes M Michael Konicoff Boston College
129 D Yes M Eric Sweetin St. Louis
130 D TV M Eric DeFreitas Tulsa
131 D Yes M Matt Poole Virginia
132 D TV M Anton Peterlin Cal Poly
133 D No M Dylan Curtis UC Davis
134 D No D Corey Heldreth St. Mary’s
135 D No D Jeff Russell San Francisco
136 D No M Jean Alexandre Lynn
137 D No D Stephen Carlson Loyola-Marymount
138 D Yes D Jonathan Borrajo George Mason
139 D No D Joe DeVito Georgia State
140 D Yes M Dan McGarry Liberty
141 D Yes D Matt Care Princeton
142 D TV D Timothy Jones Stanford
143 D TV M Masumi Turnbull Kentucky
144 D Yes D Angelo Amato Monmouth
145 D No D Alejandro Melean Holy Cross
146 D Yes D Tyler Barry California
147 D Yes D Ryan Roushandel Central Florida
148 D No D Connor Tobin Vermont
149 D Yes D Stephen Oyuga Campbell
150 D No D David Backman Sacred Heart
151 D No D Glenn Volk Colgate
152 D No D Kyle Schmid UC Irvine
153 D+ Yes GK Evan Bush Akron
154 D Yes GK Alec Dufty Evansville
155 D No M Brad Stisser Loyola-Marymount
156 D- Yes M Vinnie Berry Mount St. Mary’s
157 D- Yes M Pat Murray Furman
158 D- TV F Bryan Irwin Portland
159 D- Yes F Nick Perera UCSB
160 D Yes GK Andrew Dykstra VCU
161 D- No M Eddie Ahman San Diego
162 D- Yes M Keum Sung Kim Loyola (Ill)
163 D Yes GK Neal Kitson St John’s
164 D- No M Joe Taylor Villanova
165 D No GK Joe Zimka NIU
166 D TV GK Sean Milligan Dartmouth
167 D No GK Filipe Carvalho Georgia State
168 D- No F Aly Lo Iona
169 D- No D Kyle Russell Coastal Carolina
170 D- No D Paul Nicholson Rio Grande University
171 F No F Ross Schunk Redlands University
172 F No D Daniel Kerley Colgate
173 F TV M Daniel Lopez SMU
174 F No D Tom Clements Fairfield

Click here for a MLS draft podcast hosted by the guys from UnitedMania.com with Buzz Carrick from 3rdDegree.com and me.

[UPDATED: Final rankings]

[UPDATED: Pre-Combine ranking updates including GA]

After watching over 100 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 40 on TV, composed of 101 different teams, here is my assessment of the draftees seniors (and MLS acknowledged Generation Adidas underclassman). My rankings take into account the values of GA 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, Santa Clara, Cal and Washington live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on TV (e.g., Tulsa, Cal-Poly, Cal-Northridge, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

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

Based upon feedback that I received last year, 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 2009. 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.

I’m sure that I’ve missed a player. More likely, I’m sure that someone feels that I’ve unjustly ranked a player. I’d like your feedback.

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

# Pos Gr See in 08? Name College Comment
1 A- Yes Steve Zakuani Akron GA
1st team CSN All-American; 1st team NSCAA All-American; 1st team All-MAC;
23/22 GP/GS, 20 G, 7 A, 85 SH, .506 SOG%;
Zakuani should win the 2008 Hermann trophy after leading the nation in goal scoring. Fast. Able to shoot off the dribble and create his own shot, but his left foot is weak. Against IU, “Zakuani did not have the same impact that he had in the first game against Notre Dame. He still took some shots and ran at players. However, at times, he slowed down to gather himself and more importantly to shift the ball to his more favored right foot. It was ridiculous that he doesn’t have any confidence in his left foot. It became obvious this lack of confidence with a minute left in the second overtime when he made a terrific run and IU forced him to use his left foot and the shot was very high.” & “Gavin makes accurate passes. He was stymied from an assist by top-notch defending by Ofori Sarkodie on Zakuani.”. Against Notre Dame, “Zakuani turned it on in the second half tallying a goal and an assist after breezing through the first half. His assist to Ampaipitakwong for the third goal was absolutely stunning. It started when Zakuani megged Jack Traynor entering the top corner of the box, he went around Matt Besler with a simple shoulder fake, going to the end line before crossing it back Ampaipitakwong at the 6 for the last goal in the 79th minute. Game over.” & “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, “Zakuani is going to make a name for himself this year. He’s lightning quick and extremely talented.”. Against WF, “Zakuani is going to turn a lot of heads. He’s very fast and he will get around the corner on many defenders. In the first half, he did exactly this with a quick turn on his first touch that made Evan Brown a spectator. When he got near the end line, his cross just missed an advancing Ampaipitakwong.”.
2 A- Yes Chris Pontius UCSB At Combine
2nd team CSN AA; 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big West;
22/22 GP/GS, 14 G, 4 A, 114 SH, .386 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Big West; 2007 Big West POTY; 3 year starter; Special versatile player that has played forward, midfield and defense. Against Rutgers, “Pontius is the man. He can’t be stopped by just one man. In the first half, he had two players trying to stop him he drove along the side of the box awaiting a supporting run in the box. Pontius delivered an accurate cross to Martin Hedevag’s head that went just wide in the 5th minute.” & “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.” & “Perera blew a wide open opportunity in the 83rd minute in the middle of the box from a perfect pass from Pontius.”. In 2007, against NM, “Pontius started as the right back. That’s correct, it’s not a typo. Right back. This is a good thing, being able to show versatility, because Pontius might be a defender in the pros. Pontius had the UCSB goal on a powerful header from a cross by Jon Curry in the 18th minute. Pontius has size, can defend, dribble, pass, average speed and athletic ability. I like him a lot. He’s going to be a high draft pick (late 1st/early 2nd) when he comes out.”. Against SMU, “Ciaran O’Brien scored the first goal. The play started with Chris Pontius sending a 30 yard pass into the box that Tino Nunez squared to an on-rushing O’Brien who finished to the near post with a well hit ball from 11 yards.” & “UCSB was playing a 3-3-3-1. Of course, the 3 DM had different priorities, Pontius was more offensive, Motagalvan more defensive.”.
3 B+ Yes Mike Grella Duke Not at Combine;
1st team CSN AA; 1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team ACC;
19/19 GP, 14 G, 8 A, 77 SH, .507 SOG%;
2 time 1st team all-ACC; 2007 2nd team All-American; May bypass MLS – pursuing European options; Very technical; I expect that he may wind up back in MLS; Alternatively, I expect that he may be angling for a team that may have a better opportunity for him to start sooner by threatening to go to Europe; He’s worth a pick to have the chance for him; Against UVA in ACC, “Grella earned a free kick 20 yards from goal in the 30th minute (while Hunter Jumper earned a yellow) on a vicious tackle. Grella hooked the free kick onto senior central defender Darrius Barnes’ head that he buried from 5 yards. Grella added a goal in the 37th minute. Sophomore Cole Grossman served a ball to Grella who took a quick touch that threw freshman defender Shawn Berry off balance. Grella carried the ball into the box but more East-West. For some reason UVA GK Michael Giallombardo came way out to cut the angle with defensive coverage. Grella slotted the ball into the goal. Grella is showcasing his talent in front of the annual unofficial MLS coaches convention at the ACC tournament. He made an acrobatic shot after taking on 5 defenders and maintaining possession.”. Against MD, “Grella picked up a red card in the 32nd minute from elbow to A. J. Delagarza” & “before Grella got tossed, he served in a nice corner kick that Barnes headed just high. Additionally, Grella was combining with Christian Ibeagha to cross the ball that Matt Kassel was able to intercept two yards from the goal.”. Against ND, “Grella scored the only Duke goal in the 79th minute from a rebound off a PK. So, technically, he didn’t score off a penalty but realistically, he did. The PK was called from a trip of Kyle Bethel – right call by ref Pawel Wydra. Grella placed the PK lower left and Andrew Quinn covered the shot well but couldn’t hold the ball. This wasn’t a game that Grella would put on his resume. He earned a corner by pressuring Matt Armstrong in the box, made a terrific pass to sophomore Nick Sih that went over jumping senior Jack Traynor. Sih didn’t get to it – but should have been able to get to it. In the second half, I appreciated that he stepped in front of Alex Yoshinaga to steal possession. Grella wasted an opportunity with the game at 0-1. He gathered a rebound just outside the box and took a shot that barely missed hitting the space shuttle. The ball kid spent most of the afternoon retrieving that shot, he needed a parental escort to drive him to Illinois. You get the idea. Why would Grella pick up a stupid yellow in the waning minutes of the game for running his “yap”. Does he want to miss a big game? This is Grella’s team – he needs to take more leadership and responsibility to set the tone of the season.”. Against IU, “Grella is a cut above everyone else on Duke’s squad. His vision, experience and ability to get the ball to his team is important. If Duke is going to have a successful year, Grella needs to score a lot of goals in big games. Grella set up the Duke goal in the 62nd minute by holding the ball while under extreme pressure. He calmly squared the ball to an open freshman forward Kyle Bethel who finished the shot from in front of the net 8 yards out.”. In 2007, against UNC in ACC, “Grella had a few moments of brillance. In the 55th minute, he beat 2 defenders to get around the end, but his shot was blocked. In the 87th minute, Grella hit a good 27 yard free kick that hooked too much and was wide left. He’s ready for MLS. If he came out now, I’d expect that he’d be a 1st rounder.”.
4 B+ TV Peri Marosevic Michigan GA
1st team Big 10;
20/18 GP/GS, 13 G, 3 A, 63 SH, .444 SOG%);
2 time 2nd team B10; Against MSU and IU (TV), short but stout, very proficient at 1 touch square to open over-lapping midfielder; in box too many touches; In 2007 against OSU (B10), “Marosevic was a disappointment. His touch was lacking and his shot was worse. With 7 seconds remaining in the game and Marosevic with the ball at his feet in the box, took a shot that was far off target. It was hit with power, though.”.
5 B Yes O’Brian White Connecticut 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big East;
14/14 GP/GS, 6 G, 2 A, 48 SH, .417 SOG%;
After winning 2007 Hermann trophy, decided to stay at UConn. Suffered a knee injury which will sideline him until April 2009. Tragic financial decision. 2 time Big East 1st team. Missed the game against Depaul. Against Gtown, “”With the reigning Hermann trophy winner playing, MLS teams had scouts looking at the talent. Can’t be too impressed. I like how White checks back to get the ball. Gtown was letting him turn and daring him to beat them on the dribble. White was not creating his own shot. Also, he was not getting the ball wide and his offensive support was slow to get in good positions. Why didn’t CT find him on corner kicks while he was being marked with small forwards (e.g., Grasso, Onyeador)
White is a good athlete and I have no doubt that he’ll be a 1st Round pick. I can’t help but wonder if he cost himself a lot of money not taking the GA money after winning the Hermann last year 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.”". Against SJU, “”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. White was dangerous on the ball. In the 37th minute, he combined with senior midfielder Dori Arad, striking a shot with his left foot that he didn’t get all of it. In retrospect, it was something that he likely regretted. He dribbles with confidence and stealth. He snaps his goal-scoring headers.”". In 2007, against VT, “”He reminds me of Edson Buddle. It might be the body types, tall athletic forwards – but I can’t put my finger on it. He doesn’t really create his own shot instead he relies upon others to provide him service for his goal opportunities.”". Against USF, “”Bottom line: UConn wins 5-0 over South Florida (USF). This is the third time this year that UConn has beaten USF. Hat trick -O’Brian White.”" & “”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. In the 61st minute, White got his hat trick. Stahl sent into a cheeky square with the outside of his foot. White received the ball 30 yards from goal. His deflected shot was unstoppable.”"
6 B TV Craig Henderson Dartmouth 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Ivy & Ivy POTY;
18/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 69 SH, .435 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Ivy; Played for New Zealand in U20 World Cup; 3 year starter – injured in 2006; In 2007, U20 Against Portugal, “Henderson did not have either the speed or the technical ability at this level to make an impact on this game. He reminds me of Akron forward Ross McKenzie who was able to score a lot of goals in college, but could not bridge the gap into the professional ranks.”. On TV, against Brown, plays quicker than his Ivy league opponents.
7 B- No Quincy Amarikwa UC Davis At Combine
2nd team CSN AA; 2nd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big West & BW POTY;
21/21 GP/GS, 15 G, 1 A, 78 SH, .474 SOG;
2007 2nd team All-Big West; 3 year starter;
8 B- Yes Jordan Seabrook South Florida At Combine
3rd team Big East;
23 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 51 SH, .549 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Big East; 4 year starter; Has scary speed which would make him a good candidate for wide midfielder – however, he just doesn’t have the same impact compared to when he plays forward. No comment against Georgetown; against Md (exhibition), “Seabrook started as a wide midfielder. In the second half, he came on as the sole forward. He immediately caused havoc to the MD defense. It started with a cut move that lost his defender and a precise cross that wasn’t converted. His first touch is top notch.”. In 2007, Against UConn (NCAA), “Junior forward Jason Seabrook never was able to open the tight UConn defense.”.
9 B- No Patrick Figueiredo Adelphi POTY and 1st team Atlantic Soccer;
17/18 GP/GS, 15 G, 1 A, 69 SH;
2 time POTY; 3 time 1st team All-Atlantic Soccer Conference; transferred from Missouri Valley College (NAIA) after freshman year where he received 1st team All Conference honors; 4 year starter;
10 B- No Brad Peters Eastern Illinois 1st team MVC;
19/19 GP/GS, 10 G, 5 A, 54 SH, .519 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-MVC; 4 year starter; In 2007, against Lipscomb, “Brad Peters is a competent college forward. He’s their best offensive threat. He was able to get behind the Lipscomb defense on a free-kick (don’t get how Lipscomb allowed this to happen). He hit a full volley that Goergen was able to block and the ensuing rebound Peters knocked wide. Peters got the first goal on a rebounded shot from Adam Gartner where the unmarked Peters slotted the ball into the net from 10 yards. The second EIU goal was a mixture of good play/bad play. Lipscomb was pushing forward trying to tie the game. EIU GK, Mark Hansen, started the play by transitioning very quickly with a long pass to Brad Earl on the far side who fed Peters. Peters took a touch, turned led Jim Adee who freed Mick Galeski who scored with a good strike that essentially ended the contest. This type of combination play was too infrequent in this match.”.
11 B- Yes Marcus Tracy Wake Forest Not at Combine;
1st team CSN AA; 1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team ACC;
24/21 GP/GS, 13 G, 10 A, 61 SH, .541 SOG%;
2007 2nd Team All-ACC; 3 year starter; Signed a contract with Denmark – Aalborg; downgrading; Probably a wasted pick, but it’s possible that he bombs and would be a gift for the lucky team; Elite athleticism with a powerful shot. First touch can be ugly, he’ll have a career even as a wide midfield. Against UVA, “Tracy opened the scoring with a blast from 15 yards.” & “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.”. Against NC State, “The PK was earned by a wonderful pass by senior forward Marcus Tracy to senior forward Cody Arnoux. Arnoux was able to hold off Carpenter and Carpenter pushed him in the box. PK. No question.” & “Tracy played the second half and he was fast and powerful. But his passing is lacking at times.”. Against South Carolina, “Tracy scored the goal in the 75th minute from a free kick just outside the box. The play started with Sam Cronin touching the ball to Jamie Franks who stopped it while Tracy powered it in, deflecting before finding a home in the back of the net.” & “Cronin isn’t the best on his team in any technical skill, dribbling: Bone, speed: Tracy, heading: Opara, crossing: Franks (or da Luz), shooting: Arnoux, etc. But he has the total package. “. In 2007, against OSU, “Tracy opened the scoring for WF. Sophomore forward Cody Arnoux dispossessed freshman substitute Jordan Lomnicki. He drove toward the goal crossing it to Tracy 9 yards from goal. 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.” & “Tracy played well against VT – MOTM. Today was much different. Until he scored, he had not contributed anything to WF’s effort. The score inspired him to pick up his game. His assist came from his speed and power. Consistency is still his main challenge. He needs to improve his finishing consistency (he should have ended the game with 5 minutes remaining on his break-away). Also, his first touch needs to improve.”. Against Virginia Tech, “Tracy is active and is creating dangerous opportunities in both dribbling by defenders and freeing his forward strike partner. In the first half, he combined with Evan Brown before beating VT defender Alexander Baden and shooting wide left from a diminished angle.” & “In the second half Tracy, continued exhibiting his talent by scoring both goals. On the first goal, his mark was picked “as designed” and he finished with a well struck header from Sam Cronin’s free kick from the corner. Too easy. VT goal keeper, Markus Aigner said, “it’s very tough to cover the whole goal” [on corner kicks].” & “On the second goal, Tracy came from behind Baden to win the long Cronin free kick and direct the header to Zack Schilawski who fed it back to Tracy. Tracy gathered the ball composed himself and slotted the ball into the right side of goal for the second goal. Baden is very tall and for Tracy to beat him is a good example of his athletic ability. This was the best game that I’ve seen Tracy play. If he played this way every game, he would have a successful MLS career. I doubt that he can be consistent.”. Against Clemson, “Tracy added a final peg in the closing minute from a Cody Arnoux pass.”. Against Bradley, “Tracy broke behind the defense with just Anderson to beat at the top of the box, Anderson made a terrific 1 on 1 tackle.” & “Tracy came on strong early making a powerful weaving run that beat 3 defenders (just a mere 6 minutes into the game), he just couldn’t pull the trigger and the goal keeper fell on the ball. He seemed to be confident on the dribble and made several more good runs at the 15th minute, 21st minute, 58th minute. This is the best that I’ve seen Tracy since the 2006 ACC semi-final. Though his play was flawless, midway through the first half, Cody Arnoux laid off a pass from the end line to an open Tracy who just didn’t get his body in position to shoot. Concentration? Anticipation? I don’t know. He just could have done better.” & “The second and third goals had some similarities. Cody Arnoux dropped the ball to Evan Brown who was supporting him 25 yards out near the sideline. Brown crossed the ball dropping it on to the head of an open Tracy 3 yards from goal that the GK had no chance to stop. Goal – Tracy. 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.”. Against Akron, “Bone’s 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. Marcus Tracy, other than the assist, didn’t have too much impact. With 20 minutes remaining in the first half, he battled with Andrew Tipton in the corner, stole the ball and quickly crossed to Bone. He played better than I saw him last year. But if WF is to be successful in December, Tracy will need to be an impactful player.”.
12 B- Yes Michael Fucito Harvard Not at Combine;
2nd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Ivy;
16/12 GP/GS, 9 G, 5 A, 45 SH, .378 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-American; 3 time 1st team All-Ivy; Against Columbia – recovering from a minor knee knock – played later in the NCAA. Will evaluate at the combine. Missing the combine because of injury; too bad;
13 C+ Yes Chris Salvaggione Charlotte At Combine
3rd team CSN AA; 2nd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Atlantic 10;
19/19 GP/GS, 15 G, 8 A, 69 SH, .653 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Atlantic 10; Transferred from Gardner-Webb in 2007. Against UMass, “I was looking forward to watching senior forward Chris Salvaggione. He has scored 15 goals and 8 assists. He didn’t create much and wasn’t getting very good service. At best, he’ll make a reserve team, but I don’t see much upside.” & against MD, “The Charlotte offense is predicated upon getting the ball behind the defense to the fleet duo of Salvaggione and freshman Evan James. That is how James scored.”.
14 C+ Yes Kyle Hall Syracuse 2nd team Big East;
17/14 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 37 SH, .405 SOG%;
4 year starter; transfer from Toronto U after his freshman year; Against Cincinnati, “Senior Kyle Hall has blazing speed and quickness.”…”Late in the game, senior Spencer Schomaker made a good run dribbling past the Cincinnati defense and crossing the ball to Hall. Hall’s first touch failed him and he lost possession in the box. Hall is a lot like NYRB Dane Richards – huge speed, poor technical skills with the ability to come up with a surprising play.”
15 C+ TV Jake Stacy Michigan 1st team Big 10;
22/21 GP/GS, 8 G, 5 A, 39 SH, .205 S%;
2 time 1st team All-Big 10; 4 year starter; Against IU & MSU (TV, both), very small player that delivers very precise and well weight through balls. Took all set pieces. May not be rugged enough for MLS. In 2007, against OSU (B10 Tournament) “Stacy took all of the set pieces. His service was inadequate. His best play came in the 39th minute, he volleyed the ball hard and accurately that made Latchem dive to deflect the ball away from the goal.”.
16 C+ Yes Jason Leopoldo UCLA 1st team Pac-10;
21/21 GP/GS, 3 G, 9 A, 44 SH, .432 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Pac 10; 2006 2nd team All-Pac 10; 3 year starter; quick with tons of confidence. small player. He may need to play wide midfield – perhaps as a project as a wide defender. Against UNC, “Leopoldo takes many shots, but his shots aren’t accurate enough. For example, firing a shot right at the keeper at this level is unacceptable. Leopoldo turns well and with his low center of gravity is able to accelerate quickly from his turn. Leopoldo had a golden opportunity that he was able to put past the goalkeeper in the 46th minute, but the weak shot from 4 yards was cleared off the line by Ababio.”.
17 C+ Yes Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe George Mason At Combine
1st team CAA;
23/13 GP/GS, 9 G, 7 A, 48 SH, .375 SOG%;
After being a part-time starter for much of his career, got on a hot spell carrying GM to the CAA championship and into the NCAA 2nd round. Erratic, very fast but not consistent with the ball. Transferred from St. Francis (Pa) after sophomore year. Nothing against MD; Against Northeastern, “Pardew set up the first goal by beating Jonathan Batista before driving the ball to the touch line and crossing it to Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe who heeled it in the goal in th 38th minute from 4 yards. In the last 7 games, Adjeman-Pamboe has scored 8 goals and contributed 4 assists. He has been instrumental in the GM recent success.”. Against Towson, “Adjeman-Pamboe had a memorable game against VCU – today was forgettable. He had some terrible touches all over the pitch. I noted at one point that he had “a crazy touch” with no possible indication of what he was trying to do. He didn’t return in the second half.”. Against VCU, “Adjeman-Pamboe came on late in the first half and started slow for a couple of minutes but starting wreaking havoc in the 39th minute. Left back senior Hugh Fike got the ball to Adjeman-Pamboe in the box, he spun with the ball but his shot was blocked. A minute later, he beat C. J. Gehin-Scott and Dirk Dittrich (who’s a very good defender) on the dribble before passing a square ball that freshman AM Ryan Gracia dummied to sophomore Irvin Martinez. Martinez’s shot was just slightly off target. Adjeman-Pamboe continued to attacking VCU with only the ref stopping him for HT. Finally, in the 66th minute, Adjeman-Pamboe scored the first goal of the game. Starting near the end-line, he dribbled toward the top of the box arcing 8 yards from goal before striking the ball into the far post.”. Against Gtown (exhibition), “Adjeman-Pamboe came on in the first half and was able to get around Mark Zeman and generate a shot.”.
18 C Yes Frank Patano Butler 1st team Horizon;
20/20 GP/GS, 12 G, 3 A, 70 SH, .429 SOG%;
Against Loyola (Ill), “Butler’s senior forward duo of Frank Patano and Eduardo Garcia are dangerous and complement each other. It is inconceivable that neither of them were able to generate a shot on goal (nor could their team mates). Both are competent dribbling or passing. In my notes, I repetively noted that Patano good dribbling followed with a good pass but their shot or cross would be blocked. Same for Garcia. I hope that I get to see these two in the NCAA (back East *chuckle*).” Patano scored 15 goals last year.
19 C Yes Brian Shriver UNC 1st team ACC;
24/22 GP/GS, 14 G, 5 A, 77 SH, .519 SOG%;
Starter for 2+ years; a break-out year for Shriver after only scoring 5, 1, and 2 years over the last 3 years. No comment about MD; Against UCLA, “Shriver is a good passer. His feet are slow. For example, he had a bouncing ball in the box that he wasn’t able to do anything with but bounce it about the box more.”. In 2007, against WF, “Shriver squandered a perfect pass from Garry Lewis in the 32nd minute that freed Shriver to a 1v1 with the goal keeper. His shot was blocked by Brian Edwards.”. Against UVA, “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.”.
20 C No Kyle Christensen Denver 1st team MPSF & MPSF POTY;
19/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 3 A, 39 SH, .333 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-MPSF; 2003 2nd team All-MPSF (freshman year); 4 year starter;
21 C Yes Matthew Tutich Akron 1st team MAC;
23/23 GP/GS, 6 G, 9 A, 52 SH, .404 SOG%;
4 time 1st team all-MAC, nothing like perfection. Against ND, “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.”. He’s played both forward and midfield. I expect that he’ll need to play midfield if he has any professional aspirations.
22 C TV Doug DeMartin Michigan State At Combine
2nd team CSN AA; 2nd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big 10;
20/20 GP/GS, 17 G, 3 A, 86 SH, .500 SOG%);
2 time 1st team All-Big 10; 4 year starter; in 2007, against IU (B10 Tournament) “In the second half, defender David Hertel combined with junior Doug DeMartin slicing the IU defense until Stevning was able to flick the ball away at the top of the box for a MSU CK.”. Against Penn State, “Webster’s counterpart up top is junior Doug DeMartin (led the Big 10 in scoring with 11 goals almost doubling his next closest competition). He’s probably technically cleaner than Webster but doesn’t have the shot accuracy. With 20 seconds remaining in the 2nd OT, he got behind the PSU defense with only the GK to beat and fired a shot into the troposphere. He will be worth watching next year.”.
23 C Yes Maxwell Griffin UCLA 1st team Pac-10;
21/17 GP/GS, 10 G, 2 A, 51 SH, .373 SOG%;
2007 Pac 10 Honorable mention; 2006 lost half season from left ACL injury; If he’s fully recovered and his shooting accuracy has improved, he may be worth a chance – big ifs. Against UNC, “Griffin didn’t have a good game regardless that he got the assist when Fernando Monge passed him the ball. His assist came from a header that he “purposely” sent wide of the goal to an awaiting Rusin. Griffin should have ended the game in the second minute of OT when Arreola delivered a ball to forward playing Rusin. Rusin headed it back into the center of the box to a wide-open Griffin 3 yards from goal. Griffin headed it wide! This may have actually been harder to miss than hit. This missed goal was similar to the goal that UCLA scored on MD on FSC earlier this year.”. In 2007, against IU, “UCLA has some very nice players. They just don’t have anyone that can score. Max Griffin is a nice player, but he doesn’t seem to have a nose for the goal. He might be better suited as an outside midfielder.”. Against ND, “Early in the first half, the ND defense looked shaky. They allowed too much space to Max Griffin who was able to wander around the box without being marked. However, Griffin was unable to put the ball away.”. Against ND, “Griffin was dangerous but couldn’t score. A forward that can’t score is just taking up space.”
24 C Yes Eduardo Garcia Butler 1st team Horizon;
20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 13 A, 63 SH, .397 SOG%;
Against Loyola (Ill), “Butler’s senior forward duo of Frank Patano and Eduardo Garcia are dangerous and complement each other. It is inconceivable that neither of them were able to generate a shot on goal (nor could their team mates). Both are competent dribbling or passing. In my notes, I repetively noted that Patano good dribbling followed with a good pass but their shot or cross would be blocked. Same for Garcia. I hope that I get to see these two in the NCAA (back East *chuckle*).”
25 C Yes Bright Dike Notre Dame 1st team Big East;
21/21 GP/GS, 12 G, 5 A, 79 SH, .405 SOG%;
did not start until his senior year; missed his junior year; against Duke, “target forward Bright 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.”. 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.”.
26 C Yes Chris Shrum High Point 1st team Big South;
20/20 GP/GS, 8 G, 9 A, 87 SH, .414 SOG%;
4 year starter; After playing defense for most of his first 3 years, played forward for the 2 games that I saw him play. Against Liberty, “High Point scored the first goal in the 6th minute. senior forward Chris Shrum battled with Liberty senior central back Mike Gelatt to get a high ball. Shrum recovered the ball and tried to shoot but missed the ball on his shot. His next option was to poke the ball wide to junior Matt Tuttle. Tuttle took a touch, assessed the goal and hooked the ball into the far side netting. On the shot, the Liberty GK sophomore Andrew Madeiro was in poor position to adequately cover his goal. Shrum is a battler, but I don’t think he has professional options.”. Perhaps as a defender – not as a forward. In 2007, Against Winthrop, no comment.
27 C No Tosaint Ricketts UW-GB Not at Combine;
1st team Horizon;
18/18 GP/GS, 8 G, 2 A, 70 SH, .457 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Horizon; 2006 2nd team All-Horizon; In 2007 U20 tournament, Ricketts came on in the beginning of the 2nd half without distinction against Chile. “I have really nothing positive to say about the Canadians other than their fans are urging them to perform better. If it takes 66 minutes to get your first shot, you’re going to be in bad trouble. There was no one of merit to even discuss. Even the ball boys looked haggard!”.
28 C No Brian Harris UMKC 1st team Summit & Off POTY;
20/20 GP/GS, 12 G, 4 A, 57 SH, .474 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Summit; Transferred from Southern Illinois where he earned NJCAA All-American as a sophomore; 4 year starter;
29 C No Matt Durand Niagara 1st team MAAC;
20/20 GP/GS, 13 G, 8 A, 68 SH, .544 SOG%;
2 year starter after transferring from Bryant and Stratton after his sophomore year;
30 C No Aaron Parker Elon 2nd team Southern Conference;
20/19 GP/GS, 7 G, 6 A, 48 SH, .500 SOG%;
2 year starter;
31 C- Yes Ramak Niakan Safi Jacksonville 1st team Atlantic Sun;
21/16 GP/GS, 10 G, 2 A, 33 SH;
Transfer from Thomas University after his freshman year; majority of starts over his 4 year career; Against Campbell for the Asun championship, “Lindholm and senior Ramak Niakan Safi combined well slicing the Campbell defense to shreads.” & “These two combined for the first goal of the game in the 12th minute by a Lindholm surgical through ball that Safi shot from behind the Campbell defense with a hard accurate low shot.”
32 C- Yes Kevin Noschang Indiana

20/13 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 35 SH, .133 S%;
Fast, has never fully achieved his potential. Against OSU, “After having a poor game up to this play, senior Kevin Noschang increased the lead to 2-0 (at that time). He received a well weighted through pass from junior Kevin Alston. Noschang alluded the goal keeper and shot into the open goal in the 55th minute.”. Against Akron, “Noschang appears to have all the tools, but he just doesn’t convert open shots into goals. At the end of the game, he picked up a dopey card by intentionally kicking the ball away after it was set up for a free kick. Dumb play.”.

33 C- Yes Spencer Schomaker Syracuse 2nd team Big East;
17/17 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 47 SH, .489 SOG%;
4 year starter; Forwards that don’t score – not too valuable; Against Cincinnati, “Late in the game, senior Spencer Schomaker made a good run dribbling past the Cincinnati defense and crossing the ball to Hall.”
34 C- TV Victor Diaz Wisconsin

17/13 GP/GS, 2 G, 5 A, 23 SH, .087 S%;
2007 1st team All-Big 10; 2006 2nd team All-Big 10; 4 year starter; In 2007, against Northwestern, “Diaz is slick. He’s a tremendous player. As an international, I doubt that MLS will have much interest in him.”

35 C- Yes Peter Grasso Georgetown Honorable mention: Big East;
19/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 2 A, 37 SH, .595 SOG%;
Part-time starter until this year, but has desire and grit with a modicum of skill; no comments against American or UConn. Against USF, “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 passing to Grasso at the top of the box. Grasso hit the shot well for the goal.”. Against George Mason (exhibition), “Larrabee sent in a cross that senior Peter Grasso chested back to Colchao at the top of the box. Colchao struck the ball with authority. Again, GM left two Gtown players unmarked in the box.”. Against Towson (spring), “Grasso is very active and is a good complementary player. He has a thorough understanding of the game and could be successful with a “poacher” up top.”.
36 C- Yes Florian DeCamps Dayton 1st team Atlantic 10;
22/20 GP/GS, 9 G, 5 A, 51 SH, .490 SOG%;
Moved from defense to forward in 2007. Against St Joe’s, Dayton scored 7 goals – Decamps added an assist on the last goal. Against Fordham, “Kissi and senior forward Florian DeCamps were having problem with spacing very early in the game, both running into a single open space. DeCamps takes too many touches when the ball is in the box to set up his shot. DeCamps is good in the air.”.
37 C- No George Sangira Houston Baptist 1st team Atlantic Soccer;
16/13 GP/GS, 10 G, 6 A, 52 SH, .481 SOG%;
transferred from Mid-Continent University after freshman year;
38 C- Yes Matt Morris College of Charleston

14/11 GP/GS, 9 G, 1 A, 29 SH;
Seems to not be able to play a whole season, but had a remarkable 9 goals in 14 games in 2008. Against Washington, “Less than a minute after Washington had extended their lead to 4-0, Yearwood powerfully struck with his head a cross from senior forward Matt Morris. ” Did not start (play?) against Winthrop (spring) and Kentucky (spring).

39 C- No J.P. Boyle Hartwick 1st team MAC;
19/19 GP/GS, 8 G, 3 A, 49 SH, .490 SOG%;
No info on Hartwick site;
40 C- No Oscar Lomeli Valparaiso 2nd team Horizon;
19/16 GP/GS, 5 G, 1 A, 38 SH, .368 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Horizon; 2 year starter at Valparaiso after transferring from Bethel (NAIA) and earning 1st team honors; 2 year starter at Val-P;
41 D+ Yes Omid Shokoufandeh Pennsylvania 1st team Ivy;
18/15 GP/GS, 9 G, 4 A, 34 SH, .559 SOG%;
2 year starter (senior and sophomore years); No comment against Brown; Against Penn State, “The second goal was started by a quick touch from Omid Shokoufandeh to Brian Mascarenhas that he sent in from distance toward Ferry that took an odd bounce freezing the PSU defender [sorry missed identifying] and the goal keeper was in no-man’s land. Ferry chipped the goal keeper just 4 minutes after the first goal. The final goal was scored in the 87th minute with PSU pushing forward to get back a goal. Shokoufandeh made a terrific pass that senior Kevin Unger struck with authority from 18 yards.”.
42 D+ Yes Graciano Brito Quinnipiac At Combine
3rd team CSN AA; 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Northeastern;
19/19 GP/GS, 18 G, 3 A, 130 SH, .446 SOG%;
2007 NEC POTY and 2 time 1st team NEC; 4 year starter; Against Loyola (MD), “Brito impressed me today more than he did on a wet pitch against Mount Saint Mary’s last year. He was much, much better. He likes to get the ball on the left, sometimes with a defender in front of him, using his speed to cut across the pitch and shoot with his right foot. He is big, strong and fast. I’d like to see him at the combine – he should do well because of his superior 1v1 skills. Combining with others may be more problematic for him in settling with a professional team. On the first Q goal in the 30th minute, Brito dribbled the ball into the box and slotted the ball to the far post to reduce the Loyola lead 2-1 going into half time.” & “On Brito’s second goal to cut the Loyola lead to 4-3 in the 79th minute, right back sophomore Pierre Soubrier made a slicing pass to DM junior Fabricio Silva just inside the Q half. Silva with a single touch, turned, got his head up and located Brito breaking. Silva’s next touch found Brito in stride 35 yards from goal. Brita took 1 touch to get close to the box before slotting a ball past Loyola junior GK Milos Kocic. Loyola’s DM Mike Deasel did not close quick enough on Silva to prevent the open pass.” In 2007, against Mount Saint Mary’s, “Tactically, MSM man-marked Q’s prolific goal scorer junior Graciano Brito with either senior Steve Walton or junior Steve Pathroff. They both did well denying Brito many easy opportunities.” & “I came to see junior forward Graciano Brito (Cape Verde). He leads the NEC with 12 goals. He’s tall, fast and strong. But, he plays too statically up top – only looking for through balls to use his speed to get behind the defense. He doesn’t have very good dribbling skills. His overall soccer acumen is average at best. In the 79th minute, McGibney fed him a bouncing ball that Brito touched over the on-rushing MSM goalie outside the box. Rather than following the ball to the unguarded goal, he broke off to begin his celebration. Pathroff saved the goal. I think that Q contends that the ball was over the line. I couldn’t tell. But the AR’s job is to confirm that the ball clears the line – he had the best view of it.”.
43 D+ No Chris Wright New Mexico 2nd team MPSF;
19/19 GP/GS, 6 G, 3 A, 48 SH, .458 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-MPSF & MPSF POTY; 2 time 2nd team All-MPSF; 3 year starter; in 2007, against UCSB, “NM opened the score book after a mix-up in the UCSB box that ended with a header from Stephen Brown to target forward Chris Wright’s foot from 6 yards in the 8th minute.”. Against Washington, “Junior forward Chris Wright is a target at 6′5″. He is the main target for high and long balls. He’s got good jumping ability and can re-direct the ball effectively. Wright had an opportunity in the 7th minute but his shot was wide. Many of his shots from his head were off target. He didn’t attack header shots like Duke’s Michael Videira.”.
44 D+ No Tebatso Manyama UNC Greensboro 2nd team Southern Conference;
24/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 48 SH, .500 SOG%;
2 year starter after transferring from Auburn-Montgomery (Community College); Against South Carolina (spring), “UNCG has waves of speed. This is how they’ll need to beat teams in the fall. Young, Manyama, Maret, Kadam all have speed and quickness. With Elisabetarson back in the fall, to set them up with precise passes, they’ll do alright. 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.”.
45 D+ No Kedan Crosby Rhode Island 2nd team Atlantic 10;
19/19 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 47 SH, .468 SOG%;
2 year starter; no notes;
46 D+ No Ruzhdi Halili Houston Baptist 2nd team Atlantic Soccer;
16/14 GP/GS, 9 G, 5 A, 41 SH, .585 SOG%;
transferred from San Jacinto CC after sophomore year; 2 year starter at Houston Baptist;
47 D Yes Sebastian Lindholm Jacksonville

22/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 6 A, 20 SH;
Transferred from SC after his freshman year (and a red shirt year); Against Campbell for the Asun championship, “Lindholm holds and distributes the ball to his wide midfielders well. Lindholm and senior Ramak Niakan Safi combined well slicing the Campbell defense to shreads.” & “These two combined for the first goal of the game in the 12th minute by a Lindholm surgical through ball that Safi shot from behind the Campbell defense with a hard accurate low shot.”

48 D Yes Jim Taranto Lehigh 1st team Patriot;
17/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 7 A, 33 SH, .424 SOG%;
3 year starter; 2006 1st team All-Patriot; Against MD, “Taranto has skill, but wasn’t able to assert his will into the game.”. In 2007, against AU, “Taranto is a good dribbler. However, he holds the ball too long at times. Either he gets dis-possessed or he makes his attacker’s runs be mis-timed. In the 67th minute, Taranto had a wide open shot from the top of the box and he put the ball wide left. This could have changed the game. However, he missed. Coincidentally, he was subbed out on the goal kick. Taranto threw a temper tantrum, throwing a bottle of water and walking off in a huff. Now, he may have been angry about his missed opportunity. However, I don’t think Sasho Cirovski would stand for this behavior and perhaps George Gelnovatch didn’t stand for this attitude and this is why Taranto doesn’t play for UVA anymore. I’m glad to see that Taranto didn’t see the field again against AU. It’s pathetic. How did this kid think he was going to get away with this type of behavior? It’s time to grow up.”. Against MD, “The goal was scored by junior forward Jim Taranto 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. Taranto has a good first touch and is able to turn very quickly. I like his dribbling ability.”.
49 D Yes Daniel Revivo Winthrop At Combine
3rd team CSN AA; 2nd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big South;
22 GP, 14 G, 9 A, 68 SH, .544 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-Big South; Holds USA and Canadian passport. Against William & Mary, “Revivo was unable to generate a shot. He credits the solid defense of DeNuzzo and Orozco. But, I worry that he is unable to create his own shot. According to Revivo, he’ll be at the MLS combine. It will be interested to see how he fits in with quality defenders. I expect some MLS coaches will drool on his size and shot. I have mixed feelings.” & “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. “. Against VMI, “Revivo scored his goal when the GK just dropped the ball at his foot from 5 yards out. I’ve seen Revivo play better.”. Against College of Charleston (spring), “Revivo is huge! He can jump and is a powerful forward. He almost scored off a corner kick in the opening moments of the first half.”. Against UNCW, “Revivo continues to impress. It’s not just his size, but it’s his change of pace that enables him to create his own shot. A shot that is powerful but can be erratic. He needs to be more selfish and take more responsibility for scoring. He seems to be content with passing the ball when he is being marked with a player that he is able to beat at will.”. In 2007, against High Point, “Revivo opened the scoring taking a goal keeper rebound off his chin 15 yards out and struck the ball out of the air and crushed it into the lower left side. The second goal was an exhibition of the Winthrop ball control. It started with Revivo sending the ball back to senior midfielder Sean Weron who served the ball over the High Point defense onto senior forward Saidi Isaac’s head. He buried it from 6 yards.” & “Revivo (from Ontario) is very talented, as well. He is tall and works well with Isaac. Both, Revivo and Isaac need to be more discplined on off-sides. They had the bulk of the 9 off side infractions in the first half!”.
50 D No Sule Anibaba UC Davis Honorable mention Big West;
21/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 2 A, 15 SH, .467 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Big West; 4 year starter;
51 D Yes Michael Brooks Clemson

18/9 GP/GS, 6 G, 1 A, 23 SH, .652 SOG%;
Against BC in the ACC tournament, “Freshman Connor Barbaree serves good set pieces and these are some of the best opportunity. One of these pieces was converted by senior Michael Brooks but the goal was disallowed by a pushing foul.”. In 2007, against WF in the ACC tournament, “On their only goal, Clemson senior forward David Bell got around WF Lyle Adams (like he was standing still – because he was!) and made a good cross to junior forward Michael Brooks who slotted the ball into the far post to even the score in the 72nd minute.”.

52 D No Levi Coleman UMKC 2nd team Summit;
19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 6 A, 28 SH, .357 SOG%;
Transferred from FIU; 2 year starter;
53 D No Scott Szymanski UNC-Asheville 2nd team Big South;
18/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 1 A, 32 SH;
2 time 2nd team All-Big South; 4 year starter; In 2007, against Liberty, “Junior forward Scott Szymanski has good speed and instincts. He might have a chance of being a supplemental pick next year – though I doubt it. It’s more likely that he’ll need to try out to get a shot for a development roster spot. He scored the UNCA goal. The play started when junior goal keeper Phillip Horner crushed a wind assisted punt, Liberty central defender Mike Gelatt did not field the ball cleanly and Szymanski jumped on the mistake. He touched it to junior forward J. W. Gallagher who promptly returned the ball back to Szymanski. He hit the ball with authority from 25 yards into the far post to open the scoring.”.
54 D No Shire Standnes Florida Atlantic 2nd team MAC;
19 GP, 6 G, 0 A, 39 SH, .513 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-Atlantic Soccer Conference; 3.5 year starter;
55 D No Jordan Tatum Oral Roberts 2nd team Summit;
17/14 GP/GS, 4 G, 8 A, 34 SH, .471 SOG%;
3 year starter;
56 D No Ben Haugland UNLV Honorable mention MPSF;
15/13 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 25 SH, .400 SOG%;
2 year starter;
57 D- Yes Michael DeSimone Siena 2nd team MAAC;
18/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 20 SH;
2 year starter (senior and freshman years?); Against Loyola (MD), no comments
58 D- Yes Brian Ackley Indiana

20/0 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 14 SH, .071 S%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

59 D- TV Justin Alford Missouri State 1st team MVC;
22/22 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 41 SH, .347 SOG%;
Started as a senior;
60 D- No Jason Tessitore Sacred Heart 2nd team Northeastern;
16/15 GP/GS, 5 G, 2 A, 27 SH, .481 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-NEC; Starter for 4 years;
61 D- TV Bryan Irwin Portland At Combine
honorable mention WCC;
20/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 31 SH, .387 SOG%;
2 time honorable All-WCC; 3 year starter;
62 D- No Bradley Morrison Gardner-Webb 2nd team Big South;
15 GP, 6 G, 0 A, 35 SH;
2 year starter;
63 D- Yes Nick Perera UCSB At Combine
2nd team Big West;
20/14 GP/GS, 8 G, 3 A, 33 SH, .636 SOG%;
Not a starter for the vast majority of his career, primarily came off the bench as a “super-sub” target forward. Break-out year in 2008; Against Rutgers, “Perera blew a wide open opportunity in the 83rd minute in the middle of the box from a perfect pass from Pontius.”. Against Cal-Poly (TV), good vision/ideas, requires too many touches to calm the ball. Given an open shot in the box, lacks the class to finish. In 2007, against NM, “Perera may have gotten a slight injury because he was out for 60 minutes (last 30 of the 1st and the first 30 of the second). He didn’t do much for the other 30 minutes that he was on the field other than a couple of touches and a couple of passes.”. Against SMU, “Perera is an ideal college target forward. He provided options to UCSB all evening, but wasn’t involved in many scoring opportunities. In the second half, I thought that he would get an assist on a good square pass that Avila let run across his body that Avila shot wide with his less favored right foot.”.
64 D- No Aly Lo Iona 2nd team MAAC;
18/16 GP/GS, 6 G, 3 A, 32 SH, .594 SOG%;
2.5 year starter; transferred from Bergen CC after his freshman year;
65 D- No Jukka Lehto Long Island University 2nd team Northeastern;
18/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 4 A, 42 SH, .500 SOG%;
4 year starter;
66 D- No Eddie Romero NJIT 1st team Atlantic Soccer;
19/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 0 A, 60 SH, .467 SOG%;
4 year starter; played freshman and sophomore years at NJIT; transferred to Temple for junior year; sat our 2007 after transferring back to NJIT; 2 time 1st team All-Atlantic Soccer Conference;
67 F No Mohammad Mashriqi Long Island University

18/10 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 21 SH, .429 SOG%;
Primarily a starter, but misses many games over his career;

68 F No Ross Schunk Redlands University At Combine
2nd team D3 All-American;
23/23 GP/GS, 18 G, 2 A, 113 SH, .496 SOG%;
3 time 2nd team D3 All-American; 4 year starter;
69 F No Travis Young UNC Greensboro

23/10 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 21 SH, .524 SOG%;
Transferred from Kentucky; Partial starter over 4 years; Against South Carolina (spring), “UNCG has waves of speed. This is how they’ll need to beat teams in the fall. Young, Manyama, Maret, Kadam all have speed and quickness. With Elisabetarson back in the fall, to set them up with precise passes, they’ll do alright.”.

70 F Yes Richard Flores UCLA

9/0 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

[UPDATED: Final Rankings]
[UPDATED: Pre-Combine ranking updates including GA]

After watching over 100 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 40 on TV, composed of 101 different teams, here is my assessment of the draftees seniors (and MLS acknowledged Generation Adidas underclassman). My rankings take into account the values of GA 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, Santa Clara, Cal and Washington live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on TV (e.g., Tulsa, Cal-Poly, Cal-Northridge, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

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

Based upon feedback that I received last year, 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 2009. 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.

I’m sure that I’ve missed a player. More likely, I’m sure that someone feels that I’ve unjustly ranked a player. I’d like your feedback.

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

# Pos Gr See in 08? Name College Comment
1 A- Yes Jeremy Hall Maryland GA
1st team CSN All-American; 1st team All-ACC;
26/26 GP/GS, 14 G, 17 A, 50 SH, .520 SOG%;
After watching countless MD games over the last several years, Hall has tremendous speed and has improved his crosses. His dribbling proficiency has significantly improved. His 1st touch is his biggest challenge. This is what may eventually keep him from fulfilling his full potential in MLS. Against Creighton, “Hall continues to be active and quick on the ball. He had a diving header that Holt needed to deflect to keep the 1 goal deficit.”. Against Cal, “Hall continues to make a statement for a GA contract with his 14th goal in the 53rd minute. On the goal, he received service from Casey Townsend that he shot (Frei claims he had it covered) and was deflected (which Frei couldn’t adjust to) into the goal for the winning goal.”.
2 A- Yes Sam Cronin Wake Forest At Combine
1st team CSN AA; 1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team ACC;
24/24 GP/GS, 10 G, 4 A, 37 SH, .405 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-American; 2 times 1st team All-ACC; 4 year starter; Against NC State, “Cronin scored via a PK in the 67th minute.”. Against South Carolina, “It’s no mystery why WF has stayed at the top of the charts for the last 2 years. They selfishly keep the ball for long periods of time, they have forwards who finish, their defense is top-notch and they have Sam Cronin manning the central defensive midfield.” & “Marcus Tracy scored the goal in the 75th minute from a free kick just outside the box. The play started with Sam Cronin touching the ball to Jamie Franks who stopped it while Tracy powered it in, deflecting before finding a home in the back of the net.” & “WF is going to miss senior DM Sam Cronin when he graduates from WF. He reads the game so quickly – that while not possessing outstanding speed – he is constantly in the right defensive position. He isn’t the best on his team in any technical skill, dribbling: Bone, speed: Tracy, heading: Opara, crossing: Franks (or da Luz), shooting: Arnoux, etc. But he has the total package. This is what makes Cronin special. Look out NE, it seems you have another WF alumni on the way.”. In 2007, against OSU (NCAA), “Pat Phelan and Sam Cronin are unheralded central midfielders who anchor the midfield impeding most attacks to either stopping them in the midfield or pressuring the opponent to force a bad touch – setting up the defense to succeed.”. Against Virginia Tech, “In the second half Tracy, continued exhibiting his talent by scoring both goals. On the first goal, his mark was picked “as designed” and he finished with a well struck header from Sam Cronin’s free kick from the corner.”. Against Clemson, “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.”. Against Akron, “Tracy’s 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.” & “Cronin is essential to WF in a transitive role (for both attacking and defending). He continues to be solid.”.
3 B+ Yes Kyle Patterson St. Louis At Combine
1st team Atlantic 10;
21/21 GP/GS, 12 G, 5 A, 62 SH, .532 SOG%;
2007 A10 POTY and 2 time first team All-A10; 3 year starter; Patterson has professional speed and I expect that he’ll be successful manning the right midfield for a MLS team by the end of the 2009. Against UMass, “Simmons kept UMass in the game with a reflex save from a 1v1 shot from Patterson. On the build-up, SLU was able to break down the defense with quick passes starting with Ream to Barlage toe poking the ball forward to Hamzagic who dribbled to unbalance the defense before laying the ball off for Patterson wide – but open”. Against LaSalle, “Patterson has had the best chances by using his speed to get behind La Salle – but the opportunities are not numerous enough and La Salle is doing well getting back.” & “The game winner came from Kyle Patterson in the 88th minute. Barklage served in a corner kick that took a slight deflection before Patterson knocked it off his chest from 4 yards.”. In 2007, against George Washington, “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. He cleaned up his play for the second half. He scored the game winning goal with 26:47 remaining in the second half. 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.” Against Duke, “Walker neutralized the dangerous and speedy Kyle Patterson during the first half. Walker was not as effective in this task in the second half.” & “Patterson has blinding speed. He was the biggest danger to Duke all night. By the end of the evening, SLU was just serving long balls to try and isolate Patterson behind the Duke D. He’d be more impressive if he’d stay wide and get around the corner on the left back, then serve the ball into a crashing Hamzagic and Hayes”.
4 B+ Yes Danny Irizarry Ohio State 2nd team Big 10;
20/19 GP/GS, 6 G, 1 A, 21 SH, .524 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team all-Big 10; starter for the last 2 years; 1/2 time starter first two years; against IU, “Irizarry scored the first OSU goal in the 55th minute (46 seconds after IU’s second goal). Warzycha sent in a corner kick that was either flicked by OSU or IU and Irizarry crushed a side volley that went in just below the cross bar – unstoppable!”. In 2007, no comment against UMass and WF. Against IU “Gold and junior Danny Irizarry both run hard and have above average passing ability.”. Against Michigan, “Danny Irizarry distributed the ball getting it to Balc and Andrew Magill in good offensive positions.”.
5 B+ Yes Brad Ring Indiana Not at Combine;
3rd team CSN AA; 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big 10;
17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 51 SH, .294 S%;
2 time 1st team All-Big 10; 3 year starter; injured missing the combine; seems to have been injured early in 2007 and late in 2008 – downgrading; statisically a down year for Ring; His game is more predicated on destroying and starting transition than scoring. Powerful strike from distance; Has professional tools. No comment against OSU. Against Akron, “Ring may have the hardest shot in college soccer. He wins all the balls in the air. I like the way that he tackles.”. Against Duke, “The game winning goal was created by 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.” & “Ring is class. He is calm on the ball and a battler in the air.”.
6 B+ No Baggio Husidic UIC GA
2nd team CSN All-American; 1st team All-Horizon;
22/22 GP/GS, 9 G, 6 A, 44 SH, .477 SOG%;
In 2007, against UMass (NCAA), “In the first half, Baggio Husidic looked liked Bambi on ice – e.g tentative about trying to move on the lake and subsequently in a prone position on the pitch. He gathered more confidence as the game wore on.”.
7 B+ Yes Joshua Boateng Liberty At Combine
3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big South;
18/18 GP/GS, 13 G, 6 A, 72 SH;
2 time Big South 2nd team; transferred from Virginia Tech after freshman year; against High Point at the Big South tournament, “Liberty tries to get the ball to their talented senior Joshua Boateng. Boateng doesn’t check back far enough to demand the ball, so he takes himself away as an option. This leads to other players having to take more responsibility and these players are not as talented. Boateng served a free kick in the 14th minute that went to the far post but no other Liberty player was able to connect with it. In the second half, Boateng was much more active and his dribbling was trecherous to High Point. Boateng was credited with the winning goal in the 78th minute on a high cross from Chris Osborne that Boateng was flicking to his team mates to the far post, but freshman goal keeper Michael Chesler caught the ball in his own goal.”. In 2007, against Loyola in NCAA, “Bumbut was active getting back to retrieve the ball and ensure that junior midfielder Joshua Boateng received it in positions to attack. Loyola was adept at making Boateng take the ball to his less favored right side.”. Against UNC-Asheville in the 2007 Big South tournament, “Junior attacking midfielder Joshua Boateng (from Ghana) has sophisticated technical skills. As many players from Ghana, they are very comfortable with the ball at his feet. As a bonus, he makes intelligent runs to get himself in good spots to receive the ball. He is quick and very difficult to dispossess. As an international player, I’ve seen many better. I don’t expect that he has even a slight option for being drafted.”. My opinion on his draftability has lessened.
8 B Yes Michael Lahoud Wake Forest At Combine
2nd team ACC;
24/23 GP/GS, 0 G, 5 A, 19 SH, .263 SOG%;
4 year starter; after playing wide midfield, moved this year to central midfield where he and Cronin made a cohesive duo. Has improved his game from 2 years ago when he played without a clue and with weak technical skills. Signed with MLS upgrading; Against NC State, “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 2007, against OSU, “In the 18th minute, Gabel and WF right midfielder Michael Lahoud both struck the ball at the same time which seemed to re-injure Gabel.”. – which may have cost OSU a championship. Against Bradley, “The first goal came in the 66th minute. The BU defenders lost their marks because of Michael Lahoud attack. The defenders were unable to mark up and Nick Courtney was able to slot the ball into the corner from the top of the box. Michael Lahoud who I panned pretty severely last year showed me a lot in this game. His runs were purposeful (last year he would make runs like he was confused where the goal was or to a spot that was beneficial to his opponent). He was dribbling with speed and determination. He stunned me when he made a long run to help the defense! After Lahoud’s assist, Courtney returned the favor and fed Lahoud at the top of the box, that Lahoud was able to turn and shoot, but it was blocked. Lahoud went and reclaimed the ball, deked, shot that the GK made an amazing save but gave up the corner. Really impressed with Lahoud.”.
9 B No Daniel Cruz UNLV GA
1st team All-MPSF;
17/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 3 A, 42 SH, .381 SOG%;
2 time 1st team; U20 coach, Thomas Rongen really likes Cruz.
10 B Yes Piotr Nowak Oakland 2nd team Summit;
20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 67 SH, .418 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-Summit; 2.5 year starter; Against IUPUI, “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!” & “Nowak is a key member taking small touches to keep possession and swing the ball around the sides. Pro potential – I think so. His play is very subtle.”; against Bucknell (spring), “Nowak had the best shot of the day for Oakland, but it was saved by senior goal keeper Joey Kuterbach. He starts too deep. Because of this depth, he is not available to make that finishing pass that leads to a goal.” and Towson (spring), “Nowak while showing creativity sparks; didn’t put his stamp on the game. He’s one of the reasons that I came to this tournament. He didn’t produce. His touch was sloppy.”.
11 B TV Aaron Clapham Louisville At Combine
1st team Big East;
21/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 9 A, 58 SH, .345 SOG%;
4 year starter; transferred from St. Francis after sophomore year;
12 B- Yes Graham Zusi Maryland At Combine
2nd team ACC;
24/24 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 52 SH, .442 SOG%;
3 year starter; the most technical player on the MD NCAA championship team. Against Creighton, “Zusi stole the ball from Walters before driving into the box, freezing defenders with feints and moves, before unleashing a shot that Holt was able to deflect for a MD corner kick. Zusi was very composed on the ball.”. Against Cal, “Maryland scored the first goal in the 19th minute off a senior Graham Zusi corner kick to Omar Gonzalez’s head from 6 yards. “. Against George Mason, “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. The second goal was scored, again, after considerable offensive pressure from MD by Zusi. MD controlled the ball in and around the box. Yates sent in a square ball that Townsend dummied allowing the ball to continue to Jeremy Hall who crossed it to Zusi who headed it in from 2 yards. Zusi was impressive.”. Against Boston College, “Zusi dribbled into the box followed with a shot to the far post that Brown deflected to a dangerous area in the middle of his box. Jason Herrick picked up the rebound and cranked a shot that Brown had to make a huge stop that looked inevitable to be the first goal.” & “Zusi settles the game and is the safety valve for the MD attack.”. Against UNC, “Zusi does many subtle things to enable MD to hold possession. His ability to take a hard pass and quiet it so that he continue is vastly understated.”. Against UVA, “Zusi dribbled the ball into the box and Matt Poole pulled him down for a PK (that Zusi took) in the 68th minute to give MD a 2-0 lead”. Against Lehigh, “Zusi centered in a pass into the box that junior midfielder Jeremy Hall spun under pressure before heeling through the traffic to Townsend who buried it from 8 yards.”. Against Charlotte, “Zusi is having a poor game.”. Against Duke, “Zusi is still the key to the MD attack. His passing is top notch and his vision is incredible.”. Against USF (exhibition), “Zusi is getting X-rays from a hard tackle in the second half. Is this a precursor for MD?”. uh no.
13 B- Yes Nick Zimmerman James Madison At Combine
1st team CAA;
18/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 55 SH;
4 year starter; against AU, “JMU success starts and ends with their fantastic sophomore forward C. J. Sapong. Sapong’s sacrifice – good; example for his team mates – good; not enough service – bad. Zimmerman provides the best service for Sapong.”. In 2007, against ODU, “Zimmerman was invisible in the first half, but made his mark in the second half. His crosses are precise with the appropriate pace. Unfortunately, his work was not rewarded for JMU. I like him.”.
14 B- Yes Brandon Barklage St. Louis At Combine
2nd team Atlantic 10;
22/22 GP/GS, 7 G, 10 A, 63 SH, .460 SOG%;
2006 1st team All-MPSF at NM then transferred to SLU; 4 year starter; Barklage crosses are fantastic. He has good tools; Against UMass; “By moving Barklage into the central midfield, he is getting more touches which bodes well for SLU.” & “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.”. Against LaSalle, “In the 67th minute, Johnston flew up the sideline driving a cross to an unmarked Brandon Barklage 7 yards from goal that Barklage powerfully struck with his head to level the game at 2 to 2.” & “In the 56th minute, foreshadowing the eventual goal winner, a Barklage corner kick was tipped by the La Salle goal keeper and Patterson was able to touch it toward the back of the net, but La Salle’s Colin Whalen was able to clear it off the line. The game winner came from Kyle Patterson in the 88th minute. Barklage served in a corner kick that took a slight deflection before Patterson knocked it off his chest from 4 yards. ” & “Ream and Barklage were terrorizing the left side. La Salle was struggling to hold on.”. In 2007, against George Washington, “Barklage shooting leaves a lot to be desired. He had an open shot in the first half, from 22 yards, off target would be an understatement.”.
15 B- No Matt Murphy UC Irvine 3rd team CSN AA; 1st team Big West;
23/13 GP/GS, 11 G, 8 A, 78 SH, .474 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Big West; 2006 2nd team All-Big West; why only 13 starts? In 2007 against UCSB (TV), left footed, played left midfield in the first half, but creeped more centrally in the second. Nothing really extra-ordinary nor special; very nice dribbling sequence; didn’t make an impact;
16 C+ No Lamar Neagle UNLV 1st team MPSF;
17/17 GP/GS, 9 G, 0 A, 65 SH, .446 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-MPSF; 4 year starter;
17 C+ Yes Kevon Neaves South Florida 1st team Big East;
17 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 29 SH, .483 SOG%;
2 times 1st team All-Big East; 4 year starter; Battled injuries for much of the year; Against Gtown, “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. Neaves is a big hitter, but he was brutal (with his touch and not physical) when he first came on. His confidence grew as the game progressed.”. Against MD (exhibition), “Neaves scored the first goal from a small square pass from Anor at the top of the box. He powered the ball toward the near post unimpeded. Neaves is a brutal tackler.”.
18 C+ Yes John Stamatis Harvard 1st team Ivy;
18/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 9 A, 44 SH, .341 SOG%;
in previous years, earned 2nd team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-Ivy; 4 year starter as a midfielder and striker; Against Columbia, “Stamatis dribbled 50 yards going by Columbia players spectators like they were admiring his skill. When Columbia freshman defender Will Young finally stopped his run, Stamatis distributed it to freshman Ben Tsuda (I had #23 Dillon O’Neil – but he may have changed numbers) wide. Tsuda (or whoever it was) dribbled to the GK before slotting it past him. Nice goal.”. Physical player that had the Columbia players bouncing off him in the corner.
19 C No Juan Guerra Florida International At Combine
1st team Conference USA;
17/17 GP/GS, 6 G, 4 A, 58 SH, .517 SOG%;
2 year starter; In 2007 against Tulsa (TV) CUSA tourney, playing forwrd, very technical player; beautiful goal, taking a midfield set piece at the top corner of the box bringing the ball down with a thigh trap then shooting off the bounce with a powerful turning shot. Wow! Runs well off the ball. Doesn’t have many options up top with him; On the broadcast, the announcer mentioned that he was a red shirt sophomore (at that time), so in 2008 he was a red shirt junior. He had a year of eligibility, but was a senior. Mystery solved why I thought he was a junior.
20 C Yes Andrei Gotsmanov Creighton At Combine
1st team CSN AA; 1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team MVC;
18/18 GP/GS, 10 G, 4 A, 46 SH, .457 SOG%;
Played freshman year at SJU in 2004, didn’t play in 2005 and 2006, transferred to Creighton in 2007, 2nd team All-MVC. Admired his play after reviewing tapes of Creighton following the MLS draft. Against MD, “Gotsmanov like MD’s AM Graham Zusi is the best technical player on the field but eventually may not be the best professional. The more that I see Gotsmanov the more that I admire his touch. However, I can’t throw the comparison of DC United’s Rod Dyachenko. Nice touch, in college having a little more time and space, but eventually lacking the athleticism and the professional touch and without a position that he is able to play in the next level. Another guy to compare him to is Xavier Balc (without Balc’s powerful shot).”.
21 C Yes Jamie Franks Wake Forest

24/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 11 A, 22 SH, .364 SOG%;
3.5 year starter; 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”. Against South Carolina, “Marcus Tracy scored the goal in the 75th minute from a free kick just outside the box. The play started with Sam Cronin touching the ball to Jamie Franks who stopped it while Tracy powered it in, deflecting before finding a home in the back of the net.” & “Senior right midfielder Jamie Franks may be the best crosser on the team. He slices the ball through tiny spaces.” & “He isn’t the best on his team in any technical skill, dribbling: Bone, speed: Tracy, heading: Opara, crossing: Franks (or da Luz), shooting: Arnoux, etc. “. In 2007, against Clemson, “Franks made a long feed to Evan Brown who got around the corner and made an accurate cross to a sliding Cody Arnoux for the first goal.”. Against Bradley, “Jamie Franks had a strong first half.”. Against Akron, “Franks had a perfect 30 yard lead pass that hit Tracy on stride that Bone couldn’t control in the box.”.

22 C No Ryan Maduro Providence At Combine
2nd team Big East;
18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 6 A, 41 SH, .293 SOG%;
2006 1st team All-American; 2 time 1st team All-Big East; 2005 3rd team All-Big East; 4 year starter
23 C Yes Akeem Priestly Connecticut At Combine
2nd team Big East;
16/16 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 33 SH, .455 SOG%;
Very technical player with very good quickness. Doesn’t play enough defense for a midfielder. Transfer from Jacksonville before 2006 season. Against Depaul, “out with a hamstring injury. Priestley is dressed but with the cold and wet conditions, playing him would be inadvisable [he didn't play]“. Against Gtown, “CT trying to jump start the offense, freshman Tony Cascio was slotted behind senior O’Brian White and senior Akeem Priestly was playing left midfield. This is a mistake, Priestly doesn’t play enough defense and it took a half for Gtown to identify this opportunity.” & “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. ” Against SJU, “Priestly was suspended for picking up two yellow cards against Cincinnati.”. In 2007, against USF, “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. The fifth UConn goal started with Priestly sending in a long pass to senior Chukwudi Chijindu. “.
24 C No Nate Jafta Lindsey Wilson

20/15 GP/GS, 8 G, 4 A, 28 SH, .571 SOG%;
After having an AA year in 2007, he regressed to his normal numbers, here is his, career numbers: http://www.lindseyathletics.com/roster/13/2/1815.php

25 C Yes Michael Callahan UNC 2nd team NSCAA AA; 2nd team ACC;
23/23 GP/GS, 3 G, 5 A, 30 SH, .400 SOG%;
4 year starter; Against UCLA, “This may have been the worse game that I have ever seen senior midfielder Michael Callahan play. He was incapable of competing the simplest of passes. He ended an attack because he did not pick up central defender freshman Sheanon Williams making a deep run that went unrewarded.” & “The biggest problem is in the midfield. While Cameron Brown has the vision and skill to play central midfield. Freshman Kirk Urso is the most talented player in the midfield. I don’t think that Garry Lewis and Callahan can thwarth attacks from unbalancing a talented defense. Too many attacks are coming from the midfield unchallenged.”. In 2007, “To go along with the worst pass of all time in the earlier game, the worst free kick of all time was kicked by Michael Callahan. In the 84th minute with the ball near the midfield side line and his team ready to crash the box, he sent a lazy square ball right WF Austin du Luz on the far side of the field setting up a WF transition.” Against Duke, “In the 13th minute, 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.”. Against UVA, “Freshman Cameron Brown, a substitute, provided energy to a listless UNC team. He scored the goal with a leaping volley from 2 yards. Michael Callahan received the assist. Callahan’s corner kicks were bad on Saturday evening.”.
26 C Yes George John Washington At Combine
1st team Pac-10;
13 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .714 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Pac 10; 2006 2nd team All-Pac 10; 3 year starter; Hampered by his lack of speed and quickness; Would need to shift back to defense, because he couldn’t cover sideline to sideline as a DM in the pros. Even then, I’m not sold that he’s MLS quality. Against College of Charleston, “John is the central focus in the midfield for Washington. He retreats too far into the back opening large gaps in the middle. Additionally, it hampers the connectivity between the midfield and forwards. He left in the second half with an unknown injury to his “lower back”. He didn’t add a lot in the offensive side for Washington. I anticipate that he may be better as a central defender in the pros – though nothing is a lock for him.”. In 2007, against SMU, “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!”. No comment against NM.
27 90 No Ryan Maxwell Tampa At Combine 1st team D2 All-conference 21/21 GP/GS, 10 G, 5 A, 67 SH, .493 SOG%; U20 Jamaican team member; 2007 2nd team D2 all-conference; 4 year starter after transferring from San Jacinto after his freshman year;
28 C Yes Yan Klukowski Central Connecticut State 1st team Northeastern;
17/17 GP/GS, 8 G, 5 A, 72 SH, .542 SOG%;
3 time 1st team all-NEC; against UVA, “CCSU were unable to handle the UVA speed of play. When they tried to quicken their play, they rushed too much and were creating unforced errors – except for two players who seemed to be able to play at this level: Raphael Guimaraes and Yan Klukowski. Early in the first half, senior Yan Klukowski worked with Eduardo Ortiz to get the ball in the box, but the play ended with a poor cross by Ortiz.”
29 C No Chris DeAbreau St. Peter’s 1st team MAAC;
19/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 9 A, 39 SH, .139 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-MAAC; 4 year starter;
30 C No Joey Mathot Denver 1st team MPSF;
17/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 7 A, 36 SH, .389 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-MPSF; 2003 2nd team All-MPSF (freshman year); 4 year starter;
31 C Yes Lucas Pardew George Mason

23/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 38 SH, .447 SOG%;
Part-time starter until this year, but has good speed and ball skills; I would not be surprised if he gets a long look from a team. Against MD, “Luke Pardew was taking the space on the MD left side that sophomore left bac Rodney Wallace evacuated to aid in the attack. Mike Marchiano was unable to slow Pardew down creating problems for the MD defense. Pardew transitioned quickly and was demonstrating his speed.”. Against Northeastern, “Lucas Pardew was toasting the left side of the NE defense with explosive dribbling in the first half. At half-time NE made an adjustment to solve this problem. Pardew set up the first goal by beating Jonathan Batista before driving the ball to the touch line and crossing it to Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe who heeled it in the goal in th 38th minute from 4 yards.”. Against Towson, “After the early goal in the 2nd mintue, GM rested on their laurels – or at least did not pressure Towson enough to force easy turnovers consistently. One of the players, Lucas Pardew, is an exception to the hustle statement. In the 25th minute, he pressured junior Maxx Hurkamp and freshman goal keeper John Steele to gain a throw-in. Pardew’s game is based upon his speed and getting to the endline or behind the defense. In the second half, Pardew on the right side was very effective for creating chances – if not goals.”. Against VCU, “With Pardew’s speed, he stretches the field. He was terrorizing the VCU defenders in the first half. He didn’t have the same impact when he was substituted into the lineup in the second half.”.

32 C- TV Jeff Harwell SMU At Combine
2nd team Conference USA;
16 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 31 SH, .484 SOG%;
2007 3rd team All-Conference USA; 2.5 years starter; In 2007, against Washington, “Harwell has some intriguing skills. He has a sweet touch and is creative. He started up top but seems better suited further back in the midfield. In the 84th minute, he volleyed the ball over an SMU defender to Gabriel Arredondo in the box but Arredondo couldn’t get a shot off.”. Against UCSB, no comment.
33 C- TV Zac Scaffidi Michigan State 1st team Big 10;
19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 6 A, 22 SH, .136 S%;
3.5 year starter; in 2007, against IU, Penn State (B10 Tournament) no comments
34 C- Yes John Mellencamp Indiana

24/24 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 30 SH, .133 S%;
Earned a starting position midway through his sophomore year, but suffered several injuries in his junior year. Recovered in his senior season. Very active, runs off the ball well. No comments against OSU and Akron. Against Duke, “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.”.

35 C- Yes Dado Hamzagic St. Louis

13/11 GP/GS, 3 G, 5 A, 29 SH, .345 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-A10; Missed half of 2008, because of injury. Injury-plagued? Very technical; Against UMass, “Patterson was combining well with Dado Hamzagic. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved up top to be closer to Hamzagic’s silky through passes.” & “On the build-up, SLU was able to break down the defense with quick passes starting with Ream to Barlage toe poking the ball forward to Hamzagic who dribbled to unbalance the defense before laying the ball off for Patterson wide – but open.”. In 2007, against George Washington, “Hamzagic was hurt on the far side of the field with 19 minutes remaining in the first half. When it occurred, I thought that he was embellishing an injury, because he yelled and fell to the turf a few seconds after contact. It appears that it was knee (perhaps, ACL or related to that). He needed assistance to leave the field. He did not return.” & “Before Dado Hamzagic got hurt, he had a nice touch (from a gorgeous pass courtesy of Wisniewski) that put him behind GW senior central defender Matt Davis. 40 yards from goal with only the goalie in front of him, Hamzagic decided to cross the ball over for Barklage killing the play. I love the touch, but I hate the decision.”.

36 C- Yes Richard Jata Campbell At Combine
2nd team NSCAA AA; POTY and 1st team Atlantic Sun;
17/12 GP/GS, 12 G, 4 A, 57 SH, .509 SOG%;
3 time 1st team all-Atlantic Sun; He has a powerful shot but can’t create his own shot nor has sufficient work rate for the pros. He reminds me the way that Clemson’s Frederico Moojen played; very successful in college but unable to transfer this to the pros. Against Jacksonville in Atlantic Sun finals, “Jata scored the second goal in the 31st minute with a head flick from 8 yards from a 35 yard Soto free kick. Jata crushed a 35 yard shot in the 40th minute that Sanchez had both hands on the ball before it bounced out of his hands and into the goal. Nice shot. Poor goal keeping. While Jata may be the Campbell’s best player, he needs to take the responsibility to jump start the attack. He didn’t do it and Campbell lost. “. Against Loyola (MD), “Jata jump started the Campbell attack when he came in for the last 10 minutes of the 1st half. His willliness to attack with his athletic ability was sorely needed by Campbell in the first half.”. Jata was coming back from injury.
37 C- Yes Sterling Flunder Marshall 3rd team Conference USA;
18 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 21 SH, .667 SOG%;
Transferred from Spokane CC after sophomore year; 2 time Region IV player; 4 year starter; Against Penn State, “Central midfielder senior Sterling Flunder made long accurate diagonal passes to Boateng. Flunder has exceptional speed and vision.”.
38 C- Yes Alex Grendi Pennsylvania At Combine
1st team Ivy;
18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 5 A, 43 SH, .326 SOG%;
2006 2nd team All-Ivy; 4 year starter; no comment against Brown; Against Penn State, “The first goal was scored by senior Alex Grendi in the 20th minute. Senior forward Andrew Ferry sent in a long pass to Grendi that he hit from 15 yards to the far post.”.
39 C- Yes Raphael Cox Washington At Combine
1st team Pac-10;
17 GP, 7 G, 6 A, 35 SH, .457 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Pac 10; transferred from Highline CC after sophomore year; 4 year starter; Against College of Charleston, “In the 12th minute, Raphael Cox megged Justin Fojo before holding off the second defender before driving a low hard shot that the goalie didn’t cover his goal.”. In 2007, no comment against SMU. Against NM, “Cox is an energetic player. He had several long crosses that weren’t connecting with the Washington targets. For example, in the 41st minute, he sent a curving cross that was intercepted by NM with Allen lurking.”.
40 C- No Ryan Moylan Drake 1st team MVC;
18/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 5 A, 23 SH, .348 SOG%;
2 year starter;
41 C- Yes Alfonso Motagalvan UCSB 2nd team Big West;
22/22 GP/GS, 4 G, 0 A, 19 SH, .474 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-Big West; Very fast; very aggressive; Against Rutgers, “The first goal was scored by senior DM Alfonso Motagalvan 6 yards from goal from a pass from Hedevag.”. Against Cal-Poly (TV), cycled back to center back after a Boxall injury. not a bad player, needed to play stronger. Very emotional able to take out of his game. In 2007, against SMU, “Bruno Guardo had a run from midfield where he was able to circle around the defenders, but UCSB midfielder Alfonso Motagalvan was able to catch him from behind.”.
42 C- No Andreas Andrews Holy Cross 1st team Patriot;
19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 23 SH, .391 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Patriot; 4 year starter;
43 C- No Kyle Urso New Hampshire 1st team American East;
18/18 GP/GS, 5 G, 5 A, 52 SH, .096 S%;
3 year starter;
44 C- Yes Phil Purdy American 1st team Patriot;
19/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 21 SH, .238 SOG%;
Against Gtown, “Purdy is a no-nonsense hitter. To me, he looks like Clint Howard with a mean streak. The first AU goal was scored by a Purdy PK, high, hard right of middle (kind of like his tackling)” & against Radford (exhibition), “Purdy is an extremely hard tackler. This type of bite is needed by someone else in the defense.” & “One of Zimmer’s best moves, he air dribbled Jamie Dravin before being destroyed by Purdy (earning a yellow card). It was the hardest foul that I saw in the preseason. Zimmer continued.”
45 C- Yes Garry Lewis UNC

24/23 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 28 SH, .571 SOG%;
Starter for 3.5 years; transferred from SJU after freshman year where he earned 2nd team all-Big East; No comments against MD. Against UCLA, “The biggest problem is in the midfield. While Cameron Brown has the vision and skill to play central midfield. Freshman Kirk Urso is the most talented player in the midfield. I don’t think that Garry Lewis and Callahan can thwarth attacks from unbalancing a talented defense. Too many attacks are coming from the midfield unchallenged.”. In 2007, against WF, “Shriver squandered a perfect pass from Garry Lewis in the 32nd minute that freed Shriver to a 1v1 with the goal keeper. His shot was blocked by Brian Edwards.”. no comments about Duke or UVA.

46 C- No Jokull Elisabetarson UNC Greensboro At Combine
1st team Southern Conference;
24/24 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 30 SH, .100 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-Southern Conference; 4 year starter; In the spring, “UNCG’s Jokull Elisabetarson is not playing this spring because of an unspecified injury.”. In 2007, against Furman (SoCon Final), “Junior defensive midifielder Jokull Elisabetarson (from Iceland) is a consistent performer. His ability to calm the ball is a priviledge to watch.”. Before 2007 season, “Last year, I went to several UNC-Greensboro matches to watch their 2 All-Americans (Scott Jones and Randi Patterson), but came away more impressed with the play of Junior Defensive Midfielder Jokull Elisabetarson. He’s a smart player with exceptional passing ability and terrific timing on his tackles. His corner kicks are bent with both the inside and outside of his foot.”.
47 D+ No Juan Obregon Appalachian State 2nd team Southern Conference;
18/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 0 A, 34 SH, .382 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Southern Conference; 4 year starter;
48 D+ Yes Takato Ban Furman

19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 10 SH, .400 SOG%;
2 year starter; not likely to make an immediate impact, but it’s possible that he could contribute in a few years. Against Bowling Green, “Ban is a good 1v1 defender and he has the ability to advance the ball up the right side.”. Against Kentucky (spring), “Ban made a good goal saving tackler on Maitland cutting through the box. He needs to keep his emotions in check. He was fouled and the opponent got a yellow. While on his back, Ban shoved his studs into the Kentucky player’s groin. If the ref had seen it, he would have been showed a straight red.”.

49 D+ Yes Mike DeSantis Massachusetts 2nd team Atlantic 10;
21/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 26 SH, .500 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-A10; 4 year starter; No comment against Charlotte; Against SLU, “The winning goal was set up by Arikian in the 109th minute.. He drove from midfield eluding a defender before making a killer move that put Angus on his butt 35 yards from goal. Arikian got the ball wide to sophomore Stuart Amick out near the corner of the box. With the SLU GK closing the angle, Amick shot the ball, it deflected (perhaps off the GK – I couldn’t tell) and senior Mike DeSantis finished from 5 yards into the open goal.”. Against William & Mary, “defender Tony Bassett delivered a long pass that senior Mike DeSantis head flicked the ball square to the far post to an open sophomore midfielder Chris Vaccaro. Vaccaro hit the shot from 8 yards that the goal keeper had no chance of stopping.”. In 2007, against UIC, “Cirillo sent in another cross to the center of the box to Mike DeSantis who finished from 5 yards out into the right side of the goal.”.
50 D+ Yes Patrick Marion California

21/21 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 30 SH, .367 SOG%;
Against MD, “Marion hit an open shot wide with just a minute remaining that should have tied the score. Sloppy defense at the end of the game for MD to leave anyone unguarded in the box.”. In 2007, against VT, “Nyarko beat (according to my notes it looks like 25, but there isn’t a 25 on the roster, remember I was wearing gloves for much of the game) I think it was Pat Marion. Nyarko beat him with speed.”.

51 D+ No Jona Andrade W. Illinois 1st team Summit;
20/19 GP/GS, 6 G, 1 A, 31 SH, .387 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Summit; 3 year starter;
52 D Yes Michael Konicoff Boston College

21/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 37 SH, .428 SOG%;
hmmmm…. I’ve seen BC play 4 times over the last two years and Konicoff has started every game and I didn’t record any notable remarks.

53 D Yes Eric Sweetin St. Louis

11/11 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG%;
2 time 1st team all-A10; Missing-in-action for the much of the end of 2008. There are better DM and 2 way center midfielder options; DNP against UMass; no comments against LaSalle; In 2007, against George Washington, “Junior midfielder Eric Sweetin showed his ability to hold the ball in the 39th minute. He made a few quick turns holding off 3 GW players. I liked how he came back so deep that he was able to continuously retrieve and distribute the ball without effective GW pressure.”

54 D TV Eric DeFreitas Tulsa

19 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 39 SH, .436 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-Conference USA; 4 year starter; In 2007 against Tulsa (TV) CUSA tourney, didn’t do anything noteworthy. Invisible for much of the game.

55 D Yes Matt Poole Virginia At Combine

20/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 12 SH, .500 SOG%;
4 year starter; All of his 2008 goals came via PKs. After playing center back for 3 years, played DM in 2008; Against WF, “Bone’s quick feet stole the ball from the sure feet of senior Matt Poole.” & “In extra time, Poole buried his third PK of the tournament setting up a MD rematch in the ACC tournament.”. Against Duke, “Poole crushed two PKs”. Against MD, “Poole was extremely composed on the ball. Disregarding all challengers. He has professional potential. I think he’ll play defense in the pros. Speed – might be the only thing that holds him up.”. Against Central Connecticut State, “Seconds into the second half, senior DM Matt Poole served freshman Brian Ownby. With one-touch, Ownby got into the box, then shot it into the goal for the final tally for UVA. Poole was unfazed with the CCSU pressure and calmly distributed the ball. I wrote this at HT. It continued in the second half.”. Against VCU, “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.”. Against WVU (exhibition), “Matt Poole headed the ball from the top of his box to #31 (not his real number), #31 received the ball in his half, passed it quickly to a breaking LaBauex who drove the ball from midfield to 35 yards from goal before looking away a breaking #31 on his left to deliver a precise pass that Mitchell hit first time. Poole was solid in the second half playing the defensive midfield position.”. In 2007, “Matt Poole had a very good game. He reads the game well and accurately predicts where the ball will be played. I need to watch him more carefully over the next 2 games. He makes tremendous defensive stops.”. Against Virginia Tech, “Matt Poole had a good game in central defense, popping up to stop plays when needed.”.

56 D No Kirk Labusch Stetson 2nd team Atlantic Sun;
17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 7 A, 32 SH, .562 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Atlantic Sun and 2007 1st team All-Atlantic Sun; 3 year starter
57 D TV Anton Peterlin Cal Poly 1st team Big West;
23/23 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 17 SH, .235 SOG%;
3 year starter; transferred from UC-Santa Cruz after freshman year; Against UCSB (TV), DM that had a tremendous game, shutting down Pontius for much of the game. Too slight, isn’t aggressive on transition – plays negative.
58 D No Dylan Curtis UC Davis At Combine
3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big West & BW MF POTY;
22/22 GP/GS, 5 G, 11 A, 32 SH, .562 SOG%;
2 year starter;
59 D No Rafael Macedo UC Irvine 2nd team Big West;
23/21 GP/GS, 5 G, 2 A, 26 SH, .308 SOG%;
2 year starter; In 2007 against UCSB (TV), played AM with minimal skill for the next level and lacking the work rate; surrendered the central midfield to UCSB just outside of the box;
60 D TV Santos Perez Michigan

12/10 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .000 S%;
3 year starter; upgrading; Against IU and MSU (TV, both), upgrading; key figure in central midfield for Michigan; good tackler, good passer; good college player; good bye; gave up the foul which led to the free kick that MSU scored on.

61 D No Carlos Pinto Oral Roberts 1st team Summit;
14/13 GP/GS, 6 G, 4 A, 32 SH, .375 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Summit (MCC); 3 year starter though suffered an injury in 2007;
62 D No Jean Alexandre Lynn At Combine
3rd team D2 All-American
19/19 GP/GS, 23 G, 7 A, 92 SH, .565 SOG%;
2 time 1st team D2 All-conference; moved to forward in his senior year; 4 year starter from Haiti;
63 D No Joel Crompton UC Riverside Honorable mention Big West;
19/18 GP/GS, 8 G, 1 A, 36 SH, .583 SOG%;
4 year starter;
64 D No Jack Smithson New Mexico 2nd team MPSF;
19/19 GP/GS, 4 G, 4 A, 19 SH, .368 SOG%;
2007 Honorable All-MPSF; 2006 3rd team All-MPSF; 3 year starter; in 2007, against UCSB, “NM junior Jack Smithson served in a cross to an open NM Chris Wright (that Iro was supposedly marking) that Wright crushed with his head that Bryant Rueckner saved.”.
65 D TV Mark Schmiegel Bucknell 2nd team Patriot;
19/19 GP/GS, 5 G, 2 A, 49 SH, .449 SOG%;
4 year starter;
66 D TV Alexandre Morisset Michigan

22/4 GP/GS, 0 G, 4 A, 16 SH, .000 S%;
3 year starter; Against IU and MSU (TV, both), upgrading; key figure in central midfield for Michigan; 1st touch lacking, passing erratic; outjumped for the free kick that MSU scored on.

67 D No Nick Heinrichs Gonzaga honorable mention WCC;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG%;
4 year starter;
68 D TV Leland Wright Portland

16/13 GP/GS, 3 G, 3 A, 21 SH, .381 SOG%;
Transferred from San Diego after freshman year; starter for vast majority of games for 4 years;

69 D No Jordan Crasilneck Vermont 1st team American East;
20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 10 A, 43 SH, .093 S%;
2 time 1st team All-American East and 1 time 2nd team All-American East; 4 year starter;
70 D No Dominic Oppong Buffalo 2nd team MAC;
16/12 GP/GS, 5 G, 0 A, 15 SH;
4 year starter; transferred from Cincinnati after sophomore years;
71 D Yes Dan McGarry Liberty 2nd team Big South;
15/11 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 19 SH;
transferred from Arcadia U (D3) after sophomore season, was a 1st team All-conference player for these 2 seasons; 4 year starter; No comments on his play after 3 games – High Point in 2008 and UNCA, Loyola in 2007.
72 D No Kemalie Preston Adelphi 1st team Atlantic Soccer;
16/15 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 39 SH;
2 year starter; transferred from St. Francis College after sophomore year;
73 D TV Masumi Turnbull Kentucky 3rd team Conference USA;
19/15 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 12 SH, .333 SOG%;
2 time 3rd team All-Conference USA; 2007 2nd team All-Conference USA; 4 year starter; Against Furman (spring) / Charleston (spring), “Lara, Turnbull and Halma pass well with each other and can play out of tight spaces.”.
74 D No Semso Nikocevic St. Francis (NY) 1st team Northeastern;
16/16 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 23 SH, .348 SOG%;
5′5″ – no other data available;
75 D No Gaby Seguin-Gauthier Albany 2nd team American East;
18/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 8 A, 22 SH, .045 S%;
4 year starter;
76 D Yes Brian Mascarenhas Pennsylvania 2nd team Ivy;
16/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG%;
3 year starter – though it was with Vanderbilt (2nd team MVC) as a freshman and with Penn in his junior and senior year; He was at Gtown in his sophomore year; no comment against Brown; Against Penn State, “The second goal was started by a quick touch from Omid Shokoufandeh to Brian Mascarenhas that he sent in from distance toward Ferry that took an odd bounce freezing the PSU defender [sorry missed identifying] and the goal keeper was in no-man’s land. Ferry chipped the goal keeper just 4 minutes after the first goal.”.
77 D No Hiroki Akiyama SJ State 2nd team MPSF;
17/16 GP/GS, 3 G, 6 A, 32 SH, .500 SOG%;
3 time 2nd team All-MPSF; 3 year starter;
78 D TV Julian Alvarez Cal Poly 2nd team Big West;
22/18 GP/GS, 6 G, 5 A, 34 SH, .529 SOG%;
2005 honorable mention All-Big West; 2 year starter; transferred from UC-Santa Cruz after freshman year; Against UCSB (TV), tiny left-footed AM that has a silky pass but was beaten with speed by Tetteh. Overall not a prospect.
79 D Yes Doug McBride William & Mary 3rd team CAA;
20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 13 SH, .231 SOG%;
4 year starter; against Winthrop, UMass, VCU (2007) no comments
80 D Yes Justin Leskow Binghamton 1st team American East;
21/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 24 SH, .083 S%;
Against UMBC, no notable comments; Against MD, “McAllister hit a Justin Leskow cross off the cross bar.” one of the few Binghamton chances;
81 D No Drew Jeskey NIU 2nd team MAC;
14/14 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 24 SH, .500 SOG%;
3 year starter;
82 D No Shane Westbrook UC Irvine 2nd team Big West;
15/13 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG%;
4 year starter; transferred from Boston U after freshman year; In 2007 against UCSB (TV), chippy player but lacks sufficient skills other than being an annoyance; surrendered the central midfield just outside of the box presenting UCSB too many open shots; too slow; continuously lost his mark on set pieces;
83 D No Brad Stisser Loyola-Marymount 2nd team WCC;
20/17 GP/GS, 3 G, 4 A, 50 SH, .280 SOG%;
Transferred from Coastal Carolina after freshman year; partial starter until senior year;
84 D Yes John Bello College of Charleston

21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 7 SH;
Sat out 2007, after having starting every game in 2006. Played DM in the 3 games that I saw of Charleston against Washington, Winthrop (spring) and Kentucky (spring) but never made a note of his play.

85 D- Yes Vinnie Berry Mount St. Mary’s 1st team Northeastern;
20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 5 A, 40 SH, .500 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-NEC; Starter for 3 years; Against Monmouth, “Berry had a good game. He was anticipating the second ball; stopping the Monmouth attack early. Then, he has the capability to start the attack. Kyle Patrick and Eric Detzel served in long balls that Berry and Wheeler were unable to convert.”. Against GW, “Berry needs to create more opportunities.”. Against Loyola (MD), “Berry struck a great diagonal that Scott Phinith lost before crossing. Berry and freshman Chris Wheeler combined in the second half that Kocis was able to stop.”.
86 D- Yes Pat Murray Furman At Combine
1st team Southern Conference;
18/17 GP/GS, 5 G, 6 A, 28 SH, .393 SOG%;
2 time 1st team all-SoCon; transferred from Vanderbilt after freshman year; against Bowling Green, “The first goal was scored by senior reserve forward Andrew Krysiak from 12 yards in the 81st minute. While the shot was nice, the play was contingent upon senior AM Patrick Murray driving into the box before delivering a square pass to Krysiak who took one touch to his left before striking the ball with authority. Murray was much more assertive in the second half – pushing the ball into dangerous positions. In the first half, he was taking too long to decide where to pass the ball. He needs to think quicker, anticipate where he wants to go and make the pass there. Analagously, it’s like the quarterback spending too much time in the pocket. At lower levels, you can get away with it, in the NFL, you get your head handed to you. Quicker.”. against Kentucky (spring) and Charlotte Eagles USL2 (spring) – no comments.
87 D- No Trey Gergory UAB 3rd team Conference USA;
15/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 16 SH, .188 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Conference USA; 2.5 year starter;
88 D- No Miguel Pinzon Gardner-Webb 1st team Big South;
11 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 28 SH;
3 year starter;
89 D- No Ryan Callahan Oregon State

19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 14 SH;
4 year starter;

90 D- No Kregory Hefner Holy Cross 2nd team Patriot;
16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .111 SOG%;
3 year starter;
91 D- No Eddie Ahman San Diego 2nd team WCC;
17/16 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG%;
Played 2 years at SD; 2 year starter;
92 D- TV Kenny Dix Wisconsin

19/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 21 SH, .095 S%;
2 year starter; in 2007, against Northwestern (B10), did not start and no comment;

93 D- Yes Keum Sung Kim Loyola (Ill) At Combine
1st team Horizon;
22 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 55 SH, .473 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-Horizon (earning 2nd team honors as a junior); 4 year starter; Against Butler, “Kim is a good wide midfielder who reminds me of Roger Espinoza (OSU last year and KC Wizards this year). He has a few good moves and he crosses well. Without Ferguson, he was missing one of his favorite targets. Regardless Kim was unable to assert himself sufficiently in this game.”. Against Santa Clara, “On the first goal, Ferguson one-timed a low corner kick from Keum Sung Kim.” & “Kim had both assists. He is very good on the ball and is critical in giving Loyola time to transition into their attack. Kim is confident with defenders draping on him and still delivers accurate crosses. On the second goal, Kim held the ball stopping and starting to finally drive the ball to the end line before sending a cross to the far post that junior right midfielder Alex Jones headed into the upper 90 in the 36th minute. “.
94 D- No T.J. Williams Lipscomb 2nd team Atlantic Sun;
19/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 4 A, 29 SH, .276 SOG%;
3 year starter; no idea what he was doing in 2005, did he lose a year of eligibility?
95 D- No Joe Taylor Villanova

19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 35 SH, .257 SOG%;
4 year starter

96 D- No Don Johnson Albany 2nd team American East;
18/13 GP/GS, 6 G, 2 A, 23 SH, .261 S%;
2.5 year starter ;
97 D- Yes Jira Cooley Marshall 3rd team Conference USA;
18 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 29 SH, .414 SOG%;
Starting only in his senior year; Against Penn State, “In the 61st minute, Sutton beat PSU freshmen Corey Hertzog and Justin Lee on the dribble, pulling more PSU defenders to him. Sutton squared the ball to team mate senior midfielder Jira Cooley near the center of the field 30 yards from goal. Cooley took a small touch to steady himself before crushing a shot just under the cross bar. The major difference between PSU and Marshall is that PSU had many more shots but none with the quality of Cooley’s strike.”.
98 D- No Dan McKallagat Cornell honorable mention Ivy;
16 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 16 SH, .333 SOG%;
3 year starter
99 D- No Kayo Emojong NJIT 2nd team Atlantic Soccer;
20/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 23 SH, .458 SOG%;
4 year starter
100 F TV Daniel Lopez SMU

17 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG%;
4 year starter; In 2007, against Washington, “SMU came out in the second half for the first 10 minutes with high energy. SMU brought 5 players off the bench who didn’t start in the first half. These new players (Gabriel Arrendono junior transfer from Tyler CC, junior Daniel Lopez, Manuel Mariel a junior transfer from UMBC in 2005, Aaron Chibli a junior transfer from Hartwick and freshman Chad Bauman) provided the spark to start the second half. I think it’s also a wake-up call from coach Schellas Hyndman that if you’re not playing well, he’ll find others that are hungry for minutes.”. Against UCSB, no comment.

101 F No Luke Jackson Denver Honorable mention MPSF;
19/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 11 SH, .545 SOG%;
part-time starter until this year;
102 F No Danny DeMasters Villanova

18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 30 SH, .333 SOG%;
2004 3rd team All-Big East; suffered a season-ending injury in 2005 and 2007 and chronic injuries in 2006;

103 F No Tracy Hasson Oregon State

19/14 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 11 SH;
Primarily a 2 year starter;

104 F Yes Chris Andaur Central Florida

13/8 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 19 SH, .579 SOG%;
After 4 years not being a starter is ominous to his future. Transferred from FIU to play for the young UCF team. Against ODU, started but his play was not notable.

105 F Yes Esteban Maldonado James Madison

12/2 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .000 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

106 F Yes Brad Ramsey Duke

11/2 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

107 F Yes Cline Beam Wake Forest

11/1 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

108 F No Miyad Movassaghi Cornell

2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%;
transferred from American after freshman year; starting the majority of games over 3 years;

[UPDATED: Final rankings]

[UPDATED: Pre-Combine ranking updates including GA]

After watching over 100 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 40 on TV, composed of 101 different teams, here is my assessment of the draftees seniors (and MLS acknowledged Generation Adidas underclassman). My rankings take into account the values of GA 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, Santa Clara, Cal and Washington live. I was unable to see some teams live, I’ve only seen on TV (e.g., Tulsa, Cal-Poly, Cal-Northridge, Memphis). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

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

Based upon feedback that I received last year, 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 2009. 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.

I’m sure that I’ve missed a player. More likely, I’m sure that someone feels that I’ve unjustly ranked a player. I’d like your feedback.

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

# Pos Gr See in 08? Name College Comment
1 A- Yes Kevin Alston Indiana GA
1st team All-B10;
24/24 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 26 SH, .462 SOG%;
Against OSU, “He received a well weighted through pass from junior Kevin Alston. Noschang alluded the goal keeper and shot into the open goal in the 55th minute. The IU defense was noticable different after Kevin Alston left with a minor leg injury midway through the second half.”. Against Akron, “MOTM Kevin Alston. He got forward delivering opportune crosses. He got back to break up Akron attacks. He earned a yellow in the 1OT period stopping Zakuani when he appeared to be going to goal.” & “Teal Bunbury had a few opportunities including at the beginning of the 2OT period that required a game saving clearance by Kevin Alston.”. Against Duke, “The first IU goal was scored by Kevin Alston in the 58th minute. He took a 35 yard shot that deflected off a Duke player and looped into the goal over the helpless Fitzgerald.”. In 2007, against OSU (B10), “Kevin Alston had a miserable game. He couldn’t control the ball and when he finally corralled it, his passing was off. This was not the same guy that I regaled about 2 days ago.”. Against MSU (B10), “Sophomore left back Kevin Alston has silky moves to complement his blazing speed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a GA next year, if not this year.”. Wow – I’m Nostradamus! Maybe not so much… Against MD, “Kevin Alston was fast and dangerous, creating opportunities against an over matched UMD RB, Rich Costanzo (had the assist, but had a rather poor game beside that). In the first half, beat Costanzo on the end line crossing for a clear opportunity with Swaim flailing that Salmon cleared.”.
2 A- Yes Rodney Wallace Maryland GA
2nd team All-ACC
25/25 GP/GS, 3 G, 3 A, 30 SH, .500 SOG%;
After watching countless MD games over the last several years, Wallace moved back from half back to left back to help MD fill a hole on their way to the NCAA championship. He gets forward often and comfortably (as a true midfielder does). He reminds me of former terp, Robbie Rogers. He may not be as fast as Rogers, but his guile and unrelenting aggressive is very similar. Against Creighton, “MD scored on a 30 yard free kick in the 30th minute from senior Mike Marchiano that found sophomore left back Rodney Wallace 8 yards from goal. Wallace flicked the ball into the far post at the goal line (can’t blame Holt’s height for that one).”. Against Cal, “Frei made a huge save in the 63rd minute on a creative heel from MD left back Rodney Wallace in the box to Jason Herrick that he struck with authority toward the far post. Frei dove to get the ball cradling the ball with his massive hands.”.
3 B+ Yes Omar Gonzalez Maryland GA
1st team NSCAA All-American; 1st team All-ACC;
26/26 GP/GS, 5 G, 1 A, 28 SH, .357 SOG%;
After watching countless MD games over the last several years, Gonzalez is a terrific as a target and defender on set pieces. For a player his size, he has good foot work on the dribble. His largest deficiency is the ability to cover quick cutting forwards. Many times, he’ll be flat footed when a through pass gets behind him. Against Cal, “Maryland scored the first goal in the 19th minute off a senior Graham Zusi corner kick to Omar Gonzalez’s head from 6 yards. Cal’s Jacob Wilson didn’t mark Gonzalez well on the goal nor on the subsequent corners in the first half. Gonzalez stated, “he felt that he was being marked similarly to how he’s been marked but that he used his body more to get open.” I disagree. “. Against BC, “Gonzalez was a mountain in the back and almost scored a goal from a Marchiano free kick in the second half.”.
4 B+ Yes Yohance Marshall South Florida At Combine
1st team CSN AA; 3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big East;
23 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 7 SH, .429 SOG%;
Previously 2nd and 3rd All-Big East team; 4 year starter; Against Gtown, “Marshall has the skill to occassionally attack out of the back. His defensive organization and his tackling reminds me of Julius James. Marshall is going to be successful. Could he be the best defender in the nation? Maybe.”. Against MD (exhibition), “Marshall is very good. He tackles well; he’s good in the air; overall a very accomplished defender. He may be one of the best defenders in the nation.”. In 2007 against UConn no comment.
5 B+ TV Chris Clements Tulsa At Combine
2nd team Conference USA;
18 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%;
2007 3rd team NSCAA All-American; 2007 1st team All-Conference USA; 2006 3rd team All-Conference USA; 4 year starter; In 2007 against Tulsa (TV) CUSA tourney, a poor game for him, give-aways near his box, passing not crisp, just not a good game for him.
6 B+ TV Michael Holody Michigan At Combine
3rd team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big 10;
22/22 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 35 SH, .514 S%;
2007 2nd team All-Big 10; 4 year starter; Against IU (TV), he lost his man in the box that led to the game winning goal early in the game. He’ll attack from the back especially when Michigan is down late. His shooting is above average for a defender. Holody is a good target. I question his first step on defense. I don’t think that he’ll be able to contain very quick forwards.
7 B Yes Rhett Bernstein Brown At Combine
1st team Ivy;
16/16 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 22 SH, .273 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-Ivy; Against Penn, “He has “good ups” and is the target of many of the set pieces. His 1v1 defending tonight was very good. He stopped an attack 1v1. He doesn’t take many touches on the ball instead relying on 1 touches to his DM or AM. I’m unsure of his ball skills. I think he deserves a shot at the combine. I think he’s got pro potential.” In 2007, against Rutgers, “Britner’s junior central defender partner Rhett Bernstein was more impressive. His ability in the air to clear the ball and to be a target on set pieces is valuable. Bernstein had the first assist. He delivered a 65 yard pass to senior forward Kevin Davies in stride in the 55th minute that Davies was able to chip over the on-rushing Rutgers goal keeper. Beautiful pass/beautiful shot. Bernstein should be watched next year when he doesn’t have 2 seniors anchoring the back line with him.”
8 B Yes Calum Angus St. Louis At Combine
1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team Atlantic 10;
16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 10 SH, .300 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-American; 2 time 1st team All-A10; 4 year starter; Against UMass, “Angus only passes to Patterson or Ream, because he trusts them with the ball. He won’t pass it to Aranda. If Angus plays in MLS, I think that he may earn the unique distinction of being equally hated by his team mates and his opponents. He whines about everything – the ref, the weather, his team mates, etc. He’s very talented. The only thing that exceeds his talent is his self-image of his talent which far surpasses reality.” & “Arikian drove from midfield eluding a defender before making a killer move that put Angus on his butt 35 yards from goal. Arikian got the ball wide to sophomore Stuart Amick out near the corner of the box. With the SLU GK closing the angle, Amick shot the ball, it deflected (perhaps off the GK – I couldn’t tell) and senior Mike DeSantis finished from 5 yards into the open goal.”. 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. ” & “Brian Barry pressured Tim Ream to lose the ball in the SLU half. Barry dropped the ball to senior Daniel Heavey who crossed it into the middle. Calem Angus cleared the cross but not well enough. Freshman Tom Kalpokas gathered the clearance and drove the ball into the box shooting a low driven shot into the left side of the goal”. In 2007, against Duke, “Angus had a terrific long diagonal that hit Barklage on a rope at his foot. Angus started to just “kick” the long ball – is he enamored with the direct game? I’m not as impressed.”.
9 B Yes Brad Rusin UCLA 1st team Pac-10;
20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 16 SH, .312 SOG%;
3 time honorable mention All-Pac 10 in 1st 3 years at UCLA; 4 year starter; Tall powerful player, average speed; Against UNC, “After sleep walking through the first half, UCLA came out to win this game by dictating the rhythm except for a small window that UNC capitalized on an ill-advised hand ball by senior central defender Brad Rusin. Minutes later he acquitted himself by scoring the equalizer goal.” & “Griffin didn’t have a good game regardless that he got the assist when Fernando Monge passed him the ball. His assist came from a header that he “purposely” sent wide of the goal to an awaiting Rusin. Griffin should have ended the game in the second minute of OT when Arreola delivered a ball to forward playing Rusin. Rusin headed it back into the center of the box to a wide-open Griffin 3 yards from goal. Griffin headed it wide! This may have actually been harder to miss than hit. This missed goal was similar to the goal that UCLA scored on MD on FSC earlier this year.”.
10 B Yes Wes Knight College of Charleston At Combine
1st team Southern Conference;
21/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 14 SH;
“”; 4 year starter; played RB for the 3 games that I watched. Against Washington, I don’t identify Knight by name because the defense was so inept to single out just one player, “CofC doesn’t play good defense. They allow people to hang around the box unmarked. Their transitional defense is even worse. They are as organized as the “Running of the Brides” at Filene’s Basement. CofC start 3 seniors and a sophomore. They are too unorganized to actually have been paying attention for the past 3 years.” Against Winthrop (spring), “Knight is a good dribbler.”.
11 B TV Dave Hertel Michigan State At Combine
1st team Big 10;
20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 23 SH, .043 S%;
3 year starter; in 2007, against IU (B10 Tournament) “In the second half, defender David Hertel combined with junior Doug DeMartin slicing the IU defense until Stevning was able to flick the ball away at the top of the box for a MSU CK.”. Against Penn State, “Junior left back David Hertel has good ball skills for a defender. I like his game.”.
12 C+ Yes Darrius Barnes Duke At Combine
2nd team ACC;
19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .444 SOG%;
3 year starter; against UVA in the ACC tourney, “Grella hooked the free kick onto senior central defender Darrius Barnes’ head that he buried from 5 yards. I like the way that Darrius Barnes plays defense – even though he was torched for the last goal. In the 57th minute, UVA was awarded an awful PK on a Barnes tackle on Jimmy Simpson. “. Against MD, “Barnes is a weapon. His agility on set pieces is dangerous when attacking and settling on defense. Additionally, his long throw-ins are equally dangerous. He is a heady player getting to the right place at the right time. He didn’t have a flawless game; he allowed a ball to bounce over his head in the closing minutes of the first half that Casey Townsend was unable to put past goal Brendan Fitzgerald.” Against ND, “I like Darrius Barnes. He didn’t have a good game nor did Pavelid Castaneda. Going to 3 in the back, bled 2 additional goals on Duke in the second half. “. Against IU, “Junior defender Matthew Thomas is a liability in the back. Right before half time, he almost generated an own goal by heading the ball past his approaching GK. Only a heroic effort by Darrious Barnes allowed Duke to end the half with a scoreless tie. When senior Graham Dugoni returns from injury, Thomas will return to the bench. Barnes is a pretty good player.”.
13 C+ Yes Tim Gabel Ohio State 2nd team Big 10;
20/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 4 A, 27 SH, .037 S%;
3 year starter; 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. “. In 2007, against WF, “While not known at the time, the game was decided in the 20th minute with OSU up 1-0. Tim Gabel had been fighting a “strained groin” that prevented him from playing against Bradley but he suffered to compete against UMass on Friday night. Before the game, I was informed that Gabel was affected and that OSU planned to replace him with Lomnicki if the groin worsened. In the 18th minute, Gabel and WF right midfielder Michael Lahoud both struck the ball at the same time which seemed to re-injure Gabel. He limped around before calling to come out. Lomnicki was unable to successfully replace Gabel.”. 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.”. Against Michigan, “Balc finished from 8 yards on a long pass (40 yards) from Tim Gabel that he brought down on his chest with a soft touch and slotted into the near post.”.
14 C+ Yes Evan Brown Wake Forest At Combine

24/22 GP/GS, 2 G, 8 A, 16 SH, .438 SOG%;
2.5 year starter; Against NC State, “The second goal was scored by senior right back Evan Brown on a crushing shot. Brown picked up a poor clearance by Lucas Carpenter in the 40th minute.”. Against South Carolina, “Brown serves a dangerous hooking corner kick that had Maurer flailing within the box.”. In 2007, Against OSU (NCAA), “Evan Brown had a dreadful day. He wound up resorting to grabbing Espinoza’s shirt and shorts on separate occasions.”. Against Clemson, “Jamie Franks made a long feed to Evan Brown who got around the corner and made an accurate cross to a sliding Cody Arnoux for the first goal.”. Against Bradley, “The second and third goals had some similarities. Cody Arnoux dropped the ball to Evan Brown who was supporting him 25 yards out near the sideline. Brown crossed the ball dropping it on to the head of an open Tracy 3 yards from goal that the GK had no chance to stop. Goal – Tracy. 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.”. Against Akron, “Zakuani is going to turn a lot of heads. He’s very fast and he will get around the corner on many defenders. In the first half, he did exactly this with a quick turn on his first touch that made Evan Brown a spectator. When he got near the end line, his cross just missed an advancing Ampaipitakwong.”.

15 C+ Yes Lyle Adams Wake Forest At Combine

24/24 GP/GS, 3 G, 3 A, 17 SH, .529 SOG%;
4 year starter; has the speed and ball skills to get forward from his left back position; amazingly overlooked, but has professional skills; will need to prove that he can mark 1v1 professional forwards. Against UVA, “Wenzel tied the game to send it to overtime from a Jamie Franks corner kick that Lyle Adams flicked from the near post to the far post onto Wenzel’s stomach and into the goal.”. Against NC State, “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.”. Against South Carolina, “Morrissey headed the ball past Fitzgerald on a set piece that senior defender Lyle Adams cleared off the line to preserve the win. So, the “team” *cough* Adams had as many saves as the GK.”. In 2007, against OSU (NCAA), “Geoff Marsh was disappointing to me. I expected that he would be terrorizing the right side getting behind Lyle Adams. He wasn’t successful.”. Against Clemson, “On their only goal, Clemson senior forward David Bell got around WF Lyle Adams (like he was standing still – because he was!) and made a good cross to junior forward Michael Brooks who slotted the ball into the far post to even the score in the 72nd minute.” & “While I like his ability to get forward, he will need to be able to man mark faster wings at the next level.”. Against Bradley, “Lyle Adams was taking many long shots. This was playing into BU plan.”. Against Akron, “Adams started at left midfield and moved back to left back when WF injuries occurred. He has professional possibilities. He’s fast, tall and can handle the ball.”.

16 C Yes Seth Sinovic Creighton Not at Combine;
1st team MVC;
20/20 GP/GS, 3 G, 6 A, 29 SH, .414 SOG%;
Moved from left midfield to left back during the year. Against MD, “Sinovic is a good defender but I am not sure if he has sufficient ball skills for MLS.”. I wonder if he can defend 1v1 well enough.
17 C Yes Matt Besler Notre Dame At Combine
1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big East;
21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 13 SH, .077 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Big East; 3 year starter; no comment against Duke; against Akron, “It started when Zakuani megged Jack Traynor entering the top corner of the box, he went around Matt Besler with a simple shoulder fake, going to the end line before crossing it back Ampaipitakwong at the 6 for the last goal in the 79th minute. Game over.”. In 2007, against Gtown, “Junior central defenders Cory Rellas and Matt Besler are tremendous in the back. Specifically, Besler is a weapon with his long throw-ins and his dribbling skills. I like his tackling.”.
18 C No David Sias UC Irvine 1st team Big West & BW D POTY;
22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .200 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Big West; 4 year starter; In 2007 against UCSB (TV), central defender with a leaky defensive corp surrounding him; bled 4 goals, doesn’t close enough, competes and didn’t surrender;
19 C Yes Ian Daniels Oakland 1st team Summit;
20/20 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 11 SH, .545 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Summit; 4 year starter; Against IUPUI, “central back Ian Daniel is steady in the back. He has good foot skills, but he is a little slight.”; against Bucknell and Towson (both in spring), no comment.
20 C Yes A.J. Delagarza Maryland At Combine
2nd team ACC;
26/26 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 1 SH, 1.000 SOG%;
4 year starter; under-sized center back that wasn’t able to play wide back to fill a MD need when he was a freshman and junior. Reads the game very well; marginal prospect; potentially “that guy” that seems to overcome against all odds; against Creighton, “Even stay-at-home center back Delagarza took a foray into the Creighton box to earn a MD corner kick.”. Against UNC in ACC tournament, “Delagarza had a good game doing what he does best. Stopping passes from coming into the area before they become a problem.”. Against UVA (regular season), “Delagarza was huge in this game. His timing on his tackles is clinical. He is such a smart player. It’s too bad that he has been unable to play wide defender, because he is just too small to play central defender in the next level.”. Against Duke, “Under-sized center back A. J. Delagarza is money in the back. He is very quick, but he positions himself well. He does very well except against very fast and/or very technical (quick passing teams) – such as Wake Forest.”. Against USF (exhibition), “Left back is still a question mark for MD with Alex Lee playing the first half, Kevin Tagney starting the second, relieved by Flatley with Tagney finishing the game. It is possible for A. J. Delagarza to slide over – but he hasn’t been successful as wide back the last couple of years. Moving Rodney Wallace back to left back is an option that wouldn’t be the best utilization of his talent. Lee or Tagney would be the favorite.”. What do I know? LOL; Against Alumni (spring), “Over the last 2 years, Spenser Allen has manned an outside back position. Who will replace him? The likely candidates are A. J. Delagarza and Sean Flatley. I don’t think that Flatley can be successful out wide and I don’t think Delagarza plays outside very well, either. He’s much better in the middle, reading the game. I didn’t see any answers yesterday. I don’t have the answer, but I don’t think Flatley or Delagarza out wide is the answer.”. HEY, maybe I know something – LOL;
21 C Yes Ossie Michalsen Akron 2nd team MAC;
16/13 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%;
After being a 3 time first team All MAC, this year he dropped to the second team. In the four games that I’ve seen Akron play over the last 2 years, he hasn’t started any of them. He came on late against Notre Dame in the first game of 2008, but he did nothing notable. Michalsen missed the first two games from injury. Those were the games that I attended.
22 C Yes Jide Ogunbiyi Santa Clara At Combine
1st team WCC;
20/14 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 16 SH, .062 SOG%;
3 times honorable mention; 4 year starter; vacilated between playing defense and forward. Not a prolific scorer – best season was 6 goals; Against Loyola (Ill), “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.” & “Ogunbiyi has boatloads of skill. He turns quickly, a huge target and an accomplished passer. I’m disappointed with his defensive effort that allowed the first goal. He needs to do more than take up space.”.
23 C No Dan Schultz Boston University 1st team American East;
21/21 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .000 S%;
2nd team All-American East; 3 year starter;
24 C Yes Paul Gerstenberger Boston College At Combine

19/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 19 SH, .316 SOG%;
Not as impressive in the 2008 ACC tournament as he was in the 2007 ACC tournament. Against MD in the ACC tournament, “Gerstenberger did not start the second half, because of a leg injury. MD didn’t capitalize on his absence.” Against Clemson in the ACC tournament, “Gerstenberger whips in a good cross. He has a big body and is a good fit for the next level.”. IN 2007, against VT in the ACC tournament, “MOTM is junior left back Paul Gerstenberger. He’s a player. He can get forward and serves the ball well. He was credited with the first BC goal in the 29th minute. He drove the ball to the touch line escaping from VT Brian Collier. Gerstenberger served a square pass that VT central defender knocked into the goal. In my opinion, this was an own goal. However, the official scorer ruled it a BC scored goal. ok. Gerstenberger picked up an assist on the second goal. Karl Reddick touched the ball to Gerstenberger who served a long pass onto the head of Sherron Manswell that he touched past the VT goal keeper in the 32nd minute. Gerstenberger plays good defense. However, he over-rotates his hips on push moves that sets him up for cut moves. I think this is correctable. I expect that he’ll be a very good professional defender after he graduates next year. I don’t expect that he’ll leave early.”. Against UVA in the 2007 ACC tournament, “Gerstenberger impressed me. His first touch was sweet. He partakes in the BC corners and free kicks. In the 76th minute, Gerstenberger took a thunderful (should I trademark this word?) free kick that had the freshman UVA goal keeper unable to get out of the way for the goal bound shot.”

25 C Yes Trevor Banks Old Dominion At Combine
1st team CAA;
19 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 40 SH, .350 SOG%;
2 time all-CAA; All Freshman team in 2004; 4 year starter; Against UCF, “Banks is playing right back. This might be a good long-term position for him to learn, because I don’t think that he has the talent to play midfield or forward in the pros. Banks really turned it on with the loss imminent in the last 15 minutes of the game. His passing from the back and his crosses are weapons that ODU could use in the impotent attack.”. Against Gtown (spring) “I liked Trevor Banks out wide better than up top of in the middle. He still wasn’t able to lead his team consistently with quality offensive opportunities. For ODU to be successful, he will need to put his stamp on this team.”. Against South Carolina (spring), “Banks spends too much time on the ball. In the second half, he allowed 3 defenders to converge on him. He will need to provide service much quicker if ODU is going to have a chance to be successful.”. In 2007, against Towson, “Trevor Banks had a good game. I still don’t think that he’s a MLS quality player.”. Against MD, “Banks is a quick college attacker, I don’t think he has MLS skill, though.”.
26 C TV Michael Coburn Memphis 1st team Conference USA;
16 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 20 SH, .450 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Conference USA; 4 year starter;
27 C No Alen Husidic Illinois – Chicago 2nd team Horizon;
22/22 GP/GS, 2 G, 3 A, 11 SH, .273 SOG%;
Attended 2 years at College of Lake County (Comm. College) without playing soccer, losing 1 year of eligibility; 2.5 years as a starter; In 2007, against UMass (NCAA), “I have no idea why junior right back Alen Husidic felt compelled to taunt the crowd after the UIC goal. Perhaps, he has done this at other times to inspire his team or to take some pressure off his teammates. However, I wasn’t impressed and it appeared to me to be childish. It’s not like UMass was getting on UIC excessively (no more than any home team). A. Husidic (his brother is Bambi on ice) is a solid passer and made several forays into the UMass penalty area. I believe that he was responsible for unsuccessfully marking both UMass goal scorers though I’d like to review the tape to confirm this assertion.”.
28 C- Yes Otto Loewy Winthrop Not at Combine;
1st team Big South;
21 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 8 SH, .125 SOG%;
3 time 1st team All-Big South; Against William & Mary, “Center back Otto Loewy was on crutches by half time. He severely bruised his ankle early in the first half and limped around until half time. Loewy’s speed and his jumping ability caught my eye last week. So, I wanted a second look. I wouldn’t mind taking a look at this tape to see Loewy’s positioning on the first 2 goals. While Loewy was a 1st team Big South player, he doesn’t get the respect and the notice that other players on Winthrop get. For example, they spelled Loewy’s name wrong on the cover of the Winthrop media guide. I wonder if Loewy will get an invite to the MLS combine – I don’t think he will, but he might be that player that comes out of nowhere.”. WRONG – invited to combine. Against VMI, “Loewy has a good body but he has sick speed. I’d like to see if he can play 1v1 defense against a talented forward. He has potential especially with his speed.”. No comment against Charleston (spring), UNCW (spring) and High Point (2007).
29 C- Yes Jordan Graye UNC

23/23 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 8 SH, .375 SOG%;
starter in his senior year; Against MD, “Graye allowed Hall and Wallace space in the box on his side. I’ve seen him play better.”. Against UCLA, “Graye is atheltic and complements Loyd making runs to the end line, as well. Additionally, he makes a good target on set pieces. He was covering UCLA’s target man – Brad Rusin.”. In 2007, against WF, “Graye continued to impress with his speed and power in the back. I think he might be a sensation next year, because he certainly has the talent.”.

30 C- Yes Oscar Castillo Connecticut At Combine
3rd team Big East;
21/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .000 SOG%;
After transferring from D3, Mt. San Antonio College after 2006 season, 2 year starter for UConn. Against Depaul – no comments. Against Gtown, “In the opening seconds of the second half, 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?”. Against SJU – no comments. In 2007, no comments against USF and VT. Fast player that doesn’t get forward enough.
31 C- Yes Alex Yoshinaga Notre Dame 1st team NSCAA AA; 1st team Big East;
21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .333 SOG%;
4 year starter; against Duke, “Grella stepped in front of Alex Yoshinaga to steal possession. ” & “The Alex Yoshinaga right back experiment continued. He has never played right back at ND. While I have like his defensive ability in past years, I’m not sure that he plays right back well enough in college never mind in the pros. For example, all defenders know that in your box that you want to head the ball upward (it gives the defense time to either retrieve or cover the opponent). Yoshinaga headed the ball down into the middle of his own box. I’d like to see him at the end of the year if this experiment continues to watch his progress.”. Against Akron, “In the second half, seniors Jack Traynor and Alex Yoshinaga played the left and right back, respectively. Both were consistently and frequently burnt by the explosive Akron forward duo. In Yoshinaga, I’ve only seen him play midfield, so I thought it was a good development to see him play back. In retrospect, it wasn’t good for him! Traynor and Yoshinaga both have superior ball skills and passing ability.”. In 2007, against Gtown, Yoshinaga is flexible playing central midfield, defense and outside midfielder. During this game, he worked effectively with right back, Ryan Miller. Yoshinaga is draft quality. He’s good on set pieces, though Lapira insisted that he take most of them. Against UCLA, “Yoshinaga teamed up with Jack Traynor to cause havoc on the left side.”.
32 C- Yes Jack Traynor Notre Dame At Combine
2nd team Big East;
21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 20 SH, .300 SOG%;
increased honors from honorable mention to 3rd team All Big East in his sophomore and junior years; 4 year starter; Against Duke, “This wasn’t a game that Grella would put on his resume. He earned a corner by pressuring Matt Armstrong in the box, made a terrific pass to sophomore Nick Sih that went over jumping senior Jack Traynor. Sih didn’t get to it – but should have been able to get to it. “. Against Akron, “It started when Zakuani megged Jack Traynor entering the top corner of the box, he went around Matt Besler with a simple shoulder fake, going to the end line before crossing it back Ampaipitakwong at the 6 for the last goal in the 79th minute. Game over.” & “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 the second half, seniors Jack Traynor and Alex Yoshinaga played the left and right back, respectively. Both were consistently and frequently burnt by the explosive Akron forward duo. …Traynor and Yoshinaga both have superior ball skills and passing ability.”. In 2007, against Gtown, “Jack Traynor is still injured and did not play. This should be a concern for ND fans in this year’s NCAA tournament. However, as a junior, I expect that he’ll be back for next year’s season.”. Against UCLA, “Lapira was able to get his head on the ball and direct it toward the middle of the box. This touch gave him the space to calmly bury the ball into the box. On the play, Jack Traynor made a wide run that UCLA was forced to cover. This type of play illustrates why ND is successful – unselfish play.” & “Yoshinaga teamed up with Jack Traynor to cause havoc on the left side.”.
33 C- TV Ryan Mirsky SMU At Combine

14 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 8 SH, .250 SOG%;
2006 3rd team All-Conference USA; 4 year starter; In 2007, against Washington, “Kevin Forrest made a supporting run down the middle of the field covered by SMU defender Ryan Mirsky. With Allen approaching, Sandbo closed the angle, Mirsky shaded toward Allen. From 25 yards, Allen curled a ball onto Forrest’s foot that he shot into the unguarded net.”. Against UCSB, no comment.

34 C- No Liam Parrington Hartwick 1st team MAC;
18/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 10 SH, .600 SOG%;
No info on Hartwick site;
35 C- No Ed Brand SJ State 1st team MPSF;
17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-MPSF; 2007 2nd team All-MPSF; 2005 Honorable All-MPSF; 4 year starter;
36 C- No Nikola Katic W. Illinois 2nd team Summit;
20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 3 A, 9 SH, .111 SOG%;
2006 NJCAA All-American at Illinois Central College (CC), 4 year starter;
37 C- No Daniel Leach Oregon State 2nd team Pac-10;
17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 13 SH;
3 time Honorable mention All-Pac 10; 4 year starter;
38 C- No Billy Gustafson Niagara 1st team MAAC;
20/20 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 13 SH, .615 SOG%;
2006 2nd team All-MAC;
39 C- Yes Bryan Ruff Drexel 2nd team CAA;
16/16 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG%;
2007 1st team all-CAA; against UMBC, “central defender Bryan Ruff got a second yellow in the second OT period (according to the box score). He is a terrific tackler – hitter. He makes players hurt when they have the audacity to come into his area. I like physical defenders – but he needs to control himself better (again, I didn’t see either yellow). He picked up 2 yellow cards in 12 minutes of OT. Also, why was Ruff wearing #29 instead of #21.” & “Ermold is critical on the Drexel throw-in set piece near the box. Ruff starts on the goal side of Ermold, running toward the thrower sideline before hooking behind Ermold. Senior right back Pat McCaffery throws in the ball to Ermold’s head who flicks it behind him to Ruff breaking toward the goal. Not a bad idea – it didn’t work. “. The problem is that a set piece for Ruff only garnered 1 goal in a year. Not very good. Additionally, I am skeptical that he has sufficient ball skills for the next level. In 2007, against ODU, “Junior central defender Bryan Ruff makes bone-jarring tackles. He has a nasty streak that I like! He makes that little extra touch, push, shove, kick, etc. For an opponent, it can be tiresome and annoying. Again, I like it! Defenders that hate a little bite can be successful. He is terrific in the air. Most of his passes were low risk/low reward. I can see him getting drafted next year.” (I’ve changed my mind since 2007) & “Norwegian freshman Stig Haddal got upset with having his face stepped on by Ruff. Haddel lost his composure and it affected his game.”
40 C- No Anthony Anzevui Sacred Heart 2nd team Northeastern;
16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .200 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-NEC; 4 year starter;
41 C- Yes Pavelid Castaneda Duke At Combine

20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 13 SH, .545 SOG%;
3 year starter; against UVA in the ACC tourney, “Matthew Thomas is struggling to contain Brian Ownby’s speed in the first half. In the second half, senior Pavelid Castaneda had the same problem.”. Against MD, no comment. Against ND, “… didn’t have a good game nor did Pavelid Castaneda. Going to 3 in the back, bled 2 additional goals on Duke in the second half. Missing senior central defender Graham Dugoni was a huge loss. Ibeagha doesn’t have the passing skills that Castenada has. Additionally, with a physically strong ND forward Bright Dike, Ibeagha would have been a better match-up than Castenada”.

42 C- No Bolade Ogunmade Mercer 1st team Atlantic Sun;
18/18 GP/GS, 7 G, 1 A, 24 SH, .458 SOG%;
Transferred from Northern Oklahoma College (NJCAA) after sophomore year; 2 year starter at Mercer; All-American at Northern Oklahoma College in Sophomore year;
43 C- No Daniel Gwyther Buffalo 1st team MAC;
20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 3 A, 14 SH;
2 time 2nd team All-MAC; 4 year starter;
44 D+ Yes Karol Wasielewski Syracuse Honorable mention: Big East;
17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 7 SH, .286 SOG%;
2 year starter before transferring from playing with Polish youth national team; Against Cincinnati, “… is a battler in the back and is effective man marking.” I really like the way that he played. He may be one of those players that fly under the radar – low risk, high reward.
45 D+ Yes Chris Brown Massachusetts 1st team Atlantic 10;
21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 11 SH, .455 SOG%;
4 year starter; Against Charlotte, “Brown clearances aren’t taken with confidence instead he was just kicking the ball away – unacceptable at the next level.”. Against SLU, “Brown made an acrobatic clearance to stop a through ball. He reads the game quickly. Brown is good in the air in defending corner kicks.”. Against William & Mary, nothing personally, “Pretty weak UMass defense.”. In 2007, No comment against OSU in NCAA. Against UIC, “Trout (not a starter but has oodles of talent) sent in a corner kick that UMass defender Chris Brown headed away from the goal. But, the ball was landed nicely for Giffin to hit first time from just outside of the box.”.
46 D+ No Pat McMahon Illinois – Chicago

22/22 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 10 SH, .700 SOG%;
4 year starter; In 2007, against UMass (NCAA), “I really like the way that junior Pat McMahon and freshman Robert Younger patrol the central defense.”.

47 D+ Yes Dirk Dittrich VCU 1st team CAA;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .000 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-CAA; 2006 1st team All-Atlantic Sun while at Gardner-Webb for his freshman and sophomore years ; 4 year starter; Against UNCW, “In the first 17 seconds of the second half, a poor clearance by senior VCU central defender Dirk Dittrich that was a lazy lollipop ball that junior midfielder Caito Heiland was able to calm with his first touch before hitting a low bouncing ball into the far right corner of the goal was all the scoring that UNCW needed to win.”. Against George Mason, “Senior central defender Dirk Dittrich is a solid tackler and he is a heady player.”. Against UVA, “The second goal was started from a Dos Santos corner kick finding senior central defender Dirk Dittrich deep in the box. Dittrich headed the ball across the goal face to fellow German sophomore Jorit Loehr who powered it with his head into the goal with less than 15 minutes to play.”. Against Gtown (spring), “Dittrich needs to provide more leadership and direction to his young defenders.”. In 2007, against William & Mary, “I like central defender Dirk Dittrich. He’s strong in the air and is able to man mark well.”. Against MD (exhibition), “Central defenders Jorit Loehr and Dirk Dittrich were solid anchoring the back line.”.
48 D+ Yes Henry Kalungi Winthrop 1st team Big South;
19 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 26 SH, .308 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Big South; 2007 2nd team All-Big South; Against William & Mary, “left back Henry Kalungi had a terrible game. His touch was off. His passing was pathetic and his ability to identify and cover late deep runs was a source of concern that was never solved. Kalungi was suspended for 2 Big South tournament games. So, I missed seeing him this fall – though he was much better in the spring.” & “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.” & “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.”. Against UNCW (spring), “Kalungi patrols the defense, using his speed and size to squelch attacks.” – he’s better in the middle. In 2007, against High Point, “I don’t care for junior central defender Henry Kalungi (from Uganda). His first touch is usually a clunker. He’s a tall player but he doesn’t run very well. He is a target on set pieces.”.
49 D+ Yes Richard Costanzo Maryland

26/26 GP/GS, 0 G, 6 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG%;
4 year starter; B10 Freshman of the year in 2004; transferred from Penn State after freshman year; against George Mason, “Costanzo continues to play confidently. “. Against UNC (ACC), “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.”. Against Lehigh, “In the first half, Yates didn’t read the game (or anticipate the play) after a pair of good crosses from senior Rich Costanzo followed by another cross back to the far post by Hall that Yates didn’t get to but could have in the box if he had got to the right place.”. Against USF (exhibition), “Junior midfielder (transfer from Stetson) Armante Marshall created the game winning goal. First entering the game with 18 minutes remaining, Marshall flew down the left sideline, eluding Costanzo with a pasa de vaca (pass the cow). “.

50 D+ Yes Dan Bulls UMBC

17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 17 SH, .118 S%;
3 year starter; marginal prospect. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a private try-out gaining a spot in training camp. It may take him some time in USL to evolve his game to the MLS level. Against Binghamton, “Dan Bulls is playing right back which surprised me. His passing is top notch. He had one of the better opportunities in the first half. Senior Bulls dribbled past a Binghamton defender before distributing to his younger brother, freshman sensation Andrew Bulls, at the top of the box. “. No comment about Drexel or 2007 Spring – Navy.

51 D+ Yes John Pardini Fordham 1st team Atlantic 10;
18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 5 A, 27 SH, .481 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All A10 team; 4 year starter; against Dayton no comment.
52 D+ No Colin Jones Denver 1st team MPSF;
18/17 GP/GS, 4 G, 2 A, 27 SH, .296 SOG%;
3 year starter; 2007 honorable mention All-MPSF;
53 D+ Yes Douglas Nyame Liberty 2nd team Big South;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 2 SH;
transferred from Anderson U (D2) after sophomore season, was a 1st team All-conference player and 2nd team All-conference during these 2 seasons; 4 year starter; No comments on his play after 3 games – High Point in 2008 and UNCA, Loyola in 2007.
54 D+ Yes Graham Dugoni Duke

7/4 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, 1.000 SOG%;
3 year starter before succumbing to injuries in 2008; against MD, “Coming back from injury, senior defender Graham Dugoni is essential for organizing the defense. Duke played much more confidently in the second half with Dugoni playing.”. He didn’t last the year. He is a good player when healthy, but his health is a serious question. He might be a tremendous value as a late pick, but I fear that he wouldn’t last long before injury;

55 D+ Yes Barry Neville Binghamton 1st team American East;
21/21 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 14 SH, .071 S%;
2 time 1st team All-American East; Against UMBC and MD, no notable comments.
56 D+ Yes David Tyrie Central Connecticut State 1st team Northeastern;
14/11 GP/GS, 5 G, 0 A, 17 SH, .471 SOG%;
3 time 1st team all-NEC; against UVA, “CCSU were unable to handle the UVA speed of play.” Tyrie was involved in the play when freshman sensation Chris Agorsor damaged his ACL ending his season.
57 D+ TV Ryan Imamura Stanford 2nd team Pac-10;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 9 SH, .556 SOG%;
2 year starter; 6th year senior! On TV, against Creighton, good anticipation, average in the air; headed the ball back into the center of his box(?); loses Thayer in the box on long throw-in from Sinovic that directly leads to the Finley goal; mis-hit inside his box led to a problem at the top of his box; too old; just not enough;
58 D Yes Bryan Collier Central Florida

19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 16 SH, .500 SOG%;
Transferred from VT. Against ODU, “Collier set a good leadership example by running himself to near unconsciousness in the heat by playing the first 85 minutes.” In 2007, against Cal in the NCAA, “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.” & against SJU (again in 2007), “VT has a pair of quality outside defenders, senior Scott Spangler on the left and junior Bryan Collier on the right. Both have good speed and are competent on the ball.”

59 D Yes James Suevo Temple 2nd team Atlantic 10;
19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 15 SH, .400 SOG%;
4 year starter; Against George Washington, “On set pieces, senior central defender James Suevo outjumps players of his size (or bigger). He’s a good target for his size. He did this to GW’s Kory Trott, twice in 2 minutes.” & “Stadler scored 2 more goals to lead GW (at that time) with 12 goals. The first was a long pass from GK Matt Scheer that got over Suevo’s head (guess he didn’t jump high enough on this play). It bounced 25 yards from goal and Stadler hit it as it came down right past the goal keeper in the 3rd minute.”. Against Colgate (spring), “Suevo seemed clueless with the ball though he seemed fully competent when the ball was nowhere near him and he could just stand on his feet.”.
60 D Yes Mike Gelatt Liberty 1st team Big South;
18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 1 A, 11 SH;
2 time Big South 1st team; 3 year starter; against High Point at the Big South tournament, “Shrum battled with Liberty senior central back Mike Gelatt to get a high ball. Shrum recovered the ball and tried to shoot but missed the ball on his shot. His next option was to poke the ball wide to junior Matt Tuttle. Tuttle took a touch, assessed the goal and hooked the ball into the far side netting. On the shot, the Liberty GK sophomore Andrew Madeiro was in poor position to adequately cover his goal.”. In 2007, against Loyola in NCAA, “Freshman Eddie Dines flicked the service onto goal. A heroic diving header effort by Liberty senior defender Mike Gelatt with the ball traveling into the goal was deflected off the cross bar but bounced into the goal.”.
61 D Yes Cooper Bryant American 1st team Patriot;
18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 5 SH, .400 SOG%;
I had Bryant as a red-shirt junior. According to the Patriot league, he’s listed as a senior. Against Gtown, “Larrabee had another shot after Chandler Diggs bounced the ball off Cooper Bryant and the ball was presented to Larrabee in the box. 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.” & no comment against James Madison. In 2007 against Lehigh, “Cooper Bryant has a terrific first touch making the ball silent immediately.”
62 D TV Drew Ratner Northwestern 2nd team Big 10;
23/23 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 14 SH, .143 S%;
3 year starter; no comment against OSU, Wisconsin in the 2007 Big 10 tournament.
63 D No Corey Heldreth St. Mary’s 2nd team WCC;
18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 9 SH, .444 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-WCC; 3 year starter;
64 D No Jeff Russell San Francisco 1st team WCC;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 3 SH, .000 SOG%;
2 year starter;
65 D No Stephen Carlson Loyola-Marymount honorable mention WCC;
20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 3 A, 5 SH, .200 SOG%;
2 time Honorable mention All-WCC; 2 year starter;
66 D Yes Jonathan Borrajo George Mason 2nd team CAA;
23/23 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 10 SH, .100 SOG%;
4 year starter; gutsy kid with overwhelming confidence and heart; no comment against MD, Northeastern, VCU, Towson and Richmond. Against Gtown (exhibition), “Borrajo seemed over his head. He started as DM and was soundly being beat before moving to right back to be beaten for the rest of the game by Scott Larrabee. The best part of his game is the persistent fouling – unbelievably he didn’t receive a card. This won’t be a common occurrence.”. Through the year, he played better than he did against Gtown where the entire GM team played pathetically.
67 D No Joe DeVito Georgia State 2nd team CAA;
15/14 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 30 SH;
4 year starter;
68 D Yes Matt Care Princeton 1st team Ivy;
17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%;
2nd team and honorable mention all-Ivy; 4 year starter; against Monmouth no comment; played center back against Monmouth;
69 D TV Timothy Jones Stanford

17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG%;
4 year starter; On TV, against Creighton, pretty quick, didn’t attack sufficiently from his RB until after half time even though he was encouraged through the first to attack. His first touch is not sharp. He traps the ball under himself rather than putting it where he wanted it to be prepared for the second touch. Lacks professional technical skills. Speed is awfully tempting. Had 52 straight starts at RB (at that time).

70 D No Adam Owens Sacramento St 2nd team MPSF;
19/19 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .000 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-MPSF; 3 year starter;
71 D Yes Angelo Amato Monmouth 3rd team CSN AA; 1st team Northeastern;
19/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 3 SH, 1.000 SOG%;
4 year starter; No comment against Mount Saint Mary’s; against Princeton, “Amato is well acclimated to the college game. He doesn’t have the skills (passing, defending) for the next level.”.
72 D No Jerry Dickinson, Holy Cross 1st team Patriot;
19/19 GP/GS, 3 G, 1 A, 8 SH, .625 SOG%;
2007 2nd team All-Patriot; 4 year starter;
73 D No Alejandro Melean Holy Cross 1st team Patriot;
19/19 GP/GS, 1 G, 3 A, 21 SH, .286 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Patriot; 3 year starter;
74 D Yes Adam Gazda Lehigh 1st team Patriot;
17/17 GP/GS, 6 G, 3 A, 30 SH, .533 SOG%;
3 year starter except for 2007 year which he missed because of injury; this year matched his career total in goals; against MD no comment;
75 D Yes Tyler Barry California 2nd team Pac-10;
11/11 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .600 SOG%;
A veritable 4 year starter until this year when he mysteriously stopped playing in the latter part of the year. I’ll assume that he was injured (my speculation). Against MD, 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.”.
76 D Yes Ryan Roushandel Central Florida 2nd team Conference USA;
19/18 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 19 SH, .474 SOG%;
Against ODU, “… is working himself back into the line-up after battling injuries.” He came off the bench. Transfer from Clemson in 2006
77 D No Paul Pessina Appalachian State 1st team Southern Conference;
16/16 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 2 SH, .000 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Southern Conference; 4 year starter;
78 D No Kyle Lauchmen Manhattan 2nd team MAAC;
17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 11 SH, .545 SOG%;
3 year starter; Was not with the team in his freshman year;
79 D No Connor Tobin Vermont 1st team American East;
20/20 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 19 SH, .105 S%;
2006 2nd team All-American East team; 3 year starter;
80 D Yes Kipp Erskine Evansville 2nd team MVC;
18/18 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 15 SH, .467 SOG%;
transferred from Hartwick after his sophomore year; against MD – no comment on his play.
81 D Yes Stephen Oyuga Campbell 1st team Atlantic Sun;
20/20 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 6 SH, .500 SOG%;
2 time 1st team all-Atlantic Sun; Against Jacksonville in Atlantic Sun finals, no specific comments, but the central defense was lax and the defense was panicing with the ball (but not specifically Oyuga). Against Loyola (MD), “Oyuga is the leader in the back organizing two freshman defenders. He’s a good tackler and was an offensive option late in the game with the score 0-1.”.
82 D Yes Michael Vallie George Mason

23/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%;
3 year starter after transferring from MD; nothing against MD, Northeastern, against Towson, “Vallie is steady and distributes the ball well.”.

83 D No Ben Williams Iona 2nd team MAAC;
18/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 0 A, 10 SH, .600 SOG%;
3 year starter;
84 D No Dao Vu Houston Baptist 2nd team Atlantic Soccer;
16/13 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .500 SOG%;
transferred from San Jacinto CC after sophomore year; 1 year starter and 1 year red shirt at Houston Baptist
85 D No Joe Yonga Cornell 2nd team Ivy;
16 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 9 SH, .444 SOG%;
2 time honorable mention All-Ivy;
86 D No David Backman Sacred Heart 2nd team Northeastern;
17/17 GP/GS, 2 G, 2 A, 19 SH, .368 SOG%;
2007 1st team All-NEC; 4 year starter;
87 D No Glenn Volk Colgate 1st team Patriot;
20/20 GP/GS, 1 G, 0 A, 13 SH, .154 SOG%;
4 year starter; against Temple (spring) no comment;
88 D No Jordan Vanderpoorten UC Davis 2nd team Big West;
22/22 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 5 SH, .000 SOG%;
2 year starter;
89 D No Alex Guzinski Yale 2nd team Ivy;
17/17 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 12 SH, .583 SOG%;
2 time 2nd team All-Ivy; 4 year starter;
90 D No Kyle Schmid UC Irvine 2nd team Big West;
23/23 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 3 SH, .667 SOG%;
2 year starter; In 2007 against UCSB (TV), too slow; continuously lost his mark on set pieces;
91 D No Markus Jackson Yale 2nd team Ivy;
17 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%;
4 year starter;
92 D No Erik DiLorenzo Albany 2nd team American East;
18/18 GP/GS, 1 G, 5 A, 18 SH, .056 S%;
4 year starter;
93 D Yes Pat McCaffery Drexel

14/14 GP/GS, 1 G, 2 A, 13 SH, .308 SOG%;
2007 3rd team all-CAA; 4 year starter; Against UMBC, “Ermold is critical on the Drexel throw-in set piece near the box. Ruff starts on the goal side of Ermold, running toward the thrower sideline before hooking behind Ermold. Senior right back Pat McCaffery throws in the ball to Ermold’s head who flicks it behind him to Ruff breaking toward the goal. Not a bad idea – it didn’t work. “. In 2007, against ODU, “Junior right back Pat McCaffery makes long accurate diagonal passes. He’s very good at these passes. He must have made half dozen successfully. With the lack of a goal scoring forward or a technically adept forward to receive, these passes did not yield results.”.

94 D Yes Brad Simpson Cincinnati 3rd team Big East;
19/19 GP/GS, 4 G, 0 A, 25 SH, .280 SOG%;
Against Syracuse, “Simpson unable to stop the quicker Syracuse dribblers early.” & “In the 68th minute, Simpson scored from a laser 45 yard free kick from Weightman.”. 2 of his 4 goals were from PKs.
95 D Yes Ryan Porch Pennsylvania honorable mention Ivy;
15/15 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 3 SH, 1.000 SOG%;
Almost 4 year starter; started against Brown and Penn State but recorded no comments
96 D No Mark Hoffman Adelphi 2nd team Atlantic Soccer;
14/10 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH;
2007 1st team All-Atlantic Soccer Conference; 4 year starter;
97 D TV Zachary Lambo Wisconsin

18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 4 A, 6 SH, .000 S%;
4 year starter; in 2007, against Northwestern (B10), did not start and no comment;

98 D Yes John Elicker Pennsylvania honorable mention Ivy;
18/18 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 3 SH, .667 SOG%;
3 year starter; no comment against Brown; Against Penn State, “In the second half, Barreiro connected on a senior right back John Elicker cross with his head that was on target, because Badaracco didn’t cover him. “.
99 D No Jake McFadden Vermont 2nd team American East;
20/20 GP/GS, 4 G, 1 A, 10 SH, .400 S%;
3 year starter;
100 D No Jonathan Garcia-Torres Hartwick 2nd team MAC;
17/14 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 3 SH, .000 SOG%;
No info on Hartwick site;
101 D- No Kyle Russell Coastal Carolina At Combine
1st team Big South;
21/21 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG%;
2 time 1st team All-Big South; 4 year starter;
102 D- No Paul Nicholson Rio Grande University At Combine
1st team NAIA All-American
no stats on Rio Grande web site;;
From England; Not enough information to assess pre-combine;
103 F No Sam Shore SJ State Honorable mention MPSF;
15/15 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 7 SH, .000 SOG%;
2 year starter after transferring from the University of Sydney;
104 F No Patrick Tate UNC-Asheville 2nd team Big South;
19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 0 A, 7 SH;
4 year starter; transferred from East Carolina following his freshman year;
105 F Yes Stephen Sawyer Brown honorable mention Ivy;
17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%;
a 4 year starter for a stellar Brown defense, against Penn and Rutgers (in 2007) starter at LB – no comments about Sawyer’s performance. On TV, against Dartmouth, not quick enough to shut down fast forwards. Foot work.
106 F Yes Luke Sager Harvard honorable mention Ivy;
17/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 2 A, 12 SH, .250 SOG%;
Transferred from Stanford after freshmen year; missed the entire 2007 season because of injury. Against Columbia, no comments.
107 F No Will Mason Elon 2nd team Southern Conference;
20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 2 SH, .500 SOG%;
4 year starter;
108 F Yes Philipp Meyner Jacksonville 2nd team Atlantic Sun;
22/22 GP/GS, 2 G, 5 A, 20 SH;
4 year starter; against Campbell no comment recorded.
109 F No Daniel Kerley Colgate 2nd team Patriot;
20/20 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 4 SH, .250 SOG%;
After transferring from Drake after his freshman year, 3 year starter; Against Temple (spring), “Kerley has a long throw-in.”.
110 F No Philip Fisher Florida International 3rd team Conference USA;
16/16 GP/GS, 3 G, 0 A, 8 SH, .750 SOG%;
3 year starter; transferred from St. Thomas University (D3) after freshman year; In 2007 against Tulsa (TV) CUSA tourney, DNP – red card
111 F Yes Ben Heidari IUPUI 2nd team Summit;
19/19 GP/GS, 2 G, 1 A, 9 SH, .444 SOG%;
4 year starter; against Oakland no comments, but the entire IUPUI defense was dreadful – Heidari is just one component of this.
112 F Yes Michael Ward Liberty

18/17 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 3 SH;
3 year starter after missing 2006 from injury; No comments on his play after 3 games – High Point in 2008 and UNCA, Loyola in 2007.

113 F Yes Scott Marguglio Ohio State

3/0 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 S%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

114 F Yes Ryan Breznitsky Rutgers

1/1 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 1 SH, .000 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect; no comment against Monmouth

115 F Yes Patrick Farrell Princeton

2/0 GP/GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 SH, .000 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect; no comment against Monmouth

116 F TV Michael Alexander Stanford

18/6 GP/GS, 0 G, 1 A, 6 SH, .167 SOG%;
not a starter after 4 years; not a pro prospect

117 F No Tom Clements Fairfield 2nd team MAAC;
18/18 GP/GS, 4 G, 5 A, 21 SH, .667 SOG%;
3 time 2nd team All-MAAC; How has he achieved 2nd team for 3 years? I have no idea based upon what I saw in 2007. In 2007, against Loyola (MD), “The only reason that I can’t call junior Defender Tom Clements (from England) the worse soccer player in college soccer is because I haven’t seen every player in college soccer. He is the worst player that I’ve seen this year. It took him only 40 seconds to create his first turnover. He then proceeded to challege to be Loyola’s MOTM. How did the Fairfield coach leave Clements in for 70 minutes?”.

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