The No. 8 University of Akron men’s soccer team took to the pitch Wednesday for their first official training session of the fall collegiate season. The program is now in the capable hands of former assistant Jared Embick, who was promoted to head coach when Caleb Porter left for the Portland Timbers.
Fans shouldn’t expect a lot of changes under Embick’s watch.
“With Caleb I had a great mentor so I don’t have to change much,” Embick commented. “I can follow the blueprint, add and built to it. That’s the plan of what we are going to do.”
Players admitted the transition has been very smooth.
“There is a little difference, a different personality,”senior midfielder Aodhan Quinn stated. “Jared’s been here the whole time I’ve been here. He’s really smart and we always listen to him. It’s not too big of a change.”
Akron features five returning starters, nine returning letterwinners, and 13 newcomers.
Reinaldo Brenes returns as the top goal-scorer with 11, but Embick will watch over the Costa Rican striker closely as durability and injury concerns have been an issue before. Brenes is a deadly finisher and was recently named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason’s Best XI on the Second Team.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Fernando Pina will have junior defender Bryan Gallego, a First Team Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason Best XI selection, leading the backline in front of him so the defense should be again one of the nation’s best. Pina looks to be an absolute beast between the posts, having more athletic ability and being more vocal than the departed David Meves, who finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leader for shutouts.
The newcomers are perhaps the most exciting prospects, including three English lads that come from some of the top academies in Europe. Louis Cross (Blackpool), striker Ismail Seremba (Chelsea), and Sam Gainford (Liverpool) are all expected to contribute at some point in the season.
“They come with a different level of belief and that can spread to the rest of the guys, that confidence,” Embick added. “They are not going to be in awe of who they are playing or how many fans are in the stands. It’s all business for them. They are going to come out and perform. That will help the other guys settle down and give them more belief in what we do here.”
The formation will be likely be a 4-3-3 with a 4-4-2 as another option for certain game situations.
“Whatever we do is going to be to control, dominate the game,” Embick concluded. “Any formation change will be with that mind. That we can dominate and score more goals. That’s how we will be approaching the game.”
Embick and Akron fans are excited about the prospects of this year’s squad.
“This year we have a lot of key seniors. I know people think we lost a lot. We could have four or five seniors in the starting lineup. We have a lot of good depth. The whole team from top to bottom is a pretty good level. I think you’re going to see us make a couple different lineups, a couple of different options to help adjust in games to win them.”
Those high expectations are nothing new for the Zips, who went 18-1-3 last fall and advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.
Fans will get their first view of the 2013 Akron Zips in an intrasquad scrimmage that is open to the public at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field on Friday, August 16 at 6:30 p.m. Following the match, Embick will even field questions about the upcoming season in a Q&A session with fans.
The Embick Era has begun and it is looking good.
Projected Starting XI: GK Fernando Pina, D Saad Abdul-Salaam, Bryan Gallego, Andrew Souders, Phil Fives, M Eric Stevenson, Victor Souto, Adam Najem, F Aodhan Quinn, Ismail Seremba, Reinaldo Brenes
