The closing of Brad Friedel’s Premier Soccer Academies was a huge blow to soccer in Northeast Ohio, one of the top markets in North America. There has been no comparable product to develop soccer until now. The SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio is everything that PSA was and more. And they have enormous resources to guarantee stability and longevity for all of their sports programs, including a full-fledged residential soccer academy. They are not a short-term project that will fade away,
The University of Akron was abuzz this week with news of the hiring of former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. But it was the men’s soccer team that claimed yet another award after yet another successful season under the expert tutelage of Caleb Porter. The team claimed the Collegiate Athlete of the Year award, beating out Cleveland State’s Norris Cole and Kent State’s Dustin Kilgore at the 2011 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. While the program did not win another national
2012 MLS SuperDraft exposes the stretched coverage of college soccer It’s no wonder the national media was hard on Luke Holmes surrounding the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. They look at his stats from Notre Dame College and wonder how bad the competition must be … lets be serious he scored 24 goals as a junior and an NAIA best 29 as a sophomore. When you compare those stats to “only scoring” five goals in 16 games for the University of
We have to start by sharing our disappointment for every MLS team passing on Akron’s Luke Holmes. We hate to be biased, but when a local player that is technically gifted gets passed over for players described as projects, we have to draw the line somewhere. His coach at Notre Dame College, Michael McBride, spoke numerous times about Luke’s superior fitness, humbleness, pace, leadership, the list of positives goes on and on. For those who criticized his fitness, keep in mind
With the first two rounds of the MLS SuperDraft in the books, we now turn our focus to the final picks of the year in the supplemental draft. There is still a lot of talent on the board and many of these players may still end up in the MLS Reserves or even sneaking onto a roster and seeing some time with “the big boys”. Remember there isn’t much difference between a 2nd round SuperDraft pick and someone taken in
1. What team had the best draft? RSL had a great draft, landing a top 5 talent in Enzo Martinez all the way down at #17. He could be a full-time starter by midseason. The selection of Sebastian Velasquz from Spartanburg may be the pick of the day if the youngster realizes his full potential. 2. Who are the best players still available for the supplemental draft? Let’s start with Akron’s Luke Holmes, who at one time was projected to be a late
1. How important is the MLS SuperDraft to the success of a club? First, I think the SuperDraft itself has lost significance when it comes to player acquisition. There is already a solid base of players, even with expansion and with academies and a wider range of international players being targeted the actual opportunity for a college player to come through the draft and make a major impact is very small. Each draft has some very good players, though. However, the top
ROUND 1 1. Montreal – DF Andrew Wenger (GA), Duke Univ. ISN Analysis – Our own Rudy Roediger was certainly right on this one. Wenger’s versatility makes him a starter somewhere on the pitch for the Impact on Day 1. One of the MLS scouts we talked to months ago said Wenger was the best player in the draft and Montreal certainly agreed. 2. Vancouver – FW Darren Mattocks (GA), Univ. of Akron ISN Analysis – Speed kills in the pro game and Mattocks
Major League Soccer and adidas today announced the 2012 Generation adidas class and four additional college senior signings that will enter the professional ranks for the 2012 Major League Soccer season. These players are among about 65 top pro prospects that will showcase their talents at the adidas MLS Player Combine Jan. 6-10 at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Combine matches will be closed to the public, but fans can watch the matches live on MLSsoccer.com. Players who join MLS