After a dominating 1-0 defeat of Michigan on Tuesday night, attention quickly turned to an even bigger announcement at the University of Akron the next day. Jared Embick was given the reins of the Akron men’s soccer program on December 15, thanks to the departure of Caleb Porter to MLS. Embick was rumored to be the favorite for the job since Porter decided he was leaving for the pros. He would be given a three-year contract, a real commitment to
Saying Caleb Porter is going to be difficult to replace is a bit of a simplistic statement. Porter, one of the top coaches in collegiate soccer history, has made The University of Akron a soccer school in the middle of American football country. Hiring someone to take over for Porter is a historic move for Akron AD Tom Wistrcill, who must carefully weigh all the options on the table. The options are many and the university appears to be investigating
It should come as no surprise that Caleb Porter was named the next head coach of the Portland Timbers. A report by the league’s own Simon Borg in early July named Porter as one of the top 5 candidates to replace the fired John Spencer. When asked about this report, University of Akron officials dismissed the report as nothing more than a rumor. Officials were asked again about the Timbers’ interest on Akron’s media day in early August and
The number 15 is important to the Akron men’s soccer program. It is the number of former Zips now plying their trade in MLS (including Anthony Ampaipatakwong, who recently transferred to a Premier League club in Thailand). It is also the number of returning players for the 2012 season. This gives the Zips experience at every position, providing leadership and a good foundation to build from. Darren Mattocks and Luke Holmes leave the biggest holes to fill as both players turned pro after
I had a lot of thoughts come to mind when writing this article to support Caleb Porter. First and foremost, I wanted to tap into the positives of his career and all he has done for the University of Akron and the American game as a whole. My initial thought was to attack the critical comments made by our colleagues in the soccer media. There were two problems with this. It would bring back a lot of the negativity that
Four home matches and two contests against NCAA Tournament qualifiers highlight the 2012 University of Akron men’s soccer spring schedule, as announced by head coach Caleb Porter Wednesday. The Zips will host Patriot League champion Colgate at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field on Apr. 7 and travel to two-time defending Atlantic-10 champion Xavier, which is coming off its best season in school history, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Apr. 21. UA will also welcome a pair of in-state foes, Cleveland State (Apr.
University of Akron head men’s soccer coach Caleb Porter officially announced the six members of the Zips’ 2012 signing class Wednesday. Included in the group are four of the top 11 recruits in the country, according to Top Drawer Soccer, which ranked the six-member class No. 1 in the nation. The group, which features a wealth of youth national team experience, includes two midfielders, two forwards, one defender and a goalkeeper. Of the six recruits, five are members of their respective youth
After the Michigan Bucks’ performance against the River City Rovers on Friday night, the team’s goalless draw against the Rovers at the start of the season is a distant memory. The Bucks scored five goals and pummeled the Rovers with 17 shots in the first half alone in a 5-0 shutout win before a vibrant crowd at Walled Lake Central High School. Friday night’s goal production was shared among several of the quality attackers, led by Stefan St. Louis (Trinidad) and Luke