I see UCSB and Akron as very comparable. Both got to the finals twice, primarily following the drive of an over the top, egotistical coach each winning once and losing on PKs another time. Both will continue to attract talent but will go primarily the foreign/transfer route. Both will continue to be solid programs but as we drift further and further from 2006 for UCSB and 2010 for Akron, both will settle into very good mid-major who will have a tough time ever winning another national championship.
You may be right, but you do Caleb Porter a great disservice by comparing him to TVS. Your point is taken nonetheless.
Agree completely. Caleb is a class coach and person. Everything I've heard and read says TVS does not measure up. Can you picture Caleb's players acting like some UCSB guys in recent years?
[ Another area in which this comparison breaks down is that Porter no longer works in Akron, and yet TVS remains at UCSB.
I do not like this at all. For the first time since 2006, there is no Zips MSOC going into Thanksgiving. Yes, there was that horrible home loss to USF on Thanksgiving eve 2007. But at least Zips Soccer was on my mind over the holiday. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2007-08/releases/1329376_1 And who among us will ever forget the last second OT victory over OSU at St.V-St.M Thanksgiving eve 2008? Epic! Zemanski to Tutich; header in the net; match over; shirtless in the snow! Anyone have video on that? http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2008-09/releases/3624053_1 In 2009, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, arguably the best collegiate MSOC squad ever assembled, demolished visiting Stanford. We will never forget 23-0-2! http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2009-10/releases/204841648_1 Akron’s lone team championship finally arrived in 2010. The dreaded Indiana Hoosiers, at whose hands the Zips have suffered mightily over the years, were dispatched on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We were the better team, but they were just as game as ever. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2010-11/releases/205038382_1 In 2011, the road warrior Zips fell to eventual runner-up Charlotte on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I will dispute with my dying breath the off-side call that nullified the equalizer. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2011-12/releases/20111127w3q98r The most heartbreaking outcomes on this list is from 2012. Favorites to win it all, Zips fell in PKs to visiting Creighton. Scotty Caldwell, of all people, missed a PK just a few minutes into OT. Despite BlueJays also going down a man on the same play, Zips still failed to score throughout the remainder of OTs. (I stopped sniffling about that sometime in Spring 2013.) http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/releases/2012112543170p Thanksgiving 2013: NOTHING! That is the point! Coach Embick, if you need a barometer or standard by which to judge success, let it be that. Are you still playing come Thanksgiving?
I am soooo moved by your heartfelt story here....I wish we could make it all better for you.... Reminiscing about days gone bye..... Ahhh such a delight....... at least its the holidays and you are surrounded by family and friends..... H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !!!!!
That was awful, and it was approximately 2 degrees. That was totally awesome, but set the stage for some shitty NCAA decisions about host venues that seemed to always go against Akron. I remember standing there on snow-covered aluminum bleachers in my work shoes, with some buddies - we took a really long lunch. That was some coldness. That was a terrible call. The online feed clearly showed how truly terrible it was. Yeah, the worst part of it being that there was no-one to really blame but Akron for not finishing. I plainly recall being unable to watch Scotty take the penalty, because I had a horrible feeling right then. I did not watch the shootout because it was all so wrenching - plus, NE Ohio sports and all that. To be fair, Thanksgiving is really late this year.
Certainly their post-championship performances back this up. In the 10 combined seasons since they won their national titles, neither team has advanced past the Sweet 16. Granted, that's only been 3 years in Akron's case, but the longer they get from them the more their fans will come to appreciate how rare and special those runs to the finals were.
Just getting in before the year closes out...Latest news on Zarek Valentin. http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2013/12/defender-zarek-valentin-will-not-join-impact-2014