Can the person who floated the rumor that savannah Jordan is coming to chapel hill please either confirm that or admit that you were pulling our chains?
Jordan's hometown in Georgia is 6 hours away from Chapel Hill, and 4.5 hours away from Gainesville. So she'd be transferring to a school that is 1.5 hours further away from home than Gainesville was. However, Anson Dorrance is a much better coach, UNC is a more elite program, and this could elevate her soccer career to a higher plateau than Florida would. If she stays at Florida, however, she'll be on national TV more (on the new SEC Network). If she goes to UNC, she'll get more exposure in the social media world, among current and former U.S. National team members, etc. And she'll have a much better chance to win a National Title. Do the pros outweigh the cons? It seems like going to UNC would be the better move, but only if she's comfortable with that sort of move. If she is really good friends with her Florida teammates, then it makes it extra hard for her to make this move.
We could make an argument for any player in the country to transfer to unc? The question is whether there is anything behind this beyond conjecture? Has there been talk of this or any evidence of it?
Midfield! Midfield! Midfield! AD has never had a problem recruiting world class forwards, but UNC hasn't had an elite midfield in years. Players like Heath, Brooks, and Dunn have used their individual greatness to mitigate the problems, but there were still enough issues to hinder scoring. Buckingham is AD's second highly ranked MF recruit in as many years. If she lives up to billing, Buckingham and Boyles could be the foundation for a good/great midfield over the next few years. A good/great midfield will go a long way to solving some of the scoring issues we've seen for the last few seasons, IMO. All that said, there are still a lot of question marks going into 2014 season. Who replaces Brigman and Ball(if she doesn't return) on the back line? Who is the holding mid? Who are the starting forwards? Will AD add a late recruit and/or transfer?
I hope this team plays more as team. It's no longer get the ball to Ohai and Dunn. We had watch that for four years. It was really annoying.
Especially last year when that combo won a national championship. They have to become more team oriented because if AD doesn't he probably can't find someone like them who can take over a game on an individual basis and win the game
Mia Hamm Jr. isn't coming to UNC anytime soon. They will have to win "Eleven on Eleven" next year, that's for sure.
I don't think it was done by choice. Because the midfield usually lost the battle against better teams, the most reliable way to advance the ball was with long passes to the forwards. Ohai, who was always up top regardless of the formation, got most of those passes. When Dunn moved to AM, which changed everything for the better, she became the most reliable way to advance the ball and the most reliable scorer. Granted, the team was a bit better with build up this year, and their variety in the attacking third improved during the latter part of the season, but it certainly wasn't a strength. How often has the team switched fields during the last few years? How often have they done anything other than advance the ball up the flanks? How often has a MF fed a ball through the defense to a forward making a run? Over the last six or seven seasons, AD has had a collection of world class forwards. I'd take them over any other program's forwards during that time frame. Yet they've had all sorts of problems scoring goals. When they did score, it was usually the result of an amazing individual effort. It's the midfield. Fix the midfield, and you'll fix the scoring problems.
If Dunn had been well, this team would have contended for the National Championship and, based on the record of UNC teams pulling it out even when not the favorite, my money would have been on UNC to win it all. But, Dunn was hurt and several other key players were hurt. I don't think the problems were any more complicated than that. Sure, injuries are part of the game, but this team had too much to overcome. I think we will see UCLA now win it all and it will show just how close UNC was to being the best this year. There are always ways to say a team could be better, but I don't think any major reformulations of the winning formula are needed.
You're making my point for me. UNC didn't look like a legitimate national title contender at any time before last season's NCAA tournament. Dunn moving to AM after the ACC tournament changed all that. She completely changed the complexion of our offensive attack. Her ability to take on and beat players with the dribble in the middle of the pitch forced the opponents' center back to move up and outside backs to pinch in to stop her. That, in turn, gave the forwards, especially Kealia, more room. We hadn't had anyone like that in the MF since Heath left. I'm not suggesting AD change his system in any way. Although him implementing the 4-3-2-1 was in some ways an acknowledgement of the midfield problems and the risk of a 3 back system. I just think the midfield needs an infusion of talented, technical players that can score if needed and/or serve the ball to forwards in ideal scoring positions, as opposed to getting them the ball on the flank and asking them to go 1 v 1. Boyles and Buckingham(hopefully) are a good start.
It wasn't just Tobin. It was Ali Hawkins, Yael Averbuch, Nikki Washington, Meghan Klingenberg. They don't have these kind of midfielders anymore.
It's not what your use to seeing that's for sure. Called liven in the past. The past was so much fun. Why can't everyone play like Chalupny. Where is Kacey White at to teach these girls how pass? How come no one can score like a Robin Confer? It's what were use too!
Ali Hawkins was one of those "first five yards are in your head" players who read the game. She was good in the air, saw opportunities across the pitch and was very good at distribution, and not bad as an independent attacking presence. She was injured in the 2010 season and replaced by Ranee Premji. UNC has not had an ACM with Hawkins' skill set since, and that includes (for all her many skills) Dunn. We cannot play the "Carolina system" without a player like Hawkins (Averbuch, Ali Long) in that position. We have four years of history to demonstrate that fact (despite Dunn's ability to independently create an alternative in 2012). For a quantitative guy, Anson seems blind to his own statistics. We need a world class ACM-- should be able to find one (or make one) I should think, if it were our number one priority.
Crystal Dunn was a player to cover Anson recruiting mistakes. He put her wherever they missed at on recruiting. We don't have a center back because I missed on those. Go play that position Crystal. I couldn't land a elite level attacking midfielder, do you mind playing that position Crystal? For UNC sake Crystal could play all those positions at elite level. Crystal was suppose play outside midfielder but she spent her career covering other positions because other 30 players couldn't fix those demands.
I think you are being too hard on AD. If Crystal had not been hurt this tournament , UNC would have won it and we'd all be singing a different tune. UNC has always relied to some extent on stars. I think we ought to be celebrating the class of 2010 (recruitment year). How exciting was it every time Dunn got the ball? How fun was it to see Ohai burn past people with her speed? How cool was it to see McFarlane's game improve from low recruit to consistent sub to starter to what AD called "one of the best holding midfielders I have ever coached"? Dunn is an absolute treasure. It's really a bummer she won't be playing at Fetzer anymore, but I am glad to have gotten to see that 2010 group play and also to get a sense of what good people they are. Think of all the bad examples of behavior various NCAA Division I athletes display all the time. The only non-soccer stories we ever read about UNC soccer players are their academic accolades and public service. It's great to be able to take my daughters to these games and know they are seeing the best of the best in every way.
UNC has always relied on stars, but AD's never depended on one player the way he did Dunn. Said dependence was the reason her injury was so devastating to UNC's national championship aspirations. Moreover, AD's dependence on CD was the result of mediocre recruiting, relatively speaking, since the '06 class. Once that class left campus, the program has struggled, by it's insanely high standards. Unfortunately, as things stand now*, it doesn't look like we'll be winning another College Cup for the next couple of seasons. This exact scenario was why I ranted about recruiting on the 2013 thread a couple of weeks ago. As crazy as it sounds saying it about UNC, they needed another national championship this year to jump start recruiting, because there are a handful of programs better positioned for the foreseeable future. Programs who have been out-recruiting UNC recently, and joined traditional powers like UCLA, Stanford and ND as College Cup contenders. FSU, Duke, BC, UVA, VT, A&M, Florida, etc. are consistently pulling in top recruits now. Consequently, AD has to compete against 10-15 programs for recruits, instead of 3 or 4. Things aren't going to get any easier going forward. * I haven't seen any of the redshirt freshman nor the '14 recruits. There could also be a transfer(s) and/or late recruit(s) that strengthens the team.
This was indeed an extraordinary group of seniors, when they came in as freshman UNC had graduated virtually everyone , it was the largest class of players ever drafted out of one school. Add to the fact that Jessica McDonald and Merritt Mathias left or transferred early. Can you imagine a front line of Ohai, McDonald and Mathias! They would also lose highly recruited Elizabeth Burchenal who would have really helped the midfield. The midfield was never solid,Dunn had to become an attacking mid out of pure necessity. The other forward opposite Ohai in 4 years simply never materialized. As far as any attack,like it or not it had to be Ohai and Dunn there simply was no one else. There were plenty of heroes in this group and they won the NCAA on almost sheer will. UNC has a great group on defense coming back and some promising players developing but they are in need of a couple of monster recruiting classes. An attacking center mid would be a great way to start. In the end injuries and a lack of depth yes depth!, couldn't be overcome. Here's to a great group of seniors who gave all they had and left NCAA Champs.
Dunn rules international football for the next 12-15 years. Now, it's time to get paid for her services.
If I may, I will quibble with your use of the word "mistakes." It isn't that Anson made recruiting mistakes, but that he simply could not land the players he wanted as first choices. As has been pointed out elsewhere, in the last 5-10 years there has developed a lot of other attractive situations for the top players. It it very tough for AD to recruit the players he wants against UCLA, Stanford, and Notre Dame (not to mention Virginia, FSU, and Duke..plus more up-and-comers.) He and his staff is not making "mistakes" in that they are not identifying the right players to recruit, but are finding that they just can't get the talent they have identified and want so as to maintain the absurdly high expectations of us fans. It is true that the recruiting classes for 2014 and 2015 are meager by UNC past standards. What to do to meet high expectations? Recent history has shown that what Anson and his staff have done is to develop unknown players to keep the dream alive (...think starters Brigman, Ball, Gardner, and McFarlane who were on nobody's recruiting radar and super subs -who may start next year - like Elby and Neilsen.) Develop unknown players like these and add them to some great talent like Dunn, Ohai, Bowen, etc., and AD is keeping UNC at or near the top. This is how he is going to go forward in the face of the likes of UCLA and Stanford whose players with national team starting accolades are far greater than UNC's for these next few years.
...As a follow-on... Who are the recruiting unknowns that are going to shine next year and beyond? In addition to the walk-on starters that we know well (Gardner and (hopefully) Ball) let's try the following: 1. Brooke Elby - The 5'2" girl who said that she didn't think that she was good enough to play college soccer (anywhere) until Anson contacted her. (No ODP, no ECNL, etc.) 2. Page Neilsen - No accolades to garner national attention. High school and local club in that soccer hot bed --Nebraska. 3. Lindsey Harris - High school keeper with a brief look by the regional state ODP. (I predict that she'll see plenty of playing time next year.) 4. Bianca Gray - No national notice, but good high school soccer player. (Her major sport is basketball.) Very smart. She's already seen significant playing time. This next year will tell the tale-- she could blossom or fade. 5. Sarah Ashley Firstenberg - High school scorer. Played ECNL for one year. "Sash" could be looking at a lot more time on the field and she has a great work ethic and attitude. 6. Vicky Bruce - Local player from north of Charlotte. Great soccer instincts. If she could add a little speed and quickness she could be real solid at midfield and see serious time off the bench. 7. Maggie Bill -- A lacrosse High School All American already.... She might just develop as a soccer player, but she will be spending all of her time on the lacrosse field in the upcoming months. 8. Freshmen redshirts: Nikki Romero, Jenny Chiu, and Amanda Rooney have solid credentials and it will be very interesting to see if they come on strong next year. Local player Maya Worth and New Jersey native Danae O'Halloran are unknowns. Incoming in 2014. The 2014 players with national accolades are Megan Buckingham who may start in the midfield, and Annie Kingman will get a good look but is untested. The other player of note is 5'9" Jessie Scarpa who is an ODP regional player and was Florida Gatorade POY. At forward she would be a bookend to Emily Bruder. 9. Rasha Roberts - No national or regional accolades, but was named "all metro" two years ago for her high school play. But there may be big possibilities. She is 5'10" and may develop into another defensive player in the mold of Satara. 10. Alexandra Kimball -- Chapel Hill High School and played club ball with the team coached by Cindy Parlow before moving over to CASL after Cindy went to coach professionally in Portland. Got a look at Reg III ODP. Has development potential. 11. Adeline Lust -- Other than playing for Shattuck-St Marys school she is a complete unknown. (We can hope for a Brooke Elby??) 12. Sydney Wooten -- I can't figure this one out. She plays back-up keeper on a Raleigh club team and gets rare playing time. This would be a real coup if she developed at UNC into a solid goalie. Go Sydney!