Millinder gets half credit for the USC title. not one of Ali's recruits was on that team. Part of the point was about recruiting. Ali has just gone downhill each year in that department.
Ouch! Well, it may have been a bad night for the Bruins but maybe it was a good night for women's soccer. Over 8000 people, an NCAA record, came out to the Los Angeles Coliseum for USC's 1-0 victory over UCLA. The band was there. The band was loud. The band was good. They played "Conquest". They played "Heartbreaker". They conquered. They broke hearts. They came out in droves to their historic home. They brought out some of their old stars at halftime - like Kristen Olsen and Brittany Massro from the 2007 championship team. They were loud. They took women's soccer seriously at least for one night. They took a meeting with UCLA seriously. The band surrounded the team at the end of the game and played their fight song again. It was quite a scene. It was pageantry. And all for a women's soccer game. It was great. I have to give them credit for it. And while it hurts to lose to USC, I suppose if there was one time when, for the sake of the women's game, it was worth losing to them, I think it was this night, to reward them for their effort, to give them something to cheer about and to reward their fans and the band for coming out and making USC-UCLA and women's soccer a special thing.
Interesting take on the recruiting front. http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles...sc-coach-ucla-coach-has-unfair-advantage#more
interesting but I commend Ali for having the guts to say what everyone has been thinking for years. Imagine a football coach that worked in the NFL and was also at the same time a college coach, they would never ever let that happen. The national team is to most of these soccer players their NFL. Its more about the system than it is any one coach(Jill Ellis). Its not much of a stretch to see how a national team coach would have a recruiting advantage wheather they openly recruit or not.
The statement from the unnamed US Soccer official that Jillian has never used her position with the national team is either ignorant or an outright lie. I know of 2 players in the last year who Jillian has specifically used US soccer in her recruiting talk. One player, committed to another school, received multiple messages from Jil, stating that it's not too late to decommit and come to UCLA, and that it would benefit her in getting into the U-20 camp. Another player, visiting UCLA last spring, sat thru an entire chalk talk by Jill, showing her and her dad how the national team plays and where she would fit into that system, and how playing at UCLA would benefit her, both on the u-20's and getting into the full national team camp. The player was so turned off by that she crossed UCLA off her list. Those are two in the last 12 months. You think there might be more? Come on. US Soccer needs to pony up 80K a year and just hire someone full time. Its not like the U-20's are lighting the world on fire anyways. I'm a UCLA fan but it is such a conflict of interest and so bad for women's soccer. I think Ali is ridiculous but at least someone is taking a stand.
About time one of you bloaks spoke up on this. Its been all over this website for 2 years and finally someone had the marbles to say something. I am now officially an Ali and USC fan......... right out there in black and white. Fantastic. You can include Walsh out there at Penn State too.
It's not a secret.. Everyone knows about it. Many coaches know/complain about it whether they go public with it or not.
She's had her hand in the cookie jar for years...in every business there's ethical issues, nepotism...just hers has been in your face...as well as a few others like Penn State...if the system allows it, she like others after her will take advantage...that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Last part of the article..."Going to final fours is nice, but you have to win it." LMAO. Ali trying to send a psychological blow across town...gotta love it!
Frankly, I think you guys are out of school to be doing this on the UCLA thread. I mean, some critical comments (I think) are okay if they're constructive, but just the same old dumping on our coach that always goes on here is just not right. I expect each of you, and I mean Cheap Seats, attackerp, DaBeautifulGame, Time&Space to kindly identify which college you're a fan of and invite all of us to go over there and dump on your team. And you'll stick up for us when some of the fans there object? Correct? Fair is fair? ZSoccer is a USC fan so we know not to expect any better of him (he's the guy who signed on in December 2007 after USC won the championship to start talking stuff...) Because I don't think some of these comments are appropriate here. We have a Celtic fan (Cheap Seats) pulling this stuff?! Are you kidding me? Would you feel free to saunter over to the Rangers forum and pull this crap? And this is really sleazy. I think it deserves an apology.
An anonymous internet poster with anonymous sources about two anonymous players... And you call yourself a UCLA fan? With friends like these... The funny thing about the article is Khosroshahin barely mentions the recruiting angle. He harps on the extra training time with the players, adding in by way of innuendo, "there always seem to be players on her team that end up at UCLA as well..." That's weasel-talk for a guy who's claiming to come out and say what everyone's thinking but isn't willing to say.
I think you are overreacting. I just pointed that other coaches dont like it and see it as a slight advantage. It's no big deal. I dont think other coaches liked it when the UNC had all the advantages years ago when he was with the national team and so on.
It's not any worse than what has been said. Erica works directly with Pia, and has numerous players showing up on NT's at different age groups- as well. It's a racket, and I don't care what they say about the disadvantages. In fact, I am offended that they actually think that were that ignorant enough to believe such nonsense.
I actually like the Bruins, particularly the team during the Cheney, Lang early years. Possession. Connections. Hard work. Just calling a spade a spade, nothing more.
Is your issue the forum or the comments themselves? I agree, this should be in a different forum, but I don't care enough to start a new one or to move this one. And as for the comments, I can be an UCLA alum, and fan and still be critical. I don't like that Jil gets the best talent (or near to it) and plays with 2 forwards. I don't like that she recruits over players. I dont like that she splits her time with the national team. I'm still a fan, but I don't agree with everything she does just because its UCLA. I want to see them win and do well. But I am not blind to the other stuff. And in a more idealistic sense, I am a bigger fan of women's college soccer and the current system is bad for the whole. Even if it benefits my team, it is not good for the whole.
In your case the issue is both. The UCLA thread, as long as I've been on it, has always tolerated a fair amount of criticism compared to some other forums where a newcomer can immediately get labeled a troll for making critical comments. Unfortunately that tolerance gets taken advantage of here by people who wouldn't dare to saunter into other forums with their snide remarks. They'd be blasted quicker than you could say "enfuego"... As for your comments, anyone can post something like that. Anonymous internet. Anonymous internet user. Anonymous sources. Anonymous players. Even if it's completely, unambiguously, cut-and-dried true according to you, how can you post that and say you're a fan? What's to stop anyone else from fabricating crap and swearing up and down it's true? You want to be responsible for starting that on the UCLA thread? Well, you just set the precedent. A fan. Look, it's probably an advantage in recruiting and if that seems unfair to people, BigSoccer is a place to talk about it. But don't you get it? She doesn't need to say anything to have an advantage. I would think it would only get her in trouble. I've been told by a few people that she didn't bring it up in recruiting.(Yup, I can do the anonymous internet poster quoting anonymous sources, too. But I'm not the one engaging in potential character assassination) If you're a fan, having written what you did, I would go back and check your sources. Are they sure? Do they have an axe to grind? Did it really go down like that? If you're a fan, I think you owe it to UCLA to do that because what you wrote, if it's not true, amounts to character assassination.
I just think it's amusing what the SC coach is trying to do, that's all. I'd like to fast forward to 5 years from now and see what the end result is. Interesting that the article came out on the day of the game...wonder what that handshake was like!
The two games this weekend represent the final regular season home games (and possibly final home games period) for the UCLA seniors: Dana Wall, Kylie Wright, Lauren Barnes, Iman Bearde, Elise Britt, Taylor Cochran and Liz Zadro. Elise and Dana have recently been seeing increased time in the midfield and backline while Liz Zadro and Iman have been regular subs upfront. One very bright spot in the USC game was the return of Kylie Wright to a midfield role. Watching her elegant and authoritative game in the midfield has been one of the great pleasures of watching UCLA these last 4 years. It was beautiful to see her once more turn from pressure and then back and then push off in stride a 1 or 2-hop pass 30-35 yards upfield. Thanks to her, I have a greater appreciation for an easily overlooked aspect of the game. Whatever needs we still have in the backline, I believe Jillian must play Kylie in midfield for the final games of an outstanding college career. It would be such a shame not to and we haven't found a consistent winning formula plugging her into the backline. What's there to lose? If we're going to go out, go out with Kylie in her best position where she is one of the very best in the game. Besides, thinking of the future, I can't help think that Jenna Richmond, Zakiya Bywaters, and Chelsea Cline can only benefit from playing in the midfield with her and learning from what she does. Jenna, particularly, because she's such a talented freshman. And her friend Lauren Barnes is closing out her outstanding college career in outstanding fashion. There are stretches of the game where she has been the best player on the field, working incredibly hard, moving up from her left back position and getting into the attacking zone, moving in from the wings with the ball, and getting back on defense - the most 2-way defender UCLA has had since Mary Castellanelli. Plus she is serving up, as she has her entire career, beautiful free kicks. Still one of my favorite memories is of Lauren as a freshman serving up the corner kick to Danesha Adams in overtime in the quarterfinal game against Portland that sent the Bruins to the College Cup.
Well that was interesting. I won't say much because I havent figured out what I saw in Sunday's game, but at least for the one game, Jillian adjusted her plan rather radically. Gllad I highlighted Lauren Barnes in my earlier comments, though, as she scored the game-winning goal. I didn't get to see Friday's game, the loss to Washington, so I can't comment.
Final regular season game against Arizona St. is on TV - Fox Sports Prime Ticket, noon Sunday Pacific time. Sydney Leroux scored the gamewinner against Arizona on Friday night. Hopefully that starts her on a scoring binge - she had gone scoreless in about 4 or 5 games in a row. I'm not sure what to look for today. Jillian's been changing things up, either trying to find the right combination or adapting to the opponent. Hopefully Arizona St doesn't know what to look for either. Random ramblings: 1) wonder (as always) if Kylie Wright will be in the midfield or the backline. As a holding midfielder, she's one of the best in the country but I think it's easier to appreciate her at the game live rather than on TV - it's how she handles the situations facing her on the field that stands out in her play 2) our star freshman, Jenna Richmond -- it's going to be fun to see her play 4 years and see just what she's got. It's obviously a lot. 3) We usually do okay in midfield, even without Kylie, and even though we're small. We're pretty fast - exceptionally so with a few players like Zakiya Bywaters and Chelsea Cline. Their ability to dart through the midfield gets us into an attacking position. Now the thing is that speed doesn't necessarily translate into a dangerous scoring opportunity. That's where we seem to lack that one dangerous pass or creative move. And we don't have anyone (it seems) who can take a shot from around the area or outside it. That's not Leroux's forte or any other striker we seem to send out there. That isn't something our small midfielders seem to bring to the game either. I think Richmond probably has the best shot of the normal attacking players and I'm curious whether she should fire off some more shots. 4) Lauren Barnes. #3. Interesting tactical choices with her. Normally on the backline but throughout her 4 years there have been times where she's given the go-ahead to roam a little more, shall we say. Let's just say I would keep an eye on her - to the extent that you can on TV. I'll be watching the game wondering where she is - "what are they doing with her today?", I'll be asking. Chante Sandiford has been doing fine in goal so I don't think you'll see Lauren there. But sometimes I've wondered - because Lauren has been our best, most versatile player this year. Where will she make the most impact? 5) Leroux of course is always one to watch and, being a striker, you can't miss her. If you do miss her that's obviously a bad, bad sign... I love watching her. I can't be objective about her. I suspect that she's still developing different aspects of her game. I don't think she's able to impact most games, day-in, day-out, like a Lauren Cheney, a dominant force in the game. But then Lauren always had a pretty outstanding cast around her, too - Danesha Adams, Tina DiMartino, Kara Lang, Kristina Larsen, and then Leroux herself. And then the likes of Kylie and Lauren and McCall Zerboni on top of that.
I really enjoyed watching Sydney Leroux play today. And having seen her before, I was impressed with Lauren Barnes doing in. Even moreso now. She's a player. Kudos to UCLA. They played well. Deserve to be in the tournament. Should do well.
Yes, that was a fun game to watch and when they can spring Leroux, it's exciting. That's the key - some defenses are so good, so fast, that it's hard to spring her free. We all know that. The question is what other options can you create, what can you make of the threat that she at least presents? Not easy to answer but against a good Arizona St team, UCLA played some very good balls for her to run onto. Zakiya Bywaters I know got credited with an assist on one but I didn't catch the others. We got the big plays this game, a big boost against a very good Arizona St side. They're athletic - strong, fast, and they have good, solid soccer skills across the field- good individual skills to control the ball and they can boot the ball out wide and run onto it. Lauren Barnes was directly involved in two of the scores - the first goal a Leroux header off a free kick deflected in the area, the second a direct hit off a free kick set up by another Leroux breakaway. (Oh let's put an exclamation mark on it - that was one damn fine free kick!) Those are the kinds of plays we'll need if we're going to go deep in this tournament. But it's nice to know we have the weapons to have a puncher's chance to pull off a couple upsets along the way. We caught a break in the bracket. UCLA gets to host the 1st two rounds as an unseeded team. Thursday and Saturday games, times not announced yet as far as I know. We'll need a few breaks. This year for sure, no one around here has been saying this wasn't going to be at least semi-tough.
Barnes' free kick on Leroux's header. Whoever's head it went off initially may have gotten an assist, unless it was an ASU player, I'd have to look at it again. Third goal was direct off Barnes' left foot (man I like her as a player, too). The second goal may have been unassisted. I never got a final box score. And I don't give teams much credit for being good if they can't score goals. I mean [Herm Edwards] you play to score freaking goals [/Herm Edwards]. ASU has some good players, I'll grant you that. They're not yet a really good team. Their record is about what they are, and I heard they made it in, as I said on the air Sunday, body of work is probably good enough. Nobody asked us how old we were in the Mekong Delta.
hee-hee! I'm guessing that's from the book not the movie but I don't remember a lot of the movie either!