I was just on the ASU website looking at their 2005 soccer camp form and saw that Tracey Leone is listed as one of the members on the coaching staff. It said she will be joing the coaching staff full time in 2005. Does any one know if this is true. I never thought Tracey would leave the national team coaching staff to return to college yet if she is ASU just got a big boost.
She and Ray have a small child don't they? If that's the case it makes perfect sense to me. Who is or has left to make room for her?
Will assuming that Tracey is coming on full time I would assume that Jaime Pagliarulo who was working with the goal keepers has left. Mike Calise was still listed as one of the coaches for the soccer camp this summer. Which is who I would have expected to stay on since he was promoted to associate head coach last summer. I did not know that Tracey and Ray had a small child but I would not doubt it. I am sure that Manya and Stephanie will be happy to have their former world champion U-19 head coach on their coaching staff for their senior year though. Last year U of A was the big surprise team in the PAC-10 I think that ASU could raise a lot of eyes this fall. Tracey has a history that speaks for itself. Wherever she goes good things happen. And when Ray and Tracey coached together at Clemson they were able to claim ACC titles which I am sure they could do in the PAC-10 at ASU.
The ASU coaching staff is still intact: Ray, Mike and Jamie. Tracey decided back in January not to continue with the National Team because she wanted to focus on raising their child who is not yet 2 years old. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to raise this young child and prepare for the Olympics, all the while being away from home and your husband. Tracey will be volunteering at ASU, as their paid staff is at its max. Watch out for the Sun Devils!
You might want to check your sources this article says in 2000 while they were at Clemson they did win the ACC title. http://clemsontigers.collegesports.com/sports/w-soccer/recaps/102200aaa.html
Clemson won the ACC Regular Season Title in 2000...meaning they were in first place in the conference standings prior to the ACC Tournament. The ACC crowns both a regular season champion and a tournament champion.
And when the awards are handed out it's for the ACC 'Tournament' Title which is what it's all about. Don't get me wrong, to be in first place at the end of the 'regular' season is a great accomplishment, but not the one the teams are looking for. It's the tournament title that determines your post season.
You're kidding yourself if you think that teams in the ACC don't make it their goal to win the regular season...it is a significant accomplishment and it does matter. Look at how many times a team other than UNC has won it. I do agree that the Tournament Championship is the ultimate but I would never take anything away from a team that earned their spot at the top at the end of the regular season.
Maybe its just a matter of verbage. I never said it wasn't a great accomplishment. But when most people speak of "winning the ACC" they are referring to the tournament title.
I would like to point out that the first team to beat UNC for the ACC title was UVa's women last fall. Since Steve Swanson didn't leave for the WNT coaching job, hopefully more is to come. UNC's mystique is fading, both in college and at the national team level.