What's up with Duke? At times they look like world beaters, and the next minute, they're squeaking by UNC Greensboro and losing to Charlotte.
Two words: John Rennie. Living in the past and unable to get the better players and coach the ones he does get the way he once did.
negative motivation To me Rennie is a great example of what negative motivation gets you. As long as you are the only, or one of a few, games in town, a coach can be dictatorial, my way or the highway. And there are always eager subs awaiting their chance. This has happened to Rennie. MLS. ACC is no longer the "professional league" in US soccer. Project 40 takes a few players, but then remaining top players know they must go to a program where they will play to get noticed. Sitting on the bench waiting for PT at Duke isn't going to get them anywhere, so they look to other programs (which makes it even more amazing that GT can't get players at State). Good players can now call Rennie's bluff. Sit me on the bench, and you are assured of losing cause you don't have All Americans waiting to come into the game. So Rennie must actually coach what he has, as opposed to the old way of simply threatening players with the bench if they don't perform. A few years ago I was with a group of college coaches that were talking about growth of soccer in the US, how the World Cup in the US would increase interest, and how the MLS would be good for college soccer. I cautioned them then that what is happening with Rennie, and a few other programs, would be a definite possibilty. They had it made then. Highest level for a US player to play. Maybe 20 top programs "competing" for top players. Easily win 10 games a year, so they had a winning tradition for their AD. Just as players now sit on the bench waiting for a chance to play in MLS, players would sit and wait for their chance to play at "big time" program. Things have changed for the better for the soccer player and fan, but college coaches are in an entirely different ballgame than they were 5 years ago. The good coaches adapt to changes, the others are struggling. Rennie is probably the highest profile coach struggling.
Very interesting to hear the analysis by greensboro_pride_fan, and Sandon's assessment that Rennie is the problem. I have found it curious that Duke is starting at least 3 freshmen every game, one of which I believe should be playing (Ian Carey), while the other two don't add much at all. I think Perea and McIntosh are two outstanding players, both have pro potential (even though some people think Perea is too small, he's still an awesome playmaker), yet they are not garnering the attention they deserve.
coaches make a big difference... and Rennie has everything one could want... money... facilities.. a great academic school... tradition. Duke should be another Indiana. Let them get a coach who gets a lot out of what he has and they will be national champions. And I have seen them play - none of their freshmen are top players this year. They should get blue chips every year. Rennie has been very good for the game - promoting college soccer, but his coaching days should be numbered.
Say what you want about the Blue Devils and Rennie, but I have covered them all year and this is definitely a team that has over-achieved. Predicted to finish 6th out of 7 ACC teams, Duke is currently 3rd in the ACC and has already won two more matches than they had all of last season. Some people point to a revamped coaching staff, but you have to look at the fact that this team is much healthier than last season also - Ahumada (who is very injury prone) has played much more this season and Perea is now fully recovered from an injury that kept him out of the last U-20 World Championships. With Adogwa (sophomore from Trinidad), Perea, Donald McIntosh and freshman Ian Carey around him, Jordan Cila has shown flashes of what has been expected of him at Duke. He is never going to be the kind of forward you can build your team around, but if you put quality players around him he will finish (ie - see US U-17s with Donovan and Beasley). Another key is the emergence of Justin Trowbridge in goal. Only a sophomore, he is light years ahead of where they were last year in goal. Take away Doug Warren and perhaps Hesmer (who plays behind a very stingy defense) and the guy is probably 1st-team All-ACC. I also like this freshman, Blake Camp, who plays like a younger Donald McIntosh and must be their heir apparent to him in the Duke midfield. This team will graduate Perea and McIntosh, but it returns virtually everyone else. Like Rennie or not, this Duke team could be on the up-side for the future.....despite their Jekyl and Hyde performances this season.
Don't get me wrong here, but UNCG and UNCC are both quality soccer programs. They don't get the "higlight" real caliber players, but they certainly get the most out of who they get!
Blue Chip...you seem like you are familiar with Duke, and I have seen them a few times this year myself. A couple of questions for you, and some observations. First, what happened to Andy Borman? He used to be a 90 minutes a game defender and now he's riding the pine. Second, what happened to Danny Wymer? A high school all american who NEVER plays. I beg to differ on your assessment of Camp. He wins a few head balls here and there, but that's it, and he also loses possession most of the time. Ian Carey, IMO, is the best freshman player at Duke, followed by Kerlew.
LuvDaBears - you must have gotten Camp and Borman mixed up. Any time Borman has been in the games it looks like he gives the ball away in key spots. He's a great story because of him playing both soccer and basketball, but if he's a regular 90 minute player for you, you're in trouble! As for Wymer, I can't remember him doing anything over the last three years he's been there and he looks like one of those players who underachieved at the college level. I haven't been on the road at all this year (unless you consider State a road game), but Camp has been a factor in all of the home games he's played in. He can get forward and score goals out of the midfield and is very cool on the ball. I also like Ian Carey, and Ryan Kerlew has had a very inconsistent freshman campaign. He was a very heralded youth player, and I hope that he can grow into his role in the Duke defense.
With all due respect no one has the right to assume the mantle of a dominant program. The ACC is a fantastic conference and in a non-revenue sport like soccer the schools that are able to retain a good coach and are DEDICATED to winning (read throw resources at the sport) have an outstanding chance to get to that level. UNC, UVa, Wake, Clemson, Maryland - all of these programs have the facilities and the resources to win at soccer if they so desire. Duke has no particular inherent advantage vis a vis these schools. It is a great school for academics but so are UVa. Wake and UNC. And outside of its hoops program it is more or less on par with other ACC schools for success in sports. Their football team stinks. Their baseball team is nothing to get excited about. Their golf team historically is good but not on par with the likes of Wake, Ga. Tech, Clemson, etc. They have a great tennis program but even that saw cracks recently when Wake took them out. If anything, UNC is the school with the most storied sporting history in the region. And schools like UVa (soccer), Maryland (lacrosse, field hockey), Wake (baseball (only ACC school ever to do so), golf) and Clemson all have their share of national titles or glorious moments in various non-revenue sports.
Blue Chip...I don't have those two mixed up. Over the last two or three seasons, Borman has been a regular starter in the back for Duke, doing a good job. IMO, Camp is not a baller. He looks lost half the time, slow, indecisive, and he does not have a good first touch. Ian Carey, on the other hand, is a baller. I don't know what you see in Camp, but this is all very subjective. Kerlew has battled injuries all year, but I like his poise on the field, and he plays smart. He'll be a good one.
LuvDaBears - I'm not sure what a 'baller' is (I hope I'm not showing my age), but I'm going to assume that's a compliment. If so, I'm glad that you didn't refer to Borman as one. I have covered the Blue Devils all season and I haven't seen the same player you have in Borman or Camp. If there hadn't been injuries to Ahumada, White and Kerlew this year, I'm not sure we would have seen Borman at all. It seems like the only time he has seen significant time over the last two years was due to injuries from other players at the back. I also like Ian Carey and think that he and Camp could provide a bright midfield for the future. I'm curious to see who else they recruit for next year, because where they are losing Perea and McIntosh, they really return everyone else.
Concering Duke for next year....I think you'll see Carey move to the central midfield spot, taking over Perea's playmaking duties. One other note...don't expect to cover Duke very long in the postseason. I don't think they'll mess up your Thanksgiving weekend. Yes...referring to a player as a "baller" is a compliment.
Without getting too involved, I will let you know that I work for a Regional Soccer Magazine and I am based in the surrounding triangle (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham) area. I get a chance to see most of the UNC, Duke, NC State and Wake games as well as UNC-Greensboro. As for the 'baller' reference, I've never heard that phrase outside of a playground with basketball players running around. I'm assuming that LuvDaBears is probably a college student or younger. I'm also assuming that LuvDaBears, you are live in the triangle being you post so often about Duke, UNC and NCSU. You must see your share of ACC matches as well. It's always nice to hear from Sandon and Mike Fekula, as we get responses from really the whole ACC region....even if they have to listen to Sasho's babble....the closest I get is the 'Sasho Cirovski Show' on the internet!
Hey Blue Chip...I wish I was that young...but my kids keep me up on the latest lingo. I do see quite a few ACC games every year, although I have yet to subject myself to watching GT and the Wolfpack this season. Enjoy the game tomorrow night! Dress warmly.
BlueChip on Duke's keeper You might be a little optimistic in your view about Duke's keeper being behind only Warren and Hesmer. While the keeper play for Duke is ahead of where it was last year, you're forgetting Palmer at Maryland and Williams at UNC who are both ahead of him in the stats released by the ACC site. In fact Trowbridge is only ahead of Watson at NCSU and Comfort at UVa in GAA. He's actually 5th in the ACC. I also did a quick comparison with the next keeper up the ladder, which is Williams (who is only a freshman). I looked at the last 10 matches they played, and the gap seems to be widening instead of closing. Williams has a 0.94 GAA for his last 10 matches, while Trowbridge is 1.31 for his last 10. Duke is 6-4-0 in those matches with 2 SO's, while UNC is 6-3-1 with 4 SO's. I know GAA stats don't tell the whole story, with defensive organization, distribution, control of the box, and overall leadership being as important to good keeper play as shot stopping. I've seen them all play, and if I were choosing a keeper for my team my order would be Warren, Hesmer, Williams/Watson, Palmer/Trowbridge, and Comfort. So that's my opinion, and I'm stikin' to it.
Sloweddie, I appreciate your honest opinion about ACC goalkeeping. I do agree with the fact that GAA does not always tell the tale of a goalkeeper, as it usually tells you more about the defense playing in front of that goalkeeper. Saying that, Warren plays with an outstanding defense in front of him and remains the elite goalkeeper in college soccer. Hesmer hasn't been tested as much as someone like NCSU's Watson, and that comes down to the caliber of defense playing with them. State's defense is poor on it's best day, so Watson has faced more shots than anyone else in the conference. Trowbridge's key is his consistency in some of the other areas sloweddie had mentioned earlier. The knock on Palmer is that he is not a good shot-stopper. Williams is certainly a very capable goalkeeper and is only getting better, but his inconsistency on handling crosses and playing with his feet was what made him look dodgy at times this year. I was at the UNC-Duke game this year, and where Williams was up and down in the game (on the goal, he got beat by Cila on a shot a long way out), Trowbridge made several key saves to preserve the win. It's certainly a nice problem to have, because there are so many excellent goalkeepers in the conference. Based on form this year, you would have to make Warren and Hesmer the #1 and #2. Thinking sympathetically, I would probably make Watson the honorable mention choice (because no one else from State should receive anything) although you could certainly make a case for Trowbridge or Williams.
LuvDaBears, it's susposed to be very brisk tonight in Durham. Hopefully it will be an entertaining match tonight. It has serious playoff implications - as does the other two big games this weekend. A Wake victory seals up first place for them, while a Duke win and a possible Maryland loss in Charlottesville (I wouldn't want to have to coach a team playing UVA at home) would land the Blue Devils in a co-championship with the Terps.
I'm gonna wear my long johns....but the action on the field is going to be hot. Concerning the ACC goalkeepers...Cila beat Williams with a terrific shot. NO ONE would have saved that blast into the upper 90. As a member of the U-20 national team, he's obviously very good and the Heels are going to miss him during the ACC tournament. If he had last year's UNC defenders playing in front of him, he'd probably be the top ranked keeper in the country. Since it's so hard to adequately evaluate a keeper like Watson who plays for a crummy team, you need to look at his play in the PDL last summer, which was outstanding. Watson is good. They're all good.
LuvDaBears, I was at a couple of those PDL games this summer and Watson certainly looked the part. I had spoken to some of the UNC players after one of those Raleigh CASL Elite PDL matches and what was interesting was that most of them preferred Watson to Williams. Saying that, where I am usually pretty critical of Ford Williams, he is one of the top goalkeepers in the country. Being among the top in the ACC is not a slight as much as a comentary of how good the goalkeeping in the conference is.
BlueChip, hope you've thawed from last night's match. One comment about your quoted post above, you'll have to think back to the timeframe of the PDL season. At that time, Williams was fresh out of high school and Watson was a rising college senior. The UNC players had most likely just played with Williams for a few matches, where they were probably pretty familiar with Watson. I would bet if you asked them the same question now, you'd get a much different answer. Don't have a horse in this race, but I just tend to take the side of young players who seem to be competing well with their older brethren. LuvDaBears, I was at that match too, and Cila's shot was as you described. It blows my mind to see Cila's lack of consistency for the Dookies. He'll hit a brilliant strike like the one you mention, then he'll completely disappear. And it doesn't seem like it's anything the opposition does to make him disappear, either. If he could help out on a regular basis, Duke could be very dangerous.