A deserved 1-0 win for Maryland tonight against Duke. Question: Omar Gonzalez fro Maryland, is he on any of the US National teams or in the national pools? He certainly looks like the real deal at center back where we have been historically too small to match up with the big strikers.
Really? Yes, he has been in the pools although I am not sure what events he has gone to. I saw him play at Clemson and at Wake and he may match up well in the air obviously against big strikers like you said because he seems about 7'5''. However, he seemed way to slow physically and especially mentally to be a good pro. Maybe he had off nights but I wasnt impressed........
Duke's midfield was non-existent. I have not understood the choices made all year and will never understand them. Maryland played a smart game so kudos to them (and their hilarious fans!) But until Duke decides to take advantage of the experience they have on the team (some of which are seeing little playing time) in midfield and play an attacking game- all of the ACC games are going to be like this. Mark Videira tight and there is no midfield at all. Thank God for Tim Jepson and Kyle Helton. They save the day over and over and over again. Start playing to win instead of playing not to lose. The players are not the ones that lost this game
I didn't see the games you speak of but against Duke tonight he looked really good. Hits a few too many long balls for my taste but that may be a coaching move. In fairness he hit several long-balls that were right on the money, one of which that lead to the corner kick that lead to the Terps' goal, and he is very comfortable dribbling out of trouble. He never got beat defensively despite spending most of the game going against smaller, quicker forwards like Wadsworth (who was invisible) and Grella (who did very little). Late in the game Duke brought in its Twin Towers, 6-5 Loftus (who really should be playing more) and the mammouth 6-7 Paul Dudley and OG seemed to have no trouble bangin with them. Keep in mind that Gonzalez has never been a full-time centerback before. He's played there some, but for most of his club career he was a mid and most of his time in Bradenton with the 17s he was a forward so he is just now settling into playing the position and obviously the longer he plays there the more settled he'll seem. Having said all that, the Man of the Match was Maurice Edu, and not just because he scored the goal. Totally shutdown Videira plus made a lot of nice passes and won a lot of 50-50 balls. Just a very solid two-way game. Hard to believe this kid has never been in our YNT pool. If I'm an MLS coach I'm on the phone to the league convincing them to offer Edu a GA deal after this season. He's ready for the pros and doesn't need to come back for his Sr. year.
When are people going to understand, when you play for Sasho you always get a chance in the pros. Omar is no exception, he won't finish four years in college, He will be in the pros very soon.
It's a good thing the Terps defend well, because they missed way too many easy scoring chances. Jeremy Hall failed to bury no fewer than three great opportunities, while Rich Costanzo should've buried a volley at the far post in the 2nd half. I haven't gotten to see the Terps play that much this year, but if they can't finish better, it's a matter of time before someone makes them pay. I absolutely agree about Edu, he was a man among boys out there. He seems to have all of the physical tools (speed, jumping ability, timing, etc.) and a great soccer IQ. It's been fun to watch Ludwig Field evolve over the years. I remember the days of no seatbacks across from the permanent grandstand, no endzone student section, and certainly no fireworks or smoke for entrances! Say what you will about Sasho, but he has won a national championship and built a fantastic soccer culture in College Park. Maryland is what Penn State should be in men's soccer (especially with the beautiful new Jeffrey Field), but I digress...
Wake lost to both these teams (Duke & Maryland) I believe the Duke game was impacted by a poor call by the CR to Red card a Wake player. I believe the Maryland game was impacted by poor choices by the Wake center backs! That being said, there was nobody on Maryland that was anywhere as scary offensively as several players on Duke. I thus conclude: , I am sure that this boils down to Sasho being better than the folks he competes with.
Edu was definitely the Man of the Match. Solid all night. I also don't remember the Maryland keeping having to make one save. Closest call may have been Loftus' flick the went just over the cross bar. ALso agree with your statement on Loftus. Would love to have seen him in the middle with Videira matching up against Edu. Hopefully the obvious will become evident to the powers that be in time for the ACC tournament.
They probably turned down literally thousands of fans and students starting about 45 minutes before the game. We set the Maryland attendance record again but could have pushed for 5 figures had Ludwig had the capacity. Time to get more seats and create an even better home field advantage!
I thought that same thing last night while watching the game. As a PSU a;umni I have often traveled to Jeffrey to watch PSU play against good teams and found less than 300 spectators when there are 40,000 + students within a mile or two plus hundreds of thousands of PSU fans living within driving distance.
Penn State can, on occasion, draw some big crowds. I've been there for games against UCLA and Indiana in the past two years when crowds have topped 4,000 and 4,500 respectively. But as far as the overall culture is concerned, Penn State is simply far behind Maryland. The Terps regularly draw thousands, have vocal and organized crowds, and no matter the turnover, seem to pop up in the College Cup every year. Penn State is simply inconsistent, both in its performance on the field, and in its ability to draw crowds. Don't get me wrong, I've seen the Nittany Lions evolve over the years; they have improved their facilities, play much better soccer than they did in the 1990s, and have had some great teams. They just don't seem able to do it consistently. They have challenged in the Big Ten, have advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAAs, but never seem to become a truly "national" program (both in recruiting and reputation). Also, with Barry Gorman's low player retention rates, it seems that Penn State runs the risk of being surpassed by other emerging programs (see: West Virginia, Akron, and so forth). I believe this goes beyond this year's poor results. Obviously Penn State had an excellent year in 2005, but I get the sense that they've failed to build on the momentum of past glories, and not just on the field. A lot of negativity seems to surround the program, and considering how loyal Penn State fans are, I think Barry Gorman has failed to build and promote soccer locally in Happy Valley, and across Pennsylvania for that matter. Take women's volleyball for example, thousands go to Rec Hall to watch the Lady Lions. Ditto for women's basketball. Look at how other "Olympic" sports have emerged, for example, Navy draws huge crowds for lacrosse no matter what. Penn State should be there for soccer, and they simply aren't. Considering the size of the school, and the brand name that is Penn State, I think something is wrong in Happy Valley.
I think Maryland and Clemson are clearly the top class in terms of fan atmosphere. The attendance numbers they are putting up are extremely good. On a side note, Edu was very good last night. And was clearly the best technical player on Maryland. However, I really liked Mike Grella. His foot skills are supurb for an American forward. Creativity is great too. Why he did not do much? He was being double teamed and not given the ball in really any good positions. Both Edu and Grella could come out and be drafted in the first round of the SuperDraft. Probably Gonzales too.
I always feel so guilty because he does so much for soccer and clearly cares about the sport, but I just cannot listen to Sean Wheelock. He is trying so hard, and doing a lot of the right things, but I find myself cringing every time he speaks.
Gotta agree on this. Beyond Edu, this game was won (and lost for Duke) on the flanks as much as anything, IMO. Maryland did a fine job of keeping the field wide when it got possession, and forcing Duke into turnover after turnover from their wide players. A good deal of credit has to go to Maryland's defensive organization. Everytime a Duke player saw the ball, he was almost always under pressure by 2 Terp defenders.
Edu was very good and the winger for UMD was also quality except for finishing forgot his name but should of had a brace. Grella had a bit of an off game but he showed what he is capable of.
A well-played game. Maryland was the better team, but Duke (namely Grella and, for a while in the first half, Germanese) showed how dangerous they are. That being said, if Hall puts away one of those three gifts and the ref doesn't botch the call on Godbalt's would-be pk, it's 3-0. But, that's life. Both teams did a good job of making it very difficult to play through the middle. I think Vidiera and King touched the ball a combined 15 times. Edu played fantastic. Maryland's entire defense played well. Kyle Helton was, in my opinion, the best technical player on the field last night. Although, I'm not sure where he'd play at the next level - maybe outside mid.
He really needs to learn the local lingo for the college games. Last night, he repeately referred to Maryland as UM or U of M and that's not just something the locals call Maryland - or many people anywhere do, for that matter - and it just sounds weird. (There are just so many state schools that start with M that I just don't think many of them do it. I know most Michigan, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Maine fans don't call the school "UM." Don't know 'bout Montana or Missouri.) In the Clemson-North Carolina game, he kept referring to the Heels as "NC" which is also not done, at least commonly. UNC yes, but NC, no. I agree he brings passion and cares about the sport. I think he does much better in a two-man booth when he has someone he can play off of. Tabatznik isn't Mr. Exciting but he clearly knows the talent pool and made some nice analysis so if they are tag-teaming the rest of the way I can live with that.
Big Diffs between PSU vs UMD facilities and atmosphere - PSU - Free entry UMD - $7 PSU - has better views; higher seating UMD - has track between higher views PSU - has bigger capacity - I think so - at least seems so UMD - is smaller PSU - has cold, metal bleachers UMD - has some regular seating PSU - has odd parking; in grass or by football stadium; I wanted to sit on the press side since sun would have been in my eyes. Inexperience, perhaps UMD - has parking lot right outside stadium PSU - porto-potties UMD - real toilets supplemented with porto-potties PSU - Tent locker rooms UMD - trailers PSU - Easy to find a quiet seat UMD - much more crowded PSU - A few students yell, We Are...Penn State UMD - Pretty creative students having a good time PSU - loud obnoxious parents UMD - loud obnoxious parents PSU - 1 food stand UMD - Couple of food stands - not much difference PSU- Easy access/egress UMD - Easy access usually (DC traffic)/egress can be difficult if slow to leave Just my thoughts
I would disagree unless what he's capable of is not scoring or getting a shot on goal. Showed some nice footskills but that was about it. I'm not dismissing him. I know he's a good player and capable of far more than he showed last night. But I certainly don't think he "showed what he is capable of."
I would also point out that a couple of players have transferred from Penn State to Maryland, which is pretty telling. This includes a former Big Ten rookie of the year and a player who was good enough to eventually play in MLS (albeit briefly).
I can live with it - only because at least there's college soccer on TV. Since I was one of the thousand that could make it into the game even showing up 30 mins earlier. If it wasn't for traffic, should have been there an hour early - 60 minutes from Rockville to College Park (10 miles) is pathetic. Not, that I think Tab is significantly informed by more than a few tapes, interviews and watching a practice or so. Though I generally tune him out. It's nice knowing that Costanzo won the "Big 10 player of the year" as a freshmen...
Last night I thought he started out better than the previous times I have heard him. Then as the game rolled on he reverted back to calling out each players name every time they touch the ball (often well after the ball has been turned over to the other side), using his favorite terms like "searching ball" Route 1 service" etc. to nauseum, and in general just talking way too much wthout saying anything. He needs a well informed partner and should spend some serious time listening to commentators for the EPL who talk a lot less and say a lot more.
Agreed, when you hear that some of the top youth clubs in PA. and across the East advise their players not to go to Penn State you know something is wrong. Also the recent example of a player transferring from another college program and then being cut a year later has to make you wonder.