I was in Santa Barbara Tuesday night where 24th ranked Creighton defeated 21st ranked UCSB, 1-0. It was a typical college soccer game that relies on physical play and an abuse of long balls – no pauses or build-ups in possession. So I’m only writing this to report on who is ready for the next […]
College Soccer
Who Says The US Doesn’t Have Quality Soccer Players? [Video]
Here’s our U-19s doing a one-touch warmup before last Monday’s National Cup game. It is 7 v 7 with 2 neutrals (in blue). The dimensions of the grid are roughly 32 x 20 yards (about 1/10 a soccer field). If you can’t see the video, click here. Things To Keep in Mind This was only […]
MLS Draft Prospects
I’ve been holding this in for a while now – ever since coverage and speculation over this year’s MLS Draft started. With the Draft this Thursday, I just have to say my piece. I’m disgusted by what most “reporters/analysts” are writing. And these are considered good sources of soccer information in America. These guys have […]
Tim Vom Steeg Criticism and College Soccer Playing Time
A discussion has been ongoing in the socalsoccer forums the last couple of days. The topic began when UCSB lost to UCLA in the NCAA sweet 16. UCSB is known for being a very physical team. They’ve been labeled dirty, thuggish, low class, and the list goes on with fingers pointing at coach Tim Vom […]
College Soccer Freshman Honors (2009)
So conference play ended last week and the NCAA tournament has started. The All Conference teams have been announced along with Freshman of the Year accolades. Three out of the four selections we made received high recognition! Amobi Okugo Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Pac-10 Second Team All Conference * National Rookie of the season […]
Big West Soccer Showdown “UC Irvine Anteaters vs UCSB Gauchos”
The Big West finale comes down to the anticipated battle between the UC Irvine Anteaters (14-6) and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (15-3-2) taking place at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Ca at 7 pm on Saturday night, November 14th. What’s at stake? The Conference Championship and a direct berth into the NCAA tournament. Brackets […]
The “Freshman Syndrome”
Allow me to introduce one of the many scourges in US soccer. What I like to call the “Freshman Syndrome”. A lot of high school and college coaches suffer from this idea that simply because you are a freshman, you should smell the fresh-cut grass from the bench, or not at all! Sure, in general […]
How Are The College “Top 100 Freshman” Doing?
Throughout the college season we’ve been compiling data on the so-called “top 100 freshman to watch“. With this data we hope to gain many insights into college soccer and these players. It’s one thing to declare these players to be the incoming elite, and it’s another to follow up and see what impact they had. […]
College Soccer: Big West Soccer Preview
Here is a detailed look at the Big West League that starts up this Wednesday, September 30th. We are doing a breakdown of team tactics, coaches, formations, players to watch, and of course the inevitable predictions. Note that in college soccer, this craft is a difficult one since it’s a crap shoot and at times […]
Meet the Big West Men’s Soccer Coaches
Big West conference play opens up September 27, with UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara. An attendance in the thousands is expected – I’ll definitely be there! The rest of the teams will have their openers on September 30. Here’s a couple of snippets on the coaches … UCSB – Tim Vom Steeg Head coach […]