The University of Conneticut Huskies defeated the New Mexicos Lobos 2-1 in double overtime of their NCAA tournament third round match to get a birth to the elite eight round. Freshman Nicolas Zuniga's first goal of his collegiate career came at the right time, as he scored the golden goal for the Huskies. Devon Sandoval (NM) and Mamadou Diouf (CT) goals cancelled each other out before the Freshman's winner. UCONN will host Creighton on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the College Cup.
UCONN Huskies
Max Wasserman (Senior, Right Back, #22): The senior RB did all he could to keep his college career going. He made a game-saving tackle in the second half to keep the Lobos from going up 2-0. Then he served up the cross that was converted by Diouf. Did a decent job against New Mexico's Left Winger Blake Smith. And he also occupied the right wing in attack, had the work rate and the energy to do both jobs well. He has good control on the ball and is composed. He can whip in decent crosses, the Huskies could have scored a couple of times off his services. This performance along with getting further along the tournament will take him far, at least get him into the Combine.
Carlos Alvarez (Senior, Attacking CM, #10): Their most creative player in midfield. Likes to take set pieces. He didn't get too much going, but his touch and control was decent nevertheless. He checked deep into the midfield to start the attacks once he found it frustrating to join the attack from further up. At times, a bit selfish, but has good vision.
George Fochive (Junior, Defensive CM, #9): The Frenchman worked hard during Sunday's match, breaking up plays and making great tackles. Also showed he had the ability to switch fields with a long ball. Can cover tons of ground along the back-four and will take the place of a member of the back four when necessary.
New Mexico Lobos
Blake Smith (Senior, Left Midfield, #23): Blake is a very quick and talented midfielder. He didn't have the most freedom that he's probably had in many games this season. However you can tell he has what it takes to be a first round draft pick in the MLS. He's quick, good on the ball, and has very good vision. I saw him play this beautiful ball into the path of an attacker. He didn't have the same effectiveness during the later portions of the match. Quick player who has terrific vision, has a good left peg.
Devon Sandoval (Senior, Striker, #9) He scored his team's first goal. He was the first to the loose ball in the box. The player isn't the faster but he's strong and persistent. His touch was okay. Didn't show me great movement. He would at least project as a striker but I don't know how good he would be in the MLS. Seems like he doesn't have the technical ability to, but it was only one game I saw him in
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
(2) Radford vs (6) Winthrop (Big South Semifinal)
Winthrop defeated Radford 2-1 in overtime after Alex Istern scored his second goal of the match. The Spaniard was determined to cut inside from his left midfield spot and hit a nice volley which went to the far post of Radford's goal. Istern cancelled out Radford's Bernando Ulmo's goal in the first half. The second ranked Highlanders started out brightly when the Brazilian Ulmo made a clever run off a free kick and slot the ball home. Winthrop was the better side during the second half and overtime and they deserved the victory. Radford's season ended after this match with a 10-6-4 record. Meanwhile Winthrop's season is still going on after they defeated Coastal Carolina in the Big South finals, then they upset SMU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles face Louisville in the second round of the tournament.
Radford:
Bernando Ulmo (Junior, Center Midfielder, #7): Ulmo has decent movement, he showed clever movement when he curled around and received a short pass to score his team's first goal of the game. Very good on the ball. Has a decent touch. He was active in the first half but he disappeared in the second half.
Lucas Diniz (Freshman, Forward, #11): Good pace. Lots of energy and decent work rate. Pressures the ball Pesky forward who worked the line pretty well in the first half. Deceptively fast. Like a lot of the players on the Radford team, he disappeared also.
Winthrop
Achille Obougou (Junior, Forward, #7): Tall Spanish forward who has quick feet. I was watching the game with a good friend Daniel Revivo, who is a Winthrop alum, and he told me that Achille was a futsal player going on, so it does explain his quick feet. Very physical player. Doesn't mind banging around with the central defenders. He received a red card after the Highlander defender dove on the ground and was yelling. It was unfair to him but his physically was going to hinder him.
Alex Istern (Senior, Left Midfielder, #6): Scored two goals. Has good pace and quick feet on the ball. At times he gets caught dribble too much. He made some good runs into the center to get into the box. Inconsistent at times. He faded a little bit but he came back strong towards the end. Doesn't track back too often. Good player but not MLS quality.
Magnus Thorsson (Freshman, Central Midfielder, #8): The Icelandic player hit a beautiful strike that just barely struck the post before Istern came in for the rebound and scored his first. Very hard-tackler and clever. He dove to get a foul and a yellow card for the opposing team then he jumped up and laughed like everything was all good.
Radford:
Bernando Ulmo (Junior, Center Midfielder, #7): Ulmo has decent movement, he showed clever movement when he curled around and received a short pass to score his team's first goal of the game. Very good on the ball. Has a decent touch. He was active in the first half but he disappeared in the second half.
Lucas Diniz (Freshman, Forward, #11): Good pace. Lots of energy and decent work rate. Pressures the ball Pesky forward who worked the line pretty well in the first half. Deceptively fast. Like a lot of the players on the Radford team, he disappeared also.
Winthrop
Achille Obougou (Junior, Forward, #7): Tall Spanish forward who has quick feet. I was watching the game with a good friend Daniel Revivo, who is a Winthrop alum, and he told me that Achille was a futsal player going on, so it does explain his quick feet. Very physical player. Doesn't mind banging around with the central defenders. He received a red card after the Highlander defender dove on the ground and was yelling. It was unfair to him but his physically was going to hinder him.
Alex Istern (Senior, Left Midfielder, #6): Scored two goals. Has good pace and quick feet on the ball. At times he gets caught dribble too much. He made some good runs into the center to get into the box. Inconsistent at times. He faded a little bit but he came back strong towards the end. Doesn't track back too often. Good player but not MLS quality.
Magnus Thorsson (Freshman, Central Midfielder, #8): The Icelandic player hit a beautiful strike that just barely struck the post before Istern came in for the rebound and scored his first. Very hard-tackler and clever. He dove to get a foul and a yellow card for the opposing team then he jumped up and laughed like everything was all good.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Elon Phoenix vs Furman Paladins l College Soccer - 10-6
Greetings, I know I've been gone for sometime. I am now doing most of my reviews on www.worldfootie.net So there hasn't been any need for me to get on here and do my match reports but I will come back on here to chat about other games that I wasn't able to put on the WFN blog.
I watched Elon take on Furman in a Southern Conference match-up. Elon won the match 1-0 off of an overtime penalty by leading scorer Chris Thomas. Furman dominated possession, looking phenomenal at times with their one and two touch passing but they couldn't find the back of the net with the chances they got. The Phoenix took advantage of a handball in the box a couple of minutes into extra-time and Thomas tucked it home to give Elon the victory. Don't know if I could use the term deserved but the amount of effort in defending they exerted, I'm not too upset they won.
Elon:
Gabe Latigue RMF #7: Probably the best game I've seen him play. He showed better foot-work on the ball, able to keep his dribble even if the defenders tried to knock off his balance. Also has a good shot on him. Gabe has pretty good pace to get around defenders. Used energy to track back and help defend against Furman's constant attacks. He definitely impressed me tonight
Daniel Lovitz LMF #11: He wasn't asked to do much offensively, when he received the ball deep in his half often he would try to play a long pass. He's a pretty good passer though, completing most of them. Showed his good foot-work when he did get the ball on the dribble. Intelligent enough not to dribble into defenders, he kept the ball and found his teammates. Otherwise not impact during the match.
Chris Thomas CF #20 scored the goal but his impact was limited also. Furman and US youth international, Walker Zimmerman did a good job shutting down Thomas, Chris wasn't able to get much of the ball and he basically had to switch to the other CB to get it. Fortunately for the the Phoenix, Chris had the last laugh with his penalty goal.
Furman:
Walker Zimmerman RCB #23: Probably the best defender I've seen this year. Doesn't have a flaw on him. He's dominant in the air, always in the right positions, hardly makes mistakes on his clearances, and he's a very technical player. The only problem I could see is that he's a little slender but he can build some strength on him. Definitely a player that could get a Generation Adidas deal this year if he pushes for it or go to Europe. Him and the u-20s go to Spain for this week so if he does well, he'll get some looks abroad.
Michael Gandier CM #18: Tall midfielder with good feet. Neat technically can make any type of pass but mostly went to the short passes as his go-to. Also Gandier made a couple of nice heel flicks to pass to his teammates. Very good in the air, his 6'3 frame helps. He mostly holds and get the ball from the defenders but he pushes up for goal kicks just so he can get the flick on. Decent player, I wonder if he could possibly transition to a CB in the next level? Somewhat like Stephen McCarthy at the New England Revolution has done.
I watched Elon take on Furman in a Southern Conference match-up. Elon won the match 1-0 off of an overtime penalty by leading scorer Chris Thomas. Furman dominated possession, looking phenomenal at times with their one and two touch passing but they couldn't find the back of the net with the chances they got. The Phoenix took advantage of a handball in the box a couple of minutes into extra-time and Thomas tucked it home to give Elon the victory. Don't know if I could use the term deserved but the amount of effort in defending they exerted, I'm not too upset they won.
Elon:
Gabe Latigue RMF #7: Probably the best game I've seen him play. He showed better foot-work on the ball, able to keep his dribble even if the defenders tried to knock off his balance. Also has a good shot on him. Gabe has pretty good pace to get around defenders. Used energy to track back and help defend against Furman's constant attacks. He definitely impressed me tonight
Daniel Lovitz LMF #11: He wasn't asked to do much offensively, when he received the ball deep in his half often he would try to play a long pass. He's a pretty good passer though, completing most of them. Showed his good foot-work when he did get the ball on the dribble. Intelligent enough not to dribble into defenders, he kept the ball and found his teammates. Otherwise not impact during the match.
Chris Thomas CF #20 scored the goal but his impact was limited also. Furman and US youth international, Walker Zimmerman did a good job shutting down Thomas, Chris wasn't able to get much of the ball and he basically had to switch to the other CB to get it. Fortunately for the the Phoenix, Chris had the last laugh with his penalty goal.
Furman:
Walker Zimmerman RCB #23: Probably the best defender I've seen this year. Doesn't have a flaw on him. He's dominant in the air, always in the right positions, hardly makes mistakes on his clearances, and he's a very technical player. The only problem I could see is that he's a little slender but he can build some strength on him. Definitely a player that could get a Generation Adidas deal this year if he pushes for it or go to Europe. Him and the u-20s go to Spain for this week so if he does well, he'll get some looks abroad.
Michael Gandier CM #18: Tall midfielder with good feet. Neat technically can make any type of pass but mostly went to the short passes as his go-to. Also Gandier made a couple of nice heel flicks to pass to his teammates. Very good in the air, his 6'3 frame helps. He mostly holds and get the ball from the defenders but he pushes up for goal kicks just so he can get the flick on. Decent player, I wonder if he could possibly transition to a CB in the next level? Somewhat like Stephen McCarthy at the New England Revolution has done.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Carolina Railhawks vs Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
It was a rare midweek match in the NASL, and boy both sides didn't disappoint. The match ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, with five goals being scored in the second half alone. The Railhawks were led by goals from Brian Shriver and two goals from Nick Zimmerman, as the Strikers had three different goals scorers with Lance Liang, Walter Restrepo, and substitute Mark Anderson.
Carolina did well with their pressuring the Strikers' back line during the first half, it was difficult for the Florida side to get some fluidity with their attack. The Railhawks were rewarded with getting the ball in dangerous positions and creating chances. The Strikers started gaining momentum while the Railhawk midfield begun to tire down and they were able to come back from 3-1 down to get the draw.
Carolina:
Zack Schilawski (Fwd): Carolina's new signing and he did well in his 80+ minutes of action. Holding the ball well, pressuring and harrassing Striker defenders and linking up with his midfielders. I think he did more in the first half then I saw Jason Garey do in this whole season (Garey has been coming off from an injury which might be a reason for his poor start). When the ball gets to his foot, he has decent vision to play a first-time pass to players like Shriver or Zimmerman coming into the attack. Obviously he doesn't have the match fitness yet, towards the end of the game his passes weren't connecting as well. It could have been tired feet but he should have been rewarded with a goal from all the energy he used during the match.
Nick Zimmerman (LM): Had a two goal performance. He was very active during this game, his passing was decent and he put himself in positions to score which is why he scored two goals tonight. Not a left-footed player, he had a chance in the first half with his left-foot that if he had it on his right, he would have scored. Decent speed, good moves to get around players. Would rather cut inside into his right foot, rather than getting around the corner. Good performance by a very good player
Brian Shriver (RM): Quick player with decent technical ability. Scored himself a goal and got an assist against his fomer club. His pace was neutralized by Lance Liang but was decent when on the ball. He is an opportunistic goal-scorer, for his goal the ball popped out in space and he ran on to it and struck it to the far post of the goalkeeper. Shriver doesn't have a ton of moves but his quickness helps him glide around players, strength isn't his strong point
Ft. Lauderdale:
Walter Restrepo (ACM): He is a roaming play-maker for the Strikers' side. It took him a while to get into the game, he only saw the ball occasionally in the first half. In the second half, either he didn't do enough running in the first half or he has tons of fitness because he was more productive in the second half. He scored a goal and got himself an assist. The Railhawk midfielders tired down and Restrepo found more space to operate. He has quick and nifty feet, decent pace, his a slender player who gets pushed off the ball. Tends to dive to get calls, he did so in the first half and the referee was tired of it and gave him a yellow in the second. Walter is a very good technical player but does his game translate well in the MLS? I don't know, I think his knowledge of the game helps him but unsure if he can handle the strength of the first-division game. He is a young player, only 23.
Lance Liang (LWB): The one and only reason why I am highlighting this player is because of his spectacular free-kick. Other than that, his touch was atrocious. His first touch of the ball was a clearance and his clearance went straight up in the air instead of going forward. There were a lot of his touches that were shaky, the Railhawk supporter's group on the far side was ribbing him every time he got the ball. He's a very athletic player that is very fast and can jump. Decent defending on Shriver while defending 1v1. Don't know about his defensive awareness, on the Railhawks second goal which Shriver got the ball in tons of space, Lance was nowhere to be seen. I didn't like this player, raw in his football, pacy but apparently has a good FK (or was that a flash in the pan).
Toni Stahl (CB): Solid defender that is good with his distribution out the back, didn't get flustered when the pressure turned up. Tall center-back who is good in the air. Doesn't have enough pace but makes up for that with his cleverness. A very good mid-range passer, Stahl can by-pass the midfield with a low pass and find his forward's feet. Good positional sense, got into good positions to clear crosses from dangerous areas. I didn't notice his 1v1 defending, the Railhawks tried to pass into the attack rather than trying to beat him off the dribble often.
Carolina did well with their pressuring the Strikers' back line during the first half, it was difficult for the Florida side to get some fluidity with their attack. The Railhawks were rewarded with getting the ball in dangerous positions and creating chances. The Strikers started gaining momentum while the Railhawk midfield begun to tire down and they were able to come back from 3-1 down to get the draw.
Carolina:
Zack Schilawski (Fwd): Carolina's new signing and he did well in his 80+ minutes of action. Holding the ball well, pressuring and harrassing Striker defenders and linking up with his midfielders. I think he did more in the first half then I saw Jason Garey do in this whole season (Garey has been coming off from an injury which might be a reason for his poor start). When the ball gets to his foot, he has decent vision to play a first-time pass to players like Shriver or Zimmerman coming into the attack. Obviously he doesn't have the match fitness yet, towards the end of the game his passes weren't connecting as well. It could have been tired feet but he should have been rewarded with a goal from all the energy he used during the match.
Nick Zimmerman (LM): Had a two goal performance. He was very active during this game, his passing was decent and he put himself in positions to score which is why he scored two goals tonight. Not a left-footed player, he had a chance in the first half with his left-foot that if he had it on his right, he would have scored. Decent speed, good moves to get around players. Would rather cut inside into his right foot, rather than getting around the corner. Good performance by a very good player
Brian Shriver (RM): Quick player with decent technical ability. Scored himself a goal and got an assist against his fomer club. His pace was neutralized by Lance Liang but was decent when on the ball. He is an opportunistic goal-scorer, for his goal the ball popped out in space and he ran on to it and struck it to the far post of the goalkeeper. Shriver doesn't have a ton of moves but his quickness helps him glide around players, strength isn't his strong point
Ft. Lauderdale:
Walter Restrepo (ACM): He is a roaming play-maker for the Strikers' side. It took him a while to get into the game, he only saw the ball occasionally in the first half. In the second half, either he didn't do enough running in the first half or he has tons of fitness because he was more productive in the second half. He scored a goal and got himself an assist. The Railhawk midfielders tired down and Restrepo found more space to operate. He has quick and nifty feet, decent pace, his a slender player who gets pushed off the ball. Tends to dive to get calls, he did so in the first half and the referee was tired of it and gave him a yellow in the second. Walter is a very good technical player but does his game translate well in the MLS? I don't know, I think his knowledge of the game helps him but unsure if he can handle the strength of the first-division game. He is a young player, only 23.
Lance Liang (LWB): The one and only reason why I am highlighting this player is because of his spectacular free-kick. Other than that, his touch was atrocious. His first touch of the ball was a clearance and his clearance went straight up in the air instead of going forward. There were a lot of his touches that were shaky, the Railhawk supporter's group on the far side was ribbing him every time he got the ball. He's a very athletic player that is very fast and can jump. Decent defending on Shriver while defending 1v1. Don't know about his defensive awareness, on the Railhawks second goal which Shriver got the ball in tons of space, Lance was nowhere to be seen. I didn't like this player, raw in his football, pacy but apparently has a good FK (or was that a flash in the pan).
Toni Stahl (CB): Solid defender that is good with his distribution out the back, didn't get flustered when the pressure turned up. Tall center-back who is good in the air. Doesn't have enough pace but makes up for that with his cleverness. A very good mid-range passer, Stahl can by-pass the midfield with a low pass and find his forward's feet. Good positional sense, got into good positions to clear crosses from dangerous areas. I didn't notice his 1v1 defending, the Railhawks tried to pass into the attack rather than trying to beat him off the dribble often.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Carolina Railhawks vs San Antonio Scorpions
I entered the park an hour early to prepare myself for Saturday night's game, I can see that the improvements to WakeMed Park are underway and quite possibly MLS expansion in the next few years.
As for the game is concerned, San Antonio ran out with a 1-0 victory over the Railhawks. A Kevin Harmse goal was the difference between the two squads, the former MLS midfielder stormed through the middle of the defense, gave a one-two pass with Esteban Bayona and Harmse finished past Ray Burse.
Carolina Railhawks:
Christopher Nurse: A big and strong center midfielder who has decent vision. He likes to change the point of attack with a long ball to switch fields. Sometimes he plays too many long balls, especially when a shorter pass would be preferable. Doesn't mind dribbling by multiple players to create plays for his team, at the same time he gets caught on the ball too long at times. Okay technically and decent ball control. Tries to be a box-to-box midfielder but doesn't create enough chances for his forwards.
Ty Shipalane: Fast winger who came on the pitch in the 41th minute as a sub for Mike Palacio. Stays out wide and likes to get around the corner to cross into the box. Has the ability to get around defenders with speed and skill, however his crossing ability was inconsistent.
San Antonio Scorpions:
Blake Wagner- Capable left-back that has very good ball control, he trapped down a couple of high clearances under heavy pressure. Always composed and able to retain possession and find the correct pass. Doesn't over-lap often, only did so a handful of times. For the most part, Wagner stays across the back four and keeps his defensive shape well. Average height and okay 1v1 defender, dealt with Shipalane's pace well enough.
Walter Ramirez: Walter has quick and tricky feet; He is very fearless in the way he goes at defenders. Average size, not very strong physically, Pacy player that gave Railhawk defenders fits. Left-footed player, not the greatest passer, his crossing was decent. Pretty effective during the 1st half, he disappeared towards the end of the game.
Pablo Campos: Tall striker who is slow and at times lazy. Had a great opportunity to score in the first half but blew the breakaway, didn't even get a shot on goal. He was lazy in the game I watched in Atlanta, in this game he was much more active. His channel running was better, always like to try to run on the last defenders shoulder. Towards the end of the 2nd half, he faded and wasn't involved a lot in the play. Okay on the ball, not quick enough to go around players but he is big enough not to be muscled off easily.
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