It’s almost college season

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UConn lost to Syracuse. Going to be a very long LOSING year in Storrs

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UConn lost to Syracuse. Going to be a very long LOSING year in Storrs

They should have gone outside to hire a coach. The recruiting isn’t strong.

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UConn lost to Syracuse. Going to be a very long LOSING year in Storrs

What was the score at halftime?

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They should have gone outside to hire a coach. The recruiting isn’t strong.

Supposedly they did but no takers.

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UConn was outplayed by Central CT tonight. Not good that UConnjust squeaked by Central

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UConn was outplayed by Central CT tonight. Not good that UConnjust squeaked by Central

Was at the game. CCSU jumped on them early 2-0. Was mostly UConn after that. 2-1 by HT. 3-2 quickly in second half. That’s how it ended. Entertaining game.

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Was at the game. CCSU jumped on them early 2-0. Was mostly UConn after that. 2-1 by HT. 3-2 quickly in second half. That’s how it ended. Entertaining game.

Bad soccer at its best...by both teams

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Bad soccer at its best...by both teams

can i ask what your expectations are? ive said it so many times on TS - outside of maybe 15 schools, the quality is not high. we dont play ball on the ground, clever passing soccer in the USA. Did you watch the U20s in the WC ?

the best athletes go to the top soccer schools and the other schools are largely making the best of a mixed bag of players, athletes and walk ons.

Enjoy the spirit, the competition, the effort from the kids etc, but if you are looking for consistent quality in a UConn CCSU game then you are in the wrong place.

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can i ask what your expectations are? ive said it so many times on TS - outside of maybe 15 schools, the quality is not high. we dont play ball on the ground, clever passing soccer in the USA. Did you watch the U20s in the WC ?

the best athletes go to the top soccer schools and the other schools are largely making the best of a mixed bag of players, athletes and walk ons.

Enjoy the spirit, the competition, the effort from the kids etc, but if you are looking for consistent quality in a UConn CCSU game then you are in the wrong place.

Have to disagree with you slightly. I agree that the best players are consolidated at the top 15 schools (soccer wise) and the rest is a mixed bag. But I wouldn’t say none of them keep it on the ground. Some of them do, but it’s a slower pace than the top schools and when an athletic team pressures them, they aren’t proficient enough to keep it. Yes there are some teams that use athleticism to create chances from mistakes and even some that play direct because they are more athletic than skilled, but I have found those to be the exception rather than the rule. Nearly every team TRIES to play. Not all are good enough to do it. Considering there are more than 10,000 players in D1 alone, it’s difficult to develop that many top players given other constraints like school, work, social...etc.

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Have to disagree with you slightly. I agree that the best players are consolidated at the top 15 schools (soccer wise) and the rest is a mixed bag. But I wouldn’t say none of them keep it on the ground. Some of them do, but it’s a slower pace than the top schools and when an athletic team pressures them, they aren’t proficient enough to keep it. Yes there are some teams that use athleticism to create chances from mistakes and even some that play direct because they are more athletic than skilled, but I have found those to be the exception rather than the rule. Nearly every team TRIES to play. Not all are good enough to do it. Considering there are more than 10,000 players in D1 alone, it’s difficult to develop that many top players given other constraints like school, work, social...etc.

I disagree a little bit. It seems clear that the reason ECNL and high schools play long-ball soccer is that colleges and national teams pretty much always play long ball. Size and athleticism are valued over soccer skills across the board. 1v1 and 1v2 play is less valued than the ability to womp the ball to a fast player who can run on to it. So, the UCONN CCSU game was probably just as intended and fun for those who watched and participated. Good on MD for keeping it close, too, probably made some good recruiting choices.

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I disagree a little bit. It seems clear that the reason ECNL and high schools play long-ball soccer is that colleges and national teams pretty much always play long ball. Size and athleticism are valued over soccer skills across the board. 1v1 and 1v2 play is less valued than the ability to womp the ball to a fast player who can run on to it. So, the UCONN CCSU game was probably just as intended and fun for those who watched and participated. Good on MD for keeping it close, too, probably made some good recruiting choices.

Or UConn made some bad recruiting choices. Including the coaching staff.

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In defense of CCSU and UConn, there are probably 15-20 teams in the world who can consistently play short touch passing. England bypassed the midfield for the entirety of the World Cup.

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In defense of CCSU and UConn, there are probably 15-20 teams in the world who can consistently play short touch passing. England bypassed the midfield for the entirety of the World Cup.

who said short touch passing? Did you watch Spain U20s? or japan? Or Korea? There are way more than you suggest. there are very valid reasons why we are not proficient at it here (generally). the game with its almost unlimited subs makes it easy to play 100 mph all game. makes pressure and pace much more relevant than learning to pace a game.

no one benefits from being part of player development. They benefit from winning. Our game reflects that at every level.

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I disagree a little bit. It seems clear that the reason ECNL and high schools play long-ball soccer is that colleges and national teams pretty much always play long ball. Size and athleticism are valued over soccer skills across the board. 1v1 and 1v2 play is less valued than the ability to womp the ball to a fast player who can run on to it. So, the UCONN CCSU game was probably just as intended and fun for those who watched and participated. Good on MD for keeping it close, too, probably made some good recruiting choices.

Yes, size and athleticism are valued, but it doesn’t have to be at the expense of skills. What is the difference between an NBA player and a good college player? Freak athleticism. It isn’t that much different in soccer.

Too many critics. Most teams try to play. But athleticism will go a long way towards making that difficult. Who won the WC? And what was the defining factor? Speed. Can’t teach it. The rest is just noise. The US remains the best on the women’s side and have been a power for many years. Early on there wasn’t much competition. Now there is, and they remain at the top. The men are not bc they are simply too many other opportunities over here. American football. Baseball. Basketball. Hockey.

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Yes, size and athleticism are valued, but it doesn’t have to be at the expense of skills. What is the difference between an NBA player and a good college player? Freak athleticism. It isn’t that much different in soccer.

Too many critics. Most teams try to play. But athleticism will go a long way towards making that difficult. Who won the WC? And what was the defining factor? Speed. Can’t teach it. The rest is just noise. The US remains the best on the women’s side and have been a power for many years. Early on there wasn’t much competition. Now there is, and they remain at the top. The men are not bc they are simply too many other opportunities over here. American football. Baseball. Basketball. Hockey.

they remain at the top ? by what measure ? we will see who is at the top in 2019. Most teams try to win. very few try to win by playing consistently good soccer.