Topic: Men's Soccer vs AIFC today at 1pm

[luckytoes99]

There won't be any TV options for the match We will get our first look at new players.

[mu79grad]

7-0 Herd at half, opposition young and outmatched.

[overherd1]

Think I saw that we play Ohio state in our next spring game?

[svherd]

Think I saw that we play Ohio state in our next spring game?

Yes, play them at home on March 2nd, and Louisville at home on March 9th

[jsbowen]

The schedule said 3:00, so I got there late. Some new guys already here and contributing. Bell and Duggan weren?t there. Okiyoshi was. Guga appears to be working with the coaching staff. Really good to see him still with the team.

[goherd73]

The schedule said 3:00, so I got there late. Some new guys already here and contributing. Bell and Duggan weren?t there. Okiyoshi was. Guga appears to be working with the coaching staff. Really good to see him still with the team.

How was the crowd?

[luckytoes99]

200 - 300

[Jbabbington]

The schedule said 3:00, so I got there late. Some new guys already here and contributing. Bell and Duggan weren?t there. Okiyoshi was. Guga appears to be working with the coaching staff. Really good to see him still with the team.

Both Bell and Duggan won't be back. Bell was actually just signed and retained by RSL and is a part of their first team roster. I wouldn't worry too much. Dos Santos, who's replacing Bell looked fantastic alongside AGP. I believe that between the two of them they accounted for almost 15 SOG and 5-6 goals. Pauscal realistically should have had 4-5 himself. He missed some shots that 99% of the time he drills into the back.

I wouldn't pay much attention to the listed 24 roster. They're not updating it.


On a fun note, I knew Okiyoshi was returning - but seeing Sordo out there was a very welcoming surprise. He played almost the entirety of the match, and looked even better than he did last year. Having him back is huge.

We're playing a different style right now. Extremely heavy on the press, and very attack focus. Seems Grassie is playing to strengths, and boy... I know AIFC is a couple notches below us, but if we play the way we did today it's going to be hard for anyone to stop us.

Our backline wasn't tested much at all today, so we'll see how they're stacking up next weekend.. and especially in two weeks against Louisville.

[Jbabbington]

.

[overherd1]

Thanks for you insight and input Jbabbington, very much appreciated.  Once again, it seems like we should have a good year.  The back line could be the key this year.

[Garbanjo]

Both Bell and Duggan won't be back. Bell was actually just signed and retained by RSL and is a part of their first team roster. I wouldn't worry too much. Dos Santos, who's replacing Bell looked fantastic alongside AGP. I believe that between the two of them they accounted for almost 15 SOG and 5-6 goals. Pauscal realistically should have had 4-5 himself. He missed some shots that 99% of the time he drills into the back.

I wouldn't pay much attention to the listed 24 roster. They're not updating it.


On a fun note, I knew Okiyoshi was returning - but seeing Sordo out there was a very welcoming surprise. He played almost the entirety of the match, and looked even better than he did last year. Having him back is huge.

We're playing a different style right now. Extremely heavy on the press, and very attack focus. Seems Grassie is playing to strengths, and boy... I know AIFC is a couple notches below us, but if we play the way we did today it's going to be hard for anyone to stop us.

Our backline wasn't tested much at all today, so we'll see how they're stacking up next weekend.. and especially in two weeks against Louisville.

Great stuff, thanks!

[2xBison]

Both Bell and Duggan won't be back. Bell was actually just signed and retained by RSL and is a part of their first team roster. I wouldn't worry too much. Dos Santos, who's replacing Bell looked fantastic alongside AGP. I believe that between the two of them they accounted for almost 15 SOG and 5-6 goals. Pauscal realistically should have had 4-5 himself. He missed some shots that 99% of the time he drills into the back.

I wouldn't pay much attention to the listed 24 roster. They're not updating it.


On a fun note, I knew Okiyoshi was returning - but seeing Sordo out there was a very welcoming surprise. He played almost the entirety of the match, and looked even better than he did last year. Having him back is huge.

We're playing a different style right now. Extremely heavy on the press, and very attack focus. Seems Grassie is playing to strengths, and boy... I know AIFC is a couple notches below us, but if we play the way we did today it's going to be hard for anyone to stop us.

Our backline wasn't tested much at all today, so we'll see how they're stacking up next weekend.. and especially in two weeks against Louisville.

Thx.  Refreshing to get great info here for change!  Much appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jsbowen]

I was thinking about the roster and the guys I saw yesterday.  I didn't see Roberto.  Did I miss him or was he not there?

[luckytoes99]

Long post but I'm excited for the upcoming season.

I had the pleasure of speaking to a couple parents from the AIFC team. They consist of 16-18 year olds around the Toronto area. They have already played Oakland U and BGSU this year and will come back to play to Xavier. From my understanding they've played the other schools much tighter. They've also played oversees. They were highly impressed with our play and style. No comparison they said between us and other teams they've played.

Their #11 Adrian Mahoney has already signed with the Herd for this fall. He is a stout forward that reminds me a little of Adjetey. Couldn't tell if he had Adjetey's speed however. I'm sure his play will be better when he is surrounded by more experience players. I would say he is one of the reasons we picked up this club for an exhibition.

To add to JBabbington comments all starters are back with the exception of Bell, Duggan, and  Perotta. Reserves who exhausted their eligibility include Aoumauch and Adjetey. All other key contributors are back.

Looks like Rose will be the starting goal keeper. He wasn't really tested but he did show a strong, accurate leg. He was able to easily kick from the top of box to just outside the opponents box. He was also accurate on clear outs and passing in general. He was quite vocal. He also has a height advantage over Perotta. We will have a better idea of his goal skills in the next few weeks. Could be an upgrade here.

Fujita has moved into Duggans spot with Bamford at the other fullback spot. Transfer Kapila was the 3rd man in the fullback rotation. He isn't as big as Duggan but looks serviceable. It was my understanding Amora is still rehabbing his knee and will return in the fall. However transfer goalkeeper Jankic played a few minutes in his 43 jersey as a midfielder. He didn't play goalkeeper yesterday due to an injured hand.

Godard and Pinto are back at the halfback positions. Prescott is a backup and another transfer that I didn't recognize..

Okiyoshi and Stjernegaard are back at midfield with Holmes, Seguguchi, and another transfer as backups. I can't tell if Dos Sontos would be a capable replacement for Bell at high midfield. It appears he might be better suited as Pasquals position. His ball handling skills seem adequate. However, I understand there is a player already pegged for Bells spot who won't join until this fall. Felipe Short played some at midfield and left forward. He redshirted last season I believe.

Sordo looked great at left forward, Pasqual played center and Simon at right forward. Silva played second half at right forward and Short moved up to left some as well. Roberto is back but had a boot on. Dos Sontos has to play. The front line shouldn't skip a beat.

Given the level of competition I still think we are definitely ahead of last years team. There is a lot more experience of playing together. If you remember a majority of new starters weren't on the squad until last summer.

Biggest question marks are Bells spot and how the back line will holdup to a team like WVU and Stanford.

[svherd]

Thanks guys for the great reports. My only concern is the backline and how we stand up to quick and physical teams like WVU and Stanford. We tend to get pushed around at times. I'll be there the next two Saturdays, hoping for good weather.

[herdthatandrew]

I was thinking about the roster and the guys I saw yesterday.  I didn't see Roberto.  Did I miss him or was he not there?

Looked to be in a hoodie and a boot yesterday

[Jbabbington]

Long post but I'm excited for the upcoming season.

I had the pleasure of speaking to a couple parents from the AIFC team. They consist of 16-18 year olds around the Toronto area. They have already played Oakland U and BGSU this year and will come back to play to Xavier. From my understanding they've played the other schools much tighter. They've also played oversees. They were highly impressed with our play and style. No comparison they said between us and other teams they've played.

Their #11 Adrian Mahoney has already signed with the Herd for this fall. He is a stout forward that reminds me a little of Adjetey. Couldn't tell if he had Adjetey's speed however. I'm sure his play will be better when he is surrounded by more experience players. I would say he is one of the reasons we picked up this club for an exhibition.

To add to JBabbington comments all starters are back with the exception of Bell, Duggan, and  Perotta. Reserves who exhausted their eligibility include Aoumauch and Adjetey. All other key contributors are back.

Looks like Rose will be the starting goal keeper. He wasn't really tested but he did show a strong, accurate leg. He was able to easily kick from the top of box to just outside the opponents box. He was also accurate on clear outs and passing in general. He was quite vocal. He also has a height advantage over Perotta. We will have a better idea of his goal skills in the next few weeks. Could be an upgrade here.

Fujita has moved into Duggans spot with Bamford at the other fullback spot. Transfer Kapila was the 3rd man in the fullback rotation. He isn't as big as Duggan but looks serviceable. It was my understanding Amora is still rehabbing his knee and will return in the fall. However transfer goalkeeper Jankic played a few minutes in his 43 jersey as a midfielder. He didn't play goalkeeper yesterday due to an injured hand.

Godard and Pinto are back at the halfback positions. Prescott is a backup and another transfer that I didn't recognize..

Okiyoshi and Stjernegaard are back at midfield with Holmes, Seguguchi, and another transfer as backups. I can't tell if Dos Sontos would be a capable replacement for Bell at high midfield. It appears he might be better suited as Pasquals position. His ball handling skills seem adequate. However, I understand there is a player already pegged for Bells spot who won't join until this fall. Felipe Short played some at midfield and left forward. He redshirted last season I believe.

Sordo looked great at left forward, Pasqual played center and Simon at right forward. Silva played second half at right forward and Short moved up to left some as well. Roberto is back but had a boot on. Dos Sontos has to play. The front line shouldn't skip a beat.

Given the level of competition I still think we are definitely ahead of last years team. There is a lot more experience of playing together. If you remember a majority of new starters weren't on the squad until last summer.

Biggest question marks are Bells spot and how the back line will holdup to a team like WVU and Stanford.

Awesome write up man!

I was watching the match yesterday, scouring the bench looking for Mahoney. Took a look on the pitch and saw #11 and was like "...wait a second!"

I'm not gonna bash his performance against us, that would be wildly unfair. I will say he had some fantastic challenges that he won against us and is quite fast. Not Adjetey fast, but faster than Bell I'd say. I'm excited to get him on campus, I think Grassie will mold him into a great player for us.

[chris88]

Two other noteworthy soccer related things this past week:

- Due to injury Oliver Semle started in goal for the Philly Union MLS game last Saturday. Match ended in a 2-2 draw. My guess is he starts again tonight. First MU player to start an MLS match in a long time.

- Adam Aoumache signed a contract with Union Omaha and will be playing alongside Pedro Dolabella (sp). This is a tier 2 league. Union Omaha was the best team in the league last year but suffered a pk loss in playoffs.

[gochneaur645]

Semmle with a massive save in extra time to hold a 6-5 aggregate lead for Philly. They advance over Costa Rican side Saprissa to the round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1762685322201100630

[Skidude]

Will Sunday?s match vs Ohio State be televised?

[luckytoes99]

The match is Saturday at 1pm.

Usually the Spring league matches are not televised.

[chezdog30]

What was the final score of this game?

[luckytoes99]

14-0.

The team scored 7 goals each half.