squid2 Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 NCAA QUARTERFINALS South Florida @ Wake Forest (To be played Dec 6) Northwestern vs. North Carolina (Could be played Dec 5,6 or 7) Indiana @ St. John's (To be played Dec 6) Creighton @ Maryland (To be played Dec 6) ESPN2 will cover both semi finals on Dec 12, to be played in Pizza Hut Park in Texas. 5:30 & 8:00 PM (ET) - that's a Friday. The Final will be played on the 14th, Sunday - also at Pizza Hut Park, 1:00PM (ET). I like Wake, North Carolina, Indiana and Maryland for the Semi's. North Carolina took out Ill-Chi and Northwestern took out Akron so I'm down another 2 in the pools. Cal Poly took out UCLA; UNC Greensboro beating Duke; and Louisville losing to Jacksonville also cost me points. Otherwise I'm still in contention, but just barely. I have a Wake/Maryland final; Maryland winning. Not that I think many will care, but if Indiana & Maryland meet in the semi, that could be the best game. Wake has a very well balanced team, lots of good strong players, no one player really stands out and screams "watch me". Indiana is sort of the same as Wake, depth and good solid skill but they are younger. Maryland has a couple of gems - Hall, MacMath, Ganzalez, so it's going to be interesting. With the changes to the roster made by the MLS for 2009, I'm thinking teams will have a different approach to drafting. Teams will be zeroing in on the player that can contribute right away and not 2010. Probably a player who can be deployed in different set-ups and positions and make the transition to MLS during 2009. And again, if anyone thinks that the NCAA draft is the answer to TFC's woes, then they are in for another disappointment. If Mo says the striker, a wide midfielder/winger and CB are immediate priorities, then there's very little in this draft to step in and fill those priorities. If Jeremy Hall goes Gen A, then he might be the depth behind the wide player; better still, if Corben Bone goes Gen A, he's a solid pick - there's a bit of Ronnie O'Brien in Bone's game. OTOH, I'd like to see Mo trade the 1st round picks for allocations and picks in future drafts and chase proven players who will be around for 2-3 years allowing TFC to groom and develop the depth situation. With three 1st round picks, this is the year to do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squid2 Posted December 6, 2008 Author Share Posted December 6, 2008 Moving on to the semi's: Maryland & UNC Both prevailed this afternoon with respective 1-0 victories. Edit #1 Add Wake to the Semi bracket, a 5-0 win. Allegedly, TFC scouted the Wake game. Thats 3 ACC teams in the semi finals and probably Indiana who are up 1-0 and pressing based on a phone call 10 minutes ago. Edit #2 St Johns prevails 3-2 Down 0-2 in final 10 minutes and tie it; an OT win on a PK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ag futbol Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Thanks for the updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ag futbol Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Thanks for the updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squid2 Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 I'm hearing ESPN2 will not show both semi's; maybe just 1. NCAA game tracker should provide basic coverage. I logged in on it just as St Johns' players were celebrating the goal from the OT PK. Had no idea it was being shown, as were the other matches. Semis: Wake vs. UNC is 5:30 Maryland vs. St Johns is 8:00. Wake is the favourite! If I hear something firm I'll post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squid2 Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 Maryland beats St John's 1-0 on a very late goal. This game had OT/PKs written all over it. Wake Forest falls to UNC!!! UNC scored very very early, and hold on for the 1-0 win. Mo and his TFC boys were seen at both games. I'm thinking tomorrow could be an interesting day for the Gen A list. The final is on Sunday, the 13th, ESPN2 will be showing it, 1:00 PM eastern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Caught both games today, really impressed with the way UNC shutdown the attack of Wake forest, they did a job and got lucky with a few posts. But they will give Maryland a tough game. Also Delagara and Omar Gonzalaez played a very strong game for maryland today. Should be able to stop UNC's lone striker. Would of liked to see Casey townsend and Jeremey hall today but i cant complain. Zuzi with such an incredible goal to end it too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squid2 Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 Not the best NCAA match I've seen this year, far from the worst too For a championship game I'm disappointed Too much of a kick-a-bout and too little solid technical play. Both teams far more capable of playing more entertaining styles. Maryland wins 1-0. Graham Zusi, a Sr, scores; he's had a great tournament. He'll be watched more closely at the combine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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