Dub Narcotic Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Right back, born in Romania, grew up in Calgary, named to men's U-20 WCQ squad. * Various training stints in Europe growing up. * Home club: Calgary Foothills * Joined Whitecaps U-18 residency for one year. * Currently playing with UBC. * CIS 2014 rookie of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceCreamMan Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Do we think he will be the starting RB? As far as I know he may be the only true RB on the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 If a mod could fix the quotes in my topic, I would appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barthez-Battalion Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Very interested in Serban. Most CIS players don't go on to have professional careers but maybe Gale sees something special in him. He's an RB, which Canada sorely needs and maybe he'll be like Smits or Charlie Trafford and will be able to make a decent pro career for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havoc88 Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I think with Paunic being invited to the combine it might suggest CIS is not that far down the ladder as we might think. With the rise of academies not just in TO/MTL/VAN, but also others, those players need to go somewhere when they turn 17/18. Something to watch for sure and at the very least it's a good sign that a potential talent didn't fall into the void just because he wasn't part of a higher profile team/program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 His obvious next step is to leave school and join Whitecaps USL. Depends what he wants to do in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 The great thing about CIS is that, unlike NCAA, it attracts players who've taken a crack at professional soccer, fell short the first time, and need a second chance. So you have some players like Serban and Smits who simply slipped through the crack the first time, but they're up against players like Niall Cousens, Eddy Sidra, and others who played serious professional soccer and are now back. (Some of those professional players, too, are deserving of a second chance.) I've thought for a few years now that CIS, while it probably hasn't got any world-class talents hidden in it, is a resource our clubs aren't tapping enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soro17 Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 The great thing about CIS is that, unlike NCAA, it attracts players who've taken a crack at professional soccer, fell short the first time, and need a second chance. So you have some players like Serban and Smits who simply slipped through the crack the first time, but they're up against players like Niall Cousens, Eddy Sidra, and others who played serious professional soccer and are now back. (Some of those professional players, too, are deserving of a second chance.) I've thought for a few years now that CIS, while it probably hasn't got any world-class talents hidden in it, is a resource our clubs aren't tapping enough. I am a bit foggy on the details, but hasn't UBC clobbered (a highly rated NCAA Div II) SFU in exhibition matches the last few years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hodgkiss Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 The great thing about CIS is that, unlike NCAA, it attracts players who've taken a crack at professional soccer, fell short the first time, and need a second chance. So you have some players like Serban and Smits who simply slipped through the crack the first time, but they're up against players like Niall Cousens, Eddy Sidra, and others who played serious professional soccer and are now back. (Some of those professional players, too, are deserving of a second chance.) I've thought for a few years now that CIS, while it probably hasn't got any world-class talents hidden in it, is a resource our clubs aren't tapping enough. I hate not tapping enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 Ron Gales, on the U-20 media conference call (courtesy of Two Solitudes) mentioned that Serban will sign with Whitecaps USL this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcalibre Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I've thought for a few years now that CIS, while it probably hasn't got any world-class talents hidden in it, is a resource our clubs aren't tapping enough. To be fair Andrea Lombardo was scoring goals in the CIS until he got booted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Good point, but every lower level has guys who are good only at that level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermanator Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Elvir Gigollaj is a good example of a CIS talent that never panned out in the pro ranks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerpro Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Elvir Gigollaj is a good example of a CIS talent that never panned out in the pro ranks. Eddies also had that guy from UBC that was a CIS MVP who had no impact, although he was always getting injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Gagan Dosanjh? He was good when he played (NASL team of the week once) but his body just broke down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I think with Paunic being invited to the combine it might suggest CIS is not that far down the ladder as we might think. With the rise of academies not just in TO/MTL/VAN, but also others, those players need to go somewhere when they turn 17/18. Something to watch for sure and at the very least it's a good sign that a potential talent didn't fall into the void just because he wasn't part of a higher profile team/program. I remember (or my maybe I just imagined it in an Alzheimer's induced state) a thread here several years ago saying that Joe College as a talent avenue would be dead and that almost all the talent would be coming directly from club academies. And yet, you see these two young guys (Paunic is what, 22?) turning Academy experience/cred into better pro prospects for themselves as later bloomer and you see people here talking up the NCAA draft, especially with regards to Canadians playing there. With pro/private academy influences, I think colleges may be getting better prospects entering their systems, so that may bode well for the future of catching more of these late bloomers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 USL is the bigger threat to NCAA, I agree that academies helped a lot of NCAA players by giving them better early training. Now I think teams will start to prefer promoting from within. On the other hand, teams can now use all four picks in a draft year, stash them all in USL and see if any gems emerge. Hard to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baulderdash77 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I think the academies are going to weaken the draft but potentially strengthen college to a degree. You're going to have guys that get high level training, PDL or L10 experience and then some college development in the fall. After a couple years they're 21-22 and ready to be pro's, but the best will be snapped up as homegrown players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_Gagne Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I think the academies are going to weaken the draft but potentially strengthen college to a degree. You're going to have guys that get high level training, PDL or L10 experience and then some college development in the fall. After a couple years they're 21-22 and ready to be pro's, but the best will be snapped up as homegrown players. That is provided those players wish to be signed by the club that developed them. As far as I'm aware, there's nothing stopping a player from being developed by an academy, then opting to try his luck in the draft, rather than sign a HG contract. I think NCAA and academies can be synergistic in terms of player development, but providing a pathway for late bloomer and overall raising the standard of play. Don't get me wrong, I do think the vast majority of drafted players wouldn't ever reach a level higher than USL Pro or NASL, but that being said for the foreseeable future there will continue to be a handful of future MLS difference makers in each draft class, and these days I'm less convinced that the draft will become irrelevant than I was a couple years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Article from a couple of weeks ago in the Calgary Sun on Serban: http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/01/10/local-lad-makes-canadian-under-20-soccer-team-for-concacaf-under-20-championships-in-jamaica Calgary resident Chris Serban is making things happen in his burgeoning soccer career. The former Chinooks under-18 player is currently representing Canada at the CONCACAF Under-20 championship, which kicked off Friday and runs through Jan 24. in Jamaica. “It feels great to be representing my country and I’m excited to get going,” Serban said. “He’s a talented lad, he’s a good one-on-one defender and he proved himself that he could handle the international matches, and that was the deciding factor for us (in choosing him),” added under-20 head coach Robert Gale. The international matches Gale mentioned represented a November three-game trek through Spain and England where the squad played the U.S., Russian and English under-20 national sides. The Canucks drew the Three Lions and beat the Russians and the Americans. Serban came in as a sub, at the fullback position, against the English in the 65th minute and then played both games against Russian and the U.S. in the same spot. It’s fair to say it’s been a whirlwind 10 weeks or so for the Bishop O’Byrne grad, with the unexpected invite to Europe and the actual inclusion in the team. But he had a few well-placed people telling him things were going to work out at the second training camp in Florida last month. “During the last (training) camp, they were leaning towards me and told me to ‘keep it up’ and I would (go) with them (to Jamaica),” Serban said. The fullback’s versatility played a large role in getting a highly coveted spot with a competitive team. “They liked my ability to go forward all the time,” Serban said. “I was good defensively and I did what fullbacks are supposed to do, I guess” And the manager likes ... well ... just about everything in Serban’s game, it seems. “He also uses the ball well,” Gale said. “He seems to be level-headed where nothing fazes him on and off the field, which I like. He’s composed on and off the ball. A good,solid, football player.” With the compact schedule, mixed with heat, humidity and less-than-perfect pitch conditions, it’s going to be a two-week fitness test to see who is left standing at the end. Despite the challenging conditions they will no doubt face, Serban is positive about the club, and when was the last time a Canadian side felt confident in international play? “We’re expecting to do well in this tournament and qualify (for the World Cup),” Serban said. Gale agreed. “We want to qualify for the World Cup,” the Winnipeg resident said. The 12-team tournament will send four teams to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, set to begin May 30 in New Zealand. The Canadians are in a group with Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, Haiti and Honduras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yothat Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Elvir Gigollaj was playing in Germany last year https://twitter.com/eurostaracademy/status/425334687201259520 Wasn't very healthy with FCED didn't get the best shake ... CIS defintely has some gems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Officially signed with Whitecaps 2 today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Scored his first goal in a 2-2 draw with OKC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northvansteve Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Scored his first goal in a 2-2 draw with OKC. Was at this game. Best I have seen Serban play. He's not fast like Adekugbe, but he is quick. Not at all afraid to join the attack and moves the ball confidently in the opposing third - cutting in and maneuvering for a pass instead of just crossing the ball. Not the biggest guy - maybe slightly below average size. Looks like he could get beat on the outside by speedy wingers. Nowhere nearly as good as an Adekugbe or Tyler Pasher, but has potential as a potential MLS starter/depth player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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