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TU Soccer 2023

Boy service into the box was bad the last 10 minutes. Imprecise to say it nicely. Lost to a team winless in conference, at home.
Yeah, I can't emphasize enough how much we miss players like Chase Bromstedt and Mitchell Cashion. Not only were they great defenders on the outside, what they added to the attack to free up outside forwards and MFs to clog the middle and give extra bodies on crosses cannot be overstated. Not only that but the quality of the crosses was A+ level. We are just not getting the same from Will Edwards and Luke Jeffus (I know Jeffus plays in the middle but his service into the box lacks purpose and quality). We also lack a natural 9 with MHS out of the lineup right now.

Does anyone know if Richnow and Bottenburg are out with injuries? Victor Thompson is really good but the other CB they have paired with him right now lacks the pace, full awareness, and experience of what's going on. USF's 1st goal came as he was trying to step up in an offside trap and didn't get high enough quick enough and the USF forward ran by him onto the through ball. His positioning was not bad overall but he never anticipated the through ball and dropped just a bit to intercept and he didn't have the pace to catch the USF forward.

I can't say teams are outplaying TU, but they certainly are taking advantage of the chances they have while TU cannot score consistently.
 
Tough loss at home especially with a back loaded conference schedule. Not a lot good to say about that performance. Struggled with passing, first touch, and service. Outside backs looked athletically overmatched much of the game. We are dangerous on set pieces. Need to capitalize more on these. Last three conference game are daunting.
Yeah, while USF had that gauntlet to start their conference season, we have it to end it. Boys will have to do some soul searching. Hoping we can get some of the injuries healed up and back on the field.
 
Yeah, I can't emphasize enough how much we miss players like Chase Bromstedt and Mitchell Cashion. Not only were they great defenders on the outside, what they added to the attack to free up outside forwards and MFs to clog the middle and give extra bodies on crosses cannot be overstated. Not only that but the quality of the crosses was A+ level. We are just not getting the same from Will Edwards and Luke Jeffus (I know Jeffus plays in the middle but his service into the box lacks purpose and quality). We also lack a natural 9 with MHS out of the lineup right now.

Does anyone know if Richnow and Bottenburg are out with injuries? Victor Thompson is really good but the other CB they have paired with him right now lacks the pace, full awareness, and experience of what's going on. USF's 1st goal came as he was trying to step up in an offside trap and didn't get high enough quick enough and the USF forward ran by him onto the through ball. His positioning was not bad overall but he never anticipated the through ball and dropped just a bit to intercept and he didn't have the pace to catch the USF forward.

I can't say teams are outplaying TU, but they certainly are taking advantage of the chances they have while TU cannot score consistently.
Richnow played the last ten minutes today.
 
This is what is upsetting about this team. I don't think one game they were the lesser of the two teams in talent. They have been the most talented team in every single game this season. They are the better team every single game. They just cannot close out scoring opportunities and other teams can and are.
 
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This is what is upsetting about this team. I don't think one game they were the lesser of the two teams in talent. They have been the most talented team in every single game this season. They are the better team every single game. They just cannot close out scoring opportunities and other teams can and are.
We miss Meinhard a lot. And we know MHS has some tweaky rubber bands for hamstrings. He's missed time in every season due to a hamstring pull
 
Tulsa 100% offensively punchless against Memphis and fortunate to avoid giving up about three more goals. The also lost Bottenberg to what looked like a serious injury.
 
Tulsa 100% offensively punchless against Memphis and fortunate to avoid giving up about three more goals. The also lost Bottenberg to what looked like a serious injury.
This team has lost all of its mojo and confidence. They are playing extremely tentative.
 
Tough trip to Charlotte for both the men and women as TU gets swept. Women lost 0-3 last night and the men just went down 1-2.
 
Tough trip to Charlotte for both the men and women as TU gets swept. Women lost 0-3 last night and the men just went down 1-2.
They gave up an inexcusable gift of a goal soon after kickoff and another with poor marking late in the game.

Dominated the middle 60 minutes but could only get one goal from Baena.
 
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Clemson leads the country in scoring.
In fairness to Meinhard, TU doesn’t offer his degree and Clemson has one of the better programs in the world for what he wants to do after soccer.

He made a lot of players on TU better. It appears he is having the same effect there.
 
Boy we got crushed by a poor Temple team.

Once we lost MHS and our center backs this team kind of fell apart. Tom tried some things like Jeffus to center back but nothing really worked out. Hopefully the crash will not carry over to next season.
 
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Men somehow pulled a draw out of the fire last night with #23 FIU. Had a 1-0 lead early, and when I got home and put it on we were down 2-1 with about 15 left. TU finishes in 8th place in the conference standings and will miss the AAC tournament. Disappointing to say the least. AAC only takes 6 in men's soccer with the top 2 seeds getting a bye in the 1st round.

Back to the drawing board. Hopefully Tom can find some magic striker from Europe to bring over.
 
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Men somehow pulled a draw out of the fire last night with #23 FIU. Had a 1-0 lead early, and when I got home and put it on we were down 2-1 with about 15 left. TU finishes in 8th place in the conference standings and will miss the AAC tournament. Disappointing to say the least. AAC only takes 6 in men's soccer with the top 2 seeds getting a bye in the 1st round.

Back to the drawing board. Hopefully Tom can find some magic striker from Europe to bring over.
Really sucks that MHS was out for an extended time, and that Meinhard transferred. Hopefully MHS will stay next year.
 
Really sucks that MHS was out for an extended time, and that Meinhard transferred. Hopefully MHS will stay next year.
There were some other issues. We weren't scoring like in previous years but the defending was atrocious. And it wasn't even the 1 on 1 defending. Biggest issue was this group simply didn't understand that you can clear a ball out of the area and regroup and live to fight another day. They played with the mentality of 10, 11, and 12 year olds who take things very literally. If the coach tells them to play out of the back and keep possession, they're going to do that even if it's a 1 v 3 and the likelihood of a turnover in a dangerous space is high. The other thing, and I've never seen this in a Tom McIntosh coached TU team before, this team would lose energy when they got down and almost give up. The only way to explain poor results vs UAB and Temple.

To think I was really high on this team after the game vs Louisville even though we were on the short end of a 1-0 score line. I saw some speed and creativity in the attack and only a simple mistake led to the goal against...a mistake that can be addressed and cleaned up after a single film session, yet that mistake stuck around all season. TU's CBs got sucked out of position way too easily allowing the attack to flood the back side of the area and have odd many advantages vs a single defender.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but does soccer have the same lax transfer rules fb and bb have? Is it time to clear the decks?
 
Pardon my ignorance, but does soccer have the same lax transfer rules fb and bb have? Is it time to clear the decks?
I think so, but it's not taken advantage of as much, because there isn't as much scholarship & nil money and future pro contracts at stake. Thats how Meinhard and 1 or 2 others transferred out as far as I know. I think we had 4 transfer in.
 
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I think so, but it's not taken advantage of as much, because there isn't as much scholarship & nil money and future pro contracts at stake. Thats how Meinhard and 1 or 2 others transferred out as far as I know. I think we had 4 transfer in.
Soccer has always been a high transfer sport since it was not one that included a sit out year like basketball and football had.
 
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You’ve seen quite a bit of player movement (especially top players) in the Olympic sports for quite some time. Would be really nice if we could pick a few up in both men’s and women’s soccer
 
Soccer has always been a high transfer sport since it was not one that included a sit out year like basketball and football had.
I was comparing it to basketball and football after they took away the year penalty.(recently) I realize it was a high transfer rate comparatively to when the year penalty was there.

You have to compare it to roster size as well. Basketball has app 15-17 on the roster as compared to 35-38 in soccer. Football has something like 100 to 110.(Including walk-ons) You can multiply times 2.5 for basketball and divide by a little < 3 for football to compare. Over the last couple of years, I think soccer is low on the transfer #'s. As opposed to it being high before they took away the penalty year in BB & football.
 
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They had seven starters back but lost their best forward and center back.
 
Looks like TU signed 3 players on the early period. 1 player from Edmond (Energy FC ECNL), and 2 from Springfield, MO
 
Assume we also might add a foreign player or two?
Yeah, if I remember correctly they usually announce the international players in the Spring. I think there is some extra leg work to get them here because of visas and such so they want to make sure they can actually get them here before announcing.
 
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TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's soccer team added three players to its 2024 signing class, including Trajan Wormington, Alex Cunningham and Eli Berry, head coach Tom McIntosh announced on Wednesday afternoon.

"We filled a couple of real specific needs with these three guys," McIntosh said. "We're pleased with Alex, Trajan and Eli. All three guys can impact the team immediately, and we're looking forward to having them join us next season."

A 5-10 versatile player from Springfield, Mo., Cunningham can play multiple positions on the pitch and has been playing soccer since he was 6 years old. He has played with the Sporting Kansas City Academy since 2019. In April, he inked an MLS NEXT Pro amateur contract with Sporting Kansas City II. Cunningham had a productive 2023 Generation Adidas Cup, where he helped the Sporting KC U-17 team finish with a 4-1-2 record. Playing in defense, he helped the team in five shutouts in seven matches and notched an assist.

"Alex is a very good all-around player," McIntosh said. "He can play in the midfield, and he can play right back. He's quick, very competitive and has a very good brain. We think he's a great fit for the team."

A 6-1 winger out of Springfield, Mo., Wormington also is a member of the Sporting Kansas City Academy. He joined prior to the 2021 season and in August signed his MLS Next Pro amateur contract with Sporting KC II, having made one appearance with the team. At the academy, he has represented Sporting KC at the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels. He has played in two Generation Adidas Cups, scoring twice in the 2022-23 group stages, and two MLS Next Playoffs.

"Trajan is a dynamic wide player that can create chances for his teammates as well as himself," McIntosh said. "He has good technical ability to go along with pace and I think he is only going to get better as he matures physically."

Berry is a 6-2 forward from Edmond, Okla. who is a three-year letterwinner at Deer Creek High School. He helped lead the Antlers to a 15-4-2 record his junior season and a state semifinal appearance. He finished the season with 11 goals and five assists and was named the 2023 COAC Offensive Player of the Year and was selected to the Class 6A-1 All-District Team. At the club level, Berry has spent eight years with Oklahoma Energy FC, where he's picked up multiple club and personal accolades. He was named to the 2022 ECNL U16 All-America Team, played in the 2023 ECNL Florida National Selection Game and had the game-winning assist in the 2022 ECNL National Championship.

"Eli is an intelligent and strong left sided attacking player," McIntosh said. "He can beat people with the pass as well as on the dribble and can score goals. He is strong physically, tactically, and technically."
 
Berry is a 6-2 forward from Edmond, Okla. who is a three-year letterwinner at Deer Creek High School. He helped lead the Antlers to a 15-4-2 record his junior season and a state semifinal appearance. He finished the season with 11 goals and five assists and was named the 2023 COAC Offensive Player of the Year and was selected to the Class 6A-1 All-District Team. At the club level, Berry has spent eight years with Oklahoma Energy FC, where he's picked up multiple club and personal accolades. He was named to the 2022 ECNL U16 All-America Team, played in the 2023 ECNL Florida National Selection Game and had the game-winning assist in the 2022 ECNL National Championship.
My son has played against Berry. If he's the kid I'm thinking he is, he is pretty much the target Deer Creek uses. In one of those early season festivals at Deer Creek last year, this kid absolutely abused one of Union's outside defenders (backup and JV player). And if I've got the right kid, my son stoned him on a 1 v 1 down the right. To be fair the defender forced him super deep and my son came out and stoned him on a super flat angled shot. Kid would have been advised to try and pull the ball back to the middle of the box. Of course the only thing about Deer Creek that stood out to me was that their coach was wearing a Thunder basketball jersey on the sideline and was a ranting, screaming lunatic. Deer Creek was a solid team overall but outside of 1 or 2 kids, didn't quite have enough to get by the better 6A teams.
 
My son has played against Berry. If he's the kid I'm thinking he is, he is pretty much the target Deer Creek uses. In one of those early season festivals at Deer Creek last year, this kid absolutely abused one of Union's outside defenders (backup and JV player). And if I've got the right kid, my son stoned him on a 1 v 1 down the right. To be fair the defender forced him super deep and my son came out and stoned him on a super flat angled shot. Kid would have been advised to try and pull the ball back to the middle of the box. Of course the only thing about Deer Creek that stood out to me was that their coach was wearing a Thunder basketball jersey on the sideline and was a ranting, screaming lunatic. Deer Creek was a solid team overall but outside of 1 or 2 kids, didn't quite have enough to get by the better 6A teams.
Question from someone who doesn’t know a lot about the nuts and bolts of the boys youth side. Are boys who play MLS Next eligible to sign college ships? If so, many of them go the college route or follow a professional pathway?
 
Question from someone who doesn’t know a lot about the nuts and bolts of the boys youth side. Are boys who play MLS Next eligible to sign college ships? If so, many of them go the college route or follow a professional pathway?
If you saw, those 2 signed MLS Next Pro amateur contracts. I don't think they're being paid much more than allowable expenses. And many of them will play college and encouraged to do so by the club if there isn't an immediate plan for them to progress to the top side or its reserve side and to pay them. The biggest thing for these players is that they're playing and getting touches at this higher level. That's not guaranteed at the Next Pro Level. My guess is they are probably of the in between talent level. They're good but not quite MLS level yet.

Keep an eye on 2008 SKC academy player Will Gertner. He's a BA kid. My son and Will's older brother played together at TSC. His parents owned the old Legacy Futsal at on Old Hwy 51. He has an extremely advanced technical skill...like ridiculous. He routinely schooled older players with the ball on his feet. He's a class of 2026 kid. He was part of John Michael's 2008s that moved with him from TSC to Blitz. Will is currently the only OK player in SKC's academy U15 or older. If I had to liken him to a known player, think Brendan Aaronson. Is he the same level good? Probably not but the styles are similar and I would think Will is not that far off. He was always small and he was quick but I wouldn't label him as fast. Definitely a D1 player if he goes the college route. Still has a lot of family in Tulsa so I wonder if that would be a draw.
 
If you saw, those 2 signed MLS Next Pro amateur contracts. I don't think they're being paid much more than allowable expenses. And many of them will play college and encouraged to do so by the club if there isn't an immediate plan for them to progress to the top side or its reserve side and to pay them. The biggest thing for these players is that they're playing and getting touches at this higher level. That's not guaranteed at the Next Pro Level. My guess is they are probably of the in between talent level. They're good but not quite MLS level yet.

Keep an eye on 2008 SKC academy player Will Gertner. He's a BA kid. My son and Will's older brother played together at TSC. His parents owned the old Legacy Futsal at on Old Hwy 51. He has an extremely advanced technical skill...like ridiculous. He routinely schooled older players with the ball on his feet. He's a class of 2026 kid. He was part of John Michael's 2008s that moved with him from TSC to Blitz. Will is currently the only OK player in SKC's academy U15 or older. If I had to liken him to a known player, think Brendan Aaronson. Is he the same level good? Probably not but the styles are similar and I would think Will is not that far off. He was always small and he was quick but I wouldn't label him as fast. Definitely a D1 player if he goes the college route. Still has a lot of family in Tulsa so I wonder if that would be a draw.
Thanks for the info. Spent a great deal of time at Legacy back in the day.
 
In fairness to Meinhard, TU doesn’t offer his degree and Clemson has one of the better programs in the world for what he wants to do after soccer.

He made a lot of players on TU better. It appears he is having the same effect there.
He made the penalty in PKs that gave them the ACC title today.
 
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What does he want to do after soccer?
He was drafted in the 2nd Round of MLS last year and said no thanks. I would suspect with an EU passport larger things are ahead for him. I’ve been told he is studying something to do with transportation.
 
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