MAD
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⚽️ Lady Vols Soccer
- Thread starter MAD
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We'll find out this season whether Kirt has what it takes to be an SEC head coach. On the evidence of last year, I'm worried: He had a bad first year
last year--and that's putting it politely. He took a 20-win group with every player but one back and turned it into a 11-win team. He foolishly changed the team's formation; in doing so, the performance level fell off significantly--and yet he never seemed to recognize this (even after getting embarrassed by bama and south carolina) and stuck with WHO and WHAT /wasn't working well/ all year. He moved two players who'd excelled at outside back the previous year to new positions--which is something a coach should almost never do. We looked awful in the NCAA loss to Xavier--disorganized and out-coached. I was dumbfounded by a lot of the decisions last year. And what was also not good: the coach seemed mostly to blame the players after losses. Nope--not the players. The upshot: Our two best players expressed their views by leaving the program. Kirt seems a good man, I think he and the staff can recruit--but that's only half the job. The SEC is a dog-eat-dog conference--and you'd better have the chops--the whole coaching package--or you're going to find yourself in career trouble in a hurry.
Even with the loss of two excellent players, this team has potential. Simmonds is very talented; she and Thomas should make a strong pair up front, though Thomas needs to be more of a complete player (she had 1 measly assist last year). Fusco is very good but needs to get the ball on frame more this year and score more goals. Katz is good and experienced, Stayart looked very promising last year. Eskin and Chatterton can play (and both should have played more last year). Renie is solid and experienced--not as agile as you'd like in a centerback, but she has qualities. I think we'll have a good, young keeper. There are some young players who didn't get much PT last year who may be poised to contribute.
Beyond that, the staff is bringing in 10 new players---five freshmen plus four experienced transfers plus a defender from Germany who's got some impressive tape. My sense is that most, if not all of the transfers plus the German international have the potential to play significant roles this year. We'll see. Certainly, all of the transfers were multi-year mainstays on their previous teams. The monster question is: How well can the coaches integrate the veteran transfers and the freshmen with all the returning players--it's going to be a big roster-- in the short 3-week training camp? Can they build a strong, cohesive team? That is THE challenge. Can they put the right players in the best positions, and find the right alignments, to be successful? That's the huge variable in this sport--more so than other sports. The staff didn't get it right last year; they need to this year. Personnel decisions are HUGE.
last year--and that's putting it politely. He took a 20-win group with every player but one back and turned it into a 11-win team. He foolishly changed the team's formation; in doing so, the performance level fell off significantly--and yet he never seemed to recognize this (even after getting embarrassed by bama and south carolina) and stuck with WHO and WHAT /wasn't working well/ all year. He moved two players who'd excelled at outside back the previous year to new positions--which is something a coach should almost never do. We looked awful in the NCAA loss to Xavier--disorganized and out-coached. I was dumbfounded by a lot of the decisions last year. And what was also not good: the coach seemed mostly to blame the players after losses. Nope--not the players. The upshot: Our two best players expressed their views by leaving the program. Kirt seems a good man, I think he and the staff can recruit--but that's only half the job. The SEC is a dog-eat-dog conference--and you'd better have the chops--the whole coaching package--or you're going to find yourself in career trouble in a hurry.
Even with the loss of two excellent players, this team has potential. Simmonds is very talented; she and Thomas should make a strong pair up front, though Thomas needs to be more of a complete player (she had 1 measly assist last year). Fusco is very good but needs to get the ball on frame more this year and score more goals. Katz is good and experienced, Stayart looked very promising last year. Eskin and Chatterton can play (and both should have played more last year). Renie is solid and experienced--not as agile as you'd like in a centerback, but she has qualities. I think we'll have a good, young keeper. There are some young players who didn't get much PT last year who may be poised to contribute.
Beyond that, the staff is bringing in 10 new players---five freshmen plus four experienced transfers plus a defender from Germany who's got some impressive tape. My sense is that most, if not all of the transfers plus the German international have the potential to play significant roles this year. We'll see. Certainly, all of the transfers were multi-year mainstays on their previous teams. The monster question is: How well can the coaches integrate the veteran transfers and the freshmen with all the returning players--it's going to be a big roster-- in the short 3-week training camp? Can they build a strong, cohesive team? That is THE challenge. Can they put the right players in the best positions, and find the right alignments, to be successful? That's the huge variable in this sport--more so than other sports. The staff didn't get it right last year; they need to this year. Personnel decisions are HUGE.
MAD
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Started The Official 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Thread (July 20-August 20) Thread
In the sports forum.
In the sports forum.
It's too bad we only got 1 year with Michelle Alozie--the graduate transfer from Yale two years ago. Her athleticism was obvious, but it's hard to adjust to a new team and a new league and be influential on such a short timetable. She's become quite an exciting and influiential forward for the Houston Dash in the NWSL--one of their better players, maybe even their best this season. Nice to see her doing so well.
MAD
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MAD
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I'm keen to see Runyon play. She's fairly big--5'10 and 140--and yet quite speedy and athletic, and she knows the game. Her coach
has described her as "powerful," and if you watch her playing that is a word that comes to mind. In terms of her size and athleticism, she reminds
me a lot of Hannah Wilkinson, who was our star player roughly 11 years ago, when we weren't very good. I think Pensky coached her one or two years. Runyon's Broomfield club team is not in the ECNL, so I don't think her club competition wasn't especially high. (Real Colorado is the power ECNL club team in that state, and Colorado Rush is also in ECNL and very strong.) Whether that means a lot, I'm not sure. If you watch some of the video of Runyon playing, she's just physically bigger and faster than most of the players trying to defend her. I'm sure she'll get playing time this year.
has described her as "powerful," and if you watch her playing that is a word that comes to mind. In terms of her size and athleticism, she reminds
me a lot of Hannah Wilkinson, who was our star player roughly 11 years ago, when we weren't very good. I think Pensky coached her one or two years. Runyon's Broomfield club team is not in the ECNL, so I don't think her club competition wasn't especially high. (Real Colorado is the power ECNL club team in that state, and Colorado Rush is also in ECNL and very strong.) Whether that means a lot, I'm not sure. If you watch some of the video of Runyon playing, she's just physically bigger and faster than most of the players trying to defend her. I'm sure she'll get playing time this year.
MAD
Arsenal FC, Detroit Lions
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MAD
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chuckiepoo
Aiken born; Knoxpatch six months later
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chuckiepoo
Aiken born; Knoxpatch six months later
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So this thread is where I occasionally show up, you and @turbovol, maintain a conversation and post updates, with a rare appearance by other primarily LV fans. I got that right?
MAD
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Vol67
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Vols seem to be the only SEC school that hasn't yet finalized, or published, its full soccer schedule.
I've no idea why, every year, we are one of the last programs in the country to either finalize--or publish--our full schedule. We've got 6 nonconference games listed so far whereas all other SEC schools have at least 7 and, often, 8. And no exhibition game listed either. And 3 of our nonconference games are mighty ETSU, Lipscomb (decent program, for sure) and Radford. Oh, my.
I've no idea why, every year, we are one of the last programs in the country to either finalize--or publish--our full schedule. We've got 6 nonconference games listed so far whereas all other SEC schools have at least 7 and, often, 8. And no exhibition game listed either. And 3 of our nonconference games are mighty ETSU, Lipscomb (decent program, for sure) and Radford. Oh, my.
MAD
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MAD
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MAD
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RE the Vols Soccer schedule, it's a pretty unambitious nonconference lineup. That's not to say there won't be some stiff challenges:
California, SMU and Indiana will be tough games. Indiana was not good last year--but it's a team in a big conference and it had a lot of ties last year.
What's more, I think they've got a very tactically astute coach--a Dutchman who was the top assistant at Duke before getting the Indiana job a couple of years ago.) They will be tough to beat. We played SMU last year and that game ended 1-1. It was a physical match that we should have won--Vols had a ton of shots but could only put one in the net. Cal will be a test.
Lipscomb will not be a pushover--it's been one of the top programs in its admittedly small-school conference for a few years. We played and beat a good Lipscomb squad in the NCAA a couple of years ago. Jacksonville State was bad last year--3-13, worst team in its conference. Florida Atlantic was a .500 club in a smaller conference, and Radford is a very small school. It's a lot of opponents that had poor RPI rankings last year, and so unless some of these opponents have much better years in their conferences this year, they're not going to help our RPI much--unless we're able to beat Cal, Indiana and SMU. Beyond that, if I were a coach, I would want two better lead-in games to my SEC schedule than Radford and Florida Atlantic. I'm not sure how much those games will prepare us for Arkansas. I'm not sure why soccer programs are always so late getting their schedules finalized--perhaps because it's summer--and we're later than most everybody, every year.
California, SMU and Indiana will be tough games. Indiana was not good last year--but it's a team in a big conference and it had a lot of ties last year.
What's more, I think they've got a very tactically astute coach--a Dutchman who was the top assistant at Duke before getting the Indiana job a couple of years ago.) They will be tough to beat. We played SMU last year and that game ended 1-1. It was a physical match that we should have won--Vols had a ton of shots but could only put one in the net. Cal will be a test.
Lipscomb will not be a pushover--it's been one of the top programs in its admittedly small-school conference for a few years. We played and beat a good Lipscomb squad in the NCAA a couple of years ago. Jacksonville State was bad last year--3-13, worst team in its conference. Florida Atlantic was a .500 club in a smaller conference, and Radford is a very small school. It's a lot of opponents that had poor RPI rankings last year, and so unless some of these opponents have much better years in their conferences this year, they're not going to help our RPI much--unless we're able to beat Cal, Indiana and SMU. Beyond that, if I were a coach, I would want two better lead-in games to my SEC schedule than Radford and Florida Atlantic. I'm not sure how much those games will prepare us for Arkansas. I'm not sure why soccer programs are always so late getting their schedules finalized--perhaps because it's summer--and we're later than most everybody, every year.
MAD
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With several Former Vols and a current Vol playing in the World Cup I decided to add The Women’s World Cup to the Soccer thread during the month of July.
Hosts: AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Group Stage Schedule
(All times Eastern)
Thursday, July 20
Group A: New Zealand vs. Norway (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Australia vs. Ireland (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Nigeria vs. Canada (10:30 p.m. on FOX)
Friday, July 21
Group A: Philippines vs. Switzerland (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group C: Spain vs. Costa Rica (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: United States vs. Vietnam (9 p.m. on FOX)
Saturday, July 22
Group C: Zambia vs. Japan (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: England vs. Haiti (5:30 a.m. on FOX)
Group D: Denmark vs. China (8 a.m. on FOX)
Sunday, July 23
Group G: Sweden vs. South Africa (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: Netherlands vs. Portugal (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: France vs. Jamaica (6 a.m. on FOX)
Monday, July 24
Group G: Italy vs. Argentina (2 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Germany vs. Morocco (4:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: Brazil vs. Panama (7 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Colombia vs. South Korea (10 p.m. on FS1)
Tuesday, July 25
Group A: New Zealand vs. Philippines (1:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group A: Switzerland vs. Norway (4 a.m. on FS1)
Wednesday, July 26
Group C: Japan vs. Costa Rica (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group C: Spain vs. Zambia (3:30 a.m, on FS1)
Group B: Canada vs. Ireland (8 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: United States vs. Netherlands (9 p.m. on FOX)
Thursday, July 27
Group E: Portugal vs. Vietnam (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group B: Australia vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)
Group G: Argentina vs. South Africa (8 p.m. on FS1)
Friday, July 28
Group D: England vs. Denmark (4:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: China vs. Haiti (7 a.m. on FS1)
Saturday, July 29
Group G: Sweden vs. Italy (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: France vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group F: Panama vs. Jamaica (8:30 a.m. on FOX)
Sunday, July 30
Group H: South Korea vs. Morocco (12:30 a.m. on FOX)
Group A: Switzerland vs. New Zealand (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group A: Norway vs. Philippines (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Germany vs. Colombia (5:30 a.m. on FS1)
Monday, July 31
Group C: Japan vs. Spain (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group C: Costa Rica vs. Zambia (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group B: Canada vs. Australia (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Ireland vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)
Tuesday, August 1
Group E: Portugal vs. United States (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group E: Vietnam vs. Netherlands (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: China vs. England (7 a.m. on FOX)
Group D: Haiti vs. Denmark (7 a.m. on FS1)
Wednesday, August 2
Group G: Argentina vs. Sweden (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group G: South Africa vs. Italy (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: Panama vs. France (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group F: Jamaica vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FS1)
Thursday, August 3
Group H: South Korea vs. Germany (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group H: Morocco vs. Colombia (6 a.m. on FS1)
Hosts: AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
- Group stage: July 20-August 3
- Round of 16: August 5-8
- Quarterfinals: August 11-12
- Semifinals: August 15-16
- Third-place playoff: August 19
- Final: August 20
Group Stage Schedule
(All times Eastern)
Thursday, July 20
Group A: New Zealand vs. Norway (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Australia vs. Ireland (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Nigeria vs. Canada (10:30 p.m. on FOX)
Friday, July 21
Group A: Philippines vs. Switzerland (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group C: Spain vs. Costa Rica (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: United States vs. Vietnam (9 p.m. on FOX)
Saturday, July 22
Group C: Zambia vs. Japan (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: England vs. Haiti (5:30 a.m. on FOX)
Group D: Denmark vs. China (8 a.m. on FOX)
Sunday, July 23
Group G: Sweden vs. South Africa (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: Netherlands vs. Portugal (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: France vs. Jamaica (6 a.m. on FOX)
Monday, July 24
Group G: Italy vs. Argentina (2 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Germany vs. Morocco (4:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: Brazil vs. Panama (7 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Colombia vs. South Korea (10 p.m. on FS1)
Tuesday, July 25
Group A: New Zealand vs. Philippines (1:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group A: Switzerland vs. Norway (4 a.m. on FS1)
Wednesday, July 26
Group C: Japan vs. Costa Rica (1 a.m. on FS1)
Group C: Spain vs. Zambia (3:30 a.m, on FS1)
Group B: Canada vs. Ireland (8 a.m. on FS1)
Group E: United States vs. Netherlands (9 p.m. on FOX)
Thursday, July 27
Group E: Portugal vs. Vietnam (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group B: Australia vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)
Group G: Argentina vs. South Africa (8 p.m. on FS1)
Friday, July 28
Group D: England vs. Denmark (4:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: China vs. Haiti (7 a.m. on FS1)
Saturday, July 29
Group G: Sweden vs. Italy (3:30 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: France vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group F: Panama vs. Jamaica (8:30 a.m. on FOX)
Sunday, July 30
Group H: South Korea vs. Morocco (12:30 a.m. on FOX)
Group A: Switzerland vs. New Zealand (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group A: Norway vs. Philippines (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group H: Germany vs. Colombia (5:30 a.m. on FS1)
Monday, July 31
Group C: Japan vs. Spain (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group C: Costa Rica vs. Zambia (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group B: Canada vs. Australia (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group B: Ireland vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)
Tuesday, August 1
Group E: Portugal vs. United States (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group E: Vietnam vs. Netherlands (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group D: China vs. England (7 a.m. on FOX)
Group D: Haiti vs. Denmark (7 a.m. on FS1)
Wednesday, August 2
Group G: Argentina vs. Sweden (3 a.m. on FOX)
Group G: South Africa vs. Italy (3 a.m. on FS1)
Group F: Panama vs. France (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group F: Jamaica vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FS1)
Thursday, August 3
Group H: South Korea vs. Germany (6 a.m. on FOX)
Group H: Morocco vs. Colombia (6 a.m. on FS1)
MAD
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MAD
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MAD
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