Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ Ole Miss @ #23 Tennessee 7PM Thursday 9/19 Regal Stadium (Admission is free)

[MAD]

LVFL Rhian Wilkinson is the new head coach of the Wales Women's National Team

 

[Stmichael]

It's all a massive mess--and a few judges have played a big role in making it so because they suddenly seem to think that college athletics is a conventional business and should be legally required to operate as such--subject to anti-trust laws and full-time student-athletes as "employees." I spoken out about this on the football boards, and think it's all complete nonsense. College athletic departments are quite clearly not a conventional business; they are part of mostly public educational institutions. Much of the football revenue is used to subsidize all the non-revenue sports--upwards of 15 of them, more at other schools--which lose money and will always lose money. No conventional business would invest annually in ventures guaranteed to lose money. Black activists have pushed this myth that everybody involved in college football is getting rich on the backs of poor, exploited players. Twaddle. You never hear the activists or any of the proponents of paying players mention the free college education that football and BB players are getting--free everything, including tutoring, counseling, coaching--which over four years is worth a LOT of money--upwards of $250K, I'd estimate. And the only people in college football who are getting rich are the head coaches--who admittedly are overpaid, but who also have very tenuous job security--and, maybe, TV executives. A free college education is not cash-in-the-pocket, and that's what the activists are all about. In any case, the courts are a problem---I don't get how college ADs can be thought a conventional business----but it's going to be hell to sort out. Everybody slams the NCAA--but it's a member-school organization. And if it goes away, a new governing body will have to be created--and then those running it will find out how difficult it is to govern/regulate major-college football and its genuinely, ridiculously crazy fans. And NIL in recruiting? It's a terrible thing--a fool's errand for multiple reasons. The Ivy League has had it right all along.

Good points/observation. I'm not a fan of the NCAA, but college sports needs a governing body. Without it, say good bye to Title IX sports and any sport that doesn't generate revenue. Pessimistic prediction- college soccer goes away and becomes some form of an advanced club league that colleges basically treat as intramural sports. With NIL $, schools don't need to give scholarships. Ultimately, this scenario will affect the growth of youth sports. And, for the record, our nations absurd Covid response served as a catalyst for what is now unfolding.

But, maybe the Supreme Court hears future related cases and helps protect some of these sports.

 

[MAD]

I’m looking at the Gold Cup standings and the remaining schedule to see how Danielle Marcano and Puerto Rico qualifies for the knockout stage.

If PR wins they are in.

If PR Draws they are pretty much in as well because of the point differential.

Even with a loss tomorrow, PR can still advance.

Best case scenario would be for Argentina and Dominican Republic to draw tonight, that would pretty much lock it up for PR no matter what happens.


View attachment 623105

View attachment 623107View attachment 623108

With Argentina winning, a draw tomorrow guarantees Puerto Rico advances.
They could also get in with a loss and El Salvador beating Paraguay.

 

[MAD]

Starts at 10:15

 

[turbovol]

With Argentina winning, a draw tomorrow guarantees Puerto Rico advances.
They could also get in with a loss and El Salvador beating Paraguay.

View attachment 623287

The odds are not favorable at all, I'm afraid. I think El Salvador is the weakest team in the field, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

 

[MAD]

Tennessee soccer history cont.

Hiring a new coach.

We were all still in shock with Pensky leaving to FSU and I don’t think anyone knew what direction the University would go with the replacement. So just a few days later, Danny White made the big announcement. In the video you see how excited the team was with the hire.

View attachment 622942
Joe Kirt, a mainstay on the Tennessee sideline since 2007, has been named UT's women's soccer head coach, as announced by Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White on Friday.

During his 15 seasons on Rocky Top, Kirt has helped guide the Lady Vols to two SEC Tournament championships, two SEC Eastern Division championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. As an assistant at Tennessee, Kirt played vital roles in goalkeeper development, technical and functional development for field players as well as constructing and implementing the program's game model.



The person that brought Kirt to Knoxville

ANGELA KELLY, CURRENT TEXAS WOMEN'S SOCCER HEAD COACH​

View attachment 622943
"What an exciting time for Joe Kirt and the Tennessee soccer program. Joe has been in Knoxville, and a mainstay of the Tennessee soccer program, for 15-plus years now. There is no doubt that he will hit the ground running as the new head coach of the Lady Vols. I wish Joe and his family all the very best on his new position."


Contract which is public information.

View attachment 622950View attachment 622951View attachment 622952View attachment 622953View attachment 622954

Tennessee soccer history cont.

2022 season

Expectations were super high, even with a new coach at the helm. Some of the preseason polls even had Tennessee close to the top. The SEC coaches predicted the Vols to finish first. The recruiting class was ranked #6 in the country.

Overall, it turned out to be a rather disappointing year.



In head coach Joe Kirt's first year at the helm, the Lady Vols claimed their third straight SEC East Division Championship, tying South Carolina for the title with 15 points in divisional play while finishing second overall in the league with 22 points. The 2022 squad posted 10 shutouts on the season, including a streak of five in a row during conference play that began with a 1-0 victory at No. 13 Ole Miss. For the first time in program history, Tennessee went undefeated on the road in SEC matches, giving up just two goals over five contests. Sitting at No. 24 in the RPI following the SEC Tournament, UT made its second straight and 14th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, entering as a No. 6 Seed. The Lady Vols hosted a Xavier team that was No. 25 in the RPI in the NCAA First Round, falling in overtime, 4-1.

Redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas and sophomore Taylor Huff earned First Team All-SEC honors, while fifth-year senior Mackenzie George was named Second Team All-SEC. Thomas found the net 13 times on the season, moving her career total to 38 to pull within five goals of tying the program record of 43. Senior goalkeeper Lindsey Romig finished her career with 23 solo shutouts to rank third all-time in the UT record book and tie for fourth all-time with a save percentage of .791


Kirt hired a new assistant coach.
Check out this article from Knoxville News:

Five things to know about Tennessee soccer assistant coach Becky Edwards' professional career

Five things to know about Tennessee soccer assistant coach Becky Edwards' professional career

Becky Edwards has joined the Tennessee soccer staff as an assistant coach. Here's what you should know about her playing and coaching career.

www.knoxnews.com

 

[turbovol]

Mexico beat the U.S. last night, 2-0. First time Mexico has beaten the U.S., I think I read, in 18 years. Very nice win for
them and another less than stellar performance from the U.S.

 

[brittannica]

Mexico beat the U.S. last night, 2-0. First time Mexico has beaten the U.S., I think I read, in 18 years. Very nice win for
them and another less than stellar performance from the U.S.

Did a double take initially when I saw the box score, but am not surprised because Mexico has a lot of talent. It seemed inevitable that a Mexico or Jamaica to a lesser extent (at least when they were calling in their “A team”) would have a solid crack at beating us. The US hasn’t been clicking for months, and I questioned whether a coaching change would have an immediate effect particularly when still operating under an interim coach.

 

[turbovol]

LVFL Rhian Wilkinson is the new head coach of the Wales Women's National Team

Wilkinson would probably be a good head coach for us. She started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant here before moving on to various assistant positions with the Canadian and England youth and senior national teams. She's got a strong background--but there would be one issue: She was the head coach of the Portland Thorns in the NWSL in 2022---and won the league championship. But following the season the players asked that she be investigated for having a relationship with one of the players. It apparently was true, as she resigned. That is a complete no-no in coaching, of course. Still, the Wales federation has given her the opportunity of coaching the country's national team, and let's see how she does.

 

[MAD]

Wilkinson would probably be a good head coach for us. She started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant here before moving on to various assistant positions with the Canadian and England youth and senior national teams. She's got a strong background--but there would be one issue: She was the head coach of the Portland Thorns in the NWSL in 2022---and won the league championship. But following the season the players asked that she be investigated for having a relationship with one of the players. It apparently was true, as she resigned. That is a complete no-no in coaching, of course. Still, the Wales federation has given her the opportunity of coaching the country's national team, and let's see how she does.

Turbo, here is an interesting article on the story.

Rhian Wilkinson to resign as Portland Thorns head coach

The resignation comes amidst concerns over player relationship cleared by NWSL/NWSLPA investigation

www.stumptownfooty.com

Following the three-week investigation, it was concluded that Wilkinson did not violate any team or league policies, and no legal wrongdoing or misconduct had occurred.

 

[MAD]

Did a double take initially when I saw the box score, but am not surprised because Mexico has a lot of talent. It seemed inevitable that a Mexico or Jamaica to a lesser extent (at least when they were calling in their “A team”) would have a solid crack at beating us. The US hasn’t been clicking for months, and I questioned whether a coaching change would have an immediate effect particularly when still operating under an interim coach.

I had to do the double take as well. Not only did they lose, USWNT ended up finishing second in their group.

 

[MAD]

Congrats to LVFL Michelle Alozie and the Super Falcons on their win yesterday and getting a step closer to qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

2024 Olympic Qualifiers: Nigeria's Super Falcons await Banyana Banyana or Tanzania after Cameroon win | Goal.com

The 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers for Africa continued on Monday with Nigeria taking on Cameroon in Abuja.

www.goal.com

 

[MAD]

The two goals for Mexico yesterday.

 

[Stmichael]

Wilkinson would probably be a good head coach for us. She started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant here before moving on to various assistant positions with the Canadian and England youth and senior national teams. She's got a strong background--but there would be one issue: She was the head coach of the Portland Thorns in the NWSL in 2022---and won the league championship. But following the season the players asked that she be investigated for having a relationship with one of the players. It apparently was true, as she resigned. That is a complete no-no in coaching, of course. Still, the Wales federation has given her the opportunity of coaching the country's national team, and let's see how she does.

Yeah- she's not coaching anymore.

 

[Stmichael]

Did a double take initially when I saw the box score, but am not surprised because Mexico has a lot of talent. It seemed inevitable that a Mexico or Jamaica to a lesser extent (at least when they were calling in their “A team”) would have a solid crack at beating us. The US hasn’t been clicking for months, and I questioned whether a coaching change would have an immediate effect particularly when still operating under an interim coach.

Maybe the U.S. Women's team should start focusing on the esscence of sports and stop grand standing for obscure/abberrant social issues. Social issues that no one cares about except 1% of the population (if that). This is sports, damnit!! It's like going to a rock show to hear music and the lead singer thinks we value his political views... 'Boooo! Get of the stage or play!'

I feel better now.

 

[brittannica]

Turbo, here is an interesting article on the story.

Rhian Wilkinson to resign as Portland Thorns head coach

The resignation comes amidst concerns over player relationship cleared by NWSL/NWSLPA investigation

www.stumptownfooty.com

Following the three-week investigation, it was concluded that Wilkinson did not violate any team or league policies, and no legal wrongdoing or misconduct had occurred.

It’s an interesting societal change. A lot of the USWNT players from the ‘90s married their coaches, and even Crystal Dunn is married to a former athletic trainer associated with the team she was with. It’s sticky to deal with, even when consensual, which is why I’m sure teams are more willing to just cut bait and find new coaches/staff. I for one would not want to potentially deal with complaints about playing time and favoritism.

 

[Stmichael]

It’s an interesting societal change. A lot of the USWNT players from the ‘90s married their coaches, and even Crystal Dunn is married to a former athletic trainer associated with the team she was with. It’s sticky to deal with, even when consensual, which is why I’m sure teams are more willing to just cut bait and find new coaches/staff. I for one would not want to potentially deal with complaints about playing time and favoritism.

We all get the dynamics of human nature when our interactions include a lot of time together. But, fact is, if an organization wants to be focused and on solid foundation; got to keep the personal relationship line clearly drawn. Muddies the water too much. She just needs to move on and not make that mistake again.

 

[MAD]

We all get the dynamics of human nature when our interactions include a lot of time together. But, fact is, if an organization wants to be focused and on solid foundation; got to keep the personal relationship line clearly drawn. Muddies the water too much. She just needs to move on and not make that mistake again.

I’m excited to see her coaching for Wales.

 

[MAD]

LVFL Danielle Marcano in the starting 11

 

[turbovol]

Turbo, here is an interesting article on the story.

Rhian Wilkinson to resign as Portland Thorns head coach

The resignation comes amidst concerns over player relationship cleared by NWSL/NWSLPA investigation

www.stumptownfooty.com

Following the three-week investigation, it was concluded that Wilkinson did not violate any team or league policies, and no legal wrongdoing or misconduct had occurred.

Thanks for finding this, Mad. I think I'd read the details back when she first resigned--but had forgotten that she'd been exonerated.

If a player expresses feelings for you, the coach, you can't "reciprocate." Absolutely not, assuming you want to keep coaching the team. Yet she did--and she promptly reported it to the club, which was the right thing to do, and then was somewhat surprisingly cleared of wrongdoing and apparently could have continued on as coach--except for the obvious fact that if the player in question remained on the team, the situation was going to be untenable with respect to the rest of the team. There'd be no trust between coach and players--and so Wilkinson did the right thing by resigning. You can't even be "friends" with a player, if you're a coach. That relationship line has to be established and fully maintained with every player on the team, at all times.

Menges, player in question, is no longer on the Thorns, having been traded to Bay City.

Given that she was exonerated, I think any pro or college team could hire Wilkinson without prompting too many questions---Wales just did--though it's an issue that would have to be brought up with her by any team considering her as a coach, as I'm sure the Wales Federation did. But certainly the issue might deter some clubs from hiring her that might otherwise have an interest in her. Officials at different clubs will have different viewpoints about it. But the fact that she's now a National Team coach could help her find another club job if the Wales gig doesn't work out: Her job is to get Wales into Euro Championship and/or World Cup--and that's not going to be easy.

 

[turbovol]

Almost double-posted there...

 

[MAD]

Second half just started Colombia 1 Puerto Rico 0
PR keeping it close, a draw gets them in.

 

[MAD]

So with PR losing their only hope left to advance is an unlikely upset, El Salvador has to beat Paraguay tomorrow.

 

[MAD]

Rhian Wilkinson: New Wales boss looking to move on from Portland 'trauma'

New Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson is looking to "get going again" after the "trauma" of her departure from Portland Thorns.

www.bbc.co.uk

Football Association of Wales [FAW] chief football officer David Adams told BBC Sport Wales that the FAW were happy to appoint Wilkinson as she had been exonerated of wrongdoing by the investigation.

"When she applied in the initial stages, we went through that process very early on with safeguarding, and player welfare is really important to us in the Welsh FA," he said.

"We followed all the right steps and she was exonerated by the NWSL, so from our side of things we followed all the right steps and we want Rhian to have a successful time in Wales."

 

[Stmichael]

Thanks for finding this, Mad. I think I'd read the details back when she first resigned--but had forgotten that she'd been exonerated.

If a player expresses feelings for you, the coach, you can't "reciprocate." Absolutely not, assuming you want to keep coaching the team. Yet she did--and she promptly reported it to the club, which was the right thing to do, and then was somewhat surprisingly cleared of wrongdoing and apparently could have continued on as coach--except for the obvious fact that if the player in question remained on the team, the situation was going to be untenable with respect to the rest of the team. There'd be no trust between coach and players--and so Wilkinson did the right thing by resigning. You can't even be "friends" with a player, if you're a coach. That relationship line has to be established and fully maintained with every player on the team, at all times.

Menges, player in question, is no longer on the Thorns, having been traded to Bay City.

Given that she was exonerated, I think any pro or college team could hire Wilkinson without prompting too many questions---Wales just did--though it's an issue that would have to be brought up with her by any team considering her as a coach, as I'm sure the Wales Federation did. But certainly the issue might deter some clubs from hiring her that might otherwise have an interest in her. Officials at different clubs will have different viewpoints about it. But the fact that she's now a National Team coach could help her find another club job if the Wales gig doesn't work out: Her job is to get Wales into Euro Championship and/or World Cup--and that's not going to be easy.

Hopefully she can progress and learn from whatever scenario happened at Portland. If a player or players fabricated a story to damage their coach, then that/those players should be investigated and removed from the league. This isn't a one way street, peoples' livelihoods are at stake.