Category: College Soccer Reporter

All seven NCAA Division I men’s coaching vacancies have been filled. All but four of the 37 women’s jobs that opened up have been filled. For all the coaching moves …

Coming off a disappointing 12-8-2 season, Virginia’s men’s program was in need of a jumpstart, and the Cavs got it in the form of one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, led by Casa Mia Bays star Chris Agorsor. The 2007 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year is graduating after three years at Maryland’s McDonogh School and drew interest from numerous clubs abroad, including Juventus, Ajax, PSV, Sevilla, Tottenham and Newcastle.

Maryland has landed one of the country’s top men’s prospects in Matt Kassel, but there’s a chance that the midfielder from Bridgewater, N.J., may never play a game for the Terrapins. Kassel is a member of Red Bull New York’s youth program and attended a preseason mini-camp. He’s eligible to be signed by the Red Bulls under the terms of MLS’s new policy allowing clubs to sign players they have developed in their academy programs.

Rutgers and New Mexico have landed ACC players Yannick Salmon and David Murphy, respectively, in moves that should bolster both programs.

Chris Klute, who played for the USA at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup in South Korea, heads Furman’s seven-player recruiting class.

California has signed Australian national team defender Clare Polkinghorne, who played for the Matildas at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals. She is the second international player to sign with the Bears for the fall, joining Iceland national team midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir (9 caps).

Krystle Kallman, a three-year starter at center back for West Virginia and key member of last year’s Big East Tournament championship squad, is joining younger sister Kylie Kallman at Minnesota for her final year of eligibility.

[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions, They include college coaching opportunities, as well as opportunities in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.

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In a first for women’s college soccer, Florida State’s Mami Yamaguchi, the 2007 Hermann Trophy winner, is foregoing her final year of collegiate legibility to pursue a pro career abroad. The Japanese international has signed a contract to play with the Damallsvenskan’s Umea IK, arguably the most powerful women’s club in the world.

[RECRUITING] Wake Forest, the 2007 NCAA Division I men’s champion, announced a signing class, led by former U.S. under-17 national team players Danny Wenzel and Nick Millington, that is again one of the best in the country.

Jamie Clark has been named the Harvard men’s head coach, replacing John Kerr Jr., who was recently named the Duke men’s coach.

New Zealand called up four U.S. collegians for the Oceania Olympic men’s qualifying tournament March 1-9 in Fiji.

Shaun Pendleton, the long-time coach at Division II Lynn, has accepted the men’s vacancy at Appalachian State.
Villanova hired John Byford as its new women’s head coach. Byford, who served as the assistant women’s coach for the Wildcats in 1995-96, led Loyola (Md.) to the 2007 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship and regular-season titles in 2005 and 2006. Jeff Leightman, who compiled an overall record of 102-66-1 as the women’s head coach over the past 10 seasons at his alma mater Binghamton, has been named the head coach at San Jose State. For all the coaching moves …

Paul Kennedy examines the move
Last Friday is a day the members of Western Kentucky University’s men’s soccer program won’t soon forget. Assembled in the weight room for their regularly schedule workout, they were told by Coach David Holmes that Western Kentucky President Gary Ransdell and Athletic Director Wood Selig wanted to meet with them immediately. Holmes’ players were then blindsided with the news that their soccer careers at WKU were over. The school became the latest to drop men’s soccer.

These are hard times for soccer in the town they call Soccer Town USA. Four years after soccer supporters and alumni staved off an attempt to eliminate Division I men’s soccer at Hartwick, one of college soccer’s most storied men’s programs, trustees at the Oneonta, N.Y., school will meet on Saturday to consider a new plan to eliminate athletic scholarships and switch men’s soccer and nationally ranked women’s water polo to Division III in 2009. This time, the move is considered a fait accompli.

[MAKING A LIST] Western Kentucky became the 18th Division I school to drop its men’s soccer program in the last 18 years.

Greg Ryan, who lost of once in 55 games as U.S. women’s national team coach, has been named Michigan’s new women’s coach. “I think it is a program that has a great upside,” said Ryan, who replaces Debbie Rademacher, who started Big Blue women’s soccer and resigned in November after 14 years at the helm.

Vermont selected Kwame Lloyd, the head coach at Division III Christopher Newport , as the Catamounts’ new women’s head coach. Former American University star Michael Brady left his alma mater, where he was the women’s coach, to become John Kerr Jr.’s assistant at Duke. For all the coaching moves …

[RECRUITING] UC Santa Barbara moved quickly to replace attacking midfielders Eric Avila and Ciaran O’Brien, who left early to sign with MLS, when it signed Danny Barrera and Bryan Dominguez to national letters of intent.

Canadian national team player Julie Armstrong highlights a class of five women’s players who signed letters of intent to play for Oregon.

Seven players signed national letters of intent on Wednesday from Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, the Minnesota boarding school that offers a full-time residential program for soccer players.

Paul Stahlschmidt resigned as Appalachian State men’s coach after five years with the Mountaineers. Long-time women’s coach Patrick Farmer resigned after four seasons as the women’s coach at Syracuse. Washington University coach Wendy Dillinger accepted the women’s head coaching job at Big 12 school Iowa State. Chris Pfau left Evansville to fill the women’s vacancy at Akron. Jaime Frias left Stephen F. Austin to take the women’s head coaching job with the Nevada program mired in controversy. For all the coaching moves …

[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions: college coaching opportunities, positions in the pros, youth soccer, the soccer industry, even television.

MLS isn’t the only option for college players. January saw several stars head to Europe for tryouts.  University of California midfielder Andrew Jacobson surprised MLS when the top pick of D.C. United signed with French First Division club Lorient after a short tryout.