UCONN headed to OT in scoccer championship. ESPN3 | The Boneyard

UCONN headed to OT in scoccer championship. ESPN3

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The mens soccer team always seems to squander away big games...i hope it changes starting now and we win the first ever aac title
 
Have we ever won on PKs?

We'll definitely have to win on the road to make the College Cup, unlike the 4 times we never had to leave Storrs and didn't make it. The team is young, so I don't think this is a pressure-packed "have to make it" sort of season, but a year of overachieving in the NCAA and maybe pulling an upset in the quarters would be a pleasant change of pace from the other way around.
 
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That was sad to watch. 2 straight PK's to win after saving 3.
 
mcs333 said:
Lost in round 9 of pk's. How do you miss 3 straight pk's.
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All three were almost down the middle. They really were bad shots. Maybe it was the nerves. Hopefully, they'll grow from the experience and take home the big one...
 
Gurleyman said:
The team is young, so I don't think this is a pressure-packed "have to make it" sort of season...
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Blake and Larin are good bets to get Generation Adidas contracts, and Mercado, Diouf and Bradley are all seniors. I wouldn't be surprised if Campbell is on the radar for a GA look as well.

In other words, there's a decent chance Reid will have to replace half the starting lineup next year.
 
Matrim55 said:
Blake and Larin are good bets to get Generation Adidas contracts, and Mercado, Diouf and Bradley are all seniors. I wouldn't be surprised if Campbell is on the radar for a GA look as well.

In other words, there's a decent chance Reid will have to replace half the starting lineup next year.
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I would be shocked if Larin wasn't back next year...
 
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mcs333 said:
Lost in round 9 of pk's. How do you miss 3 straight pk's.
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UConn soccer can find a way.

I knew the ending as soon as the kicks started.

F---.
 
Matrim55 said:
Blake and Larin are good bets to get Generation Adidas contracts, and Mercado, Diouf and Bradley are all seniors. I wouldn't be surprised if Campbell is on the radar for a GA look as well.

In other words, there's a decent chance Reid will have to replace half the starting lineup next year.
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Reid has shown a great ability to keep guys with those offers. Even when it's been a bad decision for nearly every player.
 
zls44 said:
Reid has shown a great ability to keep guys with those offers. Even when it's been a bad decision for nearly every player.
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Which guys are you thinking of that hurt their prospects by staying with UConn an extra year? Just curious.
 
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UConnDan97 said:
Which guys are you thinking of that hurt their prospects by staying with UConn an extra year? Just curious.
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Right off the top, White and Gbandi. Should have both left the second they got the Hermann.
 
Stahl, Watson-Siriboe every Junior on the 2005 team...
 
zls44 said:
Right off the top, White and Gbandi. Should have both left the second they got the Hermann.
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But O'Brian White was selected fourth overall by Toronto. You think he would have done better?

And Chris Gbandi was drafted first overall by Dallas. Umm....you can't do better than that, unless you think he was headed to Europe...
 
UConnDan97 said:
But O'Brian White was selected fourth overall by Toronto. You think he would have done better?

And Chris Gbandi was drafted first overall by Dallas. Umm....you can't do better than that, unless you think he was headed to Europe...
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I think OBW goes top three the year before, and Gbandi BLEW OUT HIS ACL in 2001. I don't think he was going to Europe, but once he started playing for the Burn it was obvious he wasn't nearly the same player. Just a shame. He was so great.
 
zls44 said:
I think OBW goes top three the year before, and Gbandi BLEW OUT HIS ACL in 2001. I don't think he was going to Europe, but once he started playing for the Burn it was obvious he wasn't nearly the same player. Just a shame. He was so great.
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He had a nice long stint with the Burn. It was a good enough stint that there was speculation of him playing for the US National team, until he decided to play for Liberia. He was still a really good player.

However, it's hard to say whether or not he could have been even better if he didn't have the injury. So I won't. But I also can't say that it was bad advice for him to stay, either...
 
UConnDan97 said:
If I wasn't in eastern Connecticut, I would take you up on that offer. I would do it just for the off chance that I meet your avatar...
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if she was there I wouldn't invite anybody!
 
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I'm no college soccer fan - but penalty kicks is a stupid way to decide a winner.
 
whaler11 said:
I'm no college soccer fan - but penalty kicks is a stupid way to decide a winner.
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I understand why they do it. They don't want players running for over 2 hours, in what would be considered something close to "marathon levels" of running for each player. But it is extremely brutal...
 
zls44 said:
Reid has shown a great ability to keep guys with those offers. Even when it's been a bad decision for nearly every player.
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Very true.

UConnDan97 said:
He had a nice long stint with the Burn. It was a good enough stint that there was speculation of him playing for the US National team, until he decided to play for Liberia. He was still a really good player.
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Gbandi cost himself -- I'm being conservative here -- hundreds of thousands of dollars by staying in school. He was never the same after that injury (remember, he played 2.5 more games AFTER blowing out his ACL), and would have been the No. 1 pick in every MLS draft from 1998-2001.

He had a "nice" or a "decent" career. He should have had a "legendary" career, something I've discussed with everybody from Jason Kreis to Bruce Arena to Alexi Lalas.

White was a similar story, though he wasn't as good/didn't have as much upside as Gbandi.

Reid is a very good coach who does a better job of preparing his guys, tactically speaking, for the next level. But he's read "The Prince" once or twice, and a number of UConn players have had lesser pro careers because of it.
 
UConnDan97 said:
I understand why they do it. They don't want players running for over 2 hours, in what would be considered something close to "marathon levels" of running for each player. But it is extremely brutal...
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So start taking a player off the field every 5 minutes until it's 8 on 8. Allow more subs for OT. Hell take the goalies off the field.

Really anything other than random kicking of the ball from point blank range would be better.
 
whaler11 said:
So start taking a player off the field every 5 minutes until it's 8 on 8. Allow more subs for OT. Hell take the goalies off the field.

Really anything other than random kicking of the ball from point blank range would be better.
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The 8 vs. 8 idea might actually be worse, because trying to cover that distance with 8 is brutal. However, I've certainly felt like more subs in the pro game in extra time might be a good idea. The argument against it is that some of the countries or clubs are far deeper than the others. So the second set of 11 players for Italy will absolutely toast the second set of 11 players from a country like Ghana. However, a team like Ghana can really play with their starting 11.

Still, you feel like that would at least reward the better side, in a manner of speaking, more often than you do with PK's. If the goal is to see who the better team is, then they should do something like that...
 
The problem is that if you play unlimited overtime (or go down to 8-on-8 and keep playing), players will be very conservative. If you know you could have 3 hours or more of running all over the place, you'll sit back, not taking chances coming forward, and not chase the ball when you're outnumbered. If you know a match is 110 minutes at most (and overtime is only 20 minutes if you end regulation tied), you'll empty your tank knowing where the finish line is - especially if you feel you are the better team (or have momentum) and don't want to take a chance on PKs.

It would be like going out running and not knowing if you had to run a 10K or a Marathon.
 
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