UConn Men's Soccer - 2025

[yungdowork]

I think the fact that being above .500 is good enough says it all. This was a dominant program, where a season not making the tournament would be seen as a complete failure. I agree I've seen growth in the past years but my biggest concern is talent level. Just a few players who play USL, no Jake Nerwinski, Kwame Awuah, Andre Blake, Cyle Larin, Abdou Thiam, Nkosi Tafari(transferred to Seattle before MLS).

Matter of perspective I suppose. We haven't won a conference championship in 13 years so comparing the current situation to when we were a national championship contender every year is kinda rough. Getting 3 kids drafted by MLS teams last year (and 2 the year before), and sending multiple other players to USL is the exact type of thing that should attract talent and make us better.

It's not apples-to-apples, but it reminds me a bit of UVM. They missed the tournament but showed improvement for the first 3.5 years (covid year) of Rob Dow's coaching tenure. Then they won their conference tournament, the next year they advanced to QFs in the tournament, and then 2 years later ended up winning the national championship. This is year 4 of the Gbandi experience, so we need to start making some noise at the end of the season, but it does feel like the framework has been improving year-over-year.

 

[Waquoit]

The only sport at Vermont that rivals soccer is hockey, and both men and women are typically bottom tier in Hockey East.

Their hoop team is a big deal in their league.

 

[dbmill]

UMass at UConn game tonight ends in a 1-1 tie. Before the game UMass was ranked at No. 8.

 

[LIUCHusky]

UMass at UConn game tonight ends in a 1-1 tie. Before the game UMass was ranked at No. 8.

Looked like a good Crowd.

 

[dbmill]

Looked like a good Crowd.

They said during the broadcast of the game that the crowd at the game was a sellout at the stadium.

 

[yungdowork]

They said during the broadcast of the game that the crowd at the game was a sellout at the stadium.

As full as I've seen it for the last couple seasons for sure. There were a ton of students at the game, so credit to the school for giving out those free tickets and filling the seats. They actually got the wave to make a full trip around the stadium at one point.

 

[dbmill]

Huskies Tie No. 8 UMASS - University of Connecticut Athletics

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men's soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw with the UMASS Minutemen on Sunday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Joseph J. Morrone ...

uconnhuskies.com

 

[yungdowork]

I actually really like what I’ve heard Gbandi saying this season. After the Syracuse game he said “we have bigger goals this year than beating Syracuse.” And he’s pretty consistently had that sentiment in other interviews as well.

Described the performance in last night’s UMass game as “somewhat okay” and said we have to be sharper while still giving credit to the team (and the crowd) for fighting back and taking something from the game.

 

[bill6319]

The crowd showed up last night. Not much of a goal patrol or student section, but the stands were full and the atmosphere was decent. Overall, it was a great night to visit Storrs and support the Huskies. As for the product on the field? Not great. I thought UConn's back line was solid defensively, and #4 Gummesson impressed me the most at the CDM position. But offensively, this team has absolutely nothing threatening. They struggle to complete passes within the midfield, play mostly on one side of the field, have no threat up top, and lack any speed on the wings. UMass wasn't as strong as last year, and I don't expect them to be a ranked team very long. The quality of soccer last night was a little disappointing. I thought the Huskies were making strides in the past few years, but it looked like they took a little step back this season. I think the solid defensive line will get us some results against weaker teams. I don't expect them to compete with any top-quality teams this year. Gbandi continues to say the right things, but my biggest concern about the Huskies remains the talent level.

 

[Kolumbo]

Matter of perspective I suppose. We haven't won a conference championship in 13 years so comparing the current situation to when we were a national championship contender every year is kinda rough. Getting 3 kids drafted by MLS teams last year (and 2 the year before), and sending multiple other players to USL is the exact type of thing that should attract talent and make us better.

It's not apples-to-apples, but it reminds me a bit of UVM. They missed the tournament but showed improvement for the first 3.5 years (covid year) of Rob Dow's coaching tenure. Then they won their conference tournament, the next year they advanced to QFs in the tournament, and then 2 years later ended up winning the national championship. This is year 4 of the Gbandi experience, so we need to start making some noise at the end of the season, but it does feel like the framework has been improving year-over-year.

I saw a post from Farmington's FSA FC that Kieren Chandler was signed by the Minnesota United. He spent 2 years at UConn 2023-2024, played 2 years at Loomis Chaffee 2021-2022. Parents must have been Kieren Coffey fans!

Sending guys to the pros should help UConn. I don't follow the college game close enough to know how many kids leave early to go pro but I'd imagine it must be similar to hoops.

Minnesota United Sign MNUFC2 Defender Kieran Chandler to MLS Contract | MNUFC2

The 20-year-old joins the team on a one-and-a-half-year MLS contract, with club options for 2027 and 2028

www.mnufc.com

 

[Windham4th]

My freshman son went and said the students in his area went nuts.

 

[Windham4th]

The crowd showed up last night. Not much of a goal patrol or student section, but the stands were full and the atmosphere was decent. Overall, it was a great night to visit Storrs and support the Huskies. As for the product on the field? Not great. I thought UConn's back line was solid defensively, and #4 Gummesson impressed me the most at the CDM position. But offensively, this team has absolutely nothing threatening. They struggle to complete passes within the midfield, play mostly on one side of the field, have no threat up top, and lack any speed on the wings. UMass wasn't as strong as last year, and I don't expect them to be a ranked team very long. The quality of soccer last night was a little disappointing. I thought the Huskies were making strides in the past few years, but it looked like they took a little step back this season. I think the solid defensive line will get us some results against weaker teams. I don't expect them to compete with any top-quality teams this year. Gbandi continues to say the right things, but my biggest concern about the Huskies remains the talent level.

They were fun to watch.

That's all I care about.

 

[bill6319]

They were fun to watch.

That's all I care about.

Unfortunately, I found them hard to watch

 

[Windham4th]

It's college soccer, so my expectations for quality were pretty low.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[ThetaZoo]

This is a required freshmen class activity that UConn has made the most of since the Reid years. It puts them at the top of the attendance rankings each year and they make sure they stay there with some generous ciphering.