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Aaron Nielsen ,

November 19, 2014 Email

Aaron Nielsen



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On Monday, November 17, the NCAA had their Division 1 selection show for the tournament that starts this coming Thursday. It has been a difficult season for some of the schools with prominent Canadians as Vancouver Academy's Ben McKendry, who is at New Mexico, and Brody Huitima's Duke missing the tournament. However, probably the biggest upset in relation to Canadian soccer is the University of Connecticut missing the tournament after not being able to recover from a slow start to the season. MLS prospect Cyle Larin was their best player throughout the season scoring nine goals in 16 games and should still be a top draft pick if he chooses to leave school. Although teammate, and Toronto FC homegrown candidate, Allando Matheson's career might be in question as he struggled on the pitch and with injuries, only playing six games in his senior season. Despite these disappointments, there are still a number of schools with Canadian players in the tournament, including Syracuse with four players. Syracuse did get a tough draw and if things play out as expected, will have to beat Penn State, Georgetown and Notre Dame to make it to the Final Four in North Carolina the weekend of December 12/14. Here is a quick preview of the complete tournament with an emphasis on potential MLS prospects and Canadian players in the tournament. Regional Group 1

1. Notre Dame (11-4-4 At-Large)

Plays winner of Ohio State (9-7-4 At-Large) at Akron (12-6-1 MAC) Last year's champions, the Fighting Irish, get the number one seed this season despite losing Harrison Shipp to MLS. Junior Patrick Hodan (9g/3a) has replaced Shipp in the Attacking Midfield role, although it is still unknown if he'll be in the MLS next season. The Notre Dame player to follow in terms of the draft is Nick Besler, who is the younger brother to Sporting KC and US National team defender Matt, although Nick plays more of a holding midfield role. Akron are not the powerhouse they were under Caleb Porter even though they still have some exciting players in Adam Najem (13g/4a), Saad Abdul-Salaam (2g/5a) and Canadian freshman Richie Laryea (1g/2a) and should give Notre Dame a good game if they can get by Ohio State. 16. Virginia (10-6-2 At-Large)

Plays winner of Bucknell (10-9-3 Patriot) at UNC Wilmington (12-4-2 At-Large) Virginia were very young and surprised many in last season tournament although this year the school has Senior leadership in Eric Bird (5g/2a), Ryan Zinkhan (1g/1a) and Kyler Sullivan all potential draft picks with Bird expected to go fairly high. Todd Wharton (2g/2a) a junior was a potential GA candidate going into this season and a strong tournament could bring him back into that picture. UNC Wilmington had some strong results this season including a win against UNC and shouldn't be overlooked with strong senior leadership in Jamie Dell (10g/2a), David Sizemore (1g/3a) and Defender Jacob Vancompernolle (2g/4a) who should also be given draft considerations. Bucknell's only player of interest is Junior Jesse Klug (10g/5a) who had as many shots on target as any player in the NCAA this season. 8. Georgetown (12-4-4 At-Large)

Plays winner of St Francis-NY (10-5-4 Northeast) at Old Dominion (11-6-1 CUSA) Georgetown have struggled a bit this season but should advance at least until the third round. Brandon Allen (10g/3a) who I had ranked as the top player in college hasn't had the service that Steve Nuemann provided him in 2013. The Hoyas do have a strong defense with Senior goalkeeper Thomas Gomez and Sophomore Defender Joshua Yaro who has been heavily scouted and most likely be given a GA contract after the tournament. Both Old Dominion and St Francis NY won their conference tournaments and their schools soccer programs rely on international talent but neither should cause Georgetown much trouble. 9. Syracuse (15-3-1 At-Large)

Plays winner of Hartwick (6-9-4 Sun Belt) at Penn State (12-5-1 At-Large) If Hartwick beat Penn State it will be a huge upset, so expect Penn State and Syracuse to be one of the top games of the second round. Syracuse has four Canadians in senior defenders Jordan Murrell (2g/6a) and Skylar Thomas (3g) as well as Ontario League One alumni Sophomores Chris Nanco (5g/2a) and Alex Halis (3g/2a). Although the most interesting part of this match up might be the goalkeepers as Syracuse Junior Alex Bono and Penn State Senior Andrew Wolverton are regarded as top of their position in all of NCAA. Penn State also has some good fire power in potential Union HG player Conor Maloney (9g/3a) and Mikey Minutillo (7g/4a) well Syracuse top goalscorer is Norwegian Emil Ekblom (7g/3a). Prediction

In a bit of an underdog pick, I'm going with Virginia to get out of Group 1.



Regional Group 2

3. Michigan State (11-4-5 At-Large))

Play winner of Oakland (9-6-3 Horizon) at Kentucky (10-5-4 At-Large) Michigan State drew attention last season with their upset victory over Georgetown. This season they are one of the top ranked teams led by Toronto FC product junior Jay Chapman (4g/4a) as well as Seniors and potential draft picks Fatai Alashe (2g/1a) and Adam Montague (4g/3a). Kentucky are lead by keeper Callum Irving from Vancouver BC well Oakland have a number of Canadians including Gavin Hoy (3g/4a), Shawn Lawson (4g/1a), Raphael Reynolds, Brendan Woodfull, Austin Ricci and knocked out Emeka Ononye's Wright State to get into the tournament. 14. Washington (12-5-1 At-Large)

Plays winner of Furman (12-5-3 Southern) at Alabama-Birmingham (11-7-1 At-Large) Washington could question their seeding and the they will have to potentially travel to Michigan in the 3rd Round although the Huskies might have three of the most interesting players in NCAA D1 soccer this season. Seniors Darwin Jones (8g/4a) and keeper Spencer Richey and potential GA signing Cristian Roldan (3g/2a) are all looked at as future MLS players. Jones a Sounders HGP has been dealing with injuries and it is unknown if he will play in the 2nd round. Although Washington should have enough to get by a traveling Furman or highly touted Canadian Freshman Mathieu Laurent's UAB. 11. Providence (12-4-2 Big East))

Plays winner of Dartmouth (11-4-2 Ivy) at Fordham (8-8-4 Atlantic 10) Providence have been a surprise this season and this continued by winning the Big East championship over schools such as Georgetown and Creighton. The Friars have been led by Mac Stevens (8g/2a), Brazilian Senior Fabio Machedo (5g/7a) and coming off the bench Norwegian senior Markus Naglestad (9g/2a). Dartmouth are lead by Senior forward Alex Adelabu (9g/4a) and Fordam include Toronto native Jonathan Agostino. All three schools won their conferences but none of the them currently have MLS quality players. 6. Stanford (12-2-3 Pac-12)

Plays winner of UNLV (14-4-2 Western) at UC Irvine (14-5-3 At-Large) Stanford might be the most talented team in the tournament and despite winning the Pac-12 will have a very difficult West Coast grouping that includes UNLV and UC Irvine. The Cardinals also have two of the top underclassman in college who might be playing in the MLS next season, Jordan Morris (4g/6a) a Sounders HGP and Defender Brandon Vincent (6g/1a) a potential GA signing. UC Irvine who beat UNLV 4-2 earlier in the season are lead by Senior Cameron Iwasa (4g/5a), Dennis Martinez (5g/1a) and Junior Eduardo Calzada (7g/4a) meanwhile the Rebels have a very senior lineup led by local products Salvador Bernal (7g/3a), Julian Portugal (1g/6a) and Kyle Mellies (4g/2a) which gives promise to the growth of soccer in Las Vegas. Prediction

I really like how Stanford has been built and even though the Canadian connection to Michigan State would be a great story to follow, I think the Cardinals will advance.



Regional Group 3 5. Indiana (12-4-5 At-Large)

Plays winner of Xavier (13-4-2 At-Large) at Monmouth (11-3-6 MAAC) Three traditionally strong soccer programs that were suppose to have difficult seasons this year. Indiana not only had a losing record last year but also lost a number of players although have been led by the senior leadership of Patrick Doody (4g/4a) and play of underclassman Tanner Thompson (6g/3a) and Femi Hollinger-Janzen (5g/2a). Hollinger-Janzen played a key role in the Hoosiers winning the 2012 championship. Xavier also lost a few players including TFC's Nick Hagglund although senior Will Walker (5g/7a) has led a team that includes five freshman regulars meanwhile Matt Jeffery is the player to watch at Monmouth a central defender with great size. 12. Creighton (14-3-2 At-Large)

Plays winner of Denver (10-7-1 Summit) at Oregon State (11-7-1 Pac-12) Another interesting group of teams who are all able to create a potential upset as they progress. Creighton have been led by the German underclassman combination of Timo Pitter (6g/7a) and Fabian Herbers (9g/6a) and both played strong enough of being potential MLS GA signings. The Blue Jays defense is managed by holding midfielder Jose Ribas who is also a potential MLS player. Oregon State success has been credited to the health of senior forward Khiry Shelton (10g/9a) although seniors Will Seymore (2g/2a) and Brenden Anderson have also played key roles. Meanwhile Denver are led by Senior Teddy Mullin (6g/1a) who transferred from Wake Forest and is hoping to give a good showing to make him a potential MLS draft pick. 13. Louisville (10-6-3 At-Large)

Plays winner of St. Louis (13-4-2 At-Large) at Tulsa (11-5-3 American) A good group to watch in terms of MLS prospects as Louisville have a number of prospects but St Louis and Tulsa have a few as well. The Cardinals have a minimum of five potential players who could be in the MLS next season. Real Salt Lake HGP Andrew Brody (2g/4a), PDL MVP and Junior Ricardo Velazco (6g/5a) and Senior Will Vitalis (2g/4a), Daniel Keller (1g/2a) and keeper Joachim Bell. St Louis have three senior players with MLS potential Robbie Kristo (13g/1a) who should be a first round pick as well as Anthony Manning (5g/2a) and Bryce Kingsley (5g/3a). Meanwhile despite loosing the Mata brothers before this season Tulsa still have senior Akiel Barrett (6g/2a) and Canadian defender Quinton Duncan. 4. Maryland (13-5-3 Big 10)

Plays winner of UMBC (12-5-3 America East) at Wake Forest (10-7-1 At-Large) Maryland made the transition to the Big 10 by winning the conference championship through a class direct free kick goal by Mael Corboz (10g/3a). The 'terps lost last years National Championship had had to replace the goal scoring of Patrick Mullins. They have yet to find a proven striker but have a strong midfield and defense including seniors Alex Shinsky (2g/3a), Dan Metzger (3g/2a) and Junior defender Mikey Ambrose. UMBC also lost a key striker from last season in Pete Carigni but have talent in Seniors forward Kay Banjo (8g/5a), prospect Oumar Ballo (3g/1a) and another free kick specialist Mamadou Kansaye (4g/6a). Wake Forest are led by underclassman Michael Gamble (6g/9a) and son of former USMNT player John, Ian Harkes (2g/3a). Prediction

This is one of the tougher groups as it is hard to bet against Sasho Cirovski. However, if there is someone who can match up to his pedigree it's Ken Lolla and I think this year Louisville can get near the end.



Regional Group 4 7. Clemson (11-6-3 ACC)

Plays winner of FGCU (7-6-5 Atlantic Sun) at Coastal Carolina (14-5-1 Big South) If Coastal Carolina can get by Florida Gulf Coast they could even be favorite against Clemson and be one of the non-seeded teams to advance. Coastal Carolina are led by the forward combination of Senior Ricky Garbanzo (8g/5a) and Toronto FC product Sergio Camargo (6g/6a) who actually played in the friendly game against Liverpool. The Chanticleers also have Shawn McLaws (1g, 4a) who is a potential 2015 MLS Draft pick. Clemson also have some prospects for the 2015 Draft including Defender Phanuel Kavita (2g), Ara Amirkhanian (2g/4a) and Amadou Dia and have used their athleticism throughout the season to pressure their opponents. FGCU have a number of non-American players including keeper Nathan Ingham from Keswick Ontario. 10. Charlotte (14-3-1 At-Large)

Players winner of James Madison (9-7-4 Colonial) at North Carolina (12-5-1 At-Large) This group has a number of interesting players as North Carolina are the most high profile non-seeded team in the tournament. UNC has lacked consistency but still have the players who could win the whole tournament including seniors Andy Craven (11g/2a), Tyler Engel (5g/4a), Vernari Valimaa (5g/2a), Rob Lovejoy (2g/7a), Boyd Okwuonu, and keeper Brendan Moore. They also have Omar Holness (1g/3a) who played against Canada senior team for Jamaica. Charlotte lead by local product Junior Kyle Parker (9g/6a) have been very consistent until they lost in the first round of the Conference USA tournament while James Madison won the Colonial getting by teams such as UNC Wilmington and Delaware and have Icelandic defender Bjarki Adalsteinsson and Ottawa Fury PDL alumni Jon Barden. 15. California (10-5-1 At Large)

Plays winner of SIUE (6-8-4 MVC) at Northwestern (9-3-6 Big 10) California is looking for a 3rd round match up with fellow Pac 12 team UCLA but first has to get by the winner of SIU Evansville at Northwestern. Despite loosing a number of players including 2014 1st round picks Steve Birnbaum and Christian Dean, California was able to have a strong season led by Seniors Stefano Bonomo (11g/3a), Connor Hallisey (8g/9a) and Seth Casiple (1g/7a) with Casple having the best MLS potential. Northwestern who drew too many games this season and include Joey Calistri (6g/2a), Nikko Boxall (2g/2a), Grant Wilson and goalkeeping prospect Tyler Miller well SIUE are lead by Christian Volesky (8g/4a) and Matt Polster (3g/2a) who teamed up to score against California in a 2-1 loss earlier in the season. 2. UCLA (11-4-4 At-Large)

Plays winner of CSU Fullerton (10-7-6 Big West) at San Diego (10-5-4 West Coast) UCLA played the toughest schedule in the country this season although despite being ranked number 2 in the tournament the season has been a bit of a disappointment. The Bruins lost out to Stanford for the Pac-12 title and players have under performed to expectation including Leo Stoltz (7g/4a) although he still should be a high pick if he chooses to enter the MLS Draft. Other key players such as Larry Ndjock (5g), Aaron Simmons (2g) and goalkeeper Earl Edwards have faltered a bit then expected although what was present is team depth including Seyi Adekoya (5g/4a), Abu Danladi (4g/1a) and Michael Amick. San Diego won West Coast and were lead by Connor Brandt (7g/5a) well a very experienced CSU Fullerton with a potential 10 Senior starters were the surprise Big West Champions. Prediction

While the Virginia pick might have seen like an upset, for this one I think North Carolina has alot going their way in terms of location as well as talent and I think they will make it out of this group. Tournament prediction

With the seeding going pretty much as expected I feel the tournament will play out with most of the favorites winning early and then very tough matches when there is only 16 schools left. In terms of a Canadian perspective Syracuse will be interesting to watch but have some tough match ups well Chapman, Camargo and Irving are worth a follow as they could be future Canadian National Team players. Personally I like Stanford, Louisville and Virginia and as a non seeded team but are home during the final four North Carolina. Aaron Nielsen has worked within the soccer/sports industry for over 15 years. His statistical analysis brings the beautiful game in a whole new light. The detailed player data and prospect lists he produces are used by many scouts, agents, and football insiders around the world.You can find updating stats regularly at ENBSports.

