I had no idea the College Cup was coming to Houston. Pretty cool -- and congrats to the Dynamo organization for continuing to bring good events to BBVA Compass Stadium. Official website:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/soccer-men/d1

In case you're wondering, the top four teams right now are Maryland, Notre Dame, Syracuse and North Carolina (which rather resembles a lacrosse ranking). Tournament selections are Nov 7.

(10-11-2016 09:28 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  I had no idea the College Cup was coming to Houston. Pretty cool -- and congrats to the Dynamo organization for continuing to bring good events to BBVA Compass Stadium. Official website:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/soccer-men/d1

In case you're wondering, the top four teams right now are Maryland, Notre Dame, Syracuse and North Carolina (which rather resembles a lacrosse ranking). Tournament selections are Nov 7.

Which begs the question, why does Houston subsidize the NCAA and their championships instead of supporting the NCAA institutions in our city? Rice loses again as we don't offer the sport!

(10-12-2016 06:26 AM)exowlswimmer Wrote:  

(10-11-2016 09:28 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  I had no idea the College Cup was coming to Houston. Pretty cool -- and congrats to the Dynamo organization for continuing to bring good events to BBVA Compass Stadium. Official website:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/soccer-men/d1

In case you're wondering, the top four teams right now are Maryland, Notre Dame, Syracuse and North Carolina (which rather resembles a lacrosse ranking). Tournament selections are Nov 7.

Which begs the question, why does Houston subsidize the NCAA and their championships instead of supporting the NCAA institutions in our city? Rice loses again as we don't offer the sport!

UH doesn't sponsor men's soccer, either. Neither do Prairie View, TSU, or HBU. The only collegiate men's soccer team I could find closer than College Station was St Thomas, and they're NAIA. Should the Dynamo/Dash have only considered bidding for the women's championship? We/UH could instead use this tournament as a zero-risk chance to observe how big the sport is here and estimate what the local talent is probably like without having to hire a coach. It's not like we're getting marginalized left and right. We've been involved in the recent basketball championships. If baseball moved around, I imagine we'd be in on that, too.

Actually HBU does sponsor men's soccer.

I've heard there is a move to try to bring the Women's College Cup to Houston, but the men's event has been in the works for a number of years and it will probably take some time to see the attempts come to fruition on the women's side.

A&M has hosted the women's college cup in the past, and I've heard they would be supportive of moving the event to Houston (with more hotels and less complicated travel).

Bump: the final four are set:

Friday December 9
5:00 Wake Forest v Denver
7:45 Stanford v North Carolina

Sunday December 11
10:30 Fan Fest
1:00 Championship match

Website:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/soccer-men/d1

Complete bracket:
http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/...en/d1/2016

This is the first NCAA Division I outdoor championship held in Houston that I can remember, and the first NCAA outdoor championship here in ANY division since the Division II National Championships Festival in 2008 (which included women's lacrosse, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's golf).

Pretty sure UH hosted the NCAA outdoor track & field championship in 1982 or 1983 or so (I think SMU won on its way to probation and subsequently dropping men's T&F)

Natalie and I will be going to at least the late game Friday night. We will head to 8th Wonder Brewery beforehand to warm up.

(12-07-2016 06:10 PM)Houston Owl Wrote:  Pretty sure UH hosted the NCAA outdoor track & field championship in 1982 or 1983 or so (I think SMU won on its way to probation and subsequently dropping men's T&F)

1983 ... and yes, won by SMU.

Houston also hosted the women's T&F championship that year, too ... won by UCLA.

(12-07-2016 05:34 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  Bump: the final four are set:

Friday December 9
5:00 Wake Forest v Denver
7:45 Stanford v North Carolina

Sunday December 11
10:30 Fan Fest
1:00 Championship match

Website:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/soccer-men/d1

Complete bracket:
http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/...en/d1/2016

Beautiful day today for the OUTDOOR FOOTBALL semifinals! Tonight will be cool but clear and dry -- much better than the early forecasts predicted.

Sunday's weather looks less promising.

I went to the NCAAs then in Robertson when it still had a track. SMU, Arkansas and UTEP were pretty strong in track and field back then because they recruited a lot of foreigners. I ate supper after the meet with the Baylor coach Clyde Hart. He was a friend of one of the partners in an accounting firm I was working in.

(12-07-2016 06:10 PM)Houston Owl Wrote:  Pretty sure UH hosted the NCAA outdoor track & field championship in 1982 or 1983 or so (I think SMU won on its way to probation and subsequently dropping men's T&F)

Two great games today: Wake Forest knocked off Denver 2-1 in the second overtime, and Stanford beat North Carolina 0-0 (10-9) on penalty kicks. I've never seen a shootout go that far at any level of play. If UNC's 10th kicker has made his shot, each team's goalie would have had to do a penalty kick.

And a nice night for outdoor football. Chilly, but chilly is OK, and it was dry and calm.

Great night of football. Can't wait for the national champs on Sunday. Weather should be perfect. There was some beautiful soccer out there tonight.

A few pictures from last night's second semifinal (I don't think you need to be a Facebook subscriber to see the album):

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=...ce1867056a

The national championship match is at 1:00 today: Stanford v Wake Forest.

Go Cardinal Deacons!

Great game. Not to mention the wife went home happy after the win.