(04-07-2022 11:53 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.

Marshall has a National Championship!

(04-08-2022 07:34 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 11:53 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.

Marshall has a National Championship!

So does Akron.

(04-08-2022 10:12 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 07:34 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 11:53 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.

Marshall has a National Championship!

So does Akron.

The "Coal Belt" has terrific soccer. Akron, Marshall, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and a couple others are very solid programs.

Could this be because some of those rural Appalachian school districts are too small to sponsor 11 vs 11 football so their best athletes gravitate towards soccer, which needs a much smaller roster of say 15-18 kids?

(04-08-2022 01:31 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Could this be because some of those rural Appalachian school districts are too small to sponsor 11 vs 11 football so their best athletes gravitate towards soccer, which needs a much smaller roster of say 15-18 kids?

Very possible. I know several pros who played in and around that part of the country who never even considered football.

(04-08-2022 01:31 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Could this be because some of those rural Appalachian school districts are too small to sponsor 11 vs 11 football so their best athletes gravitate towards soccer, which needs a much smaller roster of say 15-18 kids?

Keep in mind the top talent in the nation for the most part isn't playing college ball anymore and is instead breaking through in MLS in their late teens or getting signed by European teams straight out of MLS academies. That is probably leveling the playing field with schools in more populated areas since MLS teams and their academies are all in large cities absorbing the top tier talent around them. Guys like Weston Mckennie in Dallas and Tyler Adams outside NYC got scouted by MLS at 11 years old and then spent their teenage years focused on becoming players capable of playing at the highest level internationally. (Which is what needs to happen to compete with Europe and South America since their top talent is also receiving professional level coaching at that age and often younger)

Also there are big name schools in hot bed areas for talent that don't even have men's soccer like Texas and Texas A&M so we're not seeing what those big name schools could do with the local talent that just missed out on being good enough for FC Dallas.

(04-07-2022 11:53 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.

Missouri State and the two FL schools would make for an even 12. They could go North-South.

Missouri State is not going anywhere. They are contractually bound to the MVC, as will be all 6 permanent members that play soccer this fall.

11 also makes a good soccer league as that is your perfect 10 game conference schedule. Soccer is not usually on set days, rather you play whenever, some games on nearly every day. So the even-odd problem doesn't really exist.

(04-07-2022 04:47 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:44 PM)AssKickingChicken Wrote:  As an aside, the entire Big East sponsors men’s soccer. Not relevant to this discussion, I just found it interesting.

Might be a league requirement. Baseball (8 members) and lacrosse (6) evidently aren't.

my guess is it has more to do with offering a mens team sport, by the individual schools, in the fall since most of them do not have FB

(04-08-2022 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Missouri State is not going anywhere. They are contractually bound to the MVC, as will be all 6 permanent members that play soccer this fall.

11 also makes a good soccer league as that is your perfect 10 game conference schedule. Soccer is not usually on set days, rather you play whenever, some games on nearly every day. So the even-odd problem doesn't really exist.

I was alluding to the Matt Brown Missouri State/Sun Belt thread.

(04-08-2022 01:31 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Could this be because some of those rural Appalachian school districts are too small to sponsor 11 vs 11 football so their best athletes gravitate towards soccer, which needs a much smaller roster of say 15-18 kids?

No. Not even close. WV underwent consolidation in the early 90's. Many of the smaller schools in the Huntington area melded into three AAAA high schools. Many small schools sponsor FB and not soccer. I went to one of the few Catholic Schools remaining in WV (Huntington St. Joseph Central) and played on the team and won a state championship in 1988, but there were many A schools that sponsored soccer. The 1994 World Cup had TONS to do with that, as did the creation of the womens World Cup.

(04-08-2022 10:53 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 10:12 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 07:34 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 11:53 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.

Marshall has a National Championship!

So does Akron.

The "Coal Belt" has terrific soccer. Akron, Marshall, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and a couple others are very solid programs.

Kind of funny now that you mention it that you have great programs in an area where football is king.

Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

That’s good. Soccer may be FIU’s best sport. That just leaves Liberty to find a home by 23-24

(05-04-2022 01:34 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

That’s good. Soccer may be FIU’s best sport. That just leaves Liberty to find a home by 23-24

I bet they stay in the ASUN.

Glad FIU got a home in the AAC.

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

That would be an attractive conference for Kentucky and South Carolina (or any other SEC schools that they might encourage to play soccer).

(05-04-2022 02:58 PM)jimrtex Wrote:  

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

That would be an attractive conference for Kentucky and South Carolina (or any other SEC schools that they might encourage to play soccer).

UK, South Carolina and WVU are in the Sun Belt for Mens Soccer which is a better league in my opinion.

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

I figured FIU would end up in the AAC as opposed to the Sun Belt. Even though they have a great program, the Sun Belt seems to have quite the grudge against the schools that left for CUSA.

(04-08-2022 09:28 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 01:31 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Could this be because some of those rural Appalachian school districts are too small to sponsor 11 vs 11 football so their best athletes gravitate towards soccer, which needs a much smaller roster of say 15-18 kids?

No. Not even close. WV underwent consolidation in the early 90's. Many of the smaller schools in the Huntington area melded into three AAAA high schools. Many small schools sponsor FB and not soccer. I went to one of the few Catholic Schools remaining in WV (Huntington St. Joseph Central) and played on the team and won a state championship in 1988, but there were many A schools that sponsored soccer. The 1994 World Cup had TONS to do with that, as did the creation of the womens World Cup.

Also, their national title team had more players from South America than Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio combined.

(05-04-2022 03:10 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(05-04-2022 12:54 PM)Inkblot Wrote:  Announced today... Charlotte, FAU, and UAB men's soccer are joining the AAC a year early, and FIU is joining as an affiliate. https://theamerican.org/news/2022/5/3/ge...iving.aspx

I figured FIU would end up in the AAC as opposed to the Sun Belt. Even though they have a great program, the Sun Belt seems to have quite the grudge against the schools that left for CUSA.

FAU being in the AAC helps as well. You can get two games in one trip plus you have a cross-metropolitan area rivalry.