Super season start

So-
I was walking down he street minding my own business, when I ran into a fellow Pilot fan who told me about a rumor that the opening weekend with UCLA will include National Champ USC!

If it's true, It'll be the best soccer weekend in Portland since we hosted the College Cup!

FANatic, does this rate a WooHoo! or what?

WooHoo!

absolutely fantastic!!! i was actually kind of surprised when i saw ucla was coming up here but usc wasn't. what a rocking house that will be!

...which begs the question-- Which team will come in to fill out the possible foursome?

isn't it usually those smug b******* from seattle, u of w???

Not likely.

I'm sure none of those schools will want to open their seasons with conference games.

Who owes us games? Florida? Wouldn't that be great! Doesn't Connecticut owe us one too. Wouldn't that be great!

But: Did anyone notice that the Pilots have three players going to the U-20 camp? Michelle, Elli, and Keelin! Fantastic especially for Keelin. But, those selected for the U-20 World Cup may be red-shirting the entire season. Wouldn't that be a bummer.

Plus, if you follow the U-20 team, no North Carolina players are going to the camp. Why? Because they have decided they are going to stay home and play college soccer. Who knows if that is damage repair after the Dorrance case settlement. I have to say, this is one thing on which I agree with North Carolina. Every year, the best college teams get disrupted by wome world event. I think it's time they scheduled those events some other time.

Maybe Anson's players aren't good enough anymore.

In the long run, I don't think Keeping your players home during Word Cup or Olympic years helps your program. Great players are always thinking about the next step, and those chances only come every 4 years. If they see that path blocked, they'll go elsewhere. Anson's keeping his players home may help him next year, but when the next Hamm or Sinclair comes along, he'll be out of the running. (truth be told, he may never have a chance at a player like those again).

Besides, I'm convinced that International competition makes players better. As long as you keep bringing in other great players to fill in while they are gone, it doesn't matter long term.

If you miss a year due to National Team or Olympic play, it doesn't count towards either your 4 year eligibility or your 5 year clock.

Florida does owe us a game, so does Connecticut and so does Colorado (they never returned a game from 2005). Texas might. Whether any of those teams will show up in August, I have no idea.

Geezer - Yes, indeed, this does rate a rather large WooHoo!

Could be a great time to impress potential recruits also if either or both of the games happen in September. If they happen in August, it will still be rip-roaring fun and hopefully two big sellouts! Nice way to start the new season!

I will comment on the U-20 situation shortly.

Now - to the 2008 U-20 Women's World Cup that UPSF broached a couple posts ago: I have mixed emotions (not a cop-out).

1) I do very much agree with geezer that playing internationally both makes a player better, due to the higher caliber of competition, and more confident, due to playing in front of larger crowds in bigger stakes matches. We saw that first hand last season in the poise and calmness showed by Stephanie, and also the experienced, heads-up play of Sophie, rarely seen in a freshman in college.

2) The flip side of the coin: I really have to empathize with UPSF on this one. I understand that we are going to lose players such as Christine, Steph, and Sophie to national team commitments from time to time. But if Michelle, Elli, and Keelin decide to redshirt in order to prepare for and play in the women's U-20 world cup this fall, as well as possibly losing Sohie to the Canadian U-20, that would be 4 key starters taken away from us before the season even began. (Assuming all four make their final roster cuts and decide to play in the U-20 tournament rather than their full college seasons.)

By my count, if you take away the 4 players mentioned above, that would leave 11 returning players (including only two starters: Jessica Tsao and Kelsey Davis), and the 5 new 2008 freshmen that we know about. (Maybe Garrett will need to go out and find 4 or 5 other 2008 college transfers, J.C. transfers and/or high school seniors still available.) On my roster I see just 1 returning senior (medical redshirt Rachael Rapinoe), 5 returning juniors (including medical redshirts Megan Rapinoe and Korie Nicholson), and 5 returning sophomores (including medical redshirt Megan Sweeney).

That's 16 bodies (two of which are GK's, 14 field players). And I wouldn't bet the house on a player returning from an ACL tear. Rachael will have to prove she can play at the same level again. I'm even more worried about Megan, after her re-tearing the same ligament two years in a row. Yes, you can name players who have come back strong from that, but it is certainly no given.

I am getting tired of writing now. Till next time!

If you miss a year due to National Team or Olympic play, it doesn't count towards either your 4 year eligibility or your 5 year clock.

I had never heard this before. Did that mean Sincalir had another season of eligibility when she left? The website says she utilized her redshirt when she competed with the Canadaian national team.

[http://www.portlandpilots.com/sports/wsoccer/rosters/displayPlayer.asp?PLAYER_ID=216

Or is this a more recent addition to the rules?

Normally, an athlete has 5 years over which to engage in 4 years of D1 competition. There are certain exceptions for international competition, military service and religious service, as there are for injury and hardships, and they must be voted on by an NCAA committee.

Christine played for UP for four years 2001,2002,2004,2005.
She had no eligibility left after 2005

her National team commitments in 2003, when she didn't play for UP, made her eligible for an added year on her clock if she needed it, but as it turns out, she didn't need it.

Here's an excerpt from the D1 manual as it pertains to the 5 year clock and international competition (there are other provisions for injury, and for military and religious service):

14.2.1.4 Athletics Activities Waiver. The Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, or a com-
mittee designated by it, shall have the authority to waive this provision <ie the 5 yr clock - Geez> by a two-thirds majority of
its members present and voting to permit student-athletes to participate in:
(a) Official Pan American, World Championships, World Cup, World University and Olympic train-
ing, tryouts and competition; (Revised: 1/10/91, 1/9/96)
(b) Officially recognized training and competition directly qualifying participants for final Olympic
tryouts; or
(c) Official tryouts and competition involving national teams sponsored by the appropriate national
governing bodies of the U.S. Olympic Committee (or, for student-athletes representing another
nation, the equivalent organization of that nation, or, for student-athletes competing in a non-
Olympic sport, the equivalent organization of that sport).
14.2.1.4.1 Athletics Activity Waiver Criteria. Extensions of the five-year period of eligibility
for student-athletes by the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, or its designated
committee, shall be based on the following criteria: The member institution in which the stu-
dent-athlete is enrolled must establish to the satisfaction of the Committee on Student-Athlete
Reinstatement (by objective evidence) that the student-athlete was unable to participate in
intercollegiate athletics as a result of participation in one of the activities listed in the above
legislation for a specific period of time. Further, such an extension shall be limited to one time
and for a period not to exceed one year per student-athlete, per sport. (Revised: 8/11/98 )

The addition to the clock requires a vote, as does addition to the clock due to an injury. I've never heard of the extension being denied due to Olympic or National team competition.

i agree with FANantics frustration of losing players to world cup committments. had sinc, angie, steph an megan not taking the world cup reshirts i could very easily have imagined the pilots winning at least 2 more college cups then they did.
on the other hand, i agree with geezer that having players compete on world cup teams adds to your ability to recruit top notch talent. and also raising the skillg an competition level of our own team.

This topic got me thinking about the Spring game. Usually its been in April? We played Canada last year. Mexico the year before. Any idea who we might be playing this year?

We won't see the 2008 recruits yet but can our newly graduated seniors play?....Steph? Angie? Natalie? With national team commitments and other still rehabing....do you think we can even field a team this early? Might be tough.

GO PILOTS!!!

Phantom - I haven't heard yet who we are going to play in the annual Spring Game in April. Yes, graduating seniors do fill in for the Pilots, as the team is usually fairly depleted.

I think we could be really short-handed this year. So who knows, we may see other players from previous seasons this time around.