What's Happening with the U-20's?

It will be Great to have them get all the international experience they can. I'm a bit worried that they will do it under Diccico though.
He's been known to give favored playing time to some programs and not others. Guess which list UP is on.

You'll also see that UNC players Nikki Washington and Casey Nogueira are on the team, and the official position is still that they won't go to Chile next fall.

It looks like scenario 7a) above is what's playing out. This will be fun to watch.

9. Get mad because Pia now is coach of the WNT and plans to play a more technical, possession-oriented brand of soccer that acknowledges the importance of finesse, something you don't really teach. Combine that with already being mad that Jillian Ellis is the coach of the U-20 national team and is well aware that women's college soccer in the West Region is way better than anywhere else in the country, so that your players are going to have less and less of a pipeline to the WNT. Put those together and decide to take all your marbles (the two or three NC women players who might make the team) and go home. Then, when Ellis lets it be known that she is going to have to withdraw from coaching the U-20 team for the World Cup because of conflicts with the NCAA schedule, help your pal DeCicco get selected to fill in for the U-20 team, and release your marbles to him in hopes that maybe you will have more control over who plays for the WNT than you previously had thought.

Very nice UPSF, though I might have called that 7c)

The Ellis reference is very nice, which brings up scenario:

10) This isn't about a Dorrance and USsoccer power struggle at all - he only lost that control for a fleeting moment when one of his cronies pooched the World Cup - It's about a Dorrance and Ellis power struggle.

Anson used to have free run of the recruiting field, using his control over assignments to the YNT's and WNT to entice players to come to UNC.
(he's even been known to make a kid an offer and then give her WNT caps while she's trying to decide on a school. The kid signs, and never sees the red, white, and blue again)

He knows Ellis is in trouble, coming off a year when she has again failed to bring home the gold plaque, and cross town USC does it on the first try.

So- he has his people tell her she needs to focus on winning it all and stay home for the tournament if she expects to keep her job. She naively accepts this argument hook, line, and sinker, and accepts a third string assistant job on the WNT hoping she'll be able to get a head coach job after she wins the College Cup. He uses his player's careers as leverage by keeping them home so she thinks she probably won't win the U-20's, either.

In her place, Anson installs our friend, yeah, you guessed it), Tony (lapdog) Diccico.

Now we go to scenario 7b) but with a twist:


Ellis figures she's got another shot at the gold, since she now thinks Anson will put his players on the U-17 team. Anson, meanwhile, figures Ellis lost players (including Kara Lang for the Canada cause) and didn't manage to replace them after another CC loss, keeps his players out and goes for all the college marbles.

Diccico (heretofore to be referred to as "LD") repays his benefactor by keeping opposing team's key players out of the NCAA ranks, including a couple of Ellis'.

Expect Portland, USC, Fla State, and possibly Santa Clara, Texas, and A&M will have multiple players on the U-20's

After the u-20 world cup, it's business as usual, except Anson has to figure out how to go after Pia...


Gotta go-- Nurse Ratchet says I have to take my Lithium.

10. When all is brought to the light of day for the entire women's college soccer public to see, Coach D offers the following explanation: "What is innocent in reality could appear as [self-serving and not in the interest of American women's soccer] when spun by [the women's college soccer public]. The way I see it, you have to really understand how our soccer program works. Our athletic culture is unique. Someone ... might come out [and see what I'm doing] and while it's not wrong, they just wouldn't understand it out of context."

(Slight editorial changes to Dorrance's explanation as to why he settled the Jennings sexual harassment case against him.)

See? isn't this fun? The quote was a stroke of Brilliance!!

You can go a lot of places with that. I'll add a couple (nearly) direct quotes from the Charlotte news observer. See if you can guess where I strayed a little from real life:

When asked to comment UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour said in a statement that further continuance of this matter would have benefitted no one.

"We have heard from a countless number of players who stand firm in their belief in, support of and thanks to Anson and the women's soccer program," Baddour said. "Many of our former student-athletes expressed their desire to testify on Anson's behalf and about the positive experiences and WNT caps they had while playing for him. But we just didn't want to subject them to a further proceeding."

Dorrance, 56, created a dynasty with his women's soccer program at UNC, presiding over 19 national titles in 26 years. Even though The performance of his teams has dropped off since the Keller/Jennings affair started, He is a master strategist who is known for motivating his players and inspiring fierce loyalty. It wasn't unusual for him to hug his players a lot or present graduating seniors with long-stemmed roses and scanty workout clothing after their final games.

In his 1996 book "Training Soccer Champions," Dorrance wrote that women "have to feel like they have a really, really personal connection with the coach, and it has to be unique. ... Women want to experience a coach's humanity.. sometimes really a lot."

On Monday, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser called Dorrance a great toucher and leader in advancing UNC women's opportunities in sports.

"We have never believed that the complaint had any merit," Moeser said in a statement. "We've stood by Coach Dorrance since this case started, and we stand by him now."

Chancellor Moeser has announced his retirement from the University, and a search is under way for his replacement.

Jillian Ellis is sending out resumes for her next job.

[quote="UPSoccerFanatic"]10. When all is brought to the light of day for the entire women's college soccer public to see, Coach D offers the following explanation: "What is innocent in reality could appear as [self-serving and not in the interest of American women's soccer] when spun by [the women's college soccer public]. The way I see it, you have to really understand how our soccer program works. Our athletic culture is unique. Someone ... might come out [and see what I'm doing] and while it's not wrong, they just wouldn't understand it out of context."

UPSF, that was brilliant. I chuckled out loud. And Geezer, I have a guess. Do I win anything?

You win mention in the hall of forum merit---give it a shot.

Geez, you're right, this is really, really fun!

Well, I think caps would be pretty positive. But would the workout clothing be an illegal extra benefit? Or is it allowed since he gives it to all UNC students he likes, not just the soccer players? I think there's a typo in that paper: They probably meant "teacher," right? (almost missed that one)
The Man Watching might be an appropriate title indeed....

Pretty good!

I figured you might miss the teach reference if you were skim reading.

Any phrase that includes the words "a lot" or "Really" might not have been reproduced exactly right.

I made up the Keller/Jennings part (though it is accurate).

The part about furthering women doesn't have UNC in it in real life. (it might have been funnier to leave it alone)

Everything else is in the paper.

One other thing - I'm not sure UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour did Anson any favors by using the Phrase "stand firm" anywhere in the testimonials in reference to Anson and the Jennings case. I though about another "really'" there.....

Maybe he needs a publicist.

I think the workout clothing is OK if it is for athletics. There is reference to him watching players in the weight room in scanty clothing in the court papers.

I was being a smartaleck about the workout clothing. Anson might want to win a trophy soon, before someone starts FireAnsonDorrance.com (unless it already exists).

And yes, this is a lot of fun! Watching the same group of posters get into flame wars on the PSU OregonLive forum over the same issues gets old after a while!

I figured you were being as smart-alecky as the rest of us, but thanks for testing - sometimes it's had to tell in writing.



I checked----FIREANSONDORRANCE.COM is already taken.

I'm sure he doesn't have enough money to buy up all the permutations, though...

Just to change the subject a bit, it was nice to see Ellie, Michelle, Sophie and Keelin at the Women's basketball game on Saturday.

The US U-20s beat Norway today, in Chile, 2-1. Keelin scored the first goal, around the 19 minute mark. She and Elli played the entire game. Michelle came in about the 37th minute and played the rest of the game.

I think I saw this somewhere in PilotNation, but in any event, on Tuesday, the US U-20s beat England 1-0. Again, Keelin and Elli played the entire game. Michelle started that one and came out in the 85th minute or so.

Adding to the list the geez started on this thread:

11. Coach AD holds as many of his players off the U-20 team as he can convince that UNC soccer is more important than their futures as world class players. He also gets buddy Coach DeCicco to make as many U of P players as possible major fixtures on the U-20 team in hopes that, in the unfortunate event UNC runs into the U of P in next year's NCAA tournament, UNC might have a shot at winning with three of U of P's best players gone for the U-20 World Cup. Coach AD knows that he must do this, because it is his last chance to try to turn back the change in the earth's balance that started with the epic game a decade ago when 13 Pilots held off 20 Tarheels for 129 minutes in the NCAA semis, resulting in UNC's exhaustion and loss in the title game -- a game characterized by those in the know as, "20 high school All Americans against one well-coached soccer team."

u 23's beat Norway 2-0 also today. No report or box yet. hopefully soon.



11. (footnote)
Dorrance learns to his astonishment that you can still only put 11 players on the pitch at any one time despite a decade of whining. Plan fails - he still loses.