Photo by Omar Martinez/ISIphotos.com
The college soccer season is around the corner and the NSCAA has released its Hermann Trophy watch list to provide a guide of players to keep an eye on during the upcoming campaign.
The list managed to leave off Louisville striker Colin Rolfe — a Hermann Trophy finalist last season — and Notre Dame and United States Under-20 midfielder Dillon Powers — a consensus top prospect and Generation adidas candidate — while including current New York Red Bulls (and therefore no longer in college) defender Sacir Hot.
A couple of top candidates to win the Hermann Trophy who actually made the list include UCLA and U.S. U-20 midfielder Kelyn Rowe (pictured above) and Duke's versatile defender Andrew Wenger.
Considering the omission of Rolfe and Powers and inclusion of Hot, the official watch list should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's still a metric to use in order to identify some of the top collegiate players in the country.
Here is the NSCAA's 2011 Hermann Trophy watch list:
2011 HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
R.J. Allen, D, Monmouth
Carlos Alvarez, M, Connecticut
Gideon Asante, M, Old Dominion
James Belshaw, GK, Duke
Austin Berry, D, Louisville
Thomas Brandt, D, Penn
Andrew Bulls, M, UMBC
Brendan Burgdorf, F, Bucknell
Michael Bustamante, M, Boston University
Cody Calafiore, M, Temple
Tony Cascio, F, Connecticut
Juan Castillo, F, SMU
Marcello Castro, D, Sacred Heart
Justin Chavez, D, Tulsa
Warren Creavalle, M, Central Florida
Roger Downes, D, Loyola Marymount
Ethan Finlay, F, Creighton
Shaun Foster, D, Hofstra
Raymon Gaddis, D, West Virginia
Sam Garza, F, UCSB
Bryan Gaul, F, Bradley
Max Hamilton, M, Monmouth
Antoine Hoppenot, F, Princeton
Sacir Hot, D, Boston College (signed by New York Red Bulls on January 31; ineligible)
Arthur Ivo, M, SMU
Matt Lampson, GK, Ohio State
Enzo Martinez, M, North Carolina
Ryan Meara, GK, Fordham
Karo Okiomah, F, High Point
Tyler Polak, D, Creighton
Josey Portillo, M, Florida Gulf Coast
Tim Richardson, M, Fordham
Charles Rodriguez, D, Charlotte
Kelyn Rowe, M, UCLA
Kevin Strunk, D, Lehigh
Chris Thomas, F, Elon
Casey Townsend, F, Maryland
Anthony Vasquez, D, Monmouth
Patrick Wallen, F, San Diego
Andrew Wenger, D, Duke
Chris Wheeler, F, Mount St. Mary's
Gyasi Zardes, F, Cal St. Bakersfield
———————-
Which players are you expecting to stand out this season? Who do you see winning the Hermann Trophy? Anybody else not on the list that you think will turn some heads this season?
Share your thoughts below.
Well some schools/areas have more demand for college soccer. The demand is also there in SEC land but they have to cut something to comply with Title IX. If Title IX didn’t exist you can bet most SEC schools would have soccer programs. And more baseball programs would start up again too. There’s nothing wrong with the intent of Title IX, but it’s results are completely stupid.
This subthread discussion is really depressing.
F’ing college football….
Yup.
“Nobody from Virginia, Akron, and only a single Louisville player?”
“And three on the list are from… (drum roll)… Monmouth!”
My head just exploded… And then it exploded AGAIN.
“while including current New York Red Bulls (and therefore no longer in college) defender Sacir Hot.”
What a joke, how can college soccer be taken seriously when it doesn’t even take itself seriously?
Akron should defect to MLS (joke).
I’m one of the few that thinks college soccer is a good thing. Not all players are cut out for professional soccer, much less right out of high school, but still want to play at a high level. Many of our national teamers played college ball and they don’t seem too hurt by it
33 out of the 42 players east of the Mississippi……..
There has always been this east coast bias in college soccer and it just isn’t justified.
Title IX is the main reason Western Kentucky University ended its men’s soccer team program a couple years ago.
That’s nothing, in the late 1990’s Indiana University had to cut a Men’s sport to meet the Title IX requirement when they lost a women’s sport due to lack of interest. They cut Men’s diving, which might not be missed by many but was odd since Indiana’s Men’s Diving team were the defending national champions.
Can you imagine if the Heisman Trophy people shortlisted a player who was in the NFL and left off a finalist from the year before. This thing is a joke and another sign that college soccer is ran by idiots.
Three players from Monnouth! Wow!
And three on the list are from… (drum roll)… Monmouth!
sorry, 6
Four kids from NJ on the list.
Well, they do get unlimited subs.
Zing!
42 is a big number. I mean, that’s like 3 college teams rosters.
Funny to hear all of this when so many people whine that college soccer is ruining our USMNT future.
Maybe not, but is has stopped quite a number of other schools from having men’s programs. My own Alma Mater the University of Illinois is a fine example of a school with a women’s varsity program, but not a men’s program (this is true of swimming too). Why? Title IX and the need to balance opportunities for men and women in sports (basically to make up for the numbers in football). In theory this is fine, but the reality is a much higher percentage of men want to be involved in a sport than of women. But, in order to create a “level playing field” there have to be an equal number of opportunities.
With as many names as are on it, it would have been quicker to say who’s not on the watch list.
This was meant in response to RK above
Try playing in Mississippi. It sucked playing high school soccer knowing that the only place in state to play would be junior college or an NAIA school. There is a lot of wasted talent down here because kids have nowhere to go after high school unless they are one of the lucky few to get noticed by out of state schools
Nobody from Virginia, Akron, and only a single Louisville player?
A grain of salt? I think ignoring it entirely would be acceptable.
It’s quite poor down south. I can’t believe South Carolina doesn’t play in the SEC, and that Georgia Tech and Georgia don’t even have teams.
Title IX doesn’t seem to stop any of these schools from fielding men’s soccer teams. Just sayin’
Siiiiigh. One day…as an AU Tiger fan hoping…players from SEC schools will be on this list (where you at, Chris LSU Tiger?? Damn you Title IX). And sorry for the sour grapes, but its hard to see a picture of Rowe and not relive him butchering his open chances in the beginning of the Guatemala U-20 qualifying disaster game.
Considering the omission of anyone from UVa, the official watch list should be taken with a grain of salt.