09-10-2018, 10:21 AM
Mick--
I don't feel the same way about Jerry Smith. I don't enjoy having to play the Broncos every da*n year in the NCAAs, because of the nonsensically justified NCAA travel rules (for those of you who don't remember, the "regionalization" policy was imposed and sold as a "security" measure because of the danger of terrorists taking over airline flights after September 11, and had absolutely nothing to do with saving money on smaller revenue sports (eyeroll).
But that's mostly because of competitive balance reasons - it's the same way I feel about Penn State in WVB and UConn in WBB - they always get an opening foursome of themselves and three tiny colleges in the northeast who barely won their conferences, while in women's soccer, Stanford, Santa Clara, C.al, St. Mary's, almost always end up in the same octant of the bracket, and their seeds often seem to get mysteriously adjusted to make sure they do so. I always do a comparison of the brackets in various sports and their RPIs and other rankings, and it's amazing how often teams in the west are underseeded to their RPIs to match them against regional foes early on.
More generally, and with respect to Jerry, I don't think he's had the kind of influence over USSoccer development on the women's side that Dorrance had in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s. I would've preferred that, because I like Jerry's style more than Anson's, although the guy I would've really preferred would've been Clive Charles, whose Portland teams always seemed to be a bit more techically oriented, only to get blown up by Anson's "bigger, faster, more aggressive" sides.
The analogy that comes to mind is Dorrance and Geno Auriemma. Brash, abrasive coaches who run extremely dog-eat-dog styles of practice and team building (hyper-competitive practices and roster choices, my way or the highway coaching styles, not reticent about banishing, benching, or berating their players). Who have also benefited from outside institutional support serendipity (Anson through his early success leading to and then being reinforced by his influence over USSoccer and the national team feeder programs, Geno from the promotional advantages of ESPUconN.) In both cases, I appreciate what they've done for the sport, in terms of building their public presence. But I don't like their styles.
Probably more than you wanted to know. Hoping for good news on Tierna and Michelle (and to be fair, the Xiao injury was more of a mischance than an intentional play - a Tar Heel grabbed at her as she went past, and that threw her off balance and contributed to an awkward splaying of Michelle's legs as she went to the ground.)
VG
I don't feel the same way about Jerry Smith. I don't enjoy having to play the Broncos every da*n year in the NCAAs, because of the nonsensically justified NCAA travel rules (for those of you who don't remember, the "regionalization" policy was imposed and sold as a "security" measure because of the danger of terrorists taking over airline flights after September 11, and had absolutely nothing to do with saving money on smaller revenue sports (eyeroll).
But that's mostly because of competitive balance reasons - it's the same way I feel about Penn State in WVB and UConn in WBB - they always get an opening foursome of themselves and three tiny colleges in the northeast who barely won their conferences, while in women's soccer, Stanford, Santa Clara, C.al, St. Mary's, almost always end up in the same octant of the bracket, and their seeds often seem to get mysteriously adjusted to make sure they do so. I always do a comparison of the brackets in various sports and their RPIs and other rankings, and it's amazing how often teams in the west are underseeded to their RPIs to match them against regional foes early on.
More generally, and with respect to Jerry, I don't think he's had the kind of influence over USSoccer development on the women's side that Dorrance had in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s. I would've preferred that, because I like Jerry's style more than Anson's, although the guy I would've really preferred would've been Clive Charles, whose Portland teams always seemed to be a bit more techically oriented, only to get blown up by Anson's "bigger, faster, more aggressive" sides.
The analogy that comes to mind is Dorrance and Geno Auriemma. Brash, abrasive coaches who run extremely dog-eat-dog styles of practice and team building (hyper-competitive practices and roster choices, my way or the highway coaching styles, not reticent about banishing, benching, or berating their players). Who have also benefited from outside institutional support serendipity (Anson through his early success leading to and then being reinforced by his influence over USSoccer and the national team feeder programs, Geno from the promotional advantages of ESPUconN.) In both cases, I appreciate what they've done for the sport, in terms of building their public presence. But I don't like their styles.
Probably more than you wanted to know. Hoping for good news on Tierna and Michelle (and to be fair, the Xiao injury was more of a mischance than an intentional play - a Tar Heel grabbed at her as she went past, and that threw her off balance and contributed to an awkward splaying of Michelle's legs as she went to the ground.)
VG