The 2011 College Cup invades Hoover, Alabama this weekend. (Photo via UNC Athletics)

Four schools remain in this year’s NCAA men’s soccer tournament. The College Cup has three schools that most expected to be here and one that no one saw coming. The tournament’s top two seeds remain in UNC and Creighton while pre-season favorite UCLA – the 13th seed – and unseeded UNC Charlotte hope to spoil the fun.

No. 2 Creighton (21-2-0) vs. UNC Charlotte (16-4-3)
6 pm ET | ESPNU, ESPN3

Before the tournament I could honestly say I knew very little about the 49ers from Charlotte. A few weeks later they still remain a bit of a mystery as they upset some very quality schools along the way to reach the final four.

If Charlotte can find a way to get through one of the nation’s best defenses with MLS Generation adidas candidate Tyler Polak leading the charge, then an upset could be on the way.

Don’t expect a lot of goals in this one. Creighton has given up just five goals all season, yes, just five. Charlotte isn’t known for their big time goals but they have scored enough in this tournament to give some of the nation’s best a run for their money. Their win against UCONN last week was enough to prove to me that this team has what it takes to pull the big time upset.

Freshman Giuseppe Gentile netted some important goals in this tournament, including the game-winner over last year’s winner Akron and a goal in last week’s PK win over UCONN.

The Blue Jays have experience and toughness in their corner though. Look for MLS prospect Ethan Finlay to be a bit too much for the 49ers defense.

WVH Prediction: Creighton 1, UNCC 0

No. 1 North Carolina (20-2-2) vs. No. 13 UCLA (18-4-1)
8:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU, ESPN3

This one should be a fun one to watch tonight. UNC has been easily the best team in the nation this season. UCLA struggled early in the year and failed to reach some expectations that were placed on them back in the summer but the last two months have been fun to watch out of the Bruins.

If you are looking for future MLS players, this one will have you covered by the boat load. UNC is lead offensively by junior strikers Billy Schuler (15 G, 5 A) and Ben Speas (6 G, 9 A), and midfielders Robbie Lovejoy (6 G, 5 A), Enzo Martinez (9 G, 10 A).

UCLA gets plenty of out MLS prospects Chandler Hoffman (18 G, 4 A) and US U20 attacking midfielder Kelyn Rowe (10 A). Their attack has helped guide them to eight straight wins and their defense has been solid enough not to conceive a goal in that span.

The battle will come down to the defenses as both have experienced players that have been invited to the MLS Combine next month. UCLA has Andy Rose and Shawn Singh while UNC has the likes of Matt Hedges.

Both schools know what it is like to be in this situation and UNC definitely has experience on their side as this is their forth straight trip to the final four.

WVH Prediction: UNC 2, UCLA 1

WVU faces a tough challenge in the opening round.. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo)

The 2011 College Cup kicks off later this week with plenty of good match-ups and potential second round pairings. With no clear cut favorite in this year’s tournament, several teams could go the distance to win this year’s tournament.

North Carolina enters the tournament as the top seed and does have a decent path to the Final Four in Alabama. The Tar Heels face the winner of Elon and Coastal Carolina. Should they advance they will likely get the 16th seeded Hoosiers from Indiana. The other seeds in UNC’s bracket are UC Irvine and St. Johns, both capable teams of doing some damage and causing some issues for the Tar Heels.

The real fun is else where in the bracket though. Here are some of the best early round match ups and potential second round games that would make this tournament special.

Akron v. Northwestern – This one jumps out on paper more so than any other first round match. Northwestern was one of the best teams in the Big 10 this season and Akron is the defending champions. Losing in the MAC semifinals on penalty kicks was a shock for the young Zips but it could light a fire in Caleb Porter’s team. They do still have guys like Darron Mattocks to do damage but look out for this Northwestern team to give them a serious challenge.

Wake Forest v. South Carolina – The Demon Deacons had an up and down year but got hot enough late in the year to sneak into the NCAA tournament. The Gamecocks were one of the best teams in C-USA this year, just narrowly losing out to SMU in the conference tournament last week. Expect this one to be a tough, physical match that could go right down to the wire.

Xavier v. WVU – This one could be a tough match for the Mountaineers, on their home turf. Xavier is a good enough team that won the Atlantic 10 this season and pulled off upsets all along the way to their conference title. WVU has the talent to win this one if they play their style of soccer.

Best Potential Second Round Match-ups.

Akron/Northwestern v. SMU – This little pod really, really jumps out at you. The defending national champions or an up and coming Big 10 team against a pretty good SMU side that won Conference USA this season. SMU has plenty of talent and will get this game in Dallas. No doubt this will be a game to watch come Sunday.

WVU/Xavier v. Maryland – This could be a rematch from earlier in the year when WVU and Maryland faced off or it could be Xavier looking for another upset. Either way there will be plenty of talent on the field with Maryland involved, even though they are riding a four game winless streak going into this tournament.

Duke/George St. v. New Mexico – It is very interesting to see the only undefeated team left in the country get the 10 seed. New Mexico had an impressive season to say the least but got little respect when it mattered most for this tournament. More than likely they’ll get a Duke team that has the talent and skill to pull off an upset. It will be one of the first true tests that we’ll see out of this New Mexico squad this season.

Delaware/Virginia v. UCLA – A pretty good pairing for a 13 seed. The Bruins had plenty of expectations going into the season but now must face a pretty stiff challenge in the second round. Thankfully for them they’ll get a team from the east coast in this bracket.

Fl. Gulf Coast/UCF v. USF – If it ends up being USF-UCF it will be a rematch of last year’s tournament opener where UCF upset the Bulls. These two Florida teams do not like one another and would be a huge match in the second round. USF has been pretty good as of late and has the talent to go deep into this tournament but UCF could pull another upset.

Monmouth/Stony Brook v. UCONN – While the Huskies have the talent, and lots of it, we don’t know how deep they’ll actually go in this tournament. The last couple of seasons they’ve been upset in the second round by a small school like Stony Brook or Monmouth. It wasn’t too long ago (2009) where Monmouth upset the Huskies in this tournament.

Here is how the field breaks down (seeded teams have first-round byes, first-round games to be played on Nov. 17th):

BRACKET 1

(1) North Carolina vs Elon/Coastal Carolina

(16) Indiana vs. Liberty/Old Dominion

——–

(9) St. John’s vs. Fairfield / Brown

(8) UC-Irvine vs. St. Mary’s/Cal State-Bakersfield

BRACKET 2

(4) Boston College vs. Colgate /Rutgers

(13) UCLA vs. Delaware / Virginia

——–

(5) Maryland vs. Xavier / West Virginia

(12) Louisville vs. Loyola-Chicago / Bradley

BRACKET 3

(3) UConn vs. Stony Brook/ Monmouth

(14) James Madison vs. Wake Forest / South Carolina

——–

(6) SMU vs. Akron / Northwestern

(11) UAB vs.  Furman / UNC-Charlotte

BRACKET 4

(7) South Florida vs.  Florida Gulf Coast / Central Florida

(10) New Mexico vs.  Duke / Georgia State

——–

(2) Creighton vs. Western Illinois / Northern Illinois

(15) UCSB vs  Dartmouth / Providence

————————————————————————————————————

Second-round match-ups take place on Nov. 20th, with the Round of 16 slated for Nov. 27th.

The NCAA College Cup Final Four is set for Dec. 9th, with the Championship Final set for Dec. 11th in Hoover, Alabama.

Duke's Andrew Wenger stands to be one of the top prospects in this year's SuperDraft. (Photo via Duke Athletic Department)

I know I’ve been slacking on my college coverage as of late. But have no fear, my SuperDraft items will really start to kick up in the coming weeks with the start of the NCAA tournament next week. The bracket comes out on Monday and this weekend we will have most of the major conferences finishing up their conference tournaments. So, plenty to watch here while MLS is on break before MLS Cup.

I won’t get into any big board or mock draft yet here. I wanted to basically throw out a list of ten guys that you should be keeping track of because they stand to be first round picks in January’s draft. A lot can and will change between now and then so some of these players could end up sliding off the boards before the Combine too.

So here is my first real watch list for the 2012 MLS SuperDraft (in no particular order).

1. Andrew Wenger (Duke) – Probably one of the most versatile players I’ve seen in years. Last year he was the top defender in the ACC (and possibly one of the tops in the country) and now this year he is scoring goals left and right for the Blue Devils. The junior will likely be a center back or right back in the pros (or even a defensive midfielder depending on who takes him). His attacking qualities though will help put him near or at the top of most club’s lists though. A lot boils down to whether or not he will leave Duke for the SuperDraft though.

2. Kelyn Rowe (UCLA) – The U-20 midfielder is seen as the top prospect in this draft by many around the country. He should be a prime target for a Generation adidas contract and will likely be one of the top three picks. His playmaking abilities are going to make him highly coveted by lots of clubs. A big NCAA tournament will certainly help his stock out.

3. Darren Mattocks (Akron) – Maybe MLS did him and Akron a service by not offering him a GA contract last year. Some said he wasn’t ready for one and luckily for the Zips he came back and has lit up the boards with goals as a sophomore. I know a lot of us had questions as to whether or not he would be able to lead Akron after all the talent that left the team last year but he has risen to the challenge in a big way. My big wonder with him will be if he decides to try to take his game overseas since MLS already kind of turned him down once. We’ll see but either way he should be a top 5 pick if he signs a GA contract this season.

4. Enzo Martinez (UNC) – Another player in line for one of the GA contracts. This junior playmaker has done well to take over for Michael Farfan for the Tar Heels in 2011. He has incredible vision and his set piece abilities have to be high on a lot of folks boards. A big NCAA tournament that takes UNC far will help him rise up the boards.

5. Brian Span (Virginia) – Another sophomore that will be high on a lot of club’s lists. I’d expect him to be in contention for a GA contract as well. He is one of the best wing players in the draft pool right now and given how tough it is to find a quality flank player in this league is – he should land in the first round – if not in the top 10.

6. Eric Schoenle (WVU) – I may be a tad biased on this one since he goes to my alma mater but Schoenle is easily one of the best center backs in the country. He’s big (6-foot-4) and is a major threat on set pieces. It all comes down to whether or not he would leave early from WVU to go to MLS. If he does, he is the first center back taken.

7. Tyler Polak (Creighton) – A left fullback with GA potential. He’s been apart of the US U-17 national team before and has stood out as one of the best fullbacks in the country. Quality left backs (or even right backs for that matter) are tough to come by in MLS so expect him to go high if he signs a GA contract.

8. Luis Silva (UC Santa Barbara) – Another talented attacking midfielder. He was on the GA potential list last year as a junior and now should be one of the top seniors in the draft. I think a strong NCAA tournament and combine could help push him into the top 10 this season.

9. Chris Rolfe (Louisville) – He’s been high on everyone’s list for years now but his senior season hasn’t been quite as good as some expected. The Cards had a lot of hype going into the season and so did Rolfe. He should still be a high draft pick if he signs with the league (though there is still some talk of him going to Europe out there) as long as he addresses concerns over his fitness.

10. Chris Balis (USF) – The lone keeper on my list today, Balis has been stellar this year for the Bulls. He’s a big kid at 6-foot-4, one that covers a lot of the goal. He helped lead South Florida to a strong year in the crowded Big East and I would expect him to be a big part of their NCAA run.

Caleb Porter will now lead the U-23 National team. (Photo via Akron Athletic Department)

A bit of news we heard about yesterday over on Twitter. University of Akron head coach Caleb Porter has been officially named the US U-23 head coach – more importantly the Olympics head coach for the US.

Porter will lead the U-23 team to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games when they compete in CONCACAF qualifying in March next year.

In addition to this news about Porter, the USSF also named former US Men’s National team midfielder Tab Ramos the U-20 head coach.

“We are excited to have Caleb join our youth National Team staff,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “Still early in his career, Caleb has been extremely successful and has demonstrated the ability to mentor and develop young players. A proven winner, we believe he will do a great job of leading our Under-23 Men’s National Team as they look to qualify for the Olympic Games next summer.”

“Tab Ramos has been one of the pioneers of the sport in this country and will bring a wealth of experience in his role as the Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach. His addition to our national team program will be a benefit as we continue to concentrate on the development of our youth players at the international level.”

Both are great hires for the US. Porter has long been thought of as the next great coach in American soccer. He has taken Akron to new heights over the last few years – turning out MLS player after MLS player. It was only a matter of time before he would be a coach on this level. He will still continue to be the Zips’ head coach, so fear not Akron fan.

Porter has an eye for young talent and that should carry over nicely for the U-23 program. I’ve always thought that would be a good fit for him down the road and the time has finally come for it.

Creighton hopes to slow down Maryland. (Photo via Creighton Athletics Department)

In men’s college soccer this weekend there is yet another big match that pits two of the top teams in the country against one another. A defensive powerhouse against an offensive juggernaut. For those who are keeping tabs of course I am talking about Maryland and Creighton’s match tonight.

Maryland has one of the top offenses in the country while Creighton has yet to give up a goal so far this season in eight games. Look for Terps senior forward Casey Townsend, who has 10 goals on the year, to lead the attack and cause issues for the Blue Jays defense.

Another top 10 matchup this weekend is in the Big East as top rated UConn hosts Louisville. The Cards may be a little down in the rankings at the moment, but this could be the break through game that they need to get back on top here. They’ll have to get more out of Austin Berry and find a way to shutdown UConn’s senior midfielder Tony Cascio.

Other big matches this weekend include:

Friday

Duke at No. 5 North Carolina
No. 13 Boston College at NC State
California at No. 25 UCLA

Saturday

No. 4 Akron at Western Michigan
No. 11 Notre Dame at  No. 15 St John’s
No. 14 Central Florida at SMU
No. 7 UC-Irvine at at No. 10 UCSB

Mamadou Diouf scored his sixth goal of the season for UConn. (Photo via UConn Athletic Department/Stephen Slade)

Conference play is heating up around the country but we still had a few big out of conference games that were fun to take note this past weekend in college soccer. Below are a few of the bigger results from a jam-packed weekend.

No. 1 Maryland 2 – 0 Virginia. Maryland is still holding serve as the top school in the country (at least for most pollsters) with their 2-0 win over rivals Virginia. Casey Townsend scored his ninth goal of the season while John Stertzer added his sixth. The Terps continue to roll over opponents as Townsend plays at a high level.

No. 2 UConn 2 – 0 No. 12 St. Johns. The Huskies continue to quietly get it done as they are still undefeated on the season and are making a strong case to win the Big East this season. Mamadou Diouf scored his sixth goal of the season in the big win over the Red Storm.

No. 4 Akron 3 – 0 Tulsa. Darron Mattocks scored a hat trick on Saturday to help lift the Zips in a big road test at Tulsa. Mattocks now has seven goals on the season, proving he definitely has what it takes to lead this young Zips squad in 2011.

No. 17 Notre Dame 1 – 0 No. 5 Louisville. The second loss of the season for the Cards comes at the hands of a conference rival in the form of the Irish. Notre Dame rode a early goal from Danny O’Leary to upset the Cards in this one.

No. 21 South Florida 2 – 1 No. 19 WVU. The nation’s longest home winning streak came to an end this weekend as the Bulls upset the Mountaineers 2-1. Lucas Baldin scored a late second half goal to give the Bulls the big conference win.

Other results:

No. 3 Creighton 1 -0 Saint Mary’s

No. 6 UNC 3 – 0 Virginia

No. 7 Indiana 1 – 0 Penn State

FGCU 2 -1 No. 9 UCF

SMU 2 – 1 No. 18 UCLA

Christopher Santana and UIC battle South Florida this weekend. (Photo via UIC atheltic department)

Conference battles begin to heat up  but a looming West Coast match may prove to be the biggest game in college soccer this weekend.

Below are some of the bigger games this weekend that I’ll be keeping an eye on.

No. 1 Maryland vs NC State: Conference battles are always tough but Maryland had little problems in their conference opener last week with Boston College. The midweek struggles in a 4-3 win over UMBC shows folks that the Terps can be stopped. I’d expect them to bounce back nicely in this one though.

No. 4 Akron vs No. 16 New Mexico: Another early season test for the young Zips. New Mexico has been fairly solid so far this season as they’ve rose up the polls. Look for the usual bunch of Darren Mattocks and Scott Caldwell to be key in this one.

No. 6 UCSB vs UCLA: Some polls have the Bruins in them, others don’t. Either way this is still a big time game on the West Coast. UCLA has had some struggles this season early on while UCSB has been on solid form. Plenty of MLS prospect in this one like Kelyn Rowe, Luis Silva, David Opuku and Sam Garza.

No. 8 UNC vs. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons may be having a tough season so far but you can bet they will be up for this big rivalry game. UNC-Wake games are always some of the biggest to watch for in college soccer.

No. 5 UC-Irvine vs. No. 17 South Florida: Boy this game on Sunday could be a big one. The Bulls are one of the better sides in the Big East but Irvine is getting a lot of attention these days and even got a number one vote in the most recent coaches poll. Irvine is lead by Christian Hernandez and Enrique Cardenas, both with five goals apiece on the season.

Other big matches:

No. 2 UConn vs Boston University

No. 4 Louisville vs Bulter

No. 9 Indiana vs No. 14 St. John’s

Virginia Tech vs No. 11Boston College

Richmond vs No. 23 West Virginia

Coastal Carolina vs. No. 24 Ohio State

Michigan vs No. 22 Notre Dame

Virginia Tech celebrates their big win over UNC. (Photo via Hokiesports.com)

You can tell it is early in the season because change keeps taking place. College soccer this week will have a new number one after UNC fell over the weekend at Virginia Tech. Last year we only had two teams grace the top of the rankings, this year it seems to be a curse to have the big target on your back.

No. 1 UNC 0 – 1 Virginia Tech: The Tar Heels followed their big win over Louisville with an overtime loss at Virginia Tech. James Shupp broke a 0-0 deadlock in the 103rd minute as the unranked Hokies stunned UNC. It was UNC’s first regular season loss since last September.

No. 2 Maryland 4 – 0 No. 8 Boston College: MLS prospect Casey Townsend and Patrick Mullins guided the Terps to a big 4-0 win over fellow ranked ACC foe BC. Expect Maryland to grace the top of the rankings after this game as they looked strong from start to finish in this one.

No. 7 Louisville 3- 2 Cent. Arkansas – The Cards struggled in this one as Central Arkansas had a 2-1 lead at halftime. Buck Tufty had a goal and an assist in the second half to lead the Cards to their second win of the weekend (they beat IUPUI 2-0 on Friday).

No. 4 Akron 4 – 0 Saint Louis – No struggles in this one for Caleb Porter’s team as they downed Saint Louis 4-0. The Zips are averaging nearly three goals a game here this season.

Other results:

Friday

No. 3 UConn 1, Tulsa 0
No. 6 UCSB 2, No. 12 West Virginia 0
No. 5 Creighton 1, Fordham 0
Bradley 2, No. 11 South Florida 1 (OT)
No. 10 Indiana 3, Bucknell 2
Denver 2, No. 17 Notre Dame (2OT)

Sunday

No. 3 UConn 1, No. 23 SMU 0
Villanova 0, No. 6 UCSB 0 (2OT)
No. 5 Creighton 1, DePaul 0 (2OT)
No. 12 West Virginia 0, Cal Poly 0 (2OT)
No. 11 South Florida 3 Dartmouth 3 (2OT)
No. 10 Indiana 2, Denver 1
No. 17 Notre Dame 2, Bucknell 1

Maryland faces a big challenge from Boston College this weekend. (Photo via Maryland Athletics/ TJ Root)

After a couple big weekend of college soccer where top schools faced off against one another, this weekend cools off a bit at least in terms of a No 1 vs No 2 matchup. There are still plenty of good match ups to discuss for the weekend ahead. A lot of conference matches kickoff this weekend for some teams, which always can spell trouble.

No. 1 UNC vs Virginia Tech: The Hokies are never an easy team to face in Blacksburg, so this will be a good test for the newly minted number one side in the land. Billy Schuler will have to guide the Tar Heels in this one, just like he did a week ago against Louisville.

No. 2 Maryland vs No. 8 Boston College: Probably the biggest match of the weekend. The Terps rose up the rankings to number two this week and will get a huge ACC battle against another top 10 team in Boston College. Maryland will need a big effort from Casey Townsend and their defense which is lead by FC Dallas academy product London Woodberry.

No. 4 Akron vs Saint Louis: The Zips face a tough challenge this weekend as they host Saint Louis. This is the same Saint Louis squad that beat Notre Dame last weekend in overtime. Look for Akron to lean on forward Darren Mattocks in this one as he heated up in a big way last weekend out in California.

No. 12 WVU vs No. 6 UC Santa Barbara: A big west coast challenge for the Mountaineers as they travel to California to play UCSB. The Gauchos are always tough to face at home and it will be a tall task for Marlon LeBlanc’s young team to deal with. Look for Andy Bevin to add to his three goals this season for the Gold and Blue.