SB Nation - Ian Lange

Sounders on Campus: Week 1

sidereal — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:41:51 -0000

The first week of Division I soccer is in the books and our Sounders Academy alumni, to be frank, collectively kicked ass and took names. Returning players continued to be a big part of championship caliber teams and even some Freshmen wasted no time in establishing themselves on the NCAA map.

#7 Akron - DeAndre Yedlin
(8/24 - 4-0 W v Florida Gulf Coast Assist)

Yedlin kicked off his sophomore season picking up an assist in a home trouncing of Florida Gulf Coast. His runs up the sideline from the right back position have become a key component in the Zips attack. Things may be getting a little awkward around Akron, however, as it's just been announced that head coach Caleb Porter will become the head coach of the Timbers next season.

Stanford - Aaron Kovar
(8/24 - 1-0 W @ San Francisco Goal)

In just a few games, Kovar has risen from heralded recruit to the Cardinal's most important offensive player. He scored in both of their preseason matches, including the game winner in a 1-0 victory. And in the first regular season match he proved it was no fluke. He scored the only goal in a tough 1-0 away win over the San Francisco Dons. It may prove to be a tough season for Stanford if Kovar continues to be their only scorer, but for now his college career is off to a remarkable start.

Duke - Nick Palodichuk
(8/25 - 0-1 L @ Notre Dame)

Palodichuk quickly established himself as an important player for the Blue Devils last season, and one of the top Freshmen in the ACC. But in game one of 2012 Duke was completely outclassed against Notre Dame and were barely able to maintain any offensive possession, which gave Nick few chances as a forward in his 85 minutes. It'll be interesting to see if he keeps lining up as a forward this season after switching between striker and midfielder last year.

#23 Wake Forest - Sean Okoli
(8/25 - 1-0 W v Wofford)

Across the ACC, Okoli started at forward and played 61 minutes for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest outshot Wofford 19 to 8 but were only able to pick up a single goal for the winning margin.

Washington - Michael Gallagher, Ian Lange, Drew White, Ryan Herman
(8/24 - 2-1 W v Gonzaga Goal, 8/26 - 2-0 W v Cal Poly)

Many Sounders faithful were in attendance as the Huskies kicked off their season, and they were rewarded as they saw the Academy players have an immediate impact. They were taken to the brink by a Zags team that they've dominated in the past, but a 76th minute Washington goal tied up the game and took it to overtime where Lange headed in the sudden death winner to kick off his Huskies career. Gallagher also played big minutes in central defense where he was a solid presence (with one goal-saving slide tackle in the box) and a good distributor.

In game two, Lange and Gallagher both started and played significant minutes as the team booked a 2-0 start to the season.

That long list of names for the Huskies should be longer. Dynamic forward Darwin Jones was planning on transferring to Washington, but it sounds like there are issues with his not having picked up his AA at Highline (which shouldn't be surprising, since he was only there for a year). News sounds pessimistic and there's an open question of what he should do if he can't suit up for the Huskies. Returning to CC play, where he dominated, would seem to be a waste of his talents. It's possible the Sounders could sign him to an HGP deal. It would be unfortunate if their hand was forced by an eligibility issue like this, but Jones is definitely a player who would benefit from training with professionals and has the potential to be a dangerous attacker in MLS. Dominique Dismuke is also committed to Washington as a Freshman but he too is working through some eligibility issues.

Bucknell - Jesse Klug
(8/24 - 1-1 D @ VCU Goal, 8/26 - 1-1 D v Butler)

Klug scored 18 minutes into his college career to help secure a 1-1 away draw to open the season. And he had three shots on goal in his 88 minutes in the Bisons' second match, which also ended 1-1.

Elsewhere

Stefan Bangsund started and played 45 for Delaware as they dropped their season opener to Massachusetts 0-1. West Virginia opened their season with two wins with Nick Raskasky starting in defense. The Mountaineers are now on the edge of a Top 25 ranking. Four Sounders alums are playing for Western, who kick off their season this weekend. CC powerhouse Yavapai opened their season with three consecutive shutout victories, but I can't find any box scores yet so I'm not sure if Justin Solomon is getting minutes for the team.

All in all it was a tremendous opening week for the Sounders Academy players, especially given that they're all underclassmen and yet are making major contributions. It's another sign the Seattle has one of the best Academies in the country, and it should only get better in the future.

Sounders Academy Finishes Regular Season in Vancouver

sidereal — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:37:19 -0000

Last year in their first season as part of USSDA both Sounders Academy teams made the playoffs by winning their groups, with the U16s advancing on to finals week as one of the top 8 teams. As we noted a few weeks ago, this season has been a little rougher for the academy. The U18s needed to win their final match of the regular season against Vancouver and have the De Anza Force lose out to make second place in the group to earn a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the Force won their last match handily to lock up second, and so today's match will be the last of the season for the U18s. The U16s locked up a playoff spot a while ago with at least second in the group behind Vancouver, but if they can beat the Whitecaps today they'll win the group on the goal difference tiebreaker.

Despite not making the playoffs the U18s will once again graduate talent worth keeping an eye on during the college soccer season this fall. Aaron Kovar, who at times was the best player on the field in the last Sounders Reserve match, is moving on to Stanford. And the talented trio of Dom Dismuke, Michael Gallagher, and Ian Lange will be staying near to home at the University of Washington, where the parent club will no doubt be keeping an eye on their development.

Meanwhile the U16s have two players active with youth national teams, as Jalen Markey was recently with the U18 national team at a tournament in Portugal and goalkeeper Paul Christensen has been in residency and touring with the U-17 national team since January.

The U18s kickoff their season finale at 1 today at Simon Fraser University in Burnary, and the U16s kickoff at 4:30.

Aaron Kovar - Academy & Reserve Performances Point To Strong HGP Chances

Dave Clark — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 20:36:08 -0000

Yesterday's Reserve game was more about Steve Zakuani than anything else. That isn't doubtful, but what else was intriguing were the starts of Aaron Kovar, Michael Gallagher and Jacob Beck. Dominique Dismuke would come off the bench and score in the second half. While it may have been forced by circumstances, this was the heaviest usage of Seattle Sounders Academy players in a home reserve game yet with 299 minutes logged by players from the U18s. Here's the thing, those starters played well overall.

"Obviously they were a lot more experienced team." Zakuani said in reference to the Vancouver Whitecaps. "We were young and it showed."

But it showed less in the second half. Adjustments were made. The biggest failures on the night were in defending set-plays. That was a team thing, not an Academy thing.

But Gallagher handled Darren Mattocks. Not just a little bit, but on average the U18 player won the battle against the second pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Gallagher will be at the UW learning from Coach Clark next year. He will not be playing with Andrew Duran for the first time, but instead with Drew White and Ian Lange. For one night his issues with communication weren't an issue. Jacob Beck, who I haven't seen much of while watching other Academy players, was at LB. He was defending against one of Omar Salgado, Michael Nanchoff and Etienne Barbara on the evening. He wasn't out classed. Some of his passes were off, but in his primary role as a defender he was decent. He showed promise. There is biggest need for development will be positional defense in one-on-one situations to make up for his size disadvantage. His passing and tactical awareness are strong.

But the big winner among the starters is Aaron Kovar. If I can be bold enough to declare a top tier for possible HomeGrown Player signings it would include current Sounders U23 players like Sean Okoli, Deandre Yedlin and Nick Palodichuk. Those three were part of last year's strong U18 run, have selections to national teams, are at top schools and are on short lists of top freshmen of 2011's college season. Kovar belongs in that conversation and maybe at the top.

In the first half of the Reserve game Aaron Kovar played like a CAM. His passing was generally crisp, created opportunities for both Steve Zakuani and David Estrada. He got back in defense and was a willing tackler. When turnovers happened he showed himself for short passes from Servando Carrasco or the backline. It was a good performance against a side that earned 32 appearances in MLS play this year.

The second half wasn't just good though. Moving to a more natural wide position Kovar's speed and crossing ability were shown off. It wasn't just about his sprint and endline ball that Dismuke finished. He created numerous opportunities. On throw-ins to his side (usually the right on Friday night) he would tell other players were to be. On deep throws he'd command the Sounders to get forward with high pressure defense and hope to create turnovers that would lead to unfinished chances. His passing and interplay with Roger Levesque (the RB in second half), Mike Seamon and Christian Sivebaek were intelligent and thought out. There were mistakes, but looked to be of familiarity not a lack of talent.

His dead ball service is good. From wide positions and corners he took the majority of those. While none were finished, the placement seemed intentional. It's a key role for a team and one they gave a to young player.

Aaron was a bit injured this year, only appearing in 12 USSDA matches, 8 of those starts. He scored three goals in that season. Last year, also with the U18s, he had 24 appearances (21 starts) and only 1 goal. In 2011 MLS Reserve games he earned 95 minutes of play in four appearances.

He has some hollow spots in his game. That's to be expected, but what he does with the ball is well thought. He's a leader beyond his age. He gets back well and has a bit of speed. Like all young players (HGP, GA, standard draft, international signings) he's a bit small.

But right now, if he was in the 18 on an MLS gameday it would not spell doom. He can compete, that's part of who he is. So why isn't he an HGP signing? That's still a philosophy thing. He's not going to be a regular if he signed today. But at Stanford he'll get a great education. His soccer skills and brain will continue to develop. Now with the Sounders U23s (they are in Tumwater at 6PM tonight against Timbers U23s) he'll likely be back in the area next Spring/Summer.

Aaron Kovar might not be ready for an HGP contract right now, but he could be. On other teams he probably would be. Right now, he's "just" a very capable player who has more than promise.

Sounders Reserves/U-23s Scrimmage Sounders Academy

coulterchris — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:09:48 -0000

Tukwila, Wash.-- A mixed squad of Seattle Sounders FC U18 and U16 players played a scrimmage match against the Sounders Reserves and Sounders U-23 players. Sounders U-23 coach, Darren Sawatzky helped lead the efforts on the Starfire training fields yesterday afternoon.

The match was very spirited and the Academy team played extremely well and were not at all intimidated by the older, more experienced players.

The Reserves/U-23s won the match 3-2

Reserves/U-23 Goal Scorers: Christian Sivebaek (2), Facundo Dipasquale

Academy Goal Scorers: Austin Sweeney, Ian Lange

Notes: Steve Zakuani, Andrew Duran and Michael Tetteh played substantial minutes. Sounders U-23 assistant, Ben Dragavon played goalkeeper for the Reserve/U-23 team. Taylor Graham also suited up for the Reserve/U-23 team. The match was officiated by Academy coach and brother of Sounders FC Technical Director, Sean Henderson.

Players for Reserves/U-23

Dragavon, McCluskey, Graham, Duran, Bulala, Zakuani (Wenzel), Seamon, Carrasco, Tetteh (Reyes), Cox (Dipasquale ), Sivebaek

Game Photos:

http://www.soundersphotos.com/2012_Training_4_28/

Be sure to stay connected with the Sounders U-23 side as they start their season on the road at Vancouver 5/11, Victoria 5/12, and Kitsap 5/19. The 2012 home opener is on May 25 against the Victoria Highlanders at Franklin Pierce High School.

The Sounders Ecology

Dizzo — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:00:14 -0000

The Sounders are one of a handful of teams using their connections with clubs and colleges around the country to develop the next generation of players. And I feel pretty confident in saying there is no club that has the breadth of connections as the Seattle Sounders.

Recently I’ve been thinking about the relationship of these independent clubs and colleges through and ecological metaphor. Similar to an ecology system each team and player is operating based on their unique needs sometimes in direct conflict with one another (for example when the Kitsap Pumas played the Sounders in an early round of the U.S. Open Cup). However, in coming together for their own mutual benefit, they are evolving into something greater than the sum of its parts.

I don’t want to stretch the metaphor too far, but I think we may be seeing the slow evolution of a much more rich and varied system for player development in the United States, and this preseason has really put the focus on these relationships. The biggest news has been the transformation of the Tacoma Tide into the new Sounders U-23 team. Following that has been the success in camp and around the league of Sounders who received valuable playing time over the last three years in the many clubs and colleges associated with the Sounders. The recent signings of Alex Caskey and Andy Rose point to the early successes of this developing ecology.

After the break I take a look at six clubs and colleges that have been closely tied to the Sounders.

Seattle Sounders U-23 (Formerly the Tacoma Tide)

League: PDL (Fourth Tier of the US Soccer Pyramid)
Former Players: Nikolas Besagno (USL), John Fishbaugher (USL), Gregory Howes (A-League/USL), Ciaran O'Brien (USL), Leighton O'Brien (A-League/USL/SSW Coach), Adam West (USL)
Current Players: Jamael Cox (SSA), Darwin Jones (SSA), Sean Okoli (SSA), Nick Palodichuk (SSA), Troy Peterson (SSA), DeAndre Yedlin (SSA)
History: The Tacoma Tide formed hastily in 2006 after the termination of the Spokane Shadow team after their artificial pitch was deemed unsafe for play. They made the conference finals in 2008.

The team formerly known as the Tacoma Tide has really tied their fortunes to the good ship SSFC this off-season. While not under the ownership of the Sounders they have adopted the Sounders brand and colors. They will be coached by Darren Sawatzky, who will also remain as Sounders Academy Technical Director, and will field a team composed primarily of Sounders Academy alumni who have gone onto college.

The deal is a win-win-win for all the parties involved. The former Tacoma Tide get access to the most powerful soccer brand in the Pacific Northwest, a steady pipeline of the Puget Sound’s best amateur players and access to world class coaching talent. The Seattle Sounders are able to get steady playing time for their Academy alumni and can keep a close eye on them during the summer months. Finally, the players are able to get valuable playing time and stay in the eye of the Sounders while remaining eligible for NCAA play.

Kitsap Pumas

League: PDL Pro (Fourth Tier of the US Soccer Pyramid)
Former Players: Jason Cascio (USL), John Fishbaugher (USL), Bryan Meredith (SSFC), Jamel Wallace (Draftee)
Current Players: Nikolas Besagno (USL), Tye Perdido (Invitee)
History: The Kitsap Pumas formed in 2008. They are the reigning PDL champions and have made the conference finals in their other two seasons in the PDL.

The Kitsap Pumas are another PDL team in the Puget Sound and were coached last year by Seattle Sounders TV personality Peter Fewing. However, unlike the Sounders U23, the Pumas are one of five PDL Pro teams. PDL Pro teams can pay players who meet the age and eligibility criteria of the PDL for their services. However, on the flip side, they can’t have NCAA players on their roster.

The Kitsap Pumas as a PDL Pro team provide a good landing spot for drafted players and trialists who aren’t able to land a spot on the senior team. They can stay close the Sounders, receive a modest sum for their services and wait for an opportunity. This was exactly what happened for Bryan Meredith who used a strong PDL season to land a spot on the Sounders as a reserve keeper.

Charleston Battery

League: USL Pro (Third Tier of the US Soccer Pyramid)
Former Players: Osvaldo Alonso (SSFC), Alex Caskey (SSFC), Dusty Hudock (A-League), Lamar Neagle (SSFC),
Current Players: Amadou Sanyang (SSFC) (Soon to be transferred)
History: 2003 USL A-League champions and 2010 champions of the USL second division.

Don’t let the Battery’s new status in the third tier of the US Soccer Pyramid fool you. They are one of the best run clubs remaining in lower division American soccer. Their movement down to the third tier is a powerful statement on the dysfunction that is currently reigning in North American Soccer League (NASL). They have their own privately funded stadium and a solid group of supporters that provide valuable stability in the shaky world of lower division soccer.

Both the Seattle Sounders and the Battery have benefited from growing ties between the two clubs. The Sounders have found a good lower division club for players to get valuable playing time. The Battery have clearly benefited from the services of players like Lamar Neagle and Alex Caskey. The likely transfer of Amadou Sanyang to the Battery continues that trend. Sanyang will get the playing time he needs to develop while the Battery get a good player to fill the hole left in the line-up by the depature of Alex Caskey.

University of Washington

Conference: PAC-12
Former Players: Abdul Aman (Draftee), Brandon Prideaux (A-League/UW Assistant Coach)
Current Players: Dom Dismuke (SSA), Michael Gallagher (SSA), Ian Lange (SSA) and Darwin Jones (SSA/Invitee), Drew White (SSA)
History: The Huskies haven’t been a powerhouse in college soccer although they have developed a few players that have had successful professional careers including George John and Hope Solo.

Last season the University of Washington men’s soccer program took a big step forward with the hiring of head coach Jaime Clark. Clark is a young coach who is seen by some as a rising star in collegiate soccer with short, but successful head coaching stints at Harvard and Creighton University. Coach Clark aims to turn the Huskies into a model for developing young talent and has drawn recruited heavily among the Sounders Academy for the upcoming season.

The Huskies have the resources, the facilities and the connections to become a premier college soccer program. Jaime Clark seems to have both the talent and the ambition to turn the Huskies into program that can challenge UCLA as the dominant team in the PAC-12. Recruiting will be vital to his success and he's already off to a good start for the season.

Seattle University

Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Former Players: Sean Morris (Draftee)
Current Players: Joe Mancini (SSA), Justin Solomon (SSA), Austin Sweeney (SSA)
History: The Seattle University has only recently returned to NCAA Division I sports. Previously they have won titles in the NAIA and NCAA Division II respectively.

Seattle University has brought back an old hand to help guide their men’s soccer team. Pete Fewing coached the Redhawks from 1988 to 2006 to great success. The 2011 roster has a collection of local talent as well talent from around Washington and Oregon. I expect that talent on the team to improve now that Pete Fewing is back in the fold. His close connections to the soccer community in the Seattle area will mean better recruits including Sounders Academy alumni. Pete Fewing has demonstrated recently with the Kitsap Pumas that he knows how to coach a championship caliber team.

However, there are a couple outside factors that could curb a renaissance for the Red Hawks. First, the Mountain Pacific Sports Conference is far past its best days as a college soccer conference. Second, the administration’s focus on Division I college sports is relatively recent and may wane over time. Still, as Caleb Porter has shown at Akron, you can never count out a school when they have the right coach. Regardless, academy players who choose to play for Seattle University will receive a top-notch education.

UCLA

Conference: PAC-12
Former Players: David Estrada (SSFC), Chris Henderson (SSFC Technical Director), Patrick Ianni (SSFC), Andy Rose (SSFC), Kurt Schmid (SSFC Assistant Coach), Sigi Schmid (SSFC Coach), Pete Vagenas (SSFC)
Current Players: None
History: The Bruins are four time national champions and went undefeated in conference play last season. UCLA leads all schools in the country with a total of 61 all-time MLS players.

The UCLA Bruins are probably the most consistently successful college soccer program on the West Coast. Much of the foundation for their success was set by a young coach and former Bruin by the name of Sigi Schmid. During the 1980s and 1990s he led the team to three championships and was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation coach of the year three times running. Sigi Schmid kept his ties to UCLA and Southern California during his tenure as an MLS coach and U.S. U-20 coach. In his recent role as head coach of the Sounders he has relied less heavily on Southern California as a recruiting ground although he’ll go against conventional wisdom if the right Bruin is available on draft day (see also David Estrada).

Key: A-League (Seattle Sounders A-League Team), Draft (MLS Super or Supplemental Draftee), SSA (Seattle Sounders Academy), Invitee (Unsigned Camp Invitee), SSW (Seattle Sounders Women), SSFC (Seattle Sounders MLS team), USL (Seattle Sounders USL team)

Darwin Jones Chooses UW, Five Sounders Academy Players Now Huskies

Jeremiah Oshan — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:51:13 -0000

Darwin Jones was among the Seattle Sounders' recent cuts from preseason training camp, but that doesn't mean he'll be going very far. The 19-year-old has joined the University of Washington's 2012 recruiting class, giving the Huskies four Sounders Academy products in this class alone. Jones will be accompanied by Michael Gallagher, Ian Lange and Dom Dismuke. Along with Drew White, who will be entering his sophomore season at UW, the Huskies will have five Sounders Academy players on the 2012 team.

The addition of Jones is particularly noteworthy. When the list of commitments was originally released last week, Jones' name was not included. Jones spent last season at Highline Community College, where he led the team with 15 goals and 10 assists.

"In my opinion, Darwin is likely the best attacking player entering college soccer next year," UW coach Jamie Clark said in a school release. "He has electric pace and great feet, which makes him a very tough matchup defender. He had a great season with Highline CC last year and before that was a standout for the Seattle Sounders Academy. He has big shoes to fill with the departure of Brent Richards, but I believe he's ready to make a big impact. "

Sounders Academy Players Commit To Colleges

Dave Clark — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:58 -0000

Last season, Seattle Sounders Academy players seemed scattered around the country, with only a handful local. This year, there are many more in the Greater Puget Sound, with three each committed to the University of Washington (Coach Jamie Clark), Seattle University (Coach Pete Fewing) and Western Washington (Coach Travis Connell). Talking to Academy Technical Director and Sounders U-23 Coach Darren Sawatzky, that could shift, as a few players are still undecided.

There's probably about four more guys that, within the next two weeks, will announce and add them to the list. A couple of them will go out of state, as well. It seemed a little scattered last year, but in reality, once that entire senior class chooses the schools they want to attend, we'll have a pretty good scattering again this year.

At this point there are 14 commits; here they are ordered alphabetically by school:

Bucknell: Jesse Klug

Denver: Jordan Schweitzer

San Diego State: Keenan Townsend

Seattle University: Joe Mancini, Justin Solomon, Austin Sweeney

Stanford: Aaron Kovar

University of Washington: Dom Dismuke, Michael Gallagher, Ian Lange

West Virginia: Nick Raskasky

Western Washington: Austin Curtis, Kurtis Pederson, Sawyer Preston

For those interested in tracking Academy Alumni, it will be much easier this season, and not just because of the new Sounders U-23s.

Below the fold you will find the UW Women's Soccer Commits and when their Men's side is finished (they are also waiting on a few players) that will be added.

Isabel Farrell, Midfielder, Interlake HS, Bellevue, WA

McKenzie "Jammer" Karas, Defender, Arbor View HS, Las Vegas, NV

Allyson Brahs, Defender/Midfielder, Corona del Mar HS, Newport Beach, CA

Falon Miller, Forward, Arbor View HS, Las Vegas, NV

Victoria Burns, Goalkeeper, Bishop O'Dowd High School, Oakland, CA

Berkley Gamble, Defense/Midfielder, Fairview HS, Boulder, CO

Charlotte "Charlee" Garcia, Midfielder/Defender, Amador Valley HS, Pleasanton, CA

Katey Fawcett, Defender, Mission Viejo HS, Mission Viejo, CA

For more details on the UW women's team you can check their website with comments from Coach Lesle Gallimore about each player.