Pat Dangerous joins the WBR team in 2011 as a soccer analyst. While showed up to the men’s team’s Blue-White Scrimmage a few minutes after it started, Dangerous still jotted down a few notes from inside Morrison Stadium.
- Ethan Finlay was in top form, as is to be expected. He looked quick, dangerous, and in the zone even for this scrimmage. Finlay wants nothing less than a national championship this year, and it’s obvious just watching him for a minute. I brought a friend to the scrimmage who’s never watched soccer before, and within a few minutes she asked, “He’s our best player, isn’t he?” It was fun to note that he’s not just the best player on the team, but in the country.
- Eric Miller, last year’s Minnesota HS Player of the Year, played right back for the Blue team and did a tremendous job, even stringing together a few good-looking runs near the end of the match. I didn’t think he was especially tested in this game, but he handled his defensive duties with ease. He looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and made a few noteworthy passes to bring the ball out of the back. Some fans gave Miller the “Man of the Match” award for this game. I’ll be surprised if Miller doesn’t start on the back line soon.
- With Miller and Polak playing outside backs, and with Acoff and Clark on the wings, I was surprised at how little the ball was played down the flanks. It will be interesting to see if that’s a change in philosophy or simply how it worked out in this game.
- Dion Acoff appears to have the same freedom to roam his half of the field that he did under Jamie Clark. Clark liberated Acoff last season from the soccer hell of being forced to run up and down the touchline waiting for a wide ball. Some fans expressed concern that Coach Bolowich, like Bob Warming, would consign Acoff to the far sideline and scream anytime he strayed away. That does not appear to be the case.
- Costa Rican newcomer Guido Peña looks strong, physical, and well-adjusted. He will be a big contributor in coming years. He also has an excellent name.
- Bruno Castro is arguably the best newcomer this year. The UNC transfer is lightning quick and will be a major asset in the midfield for the Jays, especially as opponents try to lock down Gomez.
- Ecuadorian freshman Jose Ribas has incredible touch and looked at times like he had the ball velcroed to his foot. His distribution needs to get better as he appears to be competing for the #10 spot, but that will come with time and experience. He could be another dangerous player in the line of Choco Gomez.
- The goalkeepers all looked solid, but it’s hard to tell in these games. Taylor Reeves, a transfer from Indiana, looked composed and at ease in goal. Alex Bolowich looked great–sure hands and good positioning for his age. He suffered from some shaky defending when he switched to white, but that’s a communication issue that will fix itself with time. There is no coach’s-son-syndrome going on here. GoCreighton says Jeff Gal did very well at the beginning of the game, but I got to the game late so I missed it.
- JT Seger really impressed me. He is listed as a D/M but had several stupendous penetrating runs, at one point slicing through the Blue defense first with a beautiful give-and-go, followed by a downright sexy pass (can I say that?) with the outside of the foot over the defender to a running Nowka. It would have been a sure shot on goal but Nowka mistimed his run and was offside. Seger also recorded the only shot of the game for White.
- Most Blue mistakes came from being too eager offensively. We’ve heard a lot about this new aggressive style, but it was nice to see that the Jays were not getting burned on counter attacks or losing composure as a result. Then again, their competition wasn’t exactly world-class, so it’s difficult to be sure.
- While I was at the game, Andrew Ribeiro played a more defensive role at midfield, and was absolutely vital to stamping out opposing attacks while being present in the attack. He did a solid job, but if he ever has a bad game or is out for some reason, it could be a major weakness for the Bluejays.
- Freshman Scott Granger (Hawaii HS Player of the Year) played forward for the White team and doesn’t yet look adjusted to the college game. He’s a small player, but didn’t show the speed he needs to make up compensate for it. He had quite a few potential runs that fizzled out before their completion, or never started at all. It’s very possible he had an off-day, but with the depth Creighton has on offense, it looks like a redshirt year is in order for Granger.
- SLU transfer Jake Brown was a vocal leader in back, often doing his best to corral the other inexperienced defenders. If one of the starting defenders is out of the game, I predict Brown will be first off the bench.
- We have a player (Sean Moyo) from Zimbabwe, which I think is just the coolest.
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