Former national powerhouse UW-Oshkosh is reviving its men's soccer program. The Titans, who made 14 D3 tourney appearances and reached the Final Four four times before deep-sixing the program after the 2015 season, will end their hiatus after a dozen years by returning to action in 2027.
This will bump up the WIAC to seven teams, with only UW-La Crosse failing to sponsor a varsity men's soccer program within that circuit.
Any word on who will take charge at the helm of Oshkosh?
Quote from: Mr_November on February 18, 2026, 09:07:40 AMAny word on who will take charge at the helm of Oshkosh?
They just announced they would start a "national search" two days ago ...
With the addition of so many men's soccer programs in the WIAC over the last decade (Eau Claire, Stevens Point, Stout, River Falls), you have to wonder how the return of Oshkosh is going to affect the recruiting landscape in the state. Is there enough talent in Wisconsin soccer to supply all of the programs? We've already seen some of the more successful programs going out of state, with Whitewater recruiting some internationally in the last two classes and Eau Claire recruiting throughout the Midwest and even into the Pacific Northwest, while Stevens Point has even gone into Texas for a few recruits and Platteville has twice as many kids from Illinois as Wisconsin (not surprising given its location). It will be interesting to see if any of them regularly attract national recruits given the success of the programs.
These are the longest active winning-seasons streaks in D3 men's soccer:
| Ohio Wesleyan | 55 |
| Messiah | 44 |
| Amherst | 28 |
| North Park | 25 |
All of these programs took the COVID year off from playing soccer, so that's not included in the streaks.
When UW-Oshkosh starts play again in 2027 the Titans will cut in line ahead of Amherst and North Park, since UWO had a 31-season streak going when the school discontinued its men's soccer program in 2015.
Sounds like they are anticipating a new and larger conference of schools in and around NYC. Possible other additions to the conference with Pratt might be schools currently in the Skyline that are in one of the boroughs (e.g., Yeshiva, St. Joseph's Brooklyn).
Pratt moving from Atlantic East to a new and expanded conference with CUNYAC members in 2027 (https://cunyathletics.com/news/2026/2/25/general-pratt-to-join-new-and-expanded-division-iii-conference-in-2027.aspx)
QuotePratt Institute will become the first institution outside the current eight members of the CUNY Athletic Conference to help establish a newly expanded NCAA Division III conference set to begin competition in the 2027–28 academic year. This conference, which is currently in the naming, branding, and incorporation stages, focuses on institutions near New York City. Additional expansion is expected.
The Cannoneers will begin competition in the new conference in 2027-28. Pratt will join Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, Medgar Evers College, and York College. Pratt is a current member of the Atlantic East Conference and will wrap up membership in that league following the 2026-27 academic year.
"As we look forward to the integration of Pratt, it allows for a more vibrant future and the potential for new and exciting directions for the conference," said Dr. Fernando Delgado, president of Lehman College and chair of the CUNY Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and the presidential leader for this group of schools forming this new conference. "We welcome Pratt and look forward to their participation on and off the fields of competition."
"Pratt, as a future member of this new conference, is monumental for several reasons. First and foremost, they fit with our other institutions in many ways, including but not limited to geographical, sport sponsorship, and competitive levels," said CUNYAC Acting Commissioner Dr. Kurt Patberg. "In addition, they are a well-established, strong academic institution with specialized curricula, like many of our institutions. They are the first private institution of what will hopefully be several others that see this new conference as a great fit."
Pratt Institute, located in Brooklyn, sponsors 14 NCAA Division III sports, including equestrian, and enrolls approximately 5,100 students. The Cannoneers will compete in the new conference in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and men's and women's volleyball.
Pratt enhances the new conference's presence in New York City as the eight current members reside in the five boroughs of New York City. Pratt joins Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. Manhattan (Baruch College, City College of New York, Hunter College, John Jay College, the Bronx (Lehman College) and Queens (York College) are also represented.
"We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, one that brings Pratt even closer to the heart of New York City and aligns our athletic program with institutions that value both academic creativity and competitive spirit," said Pratt Institute Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Delmy Lendof. "This move to a vibrant, New York City-centered conference is a natural evolution for Pratt, strengthening our ties to the communities we serve across the boroughs,"
"We are thrilled to join this new conference that aligns with our commitment to providing a competitive, student-centered athletic experience in the heart of New York City," added Pratt Director of Athletics Walter Rickard. "This move strengthens our geographical fit, enhances rivalries within the boroughs, and opens exciting opportunities for our student-athletes to compete at a high level while pursuing their creative and academic passions. We look forward to building lasting relationships and contributing to the growth of this conference both on and off the field."
At the recent NCAA meetings, the membership committee approved (https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/committees/d2/memb/Feb2026D3Memb_Report.pdf)the applications for reclassification of the following schools:
Azusa Pacific (from DII)
St. Francis University (from DI)
and approved an exploratory year for the following:
University of Maine at Augusta (from the USCAA)
Azusa Pacific will be playing in the SCIAC and St. Francis in the PAC
Presumably, University of Maine at Augusta will eventually play in the NAC, but I haven't seen an announcement on that yet
Heck, there's not anything on the UMA athletic or main site about the exploratory year. Usually colleges treat this as a Big Thing which kind of makes you wonder how committed they are to the idea.
I think it's less an indicator of indifference and more likely a matter of UMA lacking a sports information director. The school's athletics page is link-free and totally useless. That's one thing that UMA will have to change if the school eventually join D3; in the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants USCAA, nobody thinks twice about schools being informational wastelands and you thus know nothing about an opponent prior to the opening whistle. And that's not the way it is in D3.
I do look forward to Maine-Augusta joining D3 eventually. The one thing that I did learn about UMA by looking at its website is that the school's teams are called the Moose. Doesn't matter, though, because if UMA joins D3 I shall henceforth be referring to its teams as the Thurmans. ;)
One interesting note about the NCAA granting University of Maine at Augusta's petition for an exploratory year in DIII is that at the same Jan. 26, 2026 meeting that the University of Maine Board of Trustees authorized Augusta to apply for a DIII exploratory year, it also authorized (https://www.maine.edu/board-of-trustees/meeting-actions/#:~:text=The%20Board%20of%20Trustees%20(BOT)%20of%20the,to%20join%20the%20NCAA%20Division%20III%20level)the University of Maine Fort Kent to apply for a DIII exploratory year. There is no indication, however, that such an application was filed or made it to the level that it could be considered by the NCAA's membership committee.
If Maine Augusta and Fort Kent do end up in DIII, that would raise the number of DIII schools in Maine to 13, which is pretty large number for a state that doesn't have a huge population. It already has more DIII schools than states like Michigan and California.
From a men's soccer perspective, Augusta is going to have to seriously increase its recruiting if it is going to compete in DIII. Last season, it went 0-11 and lost twice to the only DIII team it played - Maine Presque-Isle, which had a 4-10-12 record - by 10-0 and 15-0 scores.
Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 19, 2026, 04:49:36 PMThese are the longest active winning-seasons streaks in D3 men's soccer:
| Ohio Wesleyan | 55 |
| Messiah | 44 |
| Amherst | 28 |
| North Park | 25 |
All of these programs took the COVID year off from playing soccer, so that's not included in the streaks.
When UW-Oshkosh starts play again in 2027 the Titans will cut in line ahead of Amherst and North Park, since UWO had a 31-season streak going when the school discontinued its men's soccer program in 2015.
Trinity(TX) has a 31-year streak. 1994 was their last season below .500 and the Tigers did play a truncated 2020 season in which it went 6-1-1.
Thanks, Ron. The NCAA record book for D3 MSOC does not list the current Trinity (TX) streak. (The longest consecutive-winning-seasons streaks, both current and all-time, are listed on page 18 of that record book. (https://s3.amazonaws.com/fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_RB/D3.pdf)) North Park's streak isn't listed, either, although we've contacted the NCAA in the past and tried to get them to correct the omission.
I'm not sure this is news that is of interest nationally, but the idea that a New York City DIII school would expand the seating capacity of its field from 70 to 1,300 seems like a good thing not just for Lehman and the CUNYAC, but for DIII generally. That size may make it one of the larger college stadiums in NYC.
Of course, it's optimistic that Lehman College could attract 1300 fans, but Lehman has been one of the more successful teams in the CUNYAC and the Bronx certainly has enough people who are avid soccer fans that it's not impossible, particularly for a big CUNYAC game or even an NCAA tournament game.
Plus, a stadium that seats 1300 could also accommodate a USL league 1 or MLS Next Pro club under U.S. Soccer's professional league standards for a Division III league.
Espaillat Announces $820,000K for South Field Funding (https://lehmanathletics.com/news/2026/3/4/general-espaillat-announces-820k-for-south-field-funding.aspx)
QuoteCongressman Adriano Espaillat joined Lehman College on March 2 for a check presentation marking an $820,000 allocation to expand seating at South Field, a project that will boost capacity from 70 to more than 1,300 fans. Campus leaders, students, and student-athletes attended the event.
"Working in the Bronx is a pleasure because our officials are passionate about the Bronx, supportive of CUNY, and always interested in Lehman," President Fernando Delgado said. "Congressman Adriano Espaillat more than fits that bill."
The funding will support new bleachers for South Field, expanding seating for Lehman's varsity baseball, softball, and men's and women's soccer games and making it possible to host a wider range of campus and neighborhood activities. CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez said the investment would directly benefit Lehman's athletics programs.
"This is a real game changer for our student-athletes and their fans," he said. "Congressman Adriano Espaillat is someone who consistently supports his constituents and delivers for them, and we sincerely thank him for his support."
Lehman student-athletes also welcomed the gift and the benefits it will bring to the College community. Sophomore exercise science major Danny McCrink, who is on the Lightning baseball roster, said, "We're super grateful for the opportunity to have [more] fans, family, and friends come and watch us play on the ball field, and want to thank Congressman Espaillat."
Addressing students in the audience, Espaillat noted that most of them are in his district. "You are the architects of the future of the city, dare I say the world," he said. "This is just a drop in the bucket. I promise to do much more to ensure you have a future in this great nation."
That $820K is going to do a lot of lifting if it's going to not only increase seating for soccer but also baseball and softball. That said, they have one facility, "South Field (https://www.lehman.cuny.edu/itr/documents/lc-3D-map.pdf)", which contains not only the soccer field but the baseball and softball fields. I guess they put up temporary fencing once soccer season is over to define the boundaries of the two ball fields? From the current image in Google Maps, they also use it for graduation ceremonies.
Lehman sits 1 mile east of Manhattan University (still sounds weird) and 1 mile west of Fordham University, both of whom have 2,000 and 7,000 seat stadiums respectively. Not really sure of the draw for upgrading Lehman's facilities.
Another DIII transfer to DI story and one that has to sting for Gustavus Adolphus:
Kieran Mahan, a freshman forward for Gustavus who scored 12 goals and had 6 assists last season and was named MIAC Rookie of the Year, MIAC All-Conference Team, MIAC All-Playoff Team, and Second Team All-Region IX, is transferring to Drake University (DI) according to a post last month from Drake Men's Soccer Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/DUY00UlCZXR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dLtP9rIl80 little video about Josh Kirkland and his journey to landing with the Richmond Kickers
Quote from: Kuiper on March 10, 2026, 01:38:23 PMAnother DIII transfer to DI story and one that has to sting for Gustavus Adolphus:
Kieran Mahan, a freshman forward for Gustavus who scored 12 goals and had 6 assists last season and was named MIAC Rookie of the Year, MIAC All-Conference Team, MIAC All-Playoff Team, and Second Team All-Region IX, is transferring to Drake University (DI) according to a post last month from Drake Men's Soccer Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/DUY00UlCZXR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==)
Interestingly, Drake is coached by Pat Flinn, who coached at UChicago (head and asst.) during their emergence as a national power.
Top Drawer posted a Top 10 players (https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/ten-best-players-in-diii-mens-soccer_aid55761) list for DIII Men's Soccer. The article is paywalled, but an Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/DV9Socwj1Kb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)gives the player names.
Do you agree with it? Who have they left off? For me, not including Adam Knutson or Samuel Theiss from Trinity is a miss.
1. Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das (Tufts)
2. Ryan Bechtel (St. Olaf)
3. Connor Gage (Edgewood)
4. Alex Michael (Pfeiffer)
5. Christian Hodges (Augsburg)
6. Kasdan Blattman (Macalester)
7. Matthew Torrell (Calvin)
8. Alex Depperschmidt (Mt. Union)
9. Ethan Wirtschaffter (Wash. U)
10. Brady Leitner (Hobart)
A bit beyond the topic, but relevant imo. Also the narrator talks about law school, but pretty applies to all undergrad and grad school. Very scary and a good financial correction imo. Something to think about when going to college with a major that requires a grad school. Money is king.
https://www.youtube.com/live/R8lsOqQo5rU?si=iwiTJOJgZmAM-53_
Despite former Western Connecticut (D3) men's soccer player Patrick Agyemang scoring (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mvvGoyAWbI) for the USMNT today, they're going to find a way to blame us for that awful 5-2 defeat today to Belgium, right?
I can hear it now:
"Turner wasn't even good enough to be recruited for Muhlenberg!" (for the backstory, see this (https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/soccer/2022/11/16/matt-turner-park-ridge-nj-usa-goalkeeper-world-cup-2023/69540220007/))
Crazy story out of Rowan University. Kind of makes you wonder if any DI to DIII transfers in men's soccer have been because of drug test issues (do they even drug test in DI men's soccer?).
Championship Wins Resurface Rowan runner's Doping Allegations (https://thewhitonline.com/89524/sports/championship-wins-resurface-seth-clevengers-doping-allegations/)
Quotea runner in Rowan University's Track and Field program, won both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter events at this year's NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. In the 5000 meters, the junior from Haddonfield set a meet record with a time of 13:35.55, and won by almost 30 seconds compared to the runner-up.
As [the runner] accepted his award, the second through eighth place competitors stepped off the podium and refused to participate in the group photo thereafter. Instead, they took their own separate picture in protest, Canadian Running Magazine reported.
After that, [the runner] went on to win the 3000 meters by over 10 seconds. Again, his competitors opted to step off the podium rather than take a photo with the 22-year-old.
Why, exactly, were these other students stepping off the podium in protest? It was in response to allegations that [the runner] — a transfer from Division I Iowa State University who joined Rowan this spring — used banned substances in the fall of 2025.
QuoteThe university never publicly released the names or specific reasons for suspension, in compliance with FERPA — a federal law protecting the privacy of student education records — but his sudden absence from team events suggested his involvement. Records can only be released publicly if a release form is signed by individual students.
The Whit attempted to catch up with [the runner], but wasn't able to set up an interview before publishing this article.
A petition started by Emmanuel Leblond, a runner from Johns Hopkins University, has garnered over 750 signatures from collegiate track and field athletes across the country, demanding a full investigation into the doping allegations against [the runner].
Leblond addressed the petition to Shawn Tucker, director of athletics at Rowan University, and Terry Small, commissioner of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the collegiate conference Rowan is a part of.
This was a huge deal in the D3 T&F world.
Rowan won the D3 NCAA indoor championship by *one* point. This slob fine young gentleman earned them 20 of them.
Another Atlantic East school joining Pratt in moving to a new conference with the CUNYAC schools. This time, it's Saint Elizabeth University, the first that is in New Jersey, not one of the five boroughs
Saint Elizabeth University to Join New DIII Conference with CUNYAC Schools Plus Pratt in 27-28 (https://cunyathletics.com/news/2026/3/30/general-saint-elizabeth-university-is-the-newest-commitment-to-nyc-area-division-iii-conference.aspx)
QuoteSaint Elizabeth University (SEU) will join nine Division III institutions, eight of whom are current members of the CUNY Athletic Conference, to help establish a newly expanded NCAA Division III conference set to begin competition in the 2027–28 academic year. This conference, which is currently in the final stages of naming, branding, and incorporation, focuses on institutions in or near New York City.
In 2027-28, the Eagles will begin competition by joining Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, Medgar Evers College, Pratt Institute and York College. Saint Elizabeth, like Pratt, is a current member of the Atlantic East Conference and will end participation in that league at the end of the 2026-27 academic year. Additional expansion is expected.
QuoteSaint Elizabeth, located in Morristown, New Jersey, will bring a total of 12 NCAA Division III sports into the new conference. The Eagles will compete in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and men's and women's volleyball. Saint Elizabeth also sponsors STUNT as an NCAA sport.
With the addition of Saint Elizabeth, the new conference's footprint will expand to New Jersey, with the nine current members located within the five boroughs of New York City in Manhattan (Baruch, CCNY, Hunter, John Jay), Brooklyn (Brooklyn, Medgar Evers, Pratt), Queens (York) and the Bronx (Lehman). Saint Elizabeth has convenient access to Manhattan and the five boroughs and is located on the New Jersey Transit Morristown Line at the Convent Station stop, offering direct access to Penn Station.
Quote from: Kuiper on March 17, 2026, 10:29:07 AMTop Drawer posted a Top 10 players (https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/ten-best-players-in-diii-mens-soccer_aid55761) list for DIII Men's Soccer. The article is paywalled, but an Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/DV9Socwj1Kb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)gives the player names.
Do you agree with it? Who have they left off? For me, not including Adam Knutson or Samuel Theiss from Trinity is a miss.
1. Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das (Tufts)
2. Ryan Bechtel (St. Olaf)
3. Connor Gage (Edgewood)
4. Alex Michael (Pfeiffer)
5. Christian Hodges (Augsburg)
6. Kasdan Blattman (Macalester)
7. Matthew Torrell (Calvin)
8. Alex Depperschmidt (Mt. Union)
9. Ethan Wirtschaffter (Wash. U)
10. Brady Leitner (Hobart)
My view of lists like this is that they are of very little value. These are top players, for sure! The problem with d3 soccer is that there are so many teams, over such a wide geographic area, and now so many teams behind paywalls that it is virtually impossible for any one person let alone group of people to see all the good players out there, and then compare them to all the other kids playing.
Sure, most players don't need to be seen. But no one is watching all of the top 20%, or even top 10% of players. If a kid is on a high profile team, they get seen (though not compared to all the other players at a similar level). If not, it's very very unlikely they will make this list. Even with good teams, it's impossible to put the players in a national context with any accuracy.
The new NCAA eligibility proposal seems like it would have a very large effect on college soccer. The proposal is 5 years to play 5 and would limit your final year of eligibility to being the season you turn 24. That would dramatically shift the current division 1 landscape since a lot of teams in division 1 have many 20+ year old freshmen from overseas.
Keep in mind that the NCAA is not monolithic when it comes to eligibility. D1 and D3 have different rules.
Quote from: stlawus on April 09, 2026, 02:18:33 AMThe new NCAA eligibility proposal seems like it would have a very large effect on college soccer. The proposal is 5 years to play 5 and would limit your final year of eligibility to being the season you turn 24. That would dramatically shift the current division 1 landscape since a lot of teams in division 1 have many 20+ year old freshmen from overseas.
Son's freshman D1 roommate was 21 from Senegal. Great guy. Pretty sure that he turned 22 that year, but guessing that many, if not most, did not have a roommate who legally could buy beer. FYI, most int'l players spend one or two years in a program and transfer or go back to his country.
Son was a keeper and started 3rd/4th string freshman year. Starter was English (proper accent obv means better player) and had transferred from a JC. He left after 3-4 games to go back home, 2nd string lasted a game and my son started the rest of the year. Team was 0-5 to start the season and went 7-4 the rest of the year with a ranked win and a 2-1 loss to UVA. His first start was against WVU where they won 4-1 and he had a pk save.
MLS Next has always had a rule barring players on their clubs from playing HS soccer, but they have had waivers, including, most significantly, if a player had to play for their HS team as a condition of receiving a scholarship to attend that HS. That was the loophole that allowed a lot of private and parochial school MLS Next players to still play HS soccer (and hacked off a lot of public school coaches/teams where there was no waiver and the rule seemed to just favor people who could afford those schools). In many places, including California, the governing body of HS athletics already prohibits players from playing for any outside club team (regardless of level) at the same time they are playing for their HS team, so there is no chance that a player is getting physically overloaded playing for two teams at the same time.
Apparently, in NJ and other states, the HS governing bodies don't have a similar rule and so MLS Next is now extending its ban for its Homegrown (top) division to cover kids with waivers, which allows them to pause their roster spot with their MLS Next club and allows them to practice with the MLS Next team, but not play in any MLS Next games and potentially be unavailable for college showcases such as MLS Next Fest. Based on this article, there is a bit of an uproar in New Jersey (the article suggests that it is tearing apart HS teams across America, but it is focused on New Jersey and assumes its state HS rules are the same as other states).
https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2026/04/how-new-rule-is-tearing-apart-hs-soccer-teams-across-america-ahead-of-2026-world-cup.html
QuoteMLS Next — the premier youth soccer platform in the United States — has alerted its clubs that players in the top tier will not be permitted to participate in both high school soccer and MLS Next homegrown division matches during the 2026-27 season, NJ.com has learned.
It is the latest rule change regarding MLS Next players' relationships with high school programs in the ongoing debate about the balance of developing players to compete against the world's best while remaining healthy. And it means thousands of American players will be forced to choose between playing for their high schools and the top tier of the country's youth circuit during the high school season.
Quote"If they're playing three games a week for high school and then two games on the weekend at times, five games a week, that is suboptimal from a player safety perspective," Luis Robles, MLS Next's technical director, told NJ.com. "That's where we took a step back and said, 'Ok, we need to be pragmatic here.' We want players to be able to choose what is best for their development."
According to the new structure, players can request a waiver to compete on their high school team and pause their roster spot with the MLS Next club for that season. While those players can still practice and train with their MLS Next team, they cannot play in MLS Next games.
QuoteBut players will then risk losing their spot and eligibility for showcase events like MLS Next Fest — North America's largest youth soccer showcase and recruiting event in front of hundreds of college coaches held each December.
Quote from: Kuiper on April 09, 2026, 07:43:48 PMMLS Next has always had a rule barring players on their clubs from playing HS soccer, but they have had waivers, including, most significantly, if a player had to play for their HS team as a condition of receiving a scholarship to attend that HS. That was the loophole that allowed a lot of private and parochial school MLS Next players to still play HS soccer (and hacked off a lot of public school coaches/teams where there was no waiver and the rule seemed to just favor people who could afford those schools). In many places, including California, the governing body of HS athletics already prohibits players from playing for any outside club team (regardless of level) at the same time they are playing for their HS team, so there is no chance that a player is getting physically overloaded playing for two teams at the same time.
Apparently, in NJ and other states, the HS governing bodies don't have a similar rule and so MLS Next is now extending its ban for its Homegrown (top) division to cover kids with waivers, which allows them to pause their roster spot with their MLS Next club and allows them to practice with the MLS Next team, but not play in any MLS Next games and potentially be unavailable for college showcases such as MLS Next Fest. Based on this article, there is a bit of an uproar in New Jersey (the article suggests that it is tearing apart HS teams across America, but it is focused on New Jersey and assumes its state HS rules are the same as other states).
https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2026/04/how-new-rule-is-tearing-apart-hs-soccer-teams-across-america-ahead-of-2026-world-cup.html
QuoteMLS Next — the premier youth soccer platform in the United States — has alerted its clubs that players in the top tier will not be permitted to participate in both high school soccer and MLS Next homegrown division matches during the 2026-27 season, NJ.com has learned.
It is the latest rule change regarding MLS Next players' relationships with high school programs in the ongoing debate about the balance of developing players to compete against the world's best while remaining healthy. And it means thousands of American players will be forced to choose between playing for their high schools and the top tier of the country's youth circuit during the high school season.
Quote"If they're playing three games a week for high school and then two games on the weekend at times, five games a week, that is suboptimal from a player safety perspective," Luis Robles, MLS Next's technical director, told NJ.com. "That's where we took a step back and said, 'Ok, we need to be pragmatic here.' We want players to be able to choose what is best for their development."
According to the new structure, players can request a waiver to compete on their high school team and pause their roster spot with the MLS Next club for that season. While those players can still practice and train with their MLS Next team, they cannot play in MLS Next games.
QuoteBut players will then risk losing their spot and eligibility for showcase events like MLS Next Fest — North America's largest youth soccer showcase and recruiting event in front of hundreds of college coaches held each December.
live in the area - it's always been a problem of inconsistency...waiver or not - some Clubs looked the other way with mls next players on HS clubs where others took a hard line. Was always tough to see an all-state player that you know is in MLS When your player wasn't allowed the HS experience.
French National Team moves home base from Babson to Bentley
https://thewellesleynews.com/23335/news-investigation/french-national-football-team-chooses-bentley-over-babson/
Not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but it would have fun to have the top ranked team in the world training at a D3 school
"The men's French national football team, Les Bleus, will train at Bentley University in Waltham during the World Cup this summer, despite having previously committed to training at Babson College. According to French football reports, the change was sparked by prolonged financial negotiations and an impasse between Babson, the French Football Federation (FFF) and FIFA.
Les Bleus are the top-ranked team in the World Cup as of April 14.
On March 26, Bentley's athletic director, Vaughn Williams, announced that the French team will arrive on June 10 and train at Bentley for the duration of the World Cup. The university will serve as a training site that the team will return to, no matter how far they travel for their tournaments, which are scheduled to happen across the country."
Yeah, I know lacrosse, but what most of us. or at least me, hear when watching D3 soccer online. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CdSmtZmMV/
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on April 17, 2026, 08:42:17 AMYeah, I know lacrosse, but what most of us. or at least me, hear when watching D3 soccer online. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CdSmtZmMV/
Heh! On one level, that's a pretty funny clip.
But in terms of the professionalism, or lack thereof, exhibited by the two people behind the mic, yeah ... speaking as a D3 play-by-play guy, it makes me cringe. As the note accompanying the clip indicates, this really gives D3 a bad name. And I agree with you that it's sadly all-too-common among the D3 schools that let students do their play-by-play.
Don't get me wrong; some students are fairly adept at calling a game properly, and kudos to the schools that actually try to train their student broadcasters before putting them on the air. But this kind of stuff is depressingly widespread across the division.
See now, I loved it. I love student announcers, especially when they're homers.
Quote from: Kuiper on April 17, 2026, 12:42:36 AMFrench National Team moves home base from Babson to Bentley
https://thewellesleynews.com/23335/news-investigation/french-national-football-team-chooses-bentley-over-babson/
Not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but it would have fun to have the top ranked team in the world training at a D3 school
"The men's French national football team, Les Bleus, will train at Bentley University in Waltham during the World Cup this summer, despite having previously committed to training at Babson College. According to French football reports, the change was sparked by prolonged financial negotiations and an impasse between Babson, the French Football Federation (FFF) and FIFA.
Les Bleus are the top-ranked team in the World Cup as of April 14.
On March 26, Bentley's athletic director, Vaughn Williams, announced that the French team will arrive on June 10 and train at Bentley for the duration of the World Cup. The university will serve as a training site that the team will return to, no matter how far they travel for their tournaments, which are scheduled to happen across the country."
Disappointing, but we'll probably never get the full story. I too was looking forward to having a World Cup team train there as they have numerous times in the past, and not just for WC matches. Babson has been very accommodating in the prior years.
I suspect and expect Babson will still get a team.
Quote from: Ejay on April 17, 2026, 05:36:29 PMSee now, I loved it. I love student announcers, especially when they're homers.
Yeah, I've heard a LOT worse than that.
Quote from: BaboNation on April 17, 2026, 07:51:04 PMQuote from: Kuiper on April 17, 2026, 12:42:36 AMFrench National Team moves home base from Babson to Bentley
https://thewellesleynews.com/23335/news-investigation/french-national-football-team-chooses-bentley-over-babson/
Not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but it would have fun to have the top ranked team in the world training at a D3 school
"The men's French national football team, Les Bleus, will train at Bentley University in Waltham during the World Cup this summer, despite having previously committed to training at Babson College. According to French football reports, the change was sparked by prolonged financial negotiations and an impasse between Babson, the French Football Federation (FFF) and FIFA.
Les Bleus are the top-ranked team in the World Cup as of April 14.
On March 26, Bentley's athletic director, Vaughn Williams, announced that the French team will arrive on June 10 and train at Bentley for the duration of the World Cup. The university will serve as a training site that the team will return to, no matter how far they travel for their tournaments, which are scheduled to happen across the country."
Disappointing, but we'll probably never get the full story. I too was looking forward to having a World Cup team train there as they have numerous times in the past, and not just for WC matches. Babson has been very accommodating in the prior years.
I suspect and expect Babson will still get a team.
Something I didn't know until just now: Bentley is D2 in 22 of 23 programs. I knew men's hockey is D1.
https://newmacsports.com/news/2026/4/21/newmac-welcomes-saint-anselm-college-as-newest-member.aspx
NEWMAC Welcomes Saint Anselm College as Newest Member
Is Johns Hopkins so dominant that it should be kicked out of DIII?! That's what a Dickinson athlete is apparently arguing in an article in their schools newspaper (https://thedickinsonian.com/sports/2026/04/30/dont-you-get-bored-of-winning-student-athlete-offers-commentary-on-centennial-conference/). It's certainly not true in men's soccer, where they are historically strong, but nothing in either the Centennial Conference or the Division itself that would merit this reaction.
QuoteJust when every athlete at Dickinson thinks their season is going well, they realize their next match up is against Johns Hopkins University. I've felt it personally in both cross country and track, and I've heard the defeat in people's voices when they tell me they're playing Hopkins. I wasn't aware of Hopkins' athletic prowess until I got here, but watching how all of their seasons have panned out, regardless of the sport, the question came to me: why aren't they Division I? Their men's and women's lacrosse teams are both members of the Big 10 Conference, participating at the Division I level, and they are even ranked higher than schools several times their size in the Big 10, such as the University of Maryland and Rutgers.
QuoteJohns Hopkins currently has 22 varsity athletics teams at the DIII level and 2 teams at the D1 level. They have 57 national championship titles—two of those being won concurrently on November 23, 2019. Additionally, Johns Hopkins has amassed 314 conference titles, 179 of those being in the Centennial Conference. This is not very encouraging for anyone who faces Hopkins, as high-performing seasons are crushed to dust in the aftermath of getting whalloped by the Blue Jays. This serves as a slap in the face to sportsmanship as Hopkins has crafted such athletic gallantry to such a degree of punching above their weight class.
QuoteI acknowledge the benefits of being a Division III institution, but it is disheartening to toe the line with programs so clearly more dominant than you and who carry themselves in the same way as a DI school. Hopkins has a habit of using pacers during track conference championships, meaning they will ask an athlete to qualify for an event, thus taking a spot from someone else, for the sole purpose of helping their teammate hit a certain time. While not banned on paper, it introduces a new vector of competitiveness and questionable sportsmanship to the conference. Hopkins has shown that it can perform well against larger, arguably more competitive institutions and yet continues to come back to the Centennial Conference to assert dominance. The excuse of it being an academically rigorous and research-focused university loses weight when you acknowledge that every Ivy League school is Division I, holding their athletes to incredibly high standards. While I'm not in the NCAA board room calling the shots on who goes in what division, I think I speak for every frustrated athlete on this campus when I say the following: Johns Hopkins should transition to Division I athletics for all of their varsity teams.
The T&F students at Dickinson seem pretty out of touch. There was a similar editorial from another in 2022.
Dickinson is competitive in some other sports so perhaps the issue is not with JHU so much as it is the Dickinson program. Meanwhile, a little education to these student-athletes about what D3 is, what it takes to be D1, and how it is that Hopkins has a couple of D1 programs while still being a fully compliant and valued member of D3 is in order. And maybe it's not anyone's fault other than their own for not looking at how Dickinson T&F has historically performed before they agreed to be students there.
EDIT: In the latest NACDA Directors Cup standings, Dickinson is a very decent 51st overall (JHU, 4th) meaning that they can be competitive when they choose to be.
I think we all know that at the very least Hopkins should be in the UAA, they left for the Centennial in 2001 - I would have to assume they cited travel and missed class time as their reasoning. The CC is a very strong D3 conference, again as we all know, but not strong enough to contain them.
Kinda goofy to still pretend in 2026 Johns Hopkins is strongly aligned with Ursinus, Washington College, and Bryn Mawr, but not with Emory and NYU. I don't think the Dickinson student-athlete author is really in the wrong here.
Look, JHU is not a "peer institution" for the CC. That doesn't mean they don't belong in DIII, it just means it can feel a little unfair to those other institutions. But that's a conference decision, and I suspect the Presidents in the CC like being under the halo of being spoken of in the same breath as JHU, even if it is in sports and not medical research.
So I get it from the athlete's point of view, many of whom are not real concerned about the "greater values" of DIII, just the possibility of winning titles, conference or otherwise. I do think JHU has advantages compared to many of the CC schools, I think it's obvious they "peer" better with the UAA, and I think JHU prefers the local, low travel, low expense, nature of the CC vs the UAA.
Should they be out of DIII? Of course not. Should they be in the CC? Well, that's a question for the CC, but I do understand the athletes' point of view.
Caz Bombers beat me to it by a minute or two!
more than a men's soccer topic, but Merchant Marine in the Skyline Conference (and increasingly Cortland in the SUNYAC) are other examples of schools that are eating at the kiddie table when they should be taking their meals with the grownups.
Quote from: jknezek on May 01, 2026, 10:43:01 AMLook, JHU is not a "peer institution" for the CC. That doesn't mean they don't belong in DIII, it just means it can feel a little unfair to those other institutions. But that's a conference decision, and I suspect the Presidents in the CC like being under the halo of being spoken of in the same breath as JHU, even if it is in sports and not medical research.
This halo effect works in reverse situations as well. Look no further than Caltech, which for decades has been dragged around like an anchor by the rest of the SCIAC, competitively speaking, because the cachet of sharing a conference with one of the most distinguished and prestigious research institutions on the entire planet was important enough for the rest of the SCIAC schools to retain the membership of an opponent that they beat like a rug in almost every sport year after year after year. To a lesser degree this halo effect characterized Macalester's relationship to the rest of the MIAC for many years as well, especially with regard to football.
It's common for current students to be somewhat myopic to the big-picture relationships that schools have with each other. There's certainly more to how schools relate to other institutions, both within and outside of conferences, than scoreboards and standings.
Quote from: Gregory Sager on May 01, 2026, 01:41:15 PMQuote from: jknezek on May 01, 2026, 10:43:01 AMLook, JHU is not a "peer institution" for the CC. That doesn't mean they don't belong in DIII, it just means it can feel a little unfair to those other institutions. But that's a conference decision, and I suspect the Presidents in the CC like being under the halo of being spoken of in the same breath as JHU, even if it is in sports and not medical research.
This halo effect works in reverse situations as well. Look no further than Caltech, which for decades has been dragged around like an anchor by the rest of the SCIAC, competitively speaking, because the cachet of sharing a conference with one of the most distinguished and prestigious research institutions on the entire planet was important enough for the rest of the SCIAC schools to retain the membership of an opponent that they beat like a rug in almost every sport year after year after year. To a lesser degree this halo effect characterized Macalester's relationship to the rest of the MIAC for many years as well, especially with regard to football.
It's common for current students to be somewhat myopic to the big-picture relationships that schools have with each other. There's certainly more to how schools relate to other institutions, both within and outside of conferences, than scoreboards and standings.
The SCIAC is on an island, and Caltech was an early member. The admissions process required the professors to approve the students directly. Maybe THAT was the reverse halo effect you mention. They changed this a few years ago and actually encourage team membership (varsity or intramural) because that is part of the world they will work in. The coaches now have some input. They still have trouble in some sports. Everybody has trouble with pitchers.
I remember the national NPR news when they beat Oxy in basketball after years without a SCIAC win.
In the past there was a lot a bad vibes on the SCIAC basketball board about Caltech because some of the posters think D3 is all about winning.
Quote from: Gray Fox on May 01, 2026, 03:40:48 PMQuote from: Gregory Sager on May 01, 2026, 01:41:15 PMQuote from: jknezek on May 01, 2026, 10:43:01 AMLook, JHU is not a "peer institution" for the CC. That doesn't mean they don't belong in DIII, it just means it can feel a little unfair to those other institutions. But that's a conference decision, and I suspect the Presidents in the CC like being under the halo of being spoken of in the same breath as JHU, even if it is in sports and not medical research.
This halo effect works in reverse situations as well. Look no further than Caltech, which for decades has been dragged around like an anchor by the rest of the SCIAC, competitively speaking, because the cachet of sharing a conference with one of the most distinguished and prestigious research institutions on the entire planet was important enough for the rest of the SCIAC schools to retain the membership of an opponent that they beat like a rug in almost every sport year after year after year. To a lesser degree this halo effect characterized Macalester's relationship to the rest of the MIAC for many years as well, especially with regard to football.
It's common for current students to be somewhat myopic to the big-picture relationships that schools have with each other. There's certainly more to how schools relate to other institutions, both within and outside of conferences, than scoreboards and standings.
The SCIAC is on an island, and Caltech was an early member. The admissions process required the professors to approve the students directly. Maybe THAT was the reverse halo effect you mention. They changed this a few years ago and actually encourage team membership (varsity or intramural) because that is part of the world they will work in. The coaches now have some input. They still have trouble in some sports. Everybody has trouble with pitchers.
I remember the national NPR news when they beat Oxy in basketball after years without a SCIAC win.
In the past there was a lot a bad vibes on the SCIAC basketball board about Caltech because some of the posters think D3 is all about winning.
One side note on this point. Caltech did switch to give coaches a little bit of a say in admissions, but they switched back in Fall 2024. This was announced before the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, so it only started to affect freshman in Fall 2025 and we probably didn't notice any difference. We may still may not notice a difference in Fall 2026 since juniors and seniors will drive the teams, but I'm watching the long-term effects. I totally get what Caltech did and can't disagree with it, but I hope that the modest success of the teams (e.g., winning a few games, not actually being nationally competitive) may have made the school more attractive to uber smart kids who also play sports.
https://tech.caltech.edu/2024/10/08/ug-admissions-athletics/
QuoteIn an email to the Caltech community on September 5, 2024, Professors Kevin Gilmartin and Gil Refael announced two changes to the Institute's undergraduate admissions process—reinstating standardized testing and reducing the weight of athletics. These changes "reaffirm Caltech's commitment to academic merit and excellence, and are crucial to fulfilling the Institute's Mission: 'to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education.' "
Regarding athletics, the email stated that "the admissions process will reduce the weight that has been placed on athletics participation, and assign athletics participation and any other extracurricular activities a comparable weight." The Tech learned more about this change in a conversation with Professor Omer Tamuz, faculty chair of the First-Year Admissions and Financial Aid Committee.
Over the last ten years, Caltech's sports teams have drastically improved. During this time, athletics became more involved in admissions and the teams became composed of considerably more recruited athletes. Professor Tamuz stated that this shift towards athletics happened slowly through changes made organically within the system, and the faculty were not really aware of it.
The bylaws of Caltech put the responsibility of admitting students on the faculty. Some faculty were involved in the shift towards athletics, such as the past chairs of the First-Year Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and of the Athletics & Physical Education Committee. However, much of the faculty felt like there was no discussion about this change of policy which resulted in the number of recruited athletes going from very few to over ¼ of the student body.
There are many differing opinions among the faculty about reducing the weight of athletics in admissions. Professor Tamuz stated that the Faculty Board spent a lot of time discussing it last year. While they did not reach a consensus at the end of the discussions, "a large majority came to the decision that admissions should not involve athletics." He also said that the prevalent opinion among the faculty is that athletics is helpful for students to get through their studies here. Still, the mission of Caltech is clear: "I think athletics supports the Caltech mission of education because it helps the students, at least the athletes, have a better experience here, but I don't think that athletics in and of itself is part of the mission."
An important sentiment to be made clear is that admissions was confident in all the student-athletes that have been admitted in the past few years. Professor Tamuz stated, "We're very happy with all the students that we admitted, but we're going to have a change of priorities in the future... I think we're going to shift some of the priorities of admissions away from athletic ability. Our student-athletes are very strong in their schoolwork and they have very strong applications, and we'll continue admitting them, based on their academic ability."
Yeah, not sure how it should or should not be, but imo Hop is an odd situation. Truly Too big for D3, but a medium to low D1 program, obv not talking about lacrosse. JHU has over 6k in undergrads and 26k in graduate students. By having access to grad students, several of its sports have really benefitted which is a real plus in D3. Example 2022 womens soccer D3 champions had 9 grad students. Comparison to 98% (guesstimate) bigger the other D3 schools. Next highest enrollment in the Cent Conf is 2400 or 2500 or so. So at least twice as many of students.
IMO Hop would be ideally in the Patriot League. What may be the difference is the D1 lacrosse program. FYI, before going Big10 in 2015, they were a long time independent team.
What about NYU, with 30k UNDERGRADS
Quote from: Ejay on May 02, 2026, 06:53:55 PMWhat about NYU, with 30k UNDERGRADS
Sure why not! Do you know that NYU's soccer field is in Riverdale the Bronx which is about 14 miles away. It isn't even their field. Nobody has ever looked at NYU as a sports school.
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on May 02, 2026, 10:31:55 PMQuote from: Ejay on May 02, 2026, 06:53:55 PMWhat about NYU, with 30k UNDERGRADS
Sure why not! Do you know that NYU's soccer field is in Riverdale the Bronx which is about 14 miles away. It isn't even their field. Nobody has ever looked at NYU as a sports school.
NYU moved their home soccer games in 2023 to Newark, NJ. The 2022 season was the last time that NYU played home soccer games at Gaelic Park at Manhattan College. (Riverdale/Bronx). In 2023, NYU's home soccer games were split between the home fields on the NJIT and the Rutgers-Newark campus, and since 2024, NYU's home soccer games are currently played at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium on the NJIT campus in Newark, NJ.
NYU's outdoor sports teams all play their home games off-campus (NYU Softball currently plays home games at Fordham Univ, NYU baseball currently plays most of their home games at Staten Island Univ. Hospital Community Park, but the Violets's UAA baseball home series vs Emory was played this year in Teaneck, NJ.) That is natural since the closest thing NYU has to an outdoor quad is Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.
That is nuts! So maybe they should be NJU, but since the Giants and Jets never did that . . . .
[/quote]
. Nobody has ever looked at NYU as a sports school.
[/quote]
Hot take and false
. Nobody has ever looked at NYU as a sports school.
[/quote]
Hot take and false
[/quote]
When I think of NYU, I think "LAWYER UP!"
and then I think, "oh yeah, sports too."
NYU Women's basketball just had their 91 game winning streak snapped this year.
NYU was 8th in the overall NACDA Directors' Cup standings last year, 5th the year before, and currently sit first in the current season (https://site.rocketalumnisolutions.com/entry/67a4e1c1ae6f2c6c1b4289c1/6810bd4fbcbfb7b8a6362931/69497b38ae16cbfbc625b60d).
Quote from: BaboNation on April 17, 2026, 07:51:04 PMQuote from: Kuiper on April 17, 2026, 12:42:36 AMFrench National Team moves home base from Babson to Bentley
https://thewellesleynews.com/23335/news-investigation/french-national-football-team-chooses-bentley-over-babson/
Not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but it would have fun to have the top ranked team in the world training at a D3 school
"The men's French national football team, Les Bleus, will train at Bentley University in Waltham during the World Cup this summer, despite having previously committed to training at Babson College. According to French football reports, the change was sparked by prolonged financial negotiations and an impasse between Babson, the French Football Federation (FFF) and FIFA.
Les Bleus are the top-ranked team in the World Cup as of April 14.
On March 26, Bentley's athletic director, Vaughn Williams, announced that the French team will arrive on June 10 and train at Bentley for the duration of the World Cup. The university will serve as a training site that the team will return to, no matter how far they travel for their tournaments, which are scheduled to happen across the country."
Disappointing, but we'll probably never get the full story. I too was looking forward to having a World Cup team train there as they have numerous times in the past, and not just for WC matches. Babson has been very accommodating in the prior years.
I suspect and expect Babson will still get a team.
New Jersey just finished announcing they're home to training grounds for 4 teams:
Morocco will use The Pingry School (k-12) in Basking Ridge
Brazil will use Red Bulls Performance Center in Morris Township
Senegal will use D1 Rutgers University in Piscataway
Haiti will use D3 Stockton University in Galloway
You can see the full list of training grounds and hotels here - https://fwc26teambasecamps.fifa.com/#/tbc/
Some of those hotels... Woof. A Courtyard by Marriott?
I mean, I'm always happy when that's an option when I'm on a road trip, but for a group of highly paid professional athletes?
Yikes.
When you decide to put teams places like Stillwater, OK or Boise, ID the number of places available to host a travelling party of some size are limited (which should have been a factor in determining where teams would be hosted). There are certainly better options in/near Santa Barbara, though.
F&M's long time coach, Dan Wager, is coming out with a book on Mothers' Day. Should be really interesting with his background and experiences. During my son's time, they couldn't do the South Africa trips which was a missed opportunity, imo. Blurb below.
American Ubuntu
A Team That Refused to Break
For 23 years, F&M Soccer has been built around a simple idea:
Trading the pursuit of me for the pursuit of we.
Coach Wags' new book tells the story behind that philosophy — from the legacy of Chris Campbell, to the growth of the Safe Hub movement in South Africa, to the challenges that tested our program years later.
A story about soccer, community, accountability, and resilience.
Launching this Mother's Day — May 10.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYDZeXMiVuM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Check out the blub for the book on Amazon, it is really good. Plus you can order the book there.
Dan Wagner has definitely had a journey and, IMO, worth reading about. Many may have not liked F&M's style or bench, but end result for the kids is definitely substantial. I personally know a bit, but am looking forward to reading this. If you are a Messiah person or just want to read about what it like to coach at a D3 level and have success while making the men better, Dan is the guy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H18MCZXR/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8VOg-mxtD6f_i8cNOabI8MFxUSvmXkhkZpnevP8uPh-K4JZI5yx1nsU_KWoQ06vl1LsidxPHvbsAp6Y2_qTJk7HInxepm1WWytkkTnFQyPgc2MlPedkdskeR5SJeI16BJXZGMELidxqV9cU-vTHMrff1b6JOyLCDEvw4vipNTi0u60EAUBd_-5UJQLVF7XwfsZy_j1klxvCr7ciO3nw7_aNUAjBVzgUwbumo1TNdmXY.jD3w5MKByXDe9uMALOMY_dnjNskVw-UOatoArj5R7Yw&qid=1778452086&sr=8-1
I disagree with your assessment.
Quote from: SKUD on May 10, 2026, 08:40:24 PMI disagree with your assessment.
Your opinion which is fine. Did you have a kid coached by Dan Wagner?
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on May 10, 2026, 06:34:22 PMCheck out the blub for the book on Amazon, it is really good. Plus you can order the book there.
Dan Wagner has definitely had a journey and, IMO, worth reading about. Many may have not liked F&M's style or bench, but end result for the kids is definitely substantial. I personally know a bit, but am looking forward to reading this. If you are a Messiah person or just want to read about what it like to coach at a D3 level and have success while making the men better, Dan is the guy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H18MCZXR/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8VOg-mxtD6f_i8cNOabI8MFxUSvmXkhkZpnevP8uPh-K4JZI5yx1nsU_KWoQ06vl1LsidxPHvbsAp6Y2_qTJk7HInxepm1WWytkkTnFQyPgc2MlPedkdskeR5SJeI16BJXZGMELidxqV9cU-vTHMrff1b6JOyLCDEvw4vipNTi0u60EAUBd_-5UJQLVF7XwfsZy_j1klxvCr7ciO3nw7_aNUAjBVzgUwbumo1TNdmXY.jD3w5MKByXDe9uMALOMY_dnjNskVw-UOatoArj5R7Yw&qid=1778452086&sr=8-1
Thanks for sharing. Eager to check it out.
D3 (and the other NCAA divisions) have approved rule changes (https://www.ncaa.org/news/2026/5/12/media-center-teams-will-have-2-video-challenges-in-mens-and-womens-soccer.aspx) that were previously discussed:
Video review challenges: when "video review is used" [not defined], each coach can use up to two challenges at any point in the game [do not seem to get additional challenges if successful]. Officials in the first 80 minutes can only initiate review for clock issues and to see if a ball crossed the goal line; in last ten can initiate review "for all allowable plays" but only if a team has no challenges remaining (same for OT).
GKs must release ball within eight seconds after "gaining possession". Officials will make a visual signal for the last five seconds of the count. Penalty is a corner kick for the opposing team.
Subs can be made "any time the clock is stopped" in D3/D2 and for all women's divisions.
For violent behavior red card ejections, the NCAA secretary-rules editor and a designated committee, rather than the referee on the field during the game, will determine acts of Violent Behavior II.
Teams can have four 15-by-15-foot commercial logos on the field (two on each half) on the field of play outside the penalty areas if they do not obscure required markings.
All yellow cards given to the coaching staff will be charged to the head coach for accumulation purposes.
For all three women's divisions and Division II and III men's regular-season games, a running clock will occur in the last 15 minutes if there is a five-goal margin. The clock will return to standard rules if the margin drops below five goals.
If a player from each team is treated by medical personnel after a penalty kick is awarded, both players can remain in the game.
Each red card ejection will carry its own penalty with no additional games missed for successive red cards.
Devices for collecting data can be worn on the wrist or arm if properly padded and covered.
If a game is delayed by weather, there should be a maximum three-hour wait from the scheduled start time until the all-clear is given to begin warmups. If a game has started, there can be a three-hour window from the point of the first interruption to the all-clear to resume play. Conferences will have oversight to extend these windows.
Specific to D1, a fourth official is now mandatory, and a "video match official", either at the site or a centralized location, can assist when video review is used.
The 8 second rule (with 5 second visual countdown) for goalkeepers before they must release the ball aligns the NCAA with the IFAB rule to avoid time wasting. In DIII soccer, it also could affect teams that play very defensively and punt long on every occasion. In these instances, the delay isn't been about time-wasting, per se, but about moving everyone farther away from the goal and getting in a defensive shape to keep the ball up high. Coaches will need to get kids moving faster to make that work under the new rule. I expect opposing coaches will also hassle goalkeepers more before the punt in an attempt to prevent them from getting it off quickly. Referees have the power to stop or pause the clock when that happens, but as with any new rule, there will be a period of adjustment. The move up and punt long strategy could go from a conservative to a risky approach if corners start being awarded or if rushing it leads to shanked punts or defenders caught out of position.
Another interesting note is that if the NCAA is adopting this rule to align its rules with the international game, the new rule FIFA is adopting for the World Cup this summer - a 5 second rule for goal kicks and throw-ins (https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48014733/fifa-world-cup-countdown-throw-ins-goal-kicks-feature) - may be coming next. Not only is that more logistically difficult in DIII soccer where ball boys/girls aren't always present or fast and goalkeepers/players legitimately often have to walk gingerly on tracks surrounding fields to retrieve balls for restarts, but it could really affect strategy. The offensive strategy for long-throws of running over your best thrower who can get the ball in the box even if they are on the other side of the field may exceed the 5 second rule and result in a turnover. For goal kicks, the 5 second rule may be difficult for possession-oriented teams because delays in the goal kick are often the result of waiting for a runner to get open for the pass. Teams will have to adapt with passes inside the box to a field player who initiates the restart, which invites pressure earlier.
I think the 8 second rule is great. The previous time limit was never enforced. Will definitely get things going. So keepers can't just pretend and fall on the ball at the end of the game. Huge improvement! Also refs can't start the count with an opposing player in the keeper's face otherwise coaches will employ that.
One way it may affect keepers is that they will have to get better with their feet. Ball comes in and rather then pick it up quickly, they'll have to use their feet till their players are set up. Many already do this, but will have to really do this.
Don't know many teams who punt consistently at least I have not seen that recently. Even mediocre teams try to play out of the back. For my son's time, he maybe, maybe punted 20 times his entire time and he could punt 3/4 of the field.
As to 5 sec. rule for throw ins and goal kicks, I'm guessing it'll have to be when the ball is on the ground in front of goal mouth or in the throwers hands. With retrieving balls, every team will blow past the 5 seconds. Also what about subs? When will the 5 secs start?
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on May 13, 2026, 12:17:55 PMDon't know many teams who punt consistently at least I have not seen that recently. Even mediocre teams try to play out of the back. For my son's time, he maybe, maybe punted 20 times his entire time and he could punt 3/4 of the field.
That's true in club soccer, but there are plenty of DIII college teams whose coaches still insist that they punt long all the time. It's a strategy heavily employed by some of the bunker teams that rack up lots of ties.
This still has to get approved by the DI Cabinet in June, but if it has gotten this far, it may really happen. Not sure it affects DIII soccer much, but it certainly will make the differences between the two systems evn more stark. The change of the DI transfer window from 45 days with two windows to one 15 day window in the Spring might have more of an effect. A DIII player trying to transfer to DI probably won't risk waiting until late Spring, while a DIII team looking for DI transfers still hanging around on the portal may not have any spots left in late spring to accommodate them.
DI Men's Soccer Oversight Committee Adopts 2-semester Playing Season for DI Men's Soccer (https://www.ncaa.org/news/2026/5/13/media-center-committee-adopts-2-semester-playing-season-for-di-mens-soccer.aspx)
QuoteThe Division I Men's Soccer Oversight Committee adopted legislation changing the sport's playing and practice season to two semesters, effective Aug. 1, 2027.
The committee's action is subject to review by the Division I Cabinet during its June 23-24 meeting.
Under the legislation, the Division I men's soccer championship segment is redistributed across two semesters, maintaining the current maximum contest limit of 25. Division I men's soccer teams could play a maximum of 18 contests during the fall segment, starting in late August and going until the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The spring segment would begin in mid-February, with teams playing a maximum of 10 contests before the Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
The Division I Men's Soccer Championship will be moved to the spring, and the specific dates for the postseason will be determined later.
This playing season model was introduced in January by the Men's Soccer Oversight Committee through the new Division I governance structure.
Rationale for the recommendation focuses on benefits for student-athletes. These include:
A more balanced academic and athletic experience by reducing time demands in any single term.
A decompressed playing season with potentially fewer midweek games, resulting in less missed class time and promoting stronger academic performance and degree completion.
More predictable weekly schedules across fall and spring.
Opportunity for enhanced recovery time between matches, which could support injury prevention and return-to-play protocols.
Stronger integration into campus life and deeper engagement with teammates and coaches.
Currently, the NCAA Division I men's soccer season is played in a 10- to 13-week fall window, with the Men's College Cup taking place in December.
Notification-of-transfer window
The Men's Soccer Oversight Committee also adopted an adjustment to the Division I men's soccer notification-of-transfer process. Starting with the 2027-28 academic year, Division I men's soccer would have one 15-consecutive-day window in the spring, which would open the day after the Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
Currently, the Division I men's soccer transfer window is 45 days, split into two windows.
Sasho Cirovski, Maryland's long time coach, has finally gotten his way. He started advocating for the split season over 10 years ago. A lot of people thought he was crazy and the NCAAs would never go for it. Personally, I think its a great idea and nothing to do with D3. With more rest, I believe college soccer will be stronger especially since most D1 teams don't sub like D3. Here is the article from 2016 - https://dbknews.com/2016/04/07/maryland-mens-soccer-coach-sasho-cirovski-schedule-change/
Thought this would be a good place to congratulate all the lurkers who have or will be graduating this month. Would love to have you come out of the shadows for the fall banter - especially if you're a recent St. Lawrence alum :-)
Haiti Selects Stockton as Team Base Camp for 2026 World Cup (https://stockton.edu/news/2026/haiti-world-cup-base-camp.html)
QuoteStockton University announced today that Haiti has selected the school's athletic facilities as its Team Base Camp training site for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Haiti, the only Caribbean nation to qualify for the World Cup twice, last played in the tournament in 1974.
"Stockton University is honored to be selected as a Team Base Camp for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This recognition affirms the strength of our athletic facilities and the dedication of our staff, who have worked tirelessly to create an environment where the world's best athletes can train, learn and feel at home," said Stockton President Joe Bertolino. "We welcome Haiti to our beautiful campus this summer to participate in the largest sporting event in the world."
The Haiti National Team, also known as the Grenadiers, are in Group C and will arrive at Stockton on June 8. Their first World Cup game is in Boston on June 13 against Scotland. They will play Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and finish group play June 24 against Morocco in Atlanta.
***
Haiti will have access to two natural grass outdoor fields at Stockton, including G. Larry James Stadium, and the Sports Center, which includes physical therapy facilities and meeting rooms for the coaching staff.
"We're extremely excited, grateful and honored that Stockton University has been selected by the Haiti National Team for their 2026 FIFA World Cup Team Base Camp," said Jeff Haines, associate director of Athletics and Recreation at Stockton University.
Haiti joins an elite group of prestigious National Teams, Olympic Teams and foreign clubs to practice or play at Stockton over the last 30 years, including the 1994 Saudi Arabian World Cup Team, 1996 Nigerian Olympic Team that won the gold medal and CR Flamengo in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Also, Stockton hosted two exhibition games with the Trinidad and Tobago National Team on campus in 1996.
"Last summer, we had an amazing experience hosting one of the most popular teams in the world, CR Flamengo, for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Our collaboration with FIFA and CR Flamengo provided an environment for Flamengo to flourish, winning their group and advancing into the knockout stage of the tournament," Haines said. "Stockton University is one of the few Team Base Camps nationwide that has hosted for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We're embracing the successful tradition of Team Base Camps at Stockton and looking forward to hosting Haiti as our latest National Team."
Bertolino emphasized that Stockton's selection provides further evidence of the university's impact on the community.
"As an Anchor Institution in this region, we embrace opportunities that bring people together across cultures and continents," he said. "The World Cup represents excellence, teamwork and global unity, values that reflect who we are as a university."
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on May 11, 2026, 09:00:06 AMQuote from: SKUD on May 10, 2026, 08:40:24 PMI disagree with your assessment.
Your opinion which is fine. Did you have a kid coached by Dan Wagner?
Thankfully not. He was wise enough as an 18 not to.
This is not men's soccer-specific, but I thought people might be interested in the final DIII Learfield Directors Cup rankings by conference (https://x.com/LogHanRatings/status/2064430590053499362?s=20). It's probably not surprising that NESCAC and UAA are 1 and 2 in every season by a substantial margin, but it might surprise some to see how high the WIAC is in the rankings.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKZUabeWMAAgZwW?format=png&name=large)
Quote from: Kuiper on June 09, 2026, 06:05:00 PMThis is not men's soccer-specific, but I thought people might be interested in the final DIII Learfield Directors Cup rankings by conference (https://x.com/LogHanRatings/status/2064430590053499362?s=20). It's probably not surprising that NESCAC and UAA are 1 and 2 in every season by a substantial margin, but it might surprise some to see how high the WIAC is in the rankings.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKZUabeWMAAgZwW?format=png&name=large)
WashU nipped MSOC champion Tufts (https://nacda.com/documents/2026/6/7/25.26DIII_FinalOverallStandings.pdf) by 14 points to become only the 8th school to win a Directors' Cup.
Appreciate the effort to post a picture, but can't expand on it/zoom in at all.
Quote from: NEPAFAN on June 10, 2026, 10:57:46 AMAppreciate the effort to post a picture, but can't expand on it/zoom in at all.
Sorry about that. I realized it afterward and posted a link to the original source. If you click on the highlighted part of the post, you can see it better.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 09, 2026, 06:05:00 PMThis is not men's soccer-specific, but I thought people might be interested in the final DIII Learfield Directors Cup rankings by conference (https://x.com/LogHanRatings/status/2064430590053499362?s=20). It's probably not surprising that NESCAC and UAA are 1 and 2 in every season by a substantial margin, but it might surprise some to see how high the WIAC is in the rankings.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKZUabeWMAAgZwW?format=png&name=large)
True. I know that a significant proportion of the posters in the men's soccer section of D3boards (and I'm guessing a large proportion of the lurkers as well) are soccer-only types who don't follow any other D3 sports -- and may therefore be unaware that the WIAC, which is pretty marginal in terms of success in this sport (especially since UW-Oshkosh originally shut down its program a dozen years ago), is an absolute behemoth in terms of overall success in D3 sports.
F'rinstance, one can't imagine a season of D3 football, men's basketball, or baseball in which the WIAC didn't have at least one national powerhouse team, usually more. In some sorts, such as women's volleyball, it's not unusual to see half of the WIAC listed in the national rankings.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 10, 2026, 11:13:12 AMQuote from: NEPAFAN on June 10, 2026, 10:57:46 AMAppreciate the effort to post a picture, but can't expand on it/zoom in at all.
Sorry about that. I realized it afterward and posted a link to the original source. If you click on the highlighted part of the post, you can see it better.
Got it, thanks.
Maybe I am crazy, but prior to the pandemic, I think the Director's Cup league standings would have mostly had the NESCAC and WIAC as 1 and 2.
Looking at the actual school standings, the UAA had the overall champ (WashU) and 4 out of the top 10, NESCAC had 3 in the top 10.
It was mid-tier schools that pushed the NESCAC to the top. From top to bottom they were the better conference, but on strictly the top end, I would say the UAA was better.
Quote from: VASoccerDad on June 10, 2026, 04:51:57 PMLooking at the actual school standings, the UAA had the overall champ (WashU) and 4 out of the top 10, NESCAC had 3 in the top 10.
It was mid-tier schools that pushed the NESCAC to the top. From top to bottom they were the better conference, but on strictly the top end, I would say the UAA was better.
And to follow up again...if you look at the average score by school, the UAA tops NESCAC again- averaging 742/school to 642, with the Coast to Coast conference coming in third at 449 per school.
Williams College sets the gold standard in excellence in academics and D3 athletics, ranking #1 among small liberal arts colleges constantly, and scoring in the top five schools in 27 out of 29 Directors' Cups, including 13 in a row in one stretch.
... including WINNING 13 in a row from 1999-01 ....
Quote from: jumpshot on June 11, 2026, 05:36:30 PM... including WINNING 13 in a row from 1999-01 ....
That "gold standard in excellence in academics" does not seem to include mathematics. ;)
Quote from: Gregory Sager on June 11, 2026, 06:32:53 PMQuote from: jumpshot on June 11, 2026, 05:36:30 PM... including WINNING 13 in a row from 1999-01 ....
That "gold standard in excellence in academics" does not seem to include mathematics. ;)
Hah. Thinking the same thing.
Fortunately my inaccurate typing does not detract from the facts speaking for themselves: the most first place finishes 22, 13 consecutive wins 1999-2011, top five finishes in 27 out of 29 years. Observers relegated to pounding the table ....
It should be noted that Williams offers 30 sports*, many more than the huge majority of D3 schools, and spends more on athletics than all but seven schools in the division (source: research by Steve Ulrich who compiled this data from the DoE's Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/) site). Williams does a tremendous job supporting its sports and student-athletes and should be recognized and appreciated for that, but it does so with resources only dreamt of by the hoi polloi of D3.
Here are the top ten schools in terms of athletic expenditures (data from the '23-24 year with the exception of St. Lawrence) and where they placed in this year's Directors' Cup:
- Johns Hopkins - $15.9M (3rd)
- Bowdoin - $15.7M (24th)
- RPI - $13.6M (93rd)
- CNU - $13.3M (21st)
- St. Lawrence - $12.9M (139th)
- Tufts - $12.7M (2nd)
- Colorado College - $12.7M (45th)
- Williams - $12.4M (5th)
- Colby - $12.0M (31st)
- Middlebury - $11.4M (13th)
* - The Directors Cup only counts the top 18 results for each school, four of which must be m/w basketball and m/w soccer, but competing in more sports gives more opportunity to earn points.
Quote from: jumpshot on June 12, 2026, 09:23:01 AMFortunately my inaccurate typing does not detract from the facts speaking for themselves:
The facts aren't "speaking for themselves."
You're speaking on their behalf.
Quote from: jumpshot on June 12, 2026, 09:23:01 AMthe most first place finishes 22, 13 consecutive wins 1999-2011, top five finishes in 27 out of 29 years. Observers relegated to pounding the table ....
Quick show of hands here: How many of you observers out there in D3boards World are pounding the table over the successes of Williams? (And, yes, if you hurt your hand during the table-pounding, you're allowed to hold up your damaged appendage with your other hand.)
(https://previews.123rf.com/images/diawka/diawka2002/diawka200200021/141357140-injury-and-first-aid-concept-man-holding-his-broken-hand-with-bandage-and-gypsum-over-gray.jpg)
Quote from: Ron Boerger on June 12, 2026, 01:36:26 PMIt should be noted that Williams offers 30 sports*, many more than the huge majority of D3 schools, and spends more on athletics than all but seven schools in the division (source: research by Steve Ulrich who compiled this data from the DoE's Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/) site). Williams does a tremendous job supporting its sports and student-athletes and should be recognized and appreciated for that, but it does so with resources only dreamt of by the hoi polloi of D3.
Here are the top ten schools in terms of athletic expenditures (data from the '23-24 year with the exception of St. Lawrence) and where they placed in this year's Directors' Cup:
- Johns Hopkins - $15.9M (3rd)
- Bowdoin - $15.7M (24th)
- RPI - $13.6M (93rd)
- CNU - $13.3M (21st)
- St. Lawrence - $12.9M (139th)
- Tufts - $12.7M (2nd)
- Colorado College - $12.7M (45th)
- Williams - $12.4M (5th)
- Colby - $12.0M (31st)
- Middlebury - $11.4M (13th)
* - The Directors Cup only counts the top 18 results for each school, four of which must be m/w basketball and m/w soccer, but competing in more sports gives more opportunity to earn points.
That money will be high for St Lawrence and RPI as they both play D1 hockey which takes up a lot of their money.
JHU plays D1 lax. RPI and St Lawrence play D1 hockey. Colorado College has to pay a fortune in travel. CNU has an unfortunate conference situation that gets very expensive.
That leaves the NESCACs as the big spenders. Considering how compact they are, the shorter seasons, etc., the NESCACs are flashing the cash! Fortunately they can afford it.
Good points ... and CC also plays D1 hockey in addition to D1 WSoc.
Endowment per student:
| Williams | $1.7m |
| Bowdoin | $1.4m |
| Colby | $508k |
| Middlebury | $494k |
| Colorado College | $491k |
| Johns Hopkins | $400k |
| Tufts | $190k |
| St. Lawrence | $180k |
| RPI | $130k |
| CNU | $25k |
Big transfer news.
According to Emory Men's Soccer's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/DZujRwWiBbr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==), MF Ewen Robertson is transferring from Colorado College to Emory for Fall 2026
As a freshman at Colorado College, Robertson started 17 of 18 games and scored 14 goals with 2 assists. He was named 2nd team All Region X, SCAC Newcomer of the Year, and 1st Team All SCAC.
This reminds me of GK Jasper Broad's transfer from CC to Pomona-Pitzer after his sophomore year after being named 1st Team All SCAC. Both seem to be about something other than playing time or fit.
Colorado College isn't for everyone - more travel than any other school in D3, block scheduling with one class at a time for 8 blocks over the year that each last about a month, high altitude - but I have no idea if that is what spurred the transfer. Emory is also obviously a big academic and soccer attraction on its own.
Either way, this is a big loss for Colorado College and gain for Emory in the increasingly common D3 to D3 transfer in the era of the portal.
Turns out that half of Emory's announced recruiting class are transfers, all but one of whom were regular contributors/star players at their former schools and all of whom have multiple years of eligibility left.
Ewen Robertson F Colorado College (D3) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 14g/2a)
Jack Yough D VMI (D1) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 3g/0a)
Justin Buchwalter (D3) (rising junior) (started 22/38 games with 5g/3a)
Jeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
This feels like the next evolution of transfers, from grad, medical redshirt, and Covid transfers to transfers of proven players with lots of years left instead of relying upon unproven freshman. The reason I mention it in this thread is that it might represent a more national trend, at least with some of the more attractive soccer/academic schools where they accept transfers, of the squeezing of DI rosters. Middling D1 players and strong D3 players all enter the portal to move up and both may be finding that their best option is a better (academic/soccer/location) D3. I'll be interested to see if other transfer-friendly schools like Johns Hopkins are doing the same thing.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMThis feels like the next evolution of transfers, from grad, medical redshirt, and Covid transfers to transfers of proven players with lots of years left instead of relying upon unproven freshman. The reason I mention it in this thread is that it might represent a more national trend, at least with some of the more attractive soccer/academic schools where they accept transfers, of the squeezing of DI rosters. Middling D1 players and strong D3 players all enter the portal to move up and both may be finding that their best option is a better (academic/soccer/location) D3. I'll be interested to see if other transfer-friendly schools like Johns Hopkins are doing the same thing.
In basketball, Caltech had a freshman SCIAC Newcomer of the year transfer to Penn.
Oxy had two star players transfer to NYU and Johns Hopkins.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMJeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
Side bar: how does a u17 and u20 YNT player not see the field at a historically weak D1 program? HC hasn't had a winning season since 2008 and finished below .400 in each of the last 4 years. Edit: Did play 14 games and started twice freshmen year. Maybe was hurt So. year?
Quote from: Ejay on June 21, 2026, 02:25:21 PMQuote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMJeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
Side bar: how does a u17 and u20 YNT player not see the field at a historically weak D1 program? HC hasn't had a winning season since 2008 and finished below .400 in each of the last 4 years. Edit: Did play 14 games and started twice freshmen year. Maybe was hurt So. year?
Thanks for clarifying. I meant to say he didn't see action this past season. He played his freshman year (332 minutes). No idea why he didn't play his sophomore year, but it's possible it was injury.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMTurns out that half of Emory's announced recruiting class are transfers, all but one of whom were regular contributors/star players at their former schools and all of whom have multiple years of eligibility left.
Ewen Robertson F Colorado College (D3) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 14g/2a)
Jack Yough D VMI (D1) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 3g/0a)
Justin Buchwalter (D3) (rising junior) (started 22/38 games with 5g/3a)
Jeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
This feels like the next evolution of transfers, from grad, medical redshirt, and Covid transfers to transfers of proven players with lots of years left instead of relying upon unproven freshman. The reason I mention it in this thread is that it might represent a more national trend, at least with some of the more attractive soccer/academic schools where they accept transfers, of the squeezing of DI rosters. Middling D1 players and strong D3 players all enter the portal to move up and both may be finding that their best option is a better (academic/soccer/location) D3. I'll be interested to see if other transfer-friendly schools like Johns Hopkins are doing the same thing.
Another transfer to Emory! Although this one is a grad transfer.
Walker Stebbings F Hampden-Sydney (D3) (started 17/18 games with 6g/2a and 2nd team All Region VI and first team All ODAC)
If Emory can knit all of this new talent together with existing players, they are going to be stacked!
Quote from: Ejay on June 21, 2026, 02:25:21 PMQuote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMJeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
Side bar: how does a u17 and u20 YNT player not see the field at a historically weak D1 program? HC hasn't had a winning season since 2008 and finished below .400 in each of the last 4 years. Edit: Did play 14 games and started twice freshmen year. Maybe was hurt So. year?
I think being on the Trinidad & Tobago sides is the equivalent to being on the Mercer County, NJ all-star team.
Quote from: SKUD on June 22, 2026, 09:31:16 AMQuote from: Ejay on June 21, 2026, 02:25:21 PMQuote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMJeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
Side bar: how does a u17 and u20 YNT player not see the field at a historically weak D1 program? HC hasn't had a winning season since 2008 and finished below .400 in each of the last 4 years. Edit: Did play 14 games and started twice freshmen year. Maybe was hurt So. year?
I think being on the Trinidad & Tobago sides is the equivalent to being on the Mercer County, NJ all-star team.
I think that's pretty harsh. The T&T Youth National team has players from several MLS Academies and Crystal Palace's Academy. Most of the rest play for the academy/senior team of the best pro club in T&T or at the Cox Football Academy, which is kind of a permanent T&T national training camp for youth. I'm not saying they are world beaters, but T&T is a legitimate small soccer nation with a world cup tie in their history (2006), several quarter and semifinal Gold Cup finishes, and several other World Cup qualifying close calls, including the nation we had to beat to qualify for our historic 1990 Italia appearance.
Typically they are in the mix for the second tier of CONCACAF. And yes, I know it's a big step from Mexica/USA/Canada (currently but not historically) to the second tier, but T&T is usually there.
Quote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 07:11:15 PMQuote from: Kuiper on June 21, 2026, 02:00:49 PMTurns out that half of Emory's announced recruiting class are transfers, all but one of whom were regular contributors/star players at their former schools and all of whom have multiple years of eligibility left.
Ewen Robertson F Colorado College (D3) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 14g/2a)
Jack Yough D VMI (D1) (rising sophomore) (started 17/18 games with 3g/0a)
Justin Buchwalter (D3) (rising junior) (started 22/38 games with 5g/3a)
Jeremiah Cateau MF Holy Cross (D1) (rising junior) (yet to see action; Trinidad & Tobago U20 and U17 YNT player)
This feels like the next evolution of transfers, from grad, medical redshirt, and Covid transfers to transfers of proven players with lots of years left instead of relying upon unproven freshman. The reason I mention it in this thread is that it might represent a more national trend, at least with some of the more attractive soccer/academic schools where they accept transfers, of the squeezing of DI rosters. Middling D1 players and strong D3 players all enter the portal to move up and both may be finding that their best option is a better (academic/soccer/location) D3. I'll be interested to see if other transfer-friendly schools like Johns Hopkins are doing the same thing.
Another transfer to Emory! Although this one is a grad transfer.
Walker Stebbings F Hampden-Sydney (D3) (started 17/18 games with 6g/2a and 2nd team All Region VI and first team All ODAC)
If Emory can knit all of this new talent together with existing players, they are going to be stacked!
I don't mean to be focusing on Emory. I'm sure other schools are doing it and I'm missing them or they aren't posting about it. Nevertheless, here's another transfer announced (https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ7xAGOCY28/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==)by Emory.
Andreas Stroemme D University of Denver (D1), Oslo, Norway (redshirt freshman, so hasn't used any eligibility)
Like the grad transfer, this is more of the typical D1 player who leaves after getting no playing time. Still, at a top D1 program, redshirting your freshman year is pretty typical.
So, Emory now has 6 transfers and 4 freshman recruits announced.
Vir. Wesleyan Univ. is not Batten Univ. as of this month. https://www.vwu.edu/becomingbattenuniversity/
Now it is! :)
Great video explaining some of the issues concerning how the 5 year may push talented kids down.
He also talks about youth tournaments and cost.
https://youtu.be/k2o938oxKTc?is=s0fLojVW_ewRwPmw
University of Valley Forge announces (https://x.com/d3Playbook/status/2082632273258528831?s=20) that it is suspending operations
Quote"After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Valley Forge has made the difficult and painful decision to suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester."
Quote from: Kuiper on July 29, 2026, 10:50:43 PMUniversity of Valley Forge announces (https://x.com/d3Playbook/status/2082632273258528831?s=20) that it is suspending operations
Quote"After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Valley Forge has made the difficult and painful decision to suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester."
Yes, very sad that Valley Forge is folding. Wes Moore, Maryland gov., went to VFMA in high school.
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on July 30, 2026, 10:49:43 AMQuote from: Kuiper on July 29, 2026, 10:50:43 PMUniversity of Valley Forge announces (https://x.com/d3Playbook/status/2082632273258528831?s=20) that it is suspending operations
Quote"After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Valley Forge has made the difficult and painful decision to suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester."
Yes, very sad that Valley Forge is folding. Wes Moore, Maryland gov., went to VFMA in high school.
Not the same schools. UVF was a former Bible college and more recently a Christian college. Wes Moore went to VFMA, a military school that also recently closed, although the separate Valley Forge Military College, a 2-year post-secondary school, remains open.
Quote from: Falconer on July 30, 2026, 02:24:08 PMQuote from: SierraFD3soccer on July 30, 2026, 10:49:43 AMYes, very sad that Valley Forge is folding. Wes Moore, Maryland gov., went to VFMA in high school.
Not the same schools. UVF was a former Bible college and more recently a Christian college. Wes Moore went to VFMA, a military school that also recently closed, although the separate Valley Forge Military College, a 2-year post-secondary school, remains open.
Ahhhh, thanks. VFMA and Junior College also folded.
FYI, if only 22 D1 sports are sustaining themselves, I guessing the remaining 90% of D1 schools will be sheading non-revenue sports, specifically mens sports. https://thecollegeinvestor.com/85967/94-of-college-sports-programs-lose-money-and-students-help-cover-the-gap/
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 10, 2026, 01:13:45 PMFYI, if only 22 D1 sports are sustaining themselves, I guessing the remaining 90% of D1 schools will be sheading non-revenue sports, specifically mens sports. https://thecollegeinvestor.com/85967/94-of-college-sports-programs-lose-money-and-students-help-cover-the-gap/
I think the reality is in the next couple of years, I suspect many sports programs will be cut to help support what will now be the black hole that college athletics has become.
SC.
May have missed this on the boards, but looks like the 2 semesters is not a done deal - As of June 24 - DI Cabinet remands two-semester men's soccer proposal to oversight committee for further review https://www.ncaa.org/di-cabinet-remands-two-semester-mens-soccer-proposal-to-oversight-committee-for-further-review/
The Division I Cabinet on Wednesday remanded a proposal from the Division I Men's Soccer Oversight Committee that would have shifted men's soccer to a two-semester playing season, with the Division I Men's College Cup occurring during the spring semester.
The Cabinet noted the Men's Soccer Oversight Committee's efforts to modernize the calendar to grow the sport and noted men's soccer student-athletes broadly support the change.
However, the Cabinet also noted that the proposed change to the playing season was opposed by 20 Division I conferences that raised concerns about the duration of the season and the lack of clarity about related rules and the impact on championship selections, including eligibility for midseason enrollees.
The Cabinet asked the committee to revisit the proposal to provide additional clarity. The Cabinet also raised concerns about what the change to a two-semester season would mean for the student-athlete academic experience. The Cabinet also remanded the proposed accompanying change to the men's soccer notification-of-transfer window, which was expected to be adjusted to align with a change to the playing season.
Curious if there is $$ angle here that isn't being discussed. Does the proposed new set-up allow for more games? Which could mean more travel cost?
Quote from: Hopkins92 on August 13, 2026, 04:08:12 PMCurious if there is $$ angle here that isn't being discussed. Does the proposed new set-up allow for more games? Which could mean more travel cost?
Even without more games it still costs more. Have to pay game day ops and spread athletic departments thinner than they already are. The borderline psychotic obsession with college soccer coaches trying to turn it into the premier league will never make sense to me. College soccer is not a professional development league, it is a niche sport unique to America.
Quote from: stlawus on August 13, 2026, 04:16:42 PMQuote from: Hopkins92 on August 13, 2026, 04:08:12 PMCurious if there is $$ angle here that isn't being discussed. Does the proposed new set-up allow for more games? Which could mean more travel cost?
Even without more games it still costs more. Have to pay game day ops and spread athletic departments thinner than they already are. The borderline psychotic obsession with college soccer coaches trying to turn it into the premier league will never make sense to me. College soccer is not a professional development league, it is a niche sport unique to America.
I completely agree with you. Let's start with that. The percentage of MLS players coming from NCAA soccer programs is extremely low. Like... Last time I saw a number is under 2 percent. Some players get drafted and then go to MLS Next or maybe the USL, but still--College is not a feeder system for pro soccer. Full stop.
With that said, from the perspective of the coaches, they need to try and market the college game as a feeder because they are trying to project the idea that it's a possibility to attract top talent. It's not realistic or based in reality, but the alternative (admitting facts) reduces their potential player pool and relegates them to relative obscurity in the American soccer landscape.
Quote from: Hopkins92 on August 14, 2026, 01:54:24 PMI completely agree with you. Let's start with that. The percentage of MLS players coming from NCAA soccer programs is extremely low. Like... Last time I saw a number is under 2 percent. Some players get drafted and then go to MLS Next or maybe the USL, but still--College is not a feeder system for pro soccer. Full stop.
With that said, from the perspective of the coaches, they need to try and market the college game as a feeder because they are trying to project the idea that it's a possibility to attract top talent. It's not realistic or based in reality, but the alternative (admitting facts) reduces their potential player pool and relegates them to relative obscurity in the American soccer landscape.
[/b]
I mean, the part in bold? Already true. Outside of small pockets like this one, who follows college soccer? Step into Times Square and ask who won the College Cup last year. I bet you could ask 100 people and maybe 1 would know. Probably because they gambled on it.
You play college soccer because you love the game. You play D3 because you really love it. I don't know why you play D2 in anything except you love it and you just like bragging about (partial) athletic scholarships, and you play D1 because you were just that close to being good enough to go pro and maybe it helps significantly pay for your education.
But there just isn't much point to college soccer, at any level, except the love of the game by the players. Statistically, your chance at playing pro ended when you didn't climb the academy ladder, whether its because you weren't good enough, or you just chose a different career path.
Quote from: jknezek on August 14, 2026, 02:37:09 PMBut there just isn't much point to college soccer, at any level, except the love of the game by the players. Statistically, your chance at playing pro ended when you didn't climb the academy ladder, whether its because you weren't good enough, or you just chose a different career path.
Yes, and if the American soccer community is smart enough to take advantage of this summer's moment in the spotlight, in which the current national sports consciousness discovered firsthand how much fun it is to compete in this sport against other nations in front of a global audience, and yet how far away the U.S. is from being an international soccer powerhouse, things will change to the further detriment of D1 soccer. While American youth soccer is going to continue being a moneymaking enterprise first and foremost, in which winning is of primary importance, the people who run the USMNT are going to have to sell the soccer cummunity on developing (i.e., funding) the sort of youth talent scouting and expanded academy system, in which skills development is of primary importance, that other nations have used to first discover and then develop their next generation of elite soccer players. And, if the USMNT is successful, that will definitely cut into D1's ability to draw the country's top-ranked talent.
Very interesting article from May, 2026. Worth the read, talking about how irrelevant D1 soccer has become and uses stats. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2026/The-2026-USMNT-Is-the-Best-American-Soccer-Team-in-History-It-Still-Isnt-Good-Enough
I kind of love this (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcGjCRdqJjB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==&igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==), but I would love it even better if it was at midnight on the first day of practice:
Denison is hosting a back-to-school tailgate before its scrimmage v. Case Western Reserve on Wednesday Aug. 26th, including "food, drinks, music, and plenty of good vibes."
For a lot of schools, football gets all the press. It's nice to see a school pump up its student body for the soccer teams too.
Quote from: Kuiper on August 16, 2026, 05:18:20 PMI kind of love this (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcGjCRdqJjB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==&igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==), but I would love it even better if it was at midnight on the first day of practice:
Denison is hosting a back-to-school tailgate before it's scrimmage v. Case Western Reserve on Wednesday Aug. 26th, including "food, drinks, music, and plenty of good vibes."
For a lot of schools, football gets all the press. It's nice to see a school pump up its student body for the soccer teams too.
I'll be there...I'll let you know how it goes (from an away fans perspective).
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 14, 2026, 07:40:24 PMVery interesting article from May, 2026. Worth the read, talking about how irrelevant D1 soccer has become and uses stats. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2026/The-2026-USMNT-Is-the-Best-American-Soccer-Team-in-History-It-Still-Isnt-Good-Enough
The other issue, and I need to be careful because I don't have any actual numbers on this, is the socio-economic/striving to make your (and your family's) life better aspect.
It's a big factor in a lot of other countries when it comes to football. In America, that cohort is focused on Football and Basketball. Interesting to note that in those sports, college is still an essential feeder system into the professional ranks.
But, when you look at the professional football rosters currently and throughout history, a ton of the best players come from poor, hardscrabble backgrounds.
Quote from: Hopkins92 on August 18, 2026, 05:13:59 PMQuote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 14, 2026, 07:40:24 PMVery interesting article from May, 2026. Worth the read, talking about how irrelevant D1 soccer has become and uses stats. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2026/The-2026-USMNT-Is-the-Best-American-Soccer-Team-in-History-It-Still-Isnt-Good-Enough
The other issue, and I need to be careful because I don't have any actual numbers on this, is the socio-economic/striving to make your (and your family's) life better aspect.
It's a big factor in a lot of other countries when it comes to football. In America, that cohort is focused on Football and Basketball. Interesting to note that in those sports, college is still an essential feeder system into the professional ranks.
But, when you look at the professional football rosters currently and throughout history, a ton of the best players come from poor, hardscrabble backgrounds.
The funny thing about that is, once upon a time, in the northernmost tier of the U.S. and in Canada kids from poor, hardscrabble backgrounds tended to look to hockey as a means of economic striving for the same reason as soccer in other countries. That is to say, poor kids could play the sport and develop their skills from a young age because of the minimal equipment requirement and the ubiquity of available playing surfaces. Every town had ponds and creeks that would freeze over and the winters were long, and if you could obtain a stick and a pair of skates (often getting them as hand-me-downs from fathers, older brothers, or older neighbors) you were ready to play the game.
Now it costs so much to play youth hockey in the U.S. that the sport is generally limited to children from upper middle class homes.
Quote from: Hopkins92 on August 18, 2026, 05:13:59 PMQuote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 14, 2026, 07:40:24 PMVery interesting article from May, 2026. Worth the read, talking about how irrelevant D1 soccer has become and uses stats. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2026/The-2026-USMNT-Is-the-Best-American-Soccer-Team-in-History-It-Still-Isnt-Good-Enough
The other issue, and I need to be careful because I don't have any actual numbers on this, is the socio-economic/striving to make your (and your family's) life better aspect.
It's a big factor in a lot of other countries when it comes to football. In America, that cohort is focused on Football and Basketball. Interesting to note that in those sports, college is still an essential feeder system into the professional ranks.
But, when you look at the professional football rosters currently and throughout history, a ton of the best players come from poor, hardscrabble backgrounds.
For his faults as a tactical manager, this is one thing Jurgen Klinsmann has nailed. Whenever he is asked why we aren't a soccer power, his first answer is always about how in the US most parents try to do everything they can to get their kids into the best college possible. That is completely contrary to the system of producing widespread soccer talent since player development is most critical between ages 14-18. You can talk about pay to play until the cows come home, but unless you break this socioeconomic and psychological stranglehold it will always be an uphill battle. Good luck trying to convince the parents of a promising teenage prospect that they should put their plans to attend Stanford or Duke on hold and instead commit to a professional academy. The median nuclear parent in this country will react to that like someone just threw acid in their face.
Quote from: stlawus on August 18, 2026, 08:24:55 PMQuote from: Hopkins92 on August 18, 2026, 05:13:59 PMQuote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 14, 2026, 07:40:24 PMVery interesting article from May, 2026. Worth the read, talking about how irrelevant D1 soccer has become and uses stats. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2026/The-2026-USMNT-Is-the-Best-American-Soccer-Team-in-History-It-Still-Isnt-Good-Enough
The other issue, and I need to be careful because I don't have any actual numbers on this, is the socio-economic/striving to make your (and your family's) life better aspect.
It's a big factor in a lot of other countries when it comes to football. In America, that cohort is focused on Football and Basketball. Interesting to note that in those sports, college is still an essential feeder system into the professional ranks.
But, when you look at the professional football rosters currently and throughout history, a ton of the best players come from poor, hardscrabble backgrounds.
Good luck trying to convince the parents of a promising teenage prospect that they should put their plans to attend Stanford or Duke on hold and instead commit to a professional academy. The median nuclear parent in this country will react to that like someone just threw acid in their face.
I don't think your point in bold above is really true for most of the country. MLS Academy is firmly a pathway to top college soccer. Check out the rosters of Stanford, Duke, Indiana etc and you'll see tons of players from MLS Academies. The problem is that MLS Academies place more kids in college soccer and European pro club systems than they place on MLS rosters these days. The middle group goes to MLS Next Pro teams, which has not really developed as an MLS feeder.
I see plenty of kids who absolutely have no interest in college at all except as a last resort, but they generally aspire to Liga MX. In SoCal, tons of good, but not necessarily superstar, players, routinely turn down solid college opportunities for U19 and U23 spots in Liga MX Academies and they grind away with the hope it will lead to a pro contract.
Quote from: VASoccerDad on August 17, 2026, 06:00:04 AMQuote from: Kuiper on August 16, 2026, 05:18:20 PMI kind of love this (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcGjCRdqJjB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==&igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==), but I would love it even better if it was at midnight on the first day of practice:
Denison is hosting a back-to-school tailgate before it's scrimmage v. Case Western Reserve on Wednesday Aug. 26th, including "food, drinks, music, and plenty of good vibes."
For a lot of schools, football gets all the press. It's nice to see a school pump up its student body for the soccer teams too.
I'll be there...I'll let you know how it goes (from an away fans perspective).
Ok, so I was at the Denison/Case game...here is what I posted in the UAA thread:
Went to the Case/Denison preseason game last night at Denison. Denison hosted a social activation session prior to the game to entice students to attend, giveaways included t-shirts and food (as any school does). Turn out was pretty good, maybe 300-400 people in attendance. Set up was just a few tents in the corner, didn't hear music or really notice anything other than students walking over there.
Case won 3-2, and clearly deserved the win based on play. Denison's two goals were a bit flukey- one was an Olympico where the goalie came out for the ball but got picked off by a couple of players, ball went over his head into far corner. Second was on an mis-hit cross/long ball from about 40 yards out that the Case backup goalie misjudged, allowing it to go over his head into the goal.
Overall, Case played well, played almost everyone a good number of minutes, had 3 different scorers and played good D. The offense looks a bit stronger than last year, but their center forwards didn't show much offensively. A key freshman that plays striker hasn't played in preseason after suffering a concussion on the 2-3 day of preseason practices. Hopefully he will help out with the center forward attack.
Two preseason games, two wins, outscoring opponents 11-3. Hopefully a positive for the upcoming season.
Top game from Region X on Opening Day
Texas Lutheran @ Trinity 7 pm Central - a rematch of the 2025 NCAA tournament 2nd round game won by Trinity. A very young TLU team may have given Trinity its toughest match of the Tournament before the final last season. This year, Trinity lost several of its top players and TLU's are a year older and a year more experienced with its top 4 offensive leaders returning along with its freshman defenders and goalkeeper, led by now senior defender Carson Alldredge. If Trinity doesn't come out flying at home, they could be in for early season trouble.
D3 soccer fans will no longer be tied to the NCAA's schedule as it relates to seeing where NPI rankings stand. We have expanded our abilities to track NPI beyond basketball and football and have announced our launch of a new NPI landing page (https://d3datacast.com/npi/) and additional sport-specific pages for NPI rankings.
Men's soccer: https://d3datacast.com/npi/msoc/
Women's soccer: https://d3datacast.com/npi/wsoc/
We're less than 30 minutes away from the start of the first game of the 2026 D3 Men's Soccer season!
Lasell v. Bridgewater State 12 pm Eastern (at least that's the earliest game I could find)
Best of luck to all the players and teams! Don't let the coaches or parents get in the way of making this fun, memorable, and rewarding!
UPDATE: Bridgewater State 5 - Lasell 0
Ansley Glemaud jumps out to a lead in the 2026 golden boot race with a brace, scoring two goals in the second half. BSU dominated from start to finish, scoring its first goal in the 1st minute and it's fifth goal in the 84th minute and out-shooting Lasell 25-6
Babson holds off Gordon at home 2-1 on a goal in the 80th minute by Yablonovskiy. He entered the game in the 72nd minute and played only 10 minutes total. Not sure what that's about, but the team isn't going anywhere without him.
Also missing Blake Miller from the midfield, a guy who probably played every minute last year.
Very troubling back line play in the 1st half when 2 guys went in alone on the keeper.
Disappointed to see that Tidiane Thiam who looked solid as a FY in the back, then missed all of last year with an injury did not see any time. If he can return to form that would help.
On a brighter note, FY starter Adonai Samuel is a nifty, talented FY M/F and a player to watch going forward.
And of course the 2nd half Flo freezes and technical difficulties. I'm sure they'll work those issues out. /s
Just getting back into the flow of the new season (no pun intended now that I was finally forced into the Flo Sports machine), keeping an eyes on scores around the country and number 4 Emory is down 2-1 against Sewanee at halftime. Preseason rankings are inherently flawed I understand, but how does NPI calculate a win like that if Sewanee manages to hold on? Still plenty of game but going to put my multi-TV setup to use and keep an eye on that one the rest of the way out
Quote from: BlueJayBrigader on September 01, 2026, 07:03:25 PMJust getting back into the flow of the new season (no pun intended now that I was finally forced into the Flo Sports machine), keeping an eyes on scores around the country and number 4 Emory is down 2-1 against Sewanee at halftime. Preseason rankings are inherently flawed I understand, but how does NPI calculate a win like that if Sewanee manages to hold on? Still plenty of game but going to put my multi-TV setup to use and keep an eye on that one the rest of the way out
When everyone has only played one game, all the 1-0 teams have the same NPI and all the 0-1 teams have the same NPI.
Quote from: BlueJayBrigader on September 01, 2026, 07:03:25 PMJust getting back into the flow of the new season (no pun intended now that I was finally forced into the Flo Sports machine), keeping an eyes on scores around the country and number 4 Emory is down 2-1 against Sewanee at halftime. Preseason rankings are inherently flawed I understand, but how does NPI calculate a win like that if Sewanee manages to hold on? Still plenty of game but going to put my multi-TV setup to use and keep an eye on that one the rest of the way out
NPI is dynamic rather than static on questions of strength of schedule. So, although they calculate NPI starting around mid-season, the final number used for tournament selection is based on year-end wins and losses (and year-end NPI of your opponent). So, after you beat someone, you root for them the rest of the season. I don't think it factors in at all when you beat them and where they were as a team at that time.
Quote from: BaboNation on September 01, 2026, 06:48:32 PMBabson holds off Gordon at home 2-1 on a goal in the 80th minute by Yablonovskiy. He entered the game in the 72nd minute and played only 10 minutes total. Not sure what that's about, but the team isn't going anywhere without him.
Also missing Blake Miller from the midfield, a guy who probably played every minute last year.
Very troubling back line play in the 1st half when 2 guys went in alone on the keeper.
Disappointed to see that Tidiane Thiam who looked solid as a FY in the back, then missed all of last year with an injury did not see any time. If he can return to form that would help.
On a brighter note, FY starter Adonai Samuel is a nifty, talented FY M/F and a player to watch going forward.
And of course the 2nd half Flo freezes and technical difficulties. I'm sure they'll work those issues out. /s
The "they" in "they'll work those issues out" may mean Babson, not Flo. It's possible the problems could be on Flo's end, but the home team is the one that provides the actual feed. I watched a different game today involving a school not on the Flo platform and not charging a fee and it also had freezes and technical difficulties.
Has anyone seen an Owl in their neigborhood?
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 01, 2026, 08:24:15 PMHas anyone seen an Owl in their neigborhood?
Welcome back to the boards! Nice 2-1 win by Kenyon over Ohio Northern. I was wondering how they would do with graduations and transfers resetting the squad. Looks pretty good thus far!
I watched the W&L v Lynchburg game last night. W&L looked good -- for a decent amount of time they looked like the better team. However still struggled to convert their chances into a goal. End score was 0-1, Lynchburg.
Realizing that early-season NPIs are pretty meaningless, the D3Datacast crew is now calculating NPIs daily for many sports including soccer. They use the NCAA formula and their results have historically matched the official ones when officially released. Find men's soccer NPIs here: https://d3datacast.com/npi/msoc/
Edit: oh hell, @Ziggy beat me to this. That's OK seeing as he's one of the crew.
Quote from: Another Mom on September 02, 2026, 07:34:41 AMI watched the W&L v Lynchburg game last night. W&L looked good -- for a decent amount of time they looked like the better team. However still struggled to convert their chances into a goal. End score was 0-1, Lynchburg.
My takeaway as well. Defense is elite, offense is anemic. Hate playing Lynchburg game 1 non-conference. Just irritating.
What's the point of a game like this, especially on opening day of the season for D3?
UNC Asheville (D1) 15 - Warren Wilson 0
I get these D3 games v. D1 games are a little bit of a chance for DI teams to get their players some stats and empty the bench, while giving the D3 team a chance to play in the big house and test themselves against a higher-level team. Warren Wilson, however, only won 2 games all last season (against Mississippi University for Women and Regent University, which is transitioning to D3) and is just barely out of preseason. UNC Asheville, while not a P5 school by any stretch, is a decent program. They just tied #3 Furman. This was always going to be a bloodbath. To make things worse, Warren Wilson plays D1 Virginia Military Institute in a week. They are a much worse DI program than UNC Asheville, but should still overwhelm Warren Wilson.
Quote from: Kuiper on September 02, 2026, 04:29:47 PMWhat's the point of a game like this, especially on opening day of the season for D3?
UNC Asheville (D1) 15 - Warren Wilson 0
I get these D3 games v. D1 games are a little bit of a chance for DI teams to get their players some stats and empty the bench, while giving the D3 team a chance to play in the big house and test themselves against a higher-level team. Warren Wilson, however, only won 2 games all last season (against Mississippi University for Women and Regent University, which is transitioning to D3) and is just barely out of preseason. UNC Asheville, while not a P5 school by any stretch, is a decent program. They just tied #3 Furman. This was always going to be a bloodbath. To make things worse, Warren Wilson plays D1 Virginia Military Institute in a week. They are a much worse DI program than UNC Asheville, but should still overwhelm Warren Wilson.
Sometimes the games are already schedule or have a history of playing against each other. SLU use to play against UVM (D1) but there last game was 1990 after UVM went to the Final 4.
Detroit (D1) lost to Adrian on 8/24 and then Adrian lost to Hope.
Quote from: Ron Boerger on September 02, 2026, 08:11:38 AMRealizing that early-season NPIs are pretty meaningless, the D3Datacast crew is now calculating NPIs daily for many sports including soccer. They use the NCAA formula and their results have historically matched the official ones when officially released. Find men's soccer NPIs here: https://d3datacast.com/npi/msoc/
Edit: oh hell, @Ziggy beat me to this. That's OK seeing as he's one of the crew.
Always appreciate when others help spread the word, especially someone like you who has been a great supporter of our work!
Hopkins played Towson (State, at the time) for a number of years. Most of the matches were fairly competitive into the second half, but I don't think they got a result in the modern era.
*looks up record book*
Yep, last game was a 2-0 win for Towson. Last time Hop pulled a result was 4-2 win in 1977.
Quote from: Hopkins92 on September 03, 2026, 11:03:55 AMHopkins played Towson (State, at the time) for a number of years. Most of the matches were fairly competitive into the second half, but I don't think they got a result in the modern era.
*looks up record book*
Yep, last game was a 2-0 win for Towson. Last time Hop pulled a result was 4-2 win in 1977.
Your comment reminds me that I meant to check the roster for Johns Hopkins (which was late to post) as kind of a gauge of trends in grad transfers in D3. Last season, Hop had two (Vadeghi and Howlett). This season, they have two again, although one is their own 4 year player taking advantage of a medical year to play his 4th season (Laudisa). The new grad student player is Dylan Ellis from Brown (D1), who did not play in Hop's first game.
Chicago has one grad student this year, Austin Murawski, a transfer from Hartford (D3) and before that Bryant (D1)
Emory has one, Walker Stebbings from Hampden-Sydney (D3)
Rochester has one, Aidan Hartman from Fort Hays State (D2), plus one of their own students returning after missing a year (Mikey Burke)
That's just a small sample of schools with strong grad programs, but nothing suggests these types of schools with strong grad programs are using it to obtain a massive advantage.
I posted this in the Go WEST thread, but thought it might also be interested generally.
D3soccerworld identified the "The Biggest Trips this Weekend" (https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc1eaQUmjtp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==) and, not surprisingly, all of them involve Region X teams. There's some approximating on numbers because airports are not the same as the campuses, but it gives you an idea.
More important than distance, though, I would say that many of these games are the most interesting games of the weekend in their own right.
Trinity @ Claremont Mudd Scripps 9/4 and v. Redlands (@ Azusa Pacific) 9/6 (1180 miles)
Lynchburg @ Texas Lutheran 9/4 and @ Southwestern 9/6 (1180 miles)
Lake Forest @ Puget Sound 9/4 and @ Pacific Lutheran 9/6 (1720 miles)
Whitman @ Mary Washington 9/4 and @ Marymount (VA) 9/6 (2130 miles)
Russell Sage @ Cal Lutheran 9/3, @ La Verne 9/5, and @ Whittier 9/6 (2450 miles)
Gordon @ Cal Lutheran 9/4 and @ Occidental 9/6 (2600 miles)
Quote from: Kuiper on September 03, 2026, 12:18:40 PMQuote from: Hopkins92 on September 03, 2026, 11:03:55 AMHopkins played Towson (State, at the time) for a number of years. Most of the matches were fairly competitive into the second half, but I don't think they got a result in the modern era.
*looks up record book*
Yep, last game was a 2-0 win for Towson. Last time Hop pulled a result was 4-2 win in 1977.
Your comment reminds me that I meant to check the roster for Johns Hopkins (which was late to post) as kind of a gauge of trends in grad transfers in D3. Last season, Hop had two (Vadeghi and Howlett). This season, they have two again, although one is their own 4 year player taking advantage of a medical year to play his 4th season (Laudisa). The new grad student player is Dylan Ellis from Brown (D1), who did not play in Hop's first game.
Chicago has one grad student this year, Austin Murawski, a transfer from Hartford (D3) and before that Bryant (D1)
Emory has one, Walker Stebbings from Hampden-Sydney (D3)
Rochester has one, Aidan Hartman from Fort Hays State (D2), plus one of their own students returning after missing a year (Mikey Burke)
That's just a small sample of schools with strong grad programs, but nothing suggests these types of schools with strong grad programs are using it to obtain a massive advantage.
Grad school at a UAA school is a much different world than anywhere else. UR got a grad transfer in basketball from Duke a few years ago (who played minutes at Duke) and didn't last through preseason.
A lot of the talent using a 5th/grad year are going d1 instead of leveling up elsewhere in d3
For those who think that money doesn't pass hands in D3, and certainly not for soccer players, this infractions report from the NCAA against Whittier (https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/search/miCaseView?id=100469&_bhlid=ab07d5ed8d2ec0a7e81a48fe8765923a1744212a) suggests otherwise.
QuoteInstitution: Whittier College
Date: September 04, 2026
Violation Summary: Pursuant to Bylaw 32.9.6, this negotiated resolution has no precedential value. This case involved Whittier providing impermissible financial aid awards during the 2024-25 academic year to 11 international men's and women's soccer student-athletes in a pattern clearly distinguishable from the financial aid patterns for all students at the institution. The case also involved a failure to monitor violation. Whittier's enrollment office recommended recruiting prospects from Sweden for the 2024-25 academic year in order to help ease the burden of the institution's enrollment crisis.
Penalty Summary: The parties agreed the penalties include public reprimand and censure, one year of probation, a Level II review by the Financial Aid Committee, a fine of $2,500 and compliance education programming with the NCAA staff.
Involved Sports:
Men's Soccer , Women's Soccer
Involved Penalties:
Television: 0 yrs
Reduction in Financial Aid: No
Postseason: 0 yrs
Recruiting: No
Probation: 1 yrs
Show Cause Penalty: No
Vacation of Record: No
Reposting this from the Go WEST thread
Wildest Ending of the Year Award (thus far)
Colorado College 5 Wheaton (IL) 4
CC was up 4-2 after they scored in minute 84:44. Wheaton then scored in minute 85:22 to make it 4-3 and equalized it in minute 87 on a PK. Jack Hillard then scored the game-winner for Colorado College in minute 88:48.
4 goals in just over 4 minutes!
Second Wildest Ending of the Year Award (thus far)
Emory 5 - Belhaven 3
Belhaven absolutely shocked Emory with goals in the 2nd, 22nd, and 30th minutes. Finding themselves down 3-0, Emory went to work, scoring 5 straight goals in the 32nd, 40th, and 51st to tie it at 3-3. It stayed that way for 36 minutes until Emory scored goals in the 87th and 89th minutes to win the game.
UPSET ALERT: Still early, but Albion is leading Chicago 1-0 in the 56th minute in Hyde Park.
UPDATE: Still Albion 1 - Chicago 0 in the 78th minute despite Chicago out-shooting Albion 20-3. Each team has had a dangerous opportunity in the last few minutes.
UPDATE: Chicago ties it up in the 82nd minute on a shot by Casselli, who received the ball almost in the 6 yard box and turned his defender and scored.
1-1
UPDATE: Chicago takes the lead on a long hopeful ball into the box that the GK seems to miss on coming off his line, although the announcer things Edward Wu got a touch on it to disrupt him.
FINAL: Chicago 2 - Albion 1
Not a very convincing performance by a Chicago team, but perhaps Albion is better than I expected. They have just enough speed to trouble Chicago, but not enough technical ability to capitalize on it. Chicago will face teams with both though.
UPDATE: Goal confirmed! That was a very lengthy VAR review, so there may have been something to it
2-1
What a comeback! [although there is some kind of a break after the goal; not sure if it's an injury or a challenge/VAR review. The LiveStats haven't been updated to reflect the goal]
Just saw that Amer Lukovic received a medical waiver last year after suffering an injury after only 7 games at Rutgers. He's now starting in the MF as a Grad Student and has 3 assists.
Quote from: Ejay on September 14, 2026, 08:23:01 PMJust saw that Amer Lukovic received a medical waiver last year after suffering an injury after only 7 games at Rutgers. He's now starting in the MF as a Grad Student and has 3 assists.
Watched highlights of the Rutgers game v UCLA. Seems like at this point he must be what, 32?
SC.
Quote from: SimpleCoach on September 15, 2026, 12:50:47 PMQuote from: Ejay on September 14, 2026, 08:23:01 PMJust saw that Amer Lukovic received a medical waiver last year after suffering an injury after only 7 games at Rutgers. He's now starting in the MF as a Grad Student and has 3 assists.
Watched highlights of the Rutgers game v UCLA. Seems like at this point he must be what, 32?
SC.
He was class of 2021 in h.s. So he's on his sixth season of college soccer. D3 player of the year in 2023 I believe? Still going.
FYI, both Mohamed Toure, Miami, and Cornelius Brown, Alabama A&M, are in their 8th year of college while going for their PhDs obv.
Then Stetson Bennett at Georgia spent 6 years and did not actually graduate, unlike John Urschel, Penn State and later Ravens OT, spent 3 yrs getting bachelors in math and 2 years more to get his masters with a 4.0 GPA. He redshirted his first year. He went on to MIT to actually get a PhD in math.
It's finally happened... Lewis & Clark have won a game! They beat Whitworth 2-0 for their first win since returning to varsity status in 2022. They were 0-68-4 in that time. Their last win was Halloween 1990 when they beat Concordia (OR).
Congrats to the River Otters
Quote from: stlawus on September 03, 2026, 07:01:51 PMQuote from: Kuiper on September 03, 2026, 12:18:40 PMQuote from: Hopkins92 on September 03, 2026, 11:03:55 AMHopkins played Towson (State, at the time) for a number of years. Most of the matches were fairly competitive into the second half, but I don't think they got a result in the modern era.
*looks up record book*
Yep, last game was a 2-0 win for Towson. Last time Hop pulled a result was 4-2 win in 1977.
Your comment reminds me that I meant to check the roster for Johns Hopkins (which was late to post) as kind of a gauge of trends in grad transfers in D3. Last season, Hop had two (Vadeghi and Howlett). This season, they have two again, although one is their own 4 year player taking advantage of a medical year to play his 4th season (Laudisa). The new grad student player is Dylan Ellis from Brown (D1), who did not play in Hop's first game.
Chicago has one grad student this year, Austin Murawski, a transfer from Hartford (D3) and before that Bryant (D1)
Emory has one, Walker Stebbings from Hampden-Sydney (D3)
Rochester has one, Aidan Hartman from Fort Hays State (D2), plus one of their own students returning after missing a year (Mikey Burke)
That's just a small sample of schools with strong grad programs, but nothing suggests these types of schools with strong grad programs are using it to obtain a massive advantage.
Grad school at a UAA school is a much different world than anywhere else. UR got a grad transfer in basketball from Duke a few years ago (who played minutes at Duke) and didn't last through preseason.
A lot of the talent using a 5th/grad year are going d1 instead of leveling up elsewhere in d3
Well, UAA member CWRU has a grad student on its undefeated men's team. Had played at D1 Drake previously. Studying molecular biology.
Washington and Lee 5 - 0 Mary Washington.
Glad to see the scoring come from a number of different players too.
Quote from: Another Mom on September 21, 2026, 06:48:30 AMWashington and Lee 5 - 0 Mary Washington.
Glad to see the scoring come from a number of different players too.
Yes. 3 of the goals from freshman, 2 from a junior. Jenkins getting 2 assists feels right also. If they can establish an offensive identity, I think the rest of it is there to be very, very good again. Let's see if they play up or down to the opponent in the first couple ODAC games.
H-SC could be interesting. They've got a good jump on the season, but the schedule leaves a lot to be desired. Don't know what to make of Batten (VWU). That looks like how W&L started last year except with weaker opponents. Lot of ties and I suspect the Marlins just aren't all that good. Roanoke looks bad, but that's a lot of close losses to decent teams. After the jump they got last year, 'Noke just hasn't been able to put it together. Lynchburg is doing their thing. The Southwestern loss is a good loss, even though Southwestern isn't getting much love. They are proving to be pretty good, and that was a long road trip. It happens.
Let the ODAC unbalanced mishmash begin!
Plus Mary Washington is ranked 14th? Even if not terribly accurate surely they aren't a weak team. So augurs well for W&L.
Didn't watch it, but Montclair winning 6-0 over CNU was a pretty shocking result to see. Anyone have insight into that game?
Centennial is a hot mess this year. It's really hard to get a read on some of these teams, at least on paper.
Hopkins is 2-0 and then Dickinson is 1-0=1 in conference play, then a slew of 1-1 teams and then WashC is 0-1-1 and F&M is 0-2.
Very early days, but it's gonna be a weird year, and as mentioned over the MA thread, it's unclear if this is a 2-bid year (AQ - At Large).
Quote from: CollegeSoccerFan on September 28, 2026, 02:24:50 PMDidn't watch it, but Montclair winning 6-0 over CNU was a pretty shocking result to see. Anyone have insight into that game?
I have no insight on that game, but Montclair State is currently beating Centenary (NJ) 7-0 in the 84th minute. Not the same level as Christopher Newport obviously, but they have also emptied their bench or it would be even more lopsided. It does seem like Montclair State has dialed up its offensive firepower.
Quote from: Kuiper on September 28, 2026, 08:47:32 PMQuote from: CollegeSoccerFan on September 28, 2026, 02:24:50 PMDidn't watch it, but Montclair winning 6-0 over CNU was a pretty shocking result to see. Anyone have insight into that game?
I have no insight on that game, but Montclair State is currently beating Centenary (NJ) 7-0 in the 84th minute. Not the same level as Christopher Newport obviously, but they have also emptied their bench or it would be even more lopsided. It does seem like Montclair State has dialed up its offensive firepower.
They're outshooting their opponents roughly 23-7 on the season but those shots have not always born fruit. In one of their two losses (against Oglethorpe (https://montclairathletics.com/news/2026/9/11/mens-soccer-falls-to-oglethorpe-1-0.aspx)) they had a 25-2 shot, 12-1 SOG advantage only to lose 0-1 as the Petrel keeper stopped all twelve.
NPI through 10/4. It's still real early, but interesting to look at:
https://stats.ncaa.org/selection_rankings/nitty_gritties/52809
That is very interesting. Obv. lot of games to go.
Amherst loses three games against NESCAC teams and ties two others and still is ranked 87th. It's only wins are against 182 ranked Albertus Magnus and 381 Westfield St. Obv based on a formula, but they are basically that high because it tied two higher ranked teams in NESCAC. FYI, they are the highest rank with a losing record also. You have to go to 110 to get the next team ranked with a losing record which is Vassar at 3-5-2 which I can only see that high because it beat Montclair St. in their first game 2-1 and maybe tying Hop in their second.
IMO, as to Cent. Conf, Hop has to lose in the tournament to get two teams in this year. Maybe if Haverford turns it around they could have 3 teams.
Quote from: jknezek on October 05, 2026, 12:42:01 PMNPI through 10/4. It's still real early, but interesting to look at:
https://stats.ncaa.org/selection_rankings/nitty_gritties/52809
FYI, the NCAA erroneously included Azusa Pacific and Saint Francis in these rankings (a problem common to other sports NPIs released today). As first year provisionals, there is no question they should not appear in the rankings and they should not be a countable opponent. Second year provisionals JWU Charlotte and Regent were correctly excluded.
D1 news that might be of interest to D3 fans
According to the NCAA's official social media account (https://x.com/NCAA_PR/status/2107896830663028989?s=20):
DI Cabinet approves proposal that would move men's soccer to a two-semester playing season. Because it passed with less than 75% of the vote, the proposal will now go to a 30-day rescission period, during which eligible DI schools or conferences can submit a vote to defeat the new rule. If two-thirds of the eligible members do not vote to defeat it, it will subsequently take effect.
The Cabinet's vote is not final until its meeting concludes later today.
The NCAA just updated the NPI this morning: through games 10/07/2026 (https://stats.ncaa.org/selection_rankings/nitty_gritties/52990)
Quote from: Kuiper on Yesterday at 03:47:30 PMD1 news that might be of interest to D3 fans
According to the NCAA's official social media account (https://x.com/NCAA_PR/status/2107896830663028989?s=20):
DI Cabinet approves proposal that would move men's soccer to a two-semester playing season. Because it passed with less than 75% of the vote, the proposal will now go to a 30-day rescission period, during which eligible DI schools or conferences can submit a vote to defeat the new rule. If two-thirds of the eligible members do not vote to defeat it, it will subsequently take effect.
The Cabinet's vote is not final until its meeting concludes later today.
Sasho Cirovski from Maryland fought for this for 13 yrs. Remember when he first proposed it. Many thought he was crazy. Like it hate it, it def. is different and we will only see. I am a Terp fan and definitely like watching his teams despite the fact the most if not all impactful ones are foreign born on UMD. He resisted for a while before adopting the Marshall model.
Interesting that rather Aug 1st they start on Aug 15 and have the NCAA tournament in late April May rather then in the cold.
Check out is his tweet along with the comments. All interesting imo - https://x.com/SashoCirovski/status/2107950976514822488
FYI Mont. State's Amer Lukovic is still playing college soccer. He has been playing for Rutgers in his years 5 and 6. After his D3 of year, he was injured. He has 3 goals right now, 2 against Northeastern and one against MD.
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on Today at 11:38:13 AMQuote from: Kuiper on Yesterday at 03:47:30 PMD1 news that might be of interest to D3 fans
According to the NCAA's official social media account (https://x.com/NCAA_PR/status/2107896830663028989?s=20):
DI Cabinet approves proposal that would move men's soccer to a two-semester playing season. Because it passed with less than 75% of the vote, the proposal will now go to a 30-day rescission period, during which eligible DI schools or conferences can submit a vote to defeat the new rule. If two-thirds of the eligible members do not vote to defeat it, it will subsequently take effect.
The Cabinet's vote is not final until its meeting concludes later today.
Sasho Cirovski from Maryland fought for this for 13 yrs. Remember when he first proposed it. Many thought he was crazy. Like it hate it, it def. is different and we will only see. I am a Terp fan and definitely like watching his teams despite the fact the most if not all impactful ones are foreign born on UMD. He resisted for a while before adopting the Marshall model.
Interesting that rather Aug 1st they start on Aug 15 and have the NCAA tournament in late April May rather then in the cold.
Check out is his tweet along with the comments. All interesting imo - https://x.com/SashoCirovski/status/2107950976514822488
Yeah, we talked about this... Trying to make college soccer more relevant in the development/pipeline is kind of a fool's errand, but he is right that they needed to do something to counter the MLS academy system funneling the best American talent into the professional model.
Quote from: Hopkins92 on Today at 01:30:44 PMYeah, we talked about this... Trying to make college soccer more relevant in the development/pipeline is kind of a fool's errand, but he is right that they needed to do something to counter the MLS academy system funneling the best American talent into the professional model.
Why? I understand that college, particularly D1 college, is the main pro pathway for football and basketball, but it doesn't have to be. I'd argue it shouldn't be. Our current disastrous situation with the transfer portal and NIL indicates how poor a "semi-pro" system college has become. If MLS Academies are the best way forward, then they should be the path for the very small percentage of players that could go pro. They can play soccer at the academies and take college courses if they want, instead of taking college courses to play soccer, which really makes no sense.
The NFL has benefited for years by not having to pay for a minor league. As did basketball, though the much maligned NBA Development League now at least provides something. But there is no reason colleges should play that role, except that traditionally they have. As we've seen, it was highly exploitative of student athletes in select sports, while in other sports it forced "athletes" to try and be "student-athletes."
There is no reason for this to continue. Let the pro teams develop their own talent how they see fit, and let colleges and universities get back to the business of being colleges and universities with athletics as a draw for students who want to play and watch. I know that's naive, especially in regards to D1 football, but that's really what should happen.
There is no reason colleges should be competing to be a "pro-pathway" for sports, especially in a sport like soccer that is a net negative for athletic departments at the D1 level. Pro teams have the ability to fund that as a "business expense", I suggest we let them do so.
All great points, but now all the teams are relying on int'l talent to include the Sasho who admittedly held back as long as he could imo. His game on Tues. against Rutgers he two American starters and one American sub out of 15. His last nat'l championship in 2018 of his starters he had 4 int'l and the 4 subs they were all American. This was also the year he had Donovan Pines (played and started at DC United and I think is in Austria now - also the son of the president of UMD) and Canadian Dane St. Clair who played against the US on Tues).
So split schedule imo is wash as to developing American talent as opposed to taking int'l rejects who are older to begin with. Will that reverse, I'm guessing no as recruiting int'l players is much easier than running around the country to go to soccer tournaments. D2 is also full of int'l players and maybe even more so.
All great for D3 though.
I can see how what I wrote is advocating for what Sasho is pushing, but I'm really not. As I said, it's a fool's errand, but for a guy like Sasho, who wants college soccer to be seen as a path (for some) to professional soccer, he saw it as the path.
The ship sailed long ago. As soon as MLS and US Soccer got vested in transforming the talent pipeline, college soccer was cooked on this front.
I think the 5 for 5 rule, and the time when the clock starts ticking, academic year following the athlete's 19th birthday (or sooner if they enroll sooner) will solve some of the "older students coming from abroad" issue. Not all of it of course, it still allows for 24 year olds to play a final season, but I think it will stop some of the issues. Bringing in a 21 or 22 year old knowing you only get 2 or 3 years may not be as attractive as pulling in a 17/18 year old h.s. senior and realizing you get 5 full years out of them if they don't transfer.
Time will tell, and I don't think D3 has adapted the 5 for 5 yet, but with D1 and D2 already on board I think D3 will at some point.
I thought I read that D3 is voting on the 5 for 5 rule in January. May be mistaken though...
Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on Today at 03:14:08 PMAll great points, but now all the teams are relying on int'l talent to include the Sasho who admittedly held back as long as he could imo. His game on Tues. against Rutgers he two American starters and one American sub out of 15. His last nat'l championship in 2018 of his starters he had 4 int'l and the 4 subs they were all American. This was also the year he had Donovan Pines (played and started at DC United and I think is in Austria now - also the son of the president of UMD) and Canadian Dane St. Clair who played against the US on Tues).
So split schedule imo is wash as to developing American talent as opposed to taking int'l rejects who are older to begin with. Will that reverse, I'm guessing no as recruiting int'l players is much easier than running around the country to go to soccer tournaments. D2 is also full of int'l players and maybe even more so.
All great for D3 though.
First of all, D3 =/= D1. That includes recruiting scenarios. I think that on some level we all realize that, but it bears repeating, anyway.
At the D3 level, recruiting international players isn't necessarily easier than "running around the country to go to soccer tournaments." For one thing, the vast majority of D3 soccer programs don't recruit nationally, they recruit locally. For another, recruiting D3-level internationals has gotten extremely competitive. Take a look at D3 and NAIA soccer rosters from around the country, and you'll see just how pervasive international players are on the small college level of soccer these days. And that is only going to intensify, as the U.S. demographic cliff forces small schools to look more and more beyond our borders to find students who will pay the tuition to keep the schools operating.
And, whereas in the past it was pretty common to see internationals join a D3 or NAIA program when they were already well into their 20s, that's not the case anymore. I say this as someone who does play-by-play for one of the more high-profile D3 programs among those known for being international-heavy, North Park. The Vikings have six international freshmen that are either starting or getting heavy minutes off the bench -- five from Sweden and one from Norway -- and all six look like they just started shaving last week. I've noticed the same thing in the international freshmen along NPU's opponents.
Different divisions, different needs, different goals ... and different recruiting methodologies.
Even if D3 plays follow-the-leader and adopts 5-for-5 and/or the two-semester soccer season as well, the end result will still look much different in D3 than it does in D1.
It's hard for me to not think these proposed changes aren't mainly ways for d1 coaches to inflate their egos and continue thinking they are Premier League coaches. What's more likely, a better professional pathway for players or coaches leveraging a season for clout, attention and other jobs as a result of showing how they perform over a professional schedule?
Really hope this proposal crashes and burns as a result of all the non power conference schools and schools that don't have the resources to keep up vetoing it. The overtime rule change already took away one of the main things that made college soccer so great and unique. And it's all because coaches want college soccer to be the premier league.