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It’s Hard To Argue With Success, But…

mike412

Head Coach
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Jul 1, 2001
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I don’t think anyone can discount the success Jay Vidovich has had turning around what had descended into an awful men’s soccer program. However, I think the question remains: Is this the way to build a successful program long term.

I remember watching the Georgetown game when the announcers were discussing the difference between the way the two coaches had constructed their teams: Vidovich almost entirely with foreign players, including transfers, many of whom attend Pitt for 1 or 2 years. Georgetown almost exclusively with American players who spend 4 or 5 years there and are plugged into starting positions after being groomed behind players who graduated. In a perfect world, I think most of us would prefer the second method because it guarantees continuity and almost assures a continuous run of success. Georgetown has proven that over these past few years.

It’s certainly not the Vidovich way. The question I have is whether it would be possible to build the Pitt program that way? With the success he has had in recent years, could he start bringing in more American and Canadian players and mixing them in with the foreign recruits? Let’s face it, the American players he has brought in thus far have not been significant contributors with the exception of Gilman and Brice Washington, former CB. If I have forgotten others, I apologize.

Let’s assume that along with Noel (who has had a down season so far), Jacquesson is gone after this year. Walti, Almeida, Rosa and others presumably will be out of eligibility. Who are the replacements? Most of them probably are not even on the roster and are playing in Europe. Gilman is the only freshman who is contributing significantly this year.

I guess it makes every August exciting as we wait to see the Fall roster and discover all the new names on the team, and it led the some excellent teams in 2019 through 2021, but it sure makes it difficult.

Randy Waldrum had an equally difficult challenge with the women’s team. In fact, I would argue that it was a more difficult challenge because the ACC women’s soccer league might be the best college league in any sport for either sex. It’s been a slow process, and their last two results prove just how far they still have to go. But, you can look at that team and see the future, with players like Coefield and Shumansky and others. I don’t see the future of the men’s program when I look at the current team. The future is probably playing in a junior league in Valencia or Rennes this afternoon.
 
I don’t think anyone can discount the success Jay Vidovich has had turning around what had descended into an awful men’s soccer program. However, I think the question remains: Is this the way to build a successful program long term.

I remember watching the Georgetown game when the announcers were discussing the difference between the way the two coaches had constructed their teams: Vidovich almost entirely with foreign players, including transfers, many of whom attend Pitt for 1 or 2 years. Georgetown almost exclusively with American players who spend 4 or 5 years there and are plugged into starting positions after being groomed behind players who graduated. In a perfect world, I think most of us would prefer the second method because it guarantees continuity and almost assures a continuous run of success. Georgetown has proven that over these past few years.

It’s certainly not the Vidovich way. The question I have is whether it would be possible to build the Pitt program that way? With the success he has had in recent years, could he start bringing in more American and Canadian players and mixing them in with the foreign recruits? Let’s face it, the American players he has brought in thus far have not been significant contributors with the exception of Gilman and Brice Washington, former CB. If I have forgotten others, I apologize.

Let’s assume that along with Noel (who has had a down season so far), Jacquesson is gone after this year. Walti, Almeida, Rosa and others presumably will be out of eligibility. Who are the replacements? Most of them probably are not even on the roster and are playing in Europe. Gilman is the only freshman who is contributing significantly this year.

I guess it makes every August exciting as we wait to see the Fall roster and discover all the new names on the team, and it led the some excellent teams in 2019 through 2021, but it sure makes it difficult.

Randy Waldrum had an equally difficult challenge with the women’s team. In fact, I would argue that it was a more difficult challenge because the ACC women’s soccer league might be the best college league in any sport for either sex. It’s been a slow process, and their last two results prove just how far they still have to go. But, you can look at that team and see the future, with players like Coefield and Shumansky and others. I don’t see the future of the men’s program when I look at the current team. The future is probably playing in a junior league in Valencia or Rennes this afternoon.
Coffield, Mertz, and Shupansky are examples of good local players the womens program can land and they are solid pieces. But to take that next step, Coach needs to get the elite national team players consistently. That’s tough and extremely competitive…but he’s done a wonderful job building this program. Both the mens and womens programs as you know were built from scratch. They were the lowest of the low. The previous staff didn’t think local girls could play at this level so would go and get the players in other areas that were much further down the recruiting board of all our conference competition. There were 2 local players during their time here that I would consider “superstars”, players who are NPSL pro level now. They never even returned emails or placed calls to these players. And there was one other player I specifically talked to Coach Miller about, who ended up being a Herman finalist in college, and Miller said she couldn’t play in the ACC. Coach Waldrum wouldn’t have let that player leave western PA.

Jay doesn’t have that luxury on the mens side. The boys youth soccer in the area doesn’t produce the talent the girls do. There is no local pool of players he can draw from. And one local Director has told me that western PA boys “are not the player profile Jay is interested in”. I really don’t see things changing because he has his network internationally and it’s easier than fighting the other programs for domestic players in the boys soccer hotbeds in this country.
 
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I think most of us would prefer the second method because it guarantees continuity and almost assures a continuous run of success. Georgetown has proven that over these past few years.


Georgetown is 5-4-3 this season and not only has dropped out of the top 25, in the regional rankings they aren't in the top ten in their region. In a region with only four ranked teams and only one other team that got votes in the national poll this week. And their RPI at the beginning of the week was 67.

Which means that if the season ended today, not only would they not make the NCAA tournament, they wouldn't even be close.
 
I don’t think anyone can discount the success Jay Vidovich has had turning around what had descended into an awful men’s soccer program. However, I think the question remains: Is this the way to build a successful program long term.

I remember watching the Georgetown game when the announcers were discussing the difference between the way the two coaches had constructed their teams: Vidovich almost entirely with foreign players, including transfers, many of whom attend Pitt for 1 or 2 years. Georgetown almost exclusively with American players who spend 4 or 5 years there and are plugged into starting positions after being groomed behind players who graduated. In a perfect world, I think most of us would prefer the second method because it guarantees continuity and almost assures a continuous run of success. Georgetown has proven that over these past few years.

It’s certainly not the Vidovich way. The question I have is whether it would be possible to build the Pitt program that way? With the success he has had in recent years, could he start bringing in more American and Canadian players and mixing them in with the foreign recruits? Let’s face it, the American players he has brought in thus far have not been significant contributors with the exception of Gilman and Brice Washington, former CB. If I have forgotten others, I apologize.

Let’s assume that along with Noel (who has had a down season so far), Jacquesson is gone after this year. Walti, Almeida, Rosa and others presumably will be out of eligibility. Who are the replacements? Most of them probably are not even on the roster and are playing in Europe. Gilman is the only freshman who is contributing significantly this year.

I guess it makes every August exciting as we wait to see the Fall roster and discover all the new names on the team, and it led the some excellent teams in 2019 through 2021, but it sure makes it difficult.

Randy Waldrum had an equally difficult challenge with the women’s team. In fact, I would argue that it was a more difficult challenge because the ACC women’s soccer league might be the best college league in any sport for either sex. It’s been a slow process, and their last two results prove just how far they still have to go. But, you can look at that team and see the future, with players like Coefield and Shumansky and others. I don’t see the future of the men’s program when I look at the current team. The future is probably playing in a junior league in Valencia or Rennes this afternoon.
This is a good question. I watched a Denver team, coached by a former Vidovich player outplay Pitt with what appeared to be 11 Americans. Listen, you let Vidovich do what he does. He has connections in Europe and feels that's his best chance. It also allows him to skirt the scholarship rule somehow (not exactly sure how the foreigners dont "count"). I know people don't like when I say this on the football board but I think the same holds true for soccer. Pitt is always going to have a bigger challenge than other places recruiting upper middle class to rich white kids from the suburbs. And that's the makeup of the majority of your pay for play American soccer recruits.

What hurt Pitt this year is that Jay's foreign class hasn't panned out. There have been no Noel's, Jasper's, or Ordonez's. So sort of an "0 for" on that front but that happens I guess.

He has been able to get Luis Sahmkow from Solar FC, who led MLS Next in goals, though the son of Venezuelan immigrants, I doubt he was as afraid of the city as suburban kids. Jackson Gilman and Noah Hall played for the Philly Union and Columbus Crew academies and look promising so he isnt completely ignoring Americans. If I were him, I'd keep hitting Europe hard.
 
Coffield, Mertz, and Shupansky are examples of good local players the womens program can land and they are solid pieces. But to take that next step, Coach needs to get the elite national team players consistently. That’s tough and extremely competitive…but he’s done a wonderful job building this program. Both the mens and womens programs as you know were built from scratch. They were the lowest of the low. The previous staff didn’t think local girls could play at this level so would go and get the players in other areas that were much further down the recruiting board of all our conference competition. There were 2 local players during their time here that I would consider “superstars”, players who are NPSL pro level now. They never even returned emails or placed calls to these players. And there was one other player I specifically talked to Coach Miller about, who ended up being a Herman finalist in college, and Miller said she couldn’t play in the ACC. Coach Waldrum wouldn’t have let that player leave western PA.

Jay doesn’t have that luxury on the mens side. The boys youth soccer in the area doesn’t produce the talent the girls do. There is no local pool of players he can draw from. And one local Director has told me that western PA boys “are not the player profile Jay is interested in”. I really don’t see things changing because he has his network internationally and it’s easier than fighting the other programs for domestic players in the boys soccer hotbeds in this country.
Well, Jay has signed a WPIAL kid in every class though, pretty much. Mort and the Connellsville kid played a good bit and transferred. Sullivan is playing a lot as a sophomore. The Charleroi kid is presumably redshirting. And Josh Luchini from NA (though a grad transfer) is playing a lot.
 
Well, Jay has signed a WPIAL kid in every class though, pretty much. Mort and the Connellsville kid played a good bit and transferred. Sullivan is playing a lot as a sophomore. The Charleroi kid is presumably redshirting. And Josh Luchini from NA (though a grad transfer) is playing a lot.
The Charleroi kid will likely transfer out. I’ve never seen him play but I’m told he’s not Pitt level. And my point still stands. You can’t build a program with male WPIAL players, unless of course they identify as female and play for the womens program.
 
The Charleroi kid will likely transfer out. I’ve never seen him play but I’m told he’s not Pitt level. And my point still stands. You can’t build a program with male WPIAL players, unless of course they identify as female and play for the womens program.
He isn't trying to build a program with WPIAL players. How many even go D1? 3-4 per year including the lower levels? This is a very bad area for male soccer talent. And also a very good area for female soccer talent since there's no football and the Yinzer ex HS football players push their daughters to play soccer.
 
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