WTF? Pitt hires a big-time soccer coach?

[Sean Miller Fan]

Maybe Barnes is serious. They hired Wake Forest's coach. Wake is a top soccer program and he's won a national title recently and has been to Final Fours.

This almost doesnt make sense. Its like Dabo Swinney taking the open UVa job.

 

[pittsoccer92]

It's an amazing hire. He was in the Portland Timbers organization this year. Really wanted to get back to college.

 

[ThePanthers]

Great hire. Hopefully he gets things moving.

 

[Teh Teh]

Our AD is bad @ss

 

[rpost3]

Been in the works since November. He was spent last year coaching the Portland Timbers 2. Can't believe it actually went through. Pitt athletics is officially done fkn around. What a coup.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

This is big time.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Been in the works since November. He was spent last year coaching the Portland Timbers 2. Can't believe it actually went through. Pitt athletics is officially done fkn around. What a coup.

He must not have liked coaching Timbers 2 and wanted to get back to the college game. It's great that Pitt was able to convince him to come here. This is an outstanding hire. Pitt probably couldn't have even theoretically done better.

 

[ricflair4LIFE]

Why did he leave WF?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

He left Wake to go to Portland, where he was the head coach of their reserve team, Timbers 2 (think the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for those of you who are local) and an assistant with the senior team.

 

[Panthertag]

Now get a baseball coach that doesn't lose 80-7 to Kenn State

 

[rpost3]

He must not have liked coaching Timbers 2 and wanted to get back to the college game. It's great that Pitt was able to convince him to come here. This is an outstanding hire. Pitt probably couldn't have even theoretically done better.

I received a link to a soccer site that published the rumor on Nov 20 and thought 'yeah right' but it actually happened. One of the worst D1 soccer programs just hired one of the most successful coaches in collegiate soccer history.

 

[WNYPanther]

You wanna be competitive in the ACC you better be good in basketball, soccer & baseball .... Guess baseball is up next.

 

[Pghfan]

I have a buddy who is a big time soccer fan, coaches at high school level. Loves this hire. I'll take his word for it.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

He left Wake to go to Portland, where he was the head coach of their reserve team, Timbers 2 (think the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for those of you who are local) and an assistant with the senior team.

Well, its not quite fair to equate T2 to the Riverhounds. Their players play for the real-live MLS Cup-bound Portland Timbers, they are just the players who dont play regularly.

But I get what you're saying. I imagine he left Wake to work his way up the ladder in MLS but wants to go back.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Timber2 plays in the exact same league, albeit in the opposite conference, as the Riverhounds. It is the exact same level of soccer. The USL now has the league split up into eastern and western conferences and teams from the two conferences do not play each other to keep the travel down, but it's the same league. For instance the year before when the league was not split in half the Riverhounds played the LA Galaxy reserve team, Galaxy 2 in Los Angeles.

Anyway, this past season the Riverhouds were in the same conference as the reserve teams of the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact. The Riverhounds actually made the playoffs, whereas Toronto's and Montreal's reserve teams did not (they finished well behind the Riverhounds in the standings). In the west, LA and Seattle's reserve teams made the playoffs, Portland, Vancouver and Salt Lake's reserve teams did not. In the six games the Riverhounds played against MLS reserve teams in league play the Riverhounds went 5-1-0. Unfortunately for them, the seventh game was in the playoffs against Red Bulls 2 and they lost in extra time.

So in point of fact, the Riverhounds are exactly the same level as Timbers 2, and this past season the Riverhounds were almost certainly better.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Timber2 plays in the exact same league, albeit in the opposite conference, as the Riverhounds. It is the exact same level of soccer. The USL now has the league split up into eastern and western conferences and teams from the two conferences do not play each other to keep the travel down, but it's the same league. For instance the year before when the league was not split in half the Riverhounds played the LA Galaxy reserve team, Galaxy 2 in Los Angeles.

Anyway, this past season the Riverhouds were in the same conference as the reserve teams of the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact. The Riverhounds actually made the playoffs, whereas Toronto's and Montreal's reserve teams did not (they finished well behind the Riverhounds in the standings). In the west, LA and Seattle's reserve teams made the playoffs, Portland, Vancouver and Salt Lake's reserve teams did not. In the six games the Riverhounds played against MLS reserve teams in league play the Riverhounds went 5-1-0. Unfortunately for them, the seventh game was in the playoffs against Red Bulls 2 and they lost in extra time.

So in point of fact, the Riverhounds are exactly the same level as Timbers 2, and this past season the Riverhounds were almost certainly better.

I know all that. My point was that they are MLS players who play for an MLS team though. I agree that their "level of play" is similar to the Riverhounds.

It would be like if the Steeler reserves played another game on Monday against some minor league football team (if there was such a league).

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I know all that. My point was that they are MLS players who play for an MLS team though.

Some of them are, but many of them are not. What you are saying would be the equivalent of saying that all the guys who play for the Indianapolis Indians are Pittsburgh Pirates players. While some of the Timbers 2 players have played for the Timbers in the past, and some are younger guys who may play for the Timbers in the future, many are guys who will never advance beyond playing for the minor league team.

For most of the MLS teams, and I don't know if Portland is one of them, their USL team is essentially their U-23 team. When a guy from the MLS team is rehabbing from an injury he might get some minutes there for the USL team, but for the most part guys do not move back and forth between the two during the season.

 

[JHud986]

Now we need to get him an on campus soccer field!!!!!!!!!!!!!
H2P and H2J!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Now we need to get him an on campus soccer field!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why, is there something wrong with the one they play on now?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Some of them are, but many of them are not. What you are saying would be the equivalent of saying that all the guys who play for the Indianapolis Indians are Pittsburgh Pirates players. While some of the Timbers 2 players have played for the Timbers in the past, and some are younger guys who may play for the Timbers in the future, many are guys who will never advance beyond playing for the minor league team.

For most of the MLS teams, and I don't know if Portland is one of them, their USL team is essentially their U-23 team. When a guy from the MLS team is rehabbing from an injury he might get some minutes there for the USL team, but for the most part guys do not move back and forth between the two during the season.

I dont really disagree with what you are saying. But, it would be more like if the Pirates AAA team was Pittsburgh Pirates II which included some current Buccos who dont play much, some who are rehabbing, some who will plag for the first team in the future, and some who never will. But the key point is that they practice with and are treated like Pirates (well baseball teams dont really practice but you get the idea).

FWIW, the Timbers have a U23 team also. MLS U23 teams play in the PDL.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

This is big time.

Is it your niece playing in the National League? Or is it Joes? In any event, I have Google Chromecast and watched her game today on my big screen. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Is it your niece playing in the National League? Or is it Joes?

It's mine. I watched their game on the computer this afternoon. I thought they were going to win it. Fun game to watch though. Three games so far, three draws.