July 2009 Archives

So just who will be the 2009 Preseason Player of the Year?

Here are some names that come to mind off the top of my head:

Nick Janus, Lake Zurich
Billy McGuinness, Lyons
Luis Ortega, West Chicago
Harry Shipp, Lake Forest
Alex Perez, Streamwood
Chris Boswell, Naperville North
Bryan Ciesiulka, Neuqua Valley
Marco Guttierrez, St. Joseph
Emanuel Guzman, Lane

And did you know all but one of them will be showcased in the 2009 Pepsi Showdown?

Last year, it was Larkin.

People laughed at me, but at the end of the day - the Royals showed what they were made of.

So folks, who will be the surprise team this fall? Let me know your thoughts, and I'll tell you mine next week.

The bracket for the 2009 Pepsi Showdown, the largest high school boys soccer tournament in the Midwest, will be announced on Saturday, August 8.

Who will be the No. 1 seed?

Here is the list of teams...

I remember back in the summer of 2000, the cool thing for boys soccer players was to skip high school and play year round.

That is now the fad for girls soccer players, skip high school and play year round.

But as we enter the 2009 boys soccer season, which officially kicks off in less than 45 days, I ask this: Is it still cool for boys soccer players to skip the high school season and play year round?

I think that fad is dead, and there are reasons why.