最新杏吧原创

Bobby Murphy, who coached 最新杏吧原创 City2 the past two seasons, taking City SC鈥檚 developmental squad to the semifinal round this season, is leaving to take a job as sporting director and coach with a USL League One expansion team.

David Critchley, who had been coach of City SC's U-17 academy team, will take over City2.

Murphy is headed to Maine to oversee the Portland Hearts of Pine, who will begin play in 2025. The USL League One is the third tier of the American soccer pyramid,

More important than City2鈥檚 success on the field this season was the job Murphy did getting players ready to make the jump to the first team, which became very important as City SC was hit by injuries during the season. John Klein, Michael Wentzel and Jayden Reid all earned first-team contracts this season and played key roles for City SC when the club鈥檚 injury list was its longest during the summer. Reid particularly made big steps under Murphy鈥檚 guidance with City2, Mykhi Joyner, one of City SC鈥檚 Homegrown signees, also made major progress this season.

Despite a constantly changing roster, City2 finished with the second-best record in the league and set club records for points in a season (56) and wins (17).

Critchley was one of the early hires of the club in 2021, when all City SC had was its academy program. With MLS Next juggling the age groups for academy programs starting this season and eliminating U-17s, Critchley had been working with all the club's academy teams.

Critchley guided the U-16 team in 2021-22 to the MLS Next semifinals, and with the U-17s the following year got to the quarterfinals. Fourteen of his academy players have played for City2 and 26 have gotten college scholarships. Along the way, he has coached Homegrown signees Caden Glover, Mykhi Joyner and Tyson Pearce. Critchley can claim the distinction of being the first person to coach a City SC team in 最新杏吧原创, as the U-16s were the first game of a doubleheader with the U-17s when they began play in September of 2021.聽

Critchley was born in Liverpool, England, and came to America to play soccer at Oklahoma Wesleyan, and he stayed there as a coach afterwards. He was on the staff with Tulsa in the USL Championship before coming to 最新杏吧原创 as technical director with the Lou Fusz club.

Murphy, meanwhile, is kind of going home. He played soccer and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University and has a master鈥檚 degree in education from Plymouth State in New Hampshire. He was also the soccer coach at the University of Southern Maine.

When 最新杏吧原创 University freshman forward Hope Kim was making her college decision, she narrowed her options down to two schools: SLU and Kansas.

So when those two schools popped up next to each other Monday afternoon as first-round opponents when the NCAA released its bracket for the women鈥檚 soccer tournament, she was, needless to say, a bit surprised.

鈥淚 was just like, wow,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was in shock. I was like, that鈥檚 awesome. Didn鈥檛 know what else to say.鈥�

While SLU coach Katie Shields has a veteran team that will take the field Friday for its NCAA Tournament match with Kansas (13-5-4) at 7 p.m. at Hermann Stadium, Kim stands out as the representative of the next wave of SLU soccer. Over the past nine seasons, SLU (14-1-6) has had 39 first-team all-conference choices, but next season, for the first time since 2016, it won鈥檛 have any returning.

A page is about to turn.

Kim, a freshman from Overland Park, Kansas, just 35 miles from the KU campus, is tied for third on the team in goals with four and tied for third in points with 11. She has started 12 games, including the past nine. Kim is a big part of the future of SLU soccer, and don鈥檛 think she doesn鈥檛 know it.

鈥淚 do,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd I think part of the motivation with each practice right now and each game is I don鈥檛 want this to be my last practice with these girls. I don鈥檛 want this to be my last game. So it鈥檚 a motivating factor, and I think about it, and it鈥檚 going to be a really big loss without the seniors for the next year.鈥�

鈥淲e really needed that kind of a newcomer at forward to step up and to be a contributor,鈥� Shields said. 鈥淎nd I think she鈥檚 just continued to get better, and I know she鈥檒l be pretty motivated on Friday night.鈥�

Making a splash as a freshman runs in Kim鈥檚 family.

Her older brother, Jinwoo, plays basketball at the Naval Academy and was in the starting lineup for the first game of his freshman season, the first player in five seasons to do that at Annapolis. (He hurt his knee in practice before the team鈥檚 sixth game and missed the remainder of the season.)

Hope鈥檚 freshman season started slowly because of a hamstring injury but has picked up speed.

鈥淭he beginning of the year was really difficult for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淐oming into the year culturally was great, and it was honestly a culture shock for me, but soccer-wise, it was really difficult for me. As I kept playing and I wasn鈥檛 injured anymore, I actually got into the groove of things. Things started to fall into place. And I just feel very blessed to have the opportunity to play with the nine seniors that are here because of their experience and their game knowledge, the soccer IQ, the leadership. It really just brings a calmness to me on the field and off the field.鈥�

Kim is one of four players on the SLU roster from Overland Park, the largest suburb of Kansas City, with a population around 200,000. Three of them are freshmen, but it wasn鈥檛 like it was a package deal. Kim and midfielder Addy Lang both went to Blue Valley Southwest High.

鈥淲e went to the same high school,鈥� Kim said, 鈥渁nd we didn鈥檛 talk about going to SLU together. It just happened to be. It was actually Addy that got SLU to come to our games, and that was the reason they saw me. We had no previous interaction, so it was pretty cool.鈥�

Kim said she chose SLU over Kansas because of the culture within the team.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unmatched,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 genuinely like all 30 girls, and I don鈥檛 know how many places you can say that. It鈥檚 special.鈥�

鈥淗ope has really stepped it up,鈥� said forward/midfielder Julia Simon. 鈥淪he is one of the most dangerous (outside attackers) I鈥檝e seen, and she just brings a different type of fun and energy and joy when we were playing with each other. So she鈥檚 been awesome. We love her.鈥�

Kim had the assist on Simon鈥檚 goal against St. Joseph鈥檚 in the A-10 semifinal, but she鈥檚 not proud of it. She was making a run across the front of the goal when a shot by Lucie Schwartz hit her in the back. The ball came off Kim and went to Simon, who scored. Even though she didn鈥檛 mean to, she got an assist on the play.

鈥淲hen I heard my name being called for that, I said, 鈥榃ow, that was insane,鈥欌�� she said.

SLU beat Massachusetts 3-1 on Sunday in the Atlantic 10 tournament final for its seventh straight conference tournament title and seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. For some players, it was a fifth trip, but for Kim, it鈥檚 just the start 鈥� and she hopes not the end.

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to make it 10,鈥� she said of the team鈥檚 streak. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the goal, just plain and simple as that. Just blessed to be around them, blessed to be part of the opportunity.鈥�

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Two 最新杏吧原创ans, one among the most experienced players on the team and the other just getting started, were among the 25 players named to the U.S. national soccer team鈥檚 roster for its upcoming games with Jamaica, including one at CityPark on Nov. 18.

Defender Tim Ream, at 37 the oldest player on the team with an average age of 25, and with 64 appearances, the second-most among the squad, and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, 23 years old and with two caps, were selected. Ream played at St. Dominic High and SLU; Schulte went to Francis Howell High and SLU.

A third 最新杏吧原创an who has been a regular in the national team pool, Josh Sargent, is not on the roster after having surgery last week to repair a groin injury.

The seasons are over for both Ream and Schulte, who play in Major League Soccer. Schulte鈥檚 Columbus Crew was eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Red Bulls in two games and Ream鈥檚 Charlotte team went out on penalty kicks Saturday in decisive Game 3 of its series with Orlando.

This is the third camp for Schulte this year, though he has gotten in only one match as Matt Turner remains the first-choice goalkeeper. Schulte also started all four games for the U.S. at the Summer Olympics.

The United States will face Jamaica in a home-and-home series in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League tournament. The U.S. will play Jamaica in Kingston on Thursday and then come to 最新杏吧原创 after the game to start preparations for the return meeting the following Monday.

These will be the third and fourth games for new U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, and the first in an official competition.

U.S. roster

Goalkeepers: Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona, Spain), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace, England)

Defenders: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse, France), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, England), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati); Joe Scally (Borussia M枚nchengladbach, Germany), Auston Trusty (Celtic, Scotland)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United, England), Gianluca Busio (Venezia, Italy), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis, Spain), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough, England), Yunus Musah (AC Milan, Italy), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon, France), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)

Forwards: Cade Cowell (Guadalajara, Mexico), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, Italy), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey, Mexico), Tim Weah (Juventus, Italy), Alex Zendejas (Club Am茅rica, Mexico)

最新杏吧原创 City SC

最新杏吧原创an Tim Ream will be on roster for U.S. national team for match at CityPark on Nov. 18

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最新杏吧原创 City SC

Opponent set: U.S. men's soccer team will face Jamaica at CityPark on Nov. 18

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最新杏吧原创 University scored twice in the first half and held on to advance to the finals of the Atlantic 10 men鈥檚 soccer tournament with a 2-1 win over top-seeded George Mason on Wednesday in Fairfax, Virginia.

SLU (8-3-8), the No. 6 seed, will face No. 2 Dayton on Sunday at Dayton, Ohio, at 11 a.m. 最新杏吧原创 time, for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The teams met in the final game of the regular season on Nov. 2, with Dayton winning 4-1. Dayton (12-2-3) is ranked fifth nationally and beat Fordham in its semifinal 2-0.

Matthew Wrobel scored in the 32nd minute to put SLU ahead, and Max Floriani headed in a free kick from Luis Lara in the 41st minute to make it 2-0. George Mason looked to have scored in the 65th minute, but it was negated by offsides. The Patriots got a goal on a penalty kick in the 70th minute.

Goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel made five saves to preserve the win for SLU. Earlier in the day, Abonnel was named the A-10鈥檚 goalkeeper of the year. Abonnel earned first team all-conference honors along with Floriani and Seth Anderson, with Lara and Joey Maher making the second team.

Abonnel leads the A-10 and is tied for second nationally in shutouts with nine. His 0.76 goals-against average is 11th nationally.

SLU, with an RPI of 49 (though going up after the win over Mason) will almost certainly need to win the conference final to make the 48-team NCAA Tournament field. Dayton is the defending A-10 tournament champion, with SLU winning the two installments before that.

最新杏吧原创 University鈥檚 women鈥檚 soccer team鈥檚 win over Massachusetts on Sunday not only gave the Billikens their seventh straight Atlantic 10 Conference title, it also probably made the difference between SLU being at home in the first round or having to go on the road.

鈥淪ure did,鈥� said SLU coach Katie Shields. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what the committee definitely told us.鈥�

SLU got a No. 8 seed, the lowest seed that gets to host a first-round game, as the NCAA field was announced on Monday. It will play Kansas at 7 p.m. Friday at Hermann Stadium. If SLU wins, barring a parade of upsets in its part of the bracket, it will be on the road, most likely heading to Los Angeles, where No. 1 seed Southern California (15-1-3) awaits, assuming it gets past Sacramento State (5-6-9) in its first game.

SLU was No. 21 in the NCAA鈥檚 rating percentage index and could have expected better, but the selection committee did vary from the RPI positions often in assigning seeds; Western Michigan, which was one spot above SLU at No. 20, was unseeded and plays a No. 5 seed, Michigan State, in the first round. Meanwhile, Pepperdine, 18 spots below SLU at 39th in the RPI, got a seven seed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all good,鈥� Shields said. 鈥淗appy to be seeded; happy to be at home.鈥�

SLU has a 14-1-6 record and is unbeaten in its past 16 games but got a tough draw in Kansas. The Jayhawks (13-5-4), under first-year coach Nate Lie, have won eight in a row, culminating in the Big 12 championship on Sunday, knocking off the top three seeds in the conference to win it. The Jayhawks were No. 27 in the RPI.

鈥淜ansas is a great team,鈥� Shields said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e super-familiar with a lot of their team, just being close by. (Midfielder) Elise Le played for their coach for four years at Xavier, so there鈥檚 a lot of familiarity.鈥�

There鈥檚 also familiarity because Shields has recruited heavily out of the Kansas City area. Five SLU players, including two starters in defender Sophia Stram and forward Hope Kim, are from the greater Kansas City area. (Kansas has no players from 最新杏吧原创.)

鈥淚t鈥檒l be familiar but not friendly,鈥� Shields said.

鈥淚 know a couple of the girls,鈥� said Stram, who鈥檚 from Kansas City but wasn鈥檛 recruited by Kansas. 鈥淲e have a lot of Overland Park, Kansas, girls on our team, so it鈥檒l be fun for them to see familiar faces, I鈥檓 sure.鈥�

This will be the third consecutive season SLU has opened the NCAA Tournament at home after being a No. 6 seed last season and a No. 2 the year before that. SLU, the only A-10 school to make the tournament, faced Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, losing on the road 2-1 in overtime.

鈥淏eing a seeded team is an incredible testament to the consistency of our women in our program,鈥� Shields said, 鈥渁nd then obviously that means you get to play at home, which we鈥檙e thrilled about. ... I still think that we have our best soccer in front of us because that鈥檚 what we鈥檝e been doing over the past two, two-ish, weeks.鈥�

Missouri State (13-4-3) won the Missouri Valley Conference championship and will face No. 3 seed Iowa (13-2-5) in the first round on Friday. Lindenwood won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, which normally would have given it an automatic berth in the field of 64, but the NCAA makes teams ineligible to compete in the tournament in the first four years of moving from Division II to Division I; this is Year 3 for Lindenwood.

In the Division III tournament, Washington University (17-0-2) will face DePauw in the first round at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Francis Field, and if it won would face either Wisconsin-La Crosse or Simpson at 7 p.m. Sunday in the second round. Washington U. lost in the championship game last season.

The Division II field will be announced next Monday.

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