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Under Rated Players On the SMU soccer team

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Under Rated Players On the SMU soccer team

Postby SMUSOCCERFAN » Tue May 23, 2006 2:59 pm

who doesnt get enough credit for their play on the SMU team??
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Postby PonyPride » Tue May 23, 2006 11:55 pm

Several. In a way, you could make a case for the fact that just about all of the players don't get enough individual credit, because Coach Hyndman is extraordinary at teaching the value of the team being better than a group of individuals (for example, this year's squad was a better team than the team that spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in the country a few years ago -- not as talented, but a better team.) However, since you asked:

David Chun: He didn't score like Duke Hashimoto, so he didn't get the pub that the C-USA Player of the Year did. But his ability to possess the ball in the midfield, including in heavy traffic, was instrumental to the team's success last year. He's going to be tough to replace.

Bruno Guarda: Like Chun, he was overshadowed by a forward -- in his case, Paulo da Silva, the freshman forward who exploded at the end of the season with a flurry of goals. But when Guarda meshed with Chun in the midfield, the Ponies had two technically skilled midfielders who could possess the ball in traffic, and he added an extra element of speed and athleticism when getting forward as an extra scoring threat. Coach Hyndman said he's going to be an All-America before he's through at SMU. I agree.

Daniel Lopez: The former midfielder switched to defender and played with great poise for a freshman. Mistakes were very few and far between -- his future is bright.

Chase Wileman: The junior midfielder waited his turn this year, splitting time, but brought a real aggressiveness to the midfield. Very strong and athletic -- plays a little like Jake Jackson. Should be a significant cog in the offense as a senior.

Mynor Gonzalez: Very deceiving player -- he always looks like he's playing half-speed, as if he's almost asleep. But he's a very technically sound defender, and even in his jogging style, he's one of the fastest players on the team, allowing him to close ground when he (or someone else) gets beat. Also very experienced, having played with the Guatemalan national team.

Ryan Mirsky: Big, athletic defender. Pairing him with Jay Needham gave the Ponies a pair of strong defenders with the size to protect the front of the net. The SMU defense improved significantly after Mirsky joined the starting lineup.
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Postby Dement-ed » Wed May 24, 2006 9:07 am

Bruno Guarda was the best player on the field in some games.

And I know he gets a lot of pub, but there have been games where Jay Needham simply takes his guy out of the game. He's amazing to watch.
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Postby SMUSOCCERFAN » Wed May 24, 2006 4:14 pm

i would have to agree with you PonyPride in some cases. My answer to my question would be Bruno Guarda and Chase Wileman. They seem to be the ones who can keep the ball most for the team when others panic. I think Bruno and Chase are going to have a break out year this fall. Bruno being a sophomore and Chase a senior who has waited his turn behind other seniors. I am looking forward to seeing these two play together for long spells.
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Postby Lotus » Wed May 24, 2006 6:44 pm

I only saw a couple of games last year, but I'd have two votes:

Dario Saintus -- his raw speed adds another wrinkle that can't be emulated. Kid can fly, but contrary to what I originally thought, he's not just a sprinter. He's pretty dangerous in the offensive end.

Schellas Hyndman -- he's [deleted] his players, and some of them get upset about it (like players on every team), but he's fair and keeps the interest of his team at heart better than any coach I know of in any sport. There's not a player on the team who would be a better player without Hyndman -- there's a reason he's won so many games.
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Postby EastStang » Thu May 25, 2006 8:19 am

Matt Wilemon the walk-on goalkeeper certainly showed he belonged last year. Sandbo is supposed to be a real stud as well. So we are deep between the posts as well. We should be strong up the middle this year at fullback, halfback and goal. From watching the Maryland game, it appears that the one thing that is missing from this team is size. Hopefully some of the underclassmen have been hitting the weights for the coming season. We need to be not only fast, but strong to get through the meatgrinder NCAA tournament.
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