UNC Soccer: A program to finally remember?
Editors Note: With great pleasure I’d like to introduce Avery Claudon who is trying out to become Keeping It Heel’s new soccer writer.
It’s no great secret; fans of UNC athletics are undeniably spoiled. The fabled Basketball team is a national powerhouse, the baseball team is a frequent visitor to the College World Series, and the football team is one of the up and coming major programs in the land. There’s plenty of reason for pride and optimism in the Tar Heel Nation.
For all of the success enjoyed by these more established sports, fans have a tendency to forget the merits of the soccer program. They take no blame here. Soccer is not established as a major sport in North Carolina, and the populace is more than willing to hold onto the cherished American Sports. The more established sports have the coverage and the resources to remain entrenched, but as the soccer culture grows in America, support for the program will grow as well.
For now, the recognition goes to every other major sport, and then to the women’s program. Perhaps this is for a good reason. National championships and lucrative television coverage keep the established order. The only way up is via winning the College Cup.
The Men’s Soccer team has a marvelous history, being the defending national champion with a previous national championship in 2001 and the constant label of an elite program. The Heels have a number of players in the MLS, with Chicago Fire veteran Logan Pause, past All-Star Corey Ashe, and current All-Star Michael Farfan being among the most notable. They are doubtless a program worthy of pride. While they are not as successful as a few other programs (notably on the west coast), there may be a change in the winds to promote the program from its current status as mere “consistent contender” to “crown prince awaiting coronation.”
The men’s soccer team is the defending national champion, and there is every reason to believe that the NCAA Title could be due for a long stay in Chapel Hill. Names like Enzo Martinez, Ben Speas, Kirk Urso, and Billy Schuler have recently graced the Men’s Roster, and with their MLS SuperDraft pedigree fresh in the minds of recruits, Coach Carlos Somoano looks poised to kick the Tar Heel talent machine into high gear.
The Tar Heels have shown the quality and the confidence to win the top collegiate prize, and Somoano’s leadership could be the missing piece which boosts the men’s Heels into the role of top team in Men’s College Soccer. Despite being a perennial power in the ACC and having premier talent on the roster, the men’s Heels have only one previous championship, unlike their female counterparts. In Somoano’s debut season at the helm, his team won both ACC and NCAA titles, appearing to break the apparent curse on the program.
Not only do the Heels know how to win, but they also employ a team mentality and strategy which is the present flavor par excellence in world football. The possession-based passing-intensive game which has for decades been a mainstay at European clubs has conquered the world with Spain and Barcelona, and now is the weapon of choice for the Tar Heels. The team steadily garners acclaim not only for talent and execution, but also for style and entertainment value.
With a coach who seems more than capable of providing the typical Tar Heel caliber of performance, as well as an exciting style and the new-found confidence to go all the way, the Men’s Heels are ready to assume the throne. And let’s be honest: do they belong anywhere else?
As supporters of a UNC Athletics Program, is it time for us to assume the mantle of Fortune’s Most Favored Fans for another sport? I think so, and I know of 12 men on a soccer pitch who will agree with me.
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