Men's soccer ranked #7 in the country

[RC]

College soccer news ranked SMU #7 in the country in their preseason poll.

http://www.collegesoccernews.com/index_ ... ge0001.htm

[GrapevineMustang]

Not a bad write-up. Ugo Ihemelu is indeed a true star who should be up for All-America honors (I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get it), and could be an outside candidate for the Hermann Trophy. He's not flashy, but he's extremely consistent and can do everything. He has speed and strength, and he's a very smart player who doesn't make mistakes. He's the anchor.

T.J. Tomasso is a very talented goalkeeper who had a rollercoaster year last season. Whether it was confidence, injuries .... I'm not sure. When he's "on" he's terrific. But they do have a top-flight goalie recruit coming in who, if nothing else, should push Tomasso, if not take the job outright.

The main concern is on the front line. Kellen Zindel and Duke Hashimoto are creative, gifted players, but their lack of size is a problem, as they can be pushed around by bigger defenders (although Zindel plays bigger than he is.) Ryan Latham has size and lots of talent, but needs to be more consistent. This is one area where newcomers will have to step in and produce right away.

Unsung hero of this team is David Chung. Like Ihemelu, he's not flashy. But he's a technically superior player who is the team's best passer since Diego Walsh, and he's lethal on free kicks.

Looking forward to the season.