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SMU Men's Soccer Announces Four Signees
Class includes two from website's National Top 100 list

Feb. 10, 2009

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU men's soccer head coach Tim McClements announced Monday the signing of four standout high school players for the 2009 recruiting class.

"We're very excited about the players we signed this year," McClements said. "This is a well-balanced class that provides depth and competition at every position. This class is very high in quality, and we think these players will have a great impact on our program in the fall."

Ben Hill is a forward from Coppell High School who also plays club soccer for the Dallas Texans.

"Ben is a prolific goal scorer from Coppell High School who is the leading scorer in school history. He's a very athletic, physical scorer who will be a good complement to our current forwards. He has played on the Dallas Texans club team with several of our current players, including Arthur Ivo, and was an NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-America this year."

Blake Milton is a midfielder/forward from Klein High School outside of Houston who plays club soccer for the Texas Soccer Club.

"Blake is a speedy flank player who also has the ability to play forward," McClements said. "His pace and athleticism will be a great asset to our team, and he helps us maintain a pipeline of top South Texas players coming to SMU."

T.J. Nelson is defender/forward from Garland, Texas, who plays for Sachse High School and the North Texas Strikers club team in the Dallas Classic League. The No. 45 player on topdrawersoccer.com's list of the top 100 players in the nation, Nelson plays forward for his club team, is a defender for the Region III ODP (Olympic Development Program) and played on the Under-17 National Team.

"T.J. is an extremely versatile player who comes to SMU with Under-17 National Team experience," McClements said. "He has been a standout player in the Classic League and in the Region III ODP program, and is ranked as one of the top recruits in the nation."

Two national top 100s in a four-man freshman class? That's sensational.

Here is some more info about our new class. As I said in the other thread, transfer Josue Soto, from all I have read, is really the key addition to the team for 2009 although the new freshman are a decent class. I wonder what our roster will look like next fall as there are bound to be some casualties from the recent large classes. I believe it is good that we are only bringing in a total of 7 new players but I guess there could be some additional transfers later in the spring.

http://www.dallassoccernews.com/teams/s ... le_id=2222

More on Josue Soto

http://www.gocamels.com/ViewArticle.dbm ... ID=1378896

mustangbill67 wrote:Here is some more info about our new class. As I said in the other thread, transfer Josue Soto, from all I have read, is really the key addition to the team for 2009 although the new freshman are a decent class. I wonder what our roster will look like next fall as there are bound to be some casualties from the recent large classes. I believe it is good that we are only bringing in a total of 7 new players but I guess there could be some additional transfers later in the spring.

http://www.dallassoccernews.com/teams/s ... le_id=2222

How is it "more information" when it's exactly what's written on SMUMustangs.com?

The Soccer News article is taken from the official press release , which is broader than the PP quote from the release above as it contains info on Bryon Ponce that PP did not include. What is not in the SMU release is the picture of Joseu Soto although it mis-identifies him as Joseu Garcia. It also quotes McClements as saying "the main thing, we wanted to bring in players that will be a good fit for the program. We think some of these players will push for starting postions."

mustangbill67 wrote:Here is some more info about our new class. As I said in the other thread, transfer Josue Soto, from all I have read, is really the key addition to the team for 2009 although the new freshman are a decent class. I wonder what our roster will look like next fall as there are bound to be some casualties from the recent large classes. I believe it is good that we are only bringing in a total of 7 new players but I guess there could be some additional transfers later in the spring.

http://www.dallassoccernews.com/teams/s ... le_id=2222

I really know nothing about the new recruits and depend on the soccer folks on here to let me know how we did. But there was comment you made that made me curious. It is highlighted above. Isn't two players in the top 100 nationally more than just decent?

mathman wrote:

mustangbill67 wrote:Here is some more info about our new class. As I said in the other thread, transfer Josue Soto, from all I have read, is really the key addition to the team for 2009 although the new freshman are a decent class. I wonder what our roster will look like next fall as there are bound to be some casualties from the recent large classes. I believe it is good that we are only bringing in a total of 7 new players but I guess there could be some additional transfers later in the spring.

http://www.dallassoccernews.com/teams/s ... le_id=2222

I really know nothing about the new recruits and depend on the soccer folks on here to let me know how we did. But there was comment you made that made me curious. It is highlighted above. Isn't two players in the top 100 nationally more than just decent?

Based on the classes reported by other recognized soccer powers, I doubt that our class is top 10 or even top 20. As far as highly ranked players we have done better in the past in my opinion. I hold SMU to a very high perhaps unrealistic standard in recruiting. Getting number 45 and 92 does not put us at an elite recruiting level. The transfers help alot this year. We got a very good class but not a great class. Just my opinion based on following college soccer recruiting and SMU in particular for many years.

About not having a large recruiting class this year. It's probably a good thing. Considering the fact that over the past four years, about a third of the players that were brought in washed out and the fact that we will have a lot of red shirt juniors and seniors means more playing time for the guys that are here. The new players coming in, especially the transfers are going to fill need areas and should make an instant impact. From looking at who we got, the midfield and forward positions just got stronger. If we found a true number 10 and number 9 player in this class, scoring will be up this year, and that is where we were hurting last year with the loss of Bruno and Geppart.

I completely agree. Smaller is better for 2009.

mustangbill67 wrote:I completely agree. Smaller is better for 2009.

Winning is best.
Let's hope last years miserable performance will be turned around this year with a final four (NCAA tourney) appearance or the appearance of a new coach for the following season. It's time SO starts making a real effort to be 'top 25' in all we do.

GO PONIES!!!

redpony wrote:

mustangbill67 wrote:I completely agree. Smaller is better for 2009.

Winning is best.
Let's hope last years miserable performance will be turned around this year with a final four (NCAA tourney) appearance or the appearance of a new coach for the following season. It's time SO starts making a real effort to be 'top 25' in all we do.

GO PONIES!!!

I have been following SMU soccer for over 30 years and can only recall two final four appearances although i admit my memory could be failing me. Why would the failure to make the final four be a firing offense? I admit if we have another season like the previous one, a thorough review needs to be made concerning whether this program is headed in the right direction and appropriate coaching decisions made.

I agree, an appearance in the NCAA tourney 3 out of 4 years, is the minimum level of competence to keep your job as soccer coach at SMU. You should also win at least a first round game every other year. After that, luck, injuries, and match-ups will dictate the final outcome. Remember we lost in first round twice to the eventual champion when we went in ranked #1. And we lost in the Final Four to the eventual champion. I said 3/4 years because to be realistic, you can't expect a championship every year in the CUSA which is in my opinion one of the top five conferences in Soccer with So. Carolina, SMU, Tulsa, UAB, Kentucky, and Memphis. The others are the BE,ACC, PAC 10 and Missouri Valley Conference. I think the Big Ten other than Indiana is not that good.

gk00dad wrote:About not having a large recruiting class this year. It's probably a good thing. Considering the fact that over the past four years, about a third of the players that were brought in washed out and the fact that we will have a lot of red shirt juniors and seniors means more playing time for the guys that are here. The new players coming in, especially the transfers are going to fill need areas and should make an instant impact. From looking at who we got, the midfield and forward positions just got stronger. If we found a true number 10 and number 9 player in this class, scoring will be up this year, and that is where we were hurting last year with the loss of Bruno and Geppart.

I have read that Josue Soto is a true 10
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.js ... &team=t200

Good find.

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