2008 Returning Players

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Seniors: 44 wins in 3 years - would need an 18 win season to break school record for wins by a class (61 by both '05 and '07)

#2 Mike Porter - 6-1/165 - Defender/Midfield - 3 year letterman - Las Cruces, NM (Las Cruces HS)

I have a substantial exchange (disagreement really) with blogger Albuquerque about Porter in the comments section of the 2007 Re-Cap post below so I won't re-hash it all here. Suffice to say I really like Mike Porter and what he contributes to the club. Porter is a classic defensive central midfielder who is also called upon to play stopper at times. His play in both those roles will be a key for the teams overall success in '08 as defense will continue to be the Lobo's strength and claim to be a final four team. When he's disrupting, holding and distributing in the middle third the team's possession game is at its best and they are the most dangerous/productive.

#12 Chris Wright - 6-5/200 - Forward/Midfield - 3 year letterman - Fair Oaks, CA (Jesuit)

Wright was named the 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year. He led the MPSF in scoring (28 points) and goals (12). Wright currently has 20 career goals and is tied for seventh on UNM's all-time list. 

I have said that I believe that Chris is mostly an opportunist with medium ability to hold, distribute and create for himself. He's shown improvement going for 2/0; 6/3; and 12/4 goals/assists in his first 3 years. With his strengths and weaknesses he needs to be paired with guys that complement - both upfront and in attacking midfield. Last year we mostly saw him paired with Diego Barrera, PJ Wilson, and Blake Danaher who were not consistently creative, especially against the better clubs. 

#16 Jack Smithson - 5-9/145 - Midfield - 3 year letterman - Chicago, IL (Hinsdale Central)

Jack has been surprising me for three years. He overcomes his slight build with very good ball skills, speed, and tenacity. A solid cog in the team, whether starting or off the bench, Jack will always contribute.

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Juniors: 26 wins in 2 years - this is a great class that will, depending upon their continuing development will make or break the success of the club for the next two years.

#3 Simon Ejdemyr - 6-3/190 - Defender - 2 year letterman - Boras, Sweden (Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet)

Simon played with and learned a lot about being a central defender from Andrew Boyens his freshman year. Together with Tierney and Porter, Simon dominated the middle in 2007. There is nothing to suggest that won't be the case in '08. There is speculation on the blogs that Simon may leave early. I have no way of knowing if this is the case but if he has that in mind then he'll work to be even better in all facets of the game.

Did you notice that Simon takes all the PKs. 

#6 Zach Tierney - 6-1/175 - Defender/Midfield - 2 year letterman - Wildwood, MO (Christian Brothers)

Zach is another great player out of the St. Louis area. The "stopper," he is key to the central strength of this team with Porter and Ejdemyr. He has the strength and speed to match up with the opposition's best offensive players. Zach also has great ball skills and instincts. With him also we have heard speculation of an early departure.

#7 Justin Davis - 6-0/170 - Defender/Midfield - 2 year letterman - Avondale, AZ (Westview HS)

Can't help it - JD is my favorite player for two years running! As a freshman he played left back and moved forward into left attacking midfield as a sophomore where he produced 13 points (5 goals and 3 assists). Watch for a huge year and first team MPSF honors in 2008. It's like he has no fear/no conscience to go along with speed, strength and skills. I think he is destined to be a professional player. 

#9 Stephen Brown - /165 - Defender/Midfield - 2 year letterman - Arlington, TX (James Martin HS)

Stephen moved from midfield as a freshman where he was dangerous going forward to left back as a sophomore. He helped solidify the back with his speed and physical ability. He has good ball skills which makes possession coming out of the back pretty routine. He also is dangerous on the occasions that he attacks from there. I think he is a steady guy who plays system ball.

#11 PJ Wilson - 5-11/175 - Forward - 2 year letterman - Fort Wayne, IN (Canterbury HS)

PJ is a witch with the ball at his feet and he has a great shot. The field is clear for him to have a great junior year statistically - I would not be surprised to see a 10 goal 5 assist campaign from him. PJ has the intangibles you need out of a goal scorer. Combined with Chris Wright some returning players and newcomers I suspect that the problem finishing that hurt the club in key moments last year will be remedied.

#24 Charles Conway - 6-1/190 - Defender/Midfield - Transfered in for sophomore season from Arizona Western JC - Albuquerque, NM

Did not play in 2007. I don't know much about Charles. Anyone have info?

#14 Bryan Sajjadi - 5-6/155 - Midfield - Arlington, Texas (James Martin HS)

Played only 83 minutes up front in 2007 after playing 325 in '06. Diego Barrera coming in for his senior season probably had something to do with that but couldn't have been the only reason. He was fit all year as far as I know. Brian has very good soccer pedigree out of Texas. He has skills and grit but is small in stature. Size by itself is not an excluding factor for soccer players but it is something that has to be overcome. It will be interesting to see if Brian gets to see more of the field in '08. We'll be watching.

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Sophomores: 12 wins in 1 year - only Reed (a redshirt) and Farquharson played significant, crucial minutes in 2007. Others will need to step up to continue the clubs winning ways in the next few years. Who's it going to be?

#00 Justin Fite - 6-2/175 - Goalkeeper - DNP in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Spring, TX (Klein Collins HS)

Will compete to replace four year starting goalkeeper Mike Grazcyk. May have a leg up now that fellow redshirt sophomore Eric Staver has undergone shoulder surgery. Will have to compete with two incoming keepers (see previous post) as well as Staver.

#00 Eric Staver - 6-1/185 - Goalkeeper - Played 75 minutes in 2 games in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Portage, MI (Portage Northern HS)

The only GK not named Graczyk to see action in the past couple of years. Will compete with Fite and two newcomers to replace MG. Needs to overcome off-season shoulder season. I don't have any specific insights on how the GK situation will shape up in 2008. Will be looking on with interest.

#10 Michael Reed - 6-0/175 - Midfield - Played 741 minutes in 17 games in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Albuquerque, NM (Sandia HS)

There's no doubt that Michael has Division 1 talent and is local favorite but I'm not sure where he best fits in. He saw most of his time in the middle spelling Porter or David G. It always appeared to me that this was a down-grade. Michael has skills in the attacking half of the field and he's a sturdy guy but I'm concerned by 3 things I saw regularly: unforced turnovers, poor positioning, and lack of speed. That said he made improvement as the season progressed on all fronts and I began having more confidence in him when he was on the pitch. He's a big question mark for me.




#15 Joel Theissen - 5-7/175 - Midfield - DNP in 2007 (Redshirt?) - Windsor, New South Wales (AIS)

Joel was inactive all year. Not sure if he was redshirted or not. Don't know much about him. Any info?



  

#17 Ryan Farquharson - 6-1/180 - Defender/Midfield - 1 year letterman - Phoenix, AZ (North Canyon HS)

Ryan started and all 19 games at right back as a freshman as part of the stalwart Lobo defense. He played the third most minutes on the club behind only defense mates Simon and Zach. What I like about Ryan (and Fishbein's system) is that he is a back with ball skills in a system that works to build from the back. Ryan has speed, size and good positioning. I expect him to continue his development as part of one of the nation's best defenses. 

#18 James Urbany - 5-9/150 - Defender/Midfield - Played 130 minutes in 8 games in 2007 - South Bend, IN (St. Joseph's HS)

I don't know much about James. His limited time on the field in 2007 was rarely in crucial times. 

#19 Andrew Parsons - 6-2/170 - Defender/Midfield - Played 98 minutes in 6 games in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Springfield, MO (Glendale HS)

I don't know much about Andrew.

#21 Gardner Morrow - 5-10 / 165 - Forward - Played 89 minutes in 6 games in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Shelburne, VT (Champlain Valley HS)

I don't know much about Gardner but I do have positive recollection about his limited time on the pitch. He may be one to watch in the mix up front in 2008.

#23 Dominique Romero - 5-10/155 Midfield - Played 121 minutes in 6 games in 2007/Redshirt in first year - Albuquerque, NM (La Cueva HS)

I don't know much about Dominique either. As I said the sophomores this year are mostly a question mark. Every team in the nation has the same situation where guys will work hard to get in the action and make a difference and then we'll spend a lot of time talking about them. Others will fade away.