Perplexed Ag said:

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Talent vs coaching. G's performance has been mediocre to poor and considering he has the run of Texas for recruiting he seems unable, except for 2014 to reach any level of high performance considering the talent he can get. This program should never have down years and should just reload.

Perhaps it is time for a change in scenery for both G and the program both?

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A change of scenery for both G and the program both (sic)?

Where would you like to move the program (the change of scenery you suggest)?

The implication that G needs a change of scenery, due to one unsuccessful season, is laughable. First, G has a contract with the University (yes, I'd guess there is a buy-out provision) through at least 2019, possibly 2020. But there is not one earthly reason to support terminating him.

As noted by several above, this season is a disappointment. For all of us, but far less for us than for the players and coaches. At the risk of redundancy - below is the perfect summary (thanks to CDub)-

The truth is that we have had ONE bad season in this program's history. This season is awful, but A&M has been to 21 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and we have been spoiled by success. There are only 4 other teams that have gone to 20 consecutive tournaments (UNC, Virginia, Penn State, Notre Dame).


The vast majority of teams have down years from time to time. UCLA is one of the winningest programs in the sport and they missed the tournament just last year (that same year we went to the Elite Eight) with an 8-10-1 record. And just look at all of that California talent...

Florida has missed the tournament twice during our run. Teams like Florida State and Stanford aren't on that list either.

The fact that G and his staff built this program and have sustained this success is nothing short of impressive. Starting a program from scratch is incredibly hard and so is sustaining success. Remember when Portland and Santa Clara were perennial powers? What happened to them? These are soccer schools.

As for having the run of Texas - maybe yes, maybe no.

Our great state produces a fair amount of excellent talent, but not necessarily the consistently best talent. And whether we like it or not, there is stiff competition for the top talent, even within Texas. Our starting line up for the great College Cup 2014 team included two Californians, and one player each from Missouri, Arizona, South Dakota and Colorado. Half of the starting line up was from out of state (unless I missed somebody). We can take this conversation to the recruiting board, but the point is, "having the run of Texas" is neither accurate or relevant.

Much of what unfolded this season could not have been predicted. Ally Watt's redshirt has had more impact than might have been expected. Being without Stephanie Malherbe during spring and pre-season, and then her subsequent injury was very difficult. The onslaught of injuries has been devastating. Some of our "star" players have underperformed significantly. We were fortunate to even have the services of Miki Harvey, who could just as easily have redshirted with Ally Watt to play in the U20 World Cup. We think WE have any right to complain? Look what she sacrificed to play for A&M this season.

There are still some winnable games left on the schedule, and the chance of making the SEC Tournament still exists. While I am disappointed with the current trend and recognize the season will not be successful, I still support the staff and players, and believe they all want to do what is needed to finish as strong as possible.

Since this discussion about the season has morphed into a debate about Coach G's future at A&M, I want to make it clear that I am not in the "fire Coach G" camp. I will admit that in years past I seriously questioned whether he had the coaching ability to get A&M to the College Cup and compete for a national title. However, after the last two years, with an appearance in the College Cup in '14 and an improbable run to the Elite 8 in '15, I think he has shown the ability to get this program to that elite level. It certainly took too long in my opinion and he wasted some incredibly talented teams ('06 and '07 for example) that should have been in the College Cup, but I think he finally found a formula for success.

The real question is will he be able to recruit at a high enough level to keep A&M at the top of the SEC and in turn receive high seeds in the NCAA tournament in order to get back to the elite level? He does have a strong class coming in next year and I have high hopes for the '18 and '19 classes as well, but you do have to consistently sign strong classes year after year to compete with the Stanfords and Florida States of the soccer world. This year's freshmen class, while at first glance seemed to be a much stronger group than anticipated, has now performed at about the level expected considering their individual prospect rankings. I do think that Arrieta and Piper have been much better than their ranking but on the other hand there are a few players in the class that have disappointed based on what I saw at the club level - so in the end it balances out to a below average class by Coach G's historical standards. And when you combine the fact that most of these freshmen have been forced into starting roles (or major minutes) before they were ready due to redshirts and severe injuries to expected starters, you get about what we've seen this season - a .500 or below team. A&M did not have the quality depth needed to stay at a high level in the SEC or nationally.

Penaltykick makes a great point about talent in Texas. While the state does produce some good prospects, it pales in comparison to California. A&M's best teams have had about half its starters from out of state, usually either top talent from states like Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, etc. or the second tier talent from California (which is usually even better than Texas' top talent unfortunately). Texas has about 1-2 elite prospects per year while California has about 10-15 elite prospects per year. That makes it difficult for Coach G because it puts tremendous pressure on him to land the 1-2 Texas kids, which he has struggled to do at times when competing against Stanford, Duke, UNC, etc. because of their elite academics. So it forces him to cherry pick certain states and then take whatever is left in California after Stanford, UCLA, Cal, UNC, Virginia, Duke, and even Penn State get their pick of the litter. I actually think he has a good eye for talent and has produced some gems (see Ally Watt) and then develops some 2-3 stars from Texas into 4-5 star types during their time at A&M. He is especially good at recruiting and developing elite GKs, which is a critical position on any soccer team. But again, the key to keeping the program at a high level that we've all grown accustomed to is to recruit at a near elite level. And that has been a challenge over the years. It's no coincidence that A&M's best teams ('07, '14) were full of elite talent that were usually the result of 1 incredible Top 3-5 class that were seniors and experienced.

This has been a difficult season for all of us, but this is the first really disastrous type year under Coach G where everything has gone against us so I think he has earned some slack. However, like I posted earlier, he does need to address the chemistry, physical makeup, and fundamentals of the game in the offseason and have his team focused and ready for the '17 season. He's had 2 disappointing SEC seasons in a row now (people sometimes forget we finished 6th last year before our great run in the tourney) so he does need to improve dramatically next year and compete for the conference title which will position them for a great run in the NCAAs as well.