Some of the criticism of this team and the coaches is too harsh, in my view.
Here's an example of why: I think most would agree that Arkansas, as a team, was playing really well for much of the season and definitely earned the top seed in the SEC tourney and made it to the SEC championship game. Arkansas consistently played flowing soccer, creating and burying many scoring chances throughout the season, while also putting up a stingy defense. The Hogs got a 3 seed in the NCAA tourney but won only their first round game. They were 17-3-2 going into the second round game but lost to a 12-6-4 NC State team that got the better of them that day. It happens, especially in soccer, where one or two mistakes can cost you a game. Nothing about that result should indicate any reason for degradation of faith in the Hogs' successful approach to building a winning team.
What happened Friday to the Aggies is similar to that stunning Arkansas loss, but less stunning, since the Ags game in unseeded and USC carried the 2 seed. For the most part, in the win over Texas in the first NCAA round and in the loss to USC in the second NCAA round, this Aggie team was really clicking--connecting passes, playing patiently and intelligently, and creating good (some great) scoring opportunities. In my view, other than with respect to two critical defensive lapses, the team as a whole played its best two games in those two NCAA matches. Perhaps watching live versus on a screen gave me a different impression than others. In any event, the Aggie team I saw was matching up step-for-step with USC in terms of talent, speed, and smart soccer, but for those two critical lapses. And that'll cost you a game. It certainly provides little rationale for tearing down the whole coaching approach and starting over.
Here's an example of why: I think most would agree that Arkansas, as a team, was playing really well for much of the season and definitely earned the top seed in the SEC tourney and made it to the SEC championship game. Arkansas consistently played flowing soccer, creating and burying many scoring chances throughout the season, while also putting up a stingy defense. The Hogs got a 3 seed in the NCAA tourney but won only their first round game. They were 17-3-2 going into the second round game but lost to a 12-6-4 NC State team that got the better of them that day. It happens, especially in soccer, where one or two mistakes can cost you a game. Nothing about that result should indicate any reason for degradation of faith in the Hogs' successful approach to building a winning team.
What happened Friday to the Aggies is similar to that stunning Arkansas loss, but less stunning, since the Ags game in unseeded and USC carried the 2 seed. For the most part, in the win over Texas in the first NCAA round and in the loss to USC in the second NCAA round, this Aggie team was really clicking--connecting passes, playing patiently and intelligently, and creating good (some great) scoring opportunities. In my view, other than with respect to two critical defensive lapses, the team as a whole played its best two games in those two NCAA matches. Perhaps watching live versus on a screen gave me a different impression than others. In any event, the Aggie team I saw was matching up step-for-step with USC in terms of talent, speed, and smart soccer, but for those two critical lapses. And that'll cost you a game. It certainly provides little rationale for tearing down the whole coaching approach and starting over.
