EVEN PLAYING FIELD
July 27, 2011 10:14 AM | General
West Virginia University coach Marlon LeBlanc believes the 9.9 scholarship rule in men’s soccer has provided more parity in his sport. There have been 14 different national champions over the course of the last 25 years, including last year’s champion Akron from the Mid-American Conference.
“There was a time period in the 1970s when St. Louis went on a huge run, and then there was a time period when Indiana went on a huge run,” he said. “Then (Virginia) in the early ‘90s went on a run, but now with the evolution of our league right through all the way to the youth game, there have been a lot more better players and the haves aren’t just UVA, Indiana and the big schools that are always there.”
Akron winning last year’s NCAA title has made those not too familiar with the sport take notice.
“There is more room for the Akrons and the Santa Barbaras and the West Virginias to break through, because while we were playing catch-up, there is also a bigger pool of kids out there than years ago,” he explained.
LeBlanc said Akron is the perfect example of a soccer program maximizing their resources.
“Akron had a very, very rich tradition of success in college soccer,” LeBlanc said. “They may not have won a national title but they’ve been to the Final Four before. They are not in a BCS conference, but compared to West Virginia, the tradition is left and right, you’re talking about McCain and Obama here.”
However, West Virginia is coming off its third trip to the NCAA tournament in the last five years under LeBlanc and the Mountaineers have an impressive cast of players returning in 2011.
LeBlanc said his goal is to continue to develop a reputation of having a program that produces professional players.
“We’ve had scouts coming in to watch our kids play because they feel like they are getting a good foundation, and that translates to the next level,” LeBlanc said. “We like to think of ourselves as a really good place to develop talent.”
Training camp for men’s soccer opens in August and the Mountaineers will be put to the test right away with early season matches against Virginia, Maryland and UC-Santa Barbara, all on the road.
LeBlanc owns a 52-31-18 overall record heading into his sixth season at WVU.
“There was a time period in the 1970s when St. Louis went on a huge run, and then there was a time period when Indiana went on a huge run,” he said. “Then (Virginia) in the early ‘90s went on a run, but now with the evolution of our league right through all the way to the youth game, there have been a lot more better players and the haves aren’t just UVA, Indiana and the big schools that are always there.”
Akron winning last year’s NCAA title has made those not too familiar with the sport take notice.
“There is more room for the Akrons and the Santa Barbaras and the West Virginias to break through, because while we were playing catch-up, there is also a bigger pool of kids out there than years ago,” he explained.
LeBlanc said Akron is the perfect example of a soccer program maximizing their resources.
“Akron had a very, very rich tradition of success in college soccer,” LeBlanc said. “They may not have won a national title but they’ve been to the Final Four before. They are not in a BCS conference, but compared to West Virginia, the tradition is left and right, you’re talking about McCain and Obama here.”
However, West Virginia is coming off its third trip to the NCAA tournament in the last five years under LeBlanc and the Mountaineers have an impressive cast of players returning in 2011.
LeBlanc said his goal is to continue to develop a reputation of having a program that produces professional players.
“We’ve had scouts coming in to watch our kids play because they feel like they are getting a good foundation, and that translates to the next level,” LeBlanc said. “We like to think of ourselves as a really good place to develop talent.”
Training camp for men’s soccer opens in August and the Mountaineers will be put to the test right away with early season matches against Virginia, Maryland and UC-Santa Barbara, all on the road.
LeBlanc owns a 52-31-18 overall record heading into his sixth season at WVU.
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