The BYU men’s soccer team will be featured in Total Blue Sports in mid-June.  Scott Paul, a BYU law student wrote a season preview that will be part of the magazine.  Total Blue Sports is a BYU sports specific magazine and will be available at the Orem Barnes & Nobles and other stores.

This is a previous magazine cover.

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The 2006 BYU documentary about the teams foreign trip to Mexico is available online.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s quite good.

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Tyler Christiansen alerted me of this blog about the United States men’s national team use of wireless heart rate monitors.  The United States is using this technology and guess who else is?  BYU.

“While they run, every player wears a wireless heart rate monitor that instantly transmits pulse and heart rate to Barrieu’s laptop, allowing him to know — while the players are still running — who is pushing themselves and who isn’t, who is on pace and who isn’t.”

The Cougars are very fit and are maximizing their fitness potential with this technology.

Read it here.Tweet

Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu

PROVO, Utah (May 21, 2010) — The Los Angeles Legends (2-1-2) defeated Brigham Young University (0-1-1), 2-0 Friday night in the Cougars first Premier Development League home game.  BYU was shutout for the first time since July 11, 2009 versus Orange County.

“I think we won the ball pretty well, playing into our game plan, except for those final balls,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins.   “Tomorrow’s game becomes even more important to get three points.  It’s so early that it’s not necessarily going to be a big problem.  We play decently on the road.  If we go 0-2 on the weekend, we will have problems.”

BYU head coach, Chris Watkins. (BYU Photo)

The scoring started when L.A. midfielder, Jesus Ochoa ripped a right footed blast into the lower right corner of the net for the first goal in the 12th minute.  That was followed by a Daniel Martinez finish in the 45th minute to put the Legends up 2-0.  BYU outshot the Legends 16-13 and had five more corners (8-3).  BYU’s Brady Marshall and Blake Tillotson both had breakaways in the first half but came up short.  Referee Brad Jensen made four bookings on the night including a yellow to BYU’s Brent Jensen and a pair to Raul Palomares and Erick Robert.  Robert received a red in the 80th minute.

“We came ready to play but we didn’t have the focus to put the ball away,” said sophomore forward, Blake Tillotson.  “We definitively need to improve on that.”

“Our guys didn’t play as excited (as the Mexico game),” said Watkins.  “You’ve got to play every game like it’s a World Cup final or else we would have been prepared for those breakaways.”

BYU will face the Lancaster Rattlers tomorrow at 8 p.m. MT.  BYUtv will broadcast the game live on television and online at www.byu.tv.

Scoring Summary:
LA  1-0  12′  Jesus Ochoa (Daniel Martinez)
LA  2-0  45′  Daniel Martinez (Eders Roldan)Tweet

Junior forward, BJ Pugmire drops some of his writing skills on the blog with his weekly look at the different aspects of the BYU soccer program.

Last week I discussed how BYU provides opportunities for its players that no other university at the present can. Not only are the opportunities great at BYU, but also the facilities provided to the players are excellent.

In 2002, I had the opportunity to attend BYU soccer camp. At that time there was no Indoor Practice Facility, Haws Field definitely didn’t look like it does today, and the stadium at South Field was more just bleachers at South Field than a stadium.

Today players have the privilege of playing soccer year round in the IPF, which is large enough to accommodate the entire team and allow the players to play a full-sided scrimmage. The IPF is synthetic turf, which requires very little maintenance. Another point to note is that BYU plays almost half of its games on turf, making the IPF that much more valuable to the team to be able to practice and prepare for games in the best way possible. Haws field has always been a high quality-playing surface, but with the building of the IPF, Haws field has been designated for soccer use only. Only the men and women’s soccer teams at BYU have access to Haws year round and the grounds crew does a magnificent job maintaining the field. Providing the players the opportunity to practice on a field that is equivalent to the game field.

The gem of the BYU facilities in players and coach’s minds must be the stadium at South Field. Due to the considerable donations from BYU soccer alums and donors, we as a program were able to build the stadium at South Field. As mentioned before, in the past there were only bleachers for fans to sit on. In July of 2008, the new stadium was completed. The stadium has over 2,700 seats, with the “B”, “Y” and “U” sections having individual fold down seats to make the experience that much more enjoyable for the fans. Another upgrade that the new stadium provides is steeper seating making every seat in the stadium a great one. Lastly the scenery and setting at South Field are what truly make it one of the best college fields in the country. With the Rocky Mountains in the background and the field surrounded by trees, it provides an idyllic setting for a summer evening match.

BYU administration and contributors have worked tirelessly to provide student athletes all the necessary accommodations to succeed, and there are plans for even more improvements. The soccer program hopes by 2011 to have a media press box at South Field, with eventual locker rooms and a refreshment center in the near future. The facilities at BYU are just one more aspect that makes it a great place to be!Tweet

Junior midfielder, Josh Patino gives his weekly thoughts about the team on the blog known as “On the Pitch”.

May 19, 2010 – So…it’s midway through May and I’m still waiting for the weather to be about 80° and be sunny! Don’t get me wrong I love the overcast, rainy, dismal days…or not. We actually have the day off today, no practice, we’ll have a light practice tomorrow in preparation for our weekend games.

Let’s rewind to a week ago, did you watch the game?! Oh my, it was the most exciting game! If you didn’t see it you can still watch it on www.byu.tv under byu sports – May 12^th PM showing. First of all, the opportunity to play against a professional national team was phenomenal. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance like that.

We arrived an hour early for our pregame meeting and the stands were already filling up with fans supporting our opposition. They had all these instruments that made lots of noise. After our meeting and during our warm up we jogged across the field and it was my first experience being “booed” at home. When we turned around to run the other way someone yelled in a Hispanic accent “GO HOME!” “Uh…we ARE home.” It was pretty funny. Just preparing and warming up for a game at this level was exciting. The atmosphere was electrifying. Once the Mexico team stepped on the field it seemed as if all the fans in the stands were supporting them. It was SO loud. That proved to be the story throughout the entire game, I don’t ever remember it being quiet. I love how passionate their fans were and appreciate their support for their team. I have to tip my hat to our fans in the stands who had to compete with that kind of noise.

It was an intense game and once we scored we went crazy! The whole bench starting jumping up and down and giving each other high fives. I’m not quite sure Brady could believe he had just scored such a phenomenal goal. The fans went wild and the guys on the field gained a confidence that became evident as the game went on. Tony would double the score and put one in off a volley to himself. After that the whole stadium erupted, I literally jumped off the bench and started hugging my teammates there with me, I’m sure the Mexico fans and players were in a state of disbelief. I probably started yelling and screaming, yea…I was pretty excited. I doubt that there were many people that thought we would go up on Mexico’s U21 National team by two goals in the first half. The feeling of being on the field is absolutely indescribable. Seeing the stands completely full and people standing around the corner of the field gave a sense of hype that was completely satisfying. To sum it up in a single word: PHENOMENAL! The game was absolutely phenomenal. I was ecstatic the whole night. Well done boys!

We have a few injuries we’re dealing with right now. Zack DeFrancis has a fracture in his fibula. Trevor Henderson has a fractured vertebrae and I may have a sports hernia. It is by far the worst injury I have ever had and it’s a pain that I just can’t play through so I am currently watching from the sideline the team practice. The team looks good. Really good. It’s a special team from player 1 to player 26. There is so much talent on that field I think as a player I forget that I’m playing with such high quality, talented guys. The speed, footwork, passing ability and vision of these players is just flat out good. Our goalies are extremely fun to watch, they save some of the most ridiculous shots!

Dustin Graham just returned home and has joined us, his first day of practice was running 30 min. straight at your maximum heart rate…welcome back!Tweet

Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu

Click here for complete Game Notes (PDF)

PROVO, Utah (May 18, 2010) — Following a 2-2 tie in front of 3,500 fans in Provo last Wednesday against the U21 Mexican national team, BYU will play its first Premier Development League home games this weekend. Friday, May 21 the Cougars host the Los Angeles Legends and the Lancaster Rattlers on Saturday, May 22. Both games start at 8 p.m. MT and both will air live on BYUtv and www.byu.tv.

“We know L.A. is a great team,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins. “They were the better team last year. We’re excited to have them at home. We’ll see how the chips fall. We’re lucking we tied (Lancaster) at home last year. They are a good team. Like every team in our league, they are certainly good enough to beat us. We’ve got to come ready to go.”

“We have to win (this weekend),” said freshman midfielder, Kip Critchlow. “We’re in a good spot right now. These are must win games. We’ve got to come out and play well.”

BYU is 0-0-1 after tying Orange County in the Cougars only PDL game of the season so far.

This is only the second meeting between the Los Angeles and Brigham Young. May 16, 2009 the Legends defeated the Cougars at Ayala Stadium Field. Sean Alvarado (‘7) and Skyler Thuresson (‘38) scored for LA.

The Legends have played four home games to start the year, going 1-2-1. LA tied Orange County 2-2, lost to Southern California 1-0, tied Fresno 2-2, and beat 2009 Southwest Division runner-up, Hollywood 3-0.

Lancaster is 0-1-2 after a 5-0 loss to the PDL Champion, Ventury County Fusion and ties with Hollywood (2-2) and Orange County (1-1). All three games were at home. BYU is 1-0-1 against the Rattlers after winning 1-0 on the road and tying 3-3 at home in 2009.

PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships, Brigham Young University joined the Premier Development League in 2003. The Cougars reached the elite eight in 2006 and 2007. The PDL is the top U23 men’s league in North America and features 68 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away. The PDL provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. BYU is the first and only university to own a franchise in the PDL. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping stone for top professionals now playing around the world.

FOLLOW THE COUGARS ONLINE
Check out the Cougars on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer or on the official website at www.byusoccer.com.

QUICK FACTS
Who: BYU Cougars vs. Los Angeles Legends
When: Friday, May 21 at 8 p.m.
Where: Provo, UT (The Stadium at South Field)
Broadcast Info: BYUtv or www.byu.tv

Who: BYU Cougars vs. Lancaster Rattlers
When: Saturday, May 22 at 8 p.m.
Where: Provo, UT (The Stadium at South Field)
Broadcast Info: BYUtv or www.byu.tv

Brady Marshall, Toni Niccoli and the Cougars look to win this weekend at home. (BYU Photo)

Dustin Graham just returned from a mission and will train with the team for the season. He played in 2007 out of Mountain View high school in Orem. He is Curtis’ younger brother.

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Assistant Coach, Clay Christenson gives his weekly thoughts about the team on the blog known as “From the Box”.

Assistant Coach, Clay Christenson

We had a fantastic game last Wednesday against Mexico’s U-21s and we need to build off that momentum for our home openers this Friday and Saturday night. With two very good teams coming into town (LA Legends, Lancaster Rattlers), we’ll have a great week of practice to help us prepare.

We have a few big advantages over the competition when they come to Provo. First, the elevation change takes a toll on the visitor’s fitness level and teams tend to run out of gas more quickly. Secondly, our field is longer and wider than any of the competition. As a result, we hold the ball very well on our big field which also tires out the competition. Lastly, there’s nothing like playing in front of a home crowd. Playing in front of family and friends provides confidence and energy for our guys.

We need to come away with 6 points and establish ourselves as a division contender.Tweet

Junior forward, BJ Pugmire drops some of his writing skills on the blog with his weekly look at the different aspects of the BYU soccer program.

Many people know that BYU men’s soccer does not participate in the NCAA, and therefore cannot offer scholarships to players who decide to attend BYU. What BYU can provide is the opportunity to play against competition such as Coventry City, Cruz Azul, Saprisa, America and most recently the U-21 Mexican National team.

BJ Pugmire

Many players dream about the opportunity to represent their school and play for a national championship within the collegiate level.  Even fewer people hope to represent their school against world-class competition; BYU offers that to its players consistently. In the last five years, the BYU men’s soccer team has represented themselves and the University in Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Chile. Also within that same time period the Cougars have played host to Real Salt Lake various times, Coventry City who participates in the Championship League in England, the full Fijian national team, and the U-21 Mexican National team.  Not many institutions if any can offer the same history and opportunities that BYU provides their players.

Playing in the PDL gives the Cougars the freedom needed to travel abroad playing competition that would never be possible with the stipulations of the NCAA.  Furthermore, the competition within the PDL is equal if not superior in many instances to NCAA soccer.  Ventura County Fusion is the reigning PDL champion and will visit Provo July 10 to take on the Cougars.  Six players from the 2009 Fusion roster are now currently with MLS teams across the country.

As a young player myself growing up in Southern California it was difficult to watch as friends and teammates received scholarships and offers to play at the collegiate level, something I knew would never happen to me after committing to BYU.  But as I look back over my time in Provo, I realize that no other university in the country could have provided the memories or experiences that BYU has provided.  The highlight of those memories definitely still vivid in my mind as I look back to only three nights ago as we tied the U-21 Mexican National team.

Players looking for excellent competition along with opportunities not found at any other University in the country, BYU is the place for you.Tweet