I'll be the first to acknowledge that I'm not the biggest fan of college soccer . . . but I'm also willing to admit that Akron is one classy college soccer organization. On the eve of making history in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, the school honored their Championship team:

If you don't fully understand the ins and outs of the MLS SuperDraft, don't worry. It is not a sign of stupidity. I hear Stephen Hawking is struggling to understand it.

Few can understand the craziness and fluctuating criteria which make up the behind the scenes world of bringing an American football style draft to the world of soccer.

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As most of you know, the MLS Superdraft will take place on January 13th, 2011 in Baltimore.

ASN Philly has an interview with potential top five pick in this year's SuperDraft Zarek Valentin.

Zarek Valentin leaves the Akron Zips as a 19-year old NCAA Champion with boundless potential and a near future, at least, that lies in Major League Soccer. The Lancaster, PA native has left quite the footprint in only two seasons, one that has been duplicated on the international level with Thomas Rongen's U-20s as well.

Major League Soccer's annual draft unfolds tomorrow. There will be game changers taken early who will meet expectations, there will be a few busts to giggle about and there will surely be solid role players aplenty plucked from the college and amateur ranks. Nothing new there.

But something is likely to happen tomorrow that is unprecedented in MLS draft history.

Next time you find yourself in Ohio searching for the best soccer action the Buckeye State has to offer, skip Crew Stadium and drive the 121 miles northeast to Lee Jackson Field, where the Akron Zips are fast becoming the pride of American college soccer. Following up his side's heart-breaking penalty shoot-out loss in the 2009 national championship to Wake Forest, Coach Caleb Porter led this year's edition of the Zips to the promised land, knocking off number one seeded Louisville 1-0 to claim this year's crown, the first D1 national championship in the school's history.

The Draft isn't even an hour old and it's already a tremendous success for our beloved boys in naranja.

The Houston Dynamo selected fullback Kofi Sarkodie (5' 9", 155lbs) with the 7th pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Sarkodie was part of the Akron Zips National Championship team this year and was easily the best fullback available in the draft.

ASN Philly has an interview with potential top five pick in this year's SuperDraft Zarek Valentin.

Zarek Valentin leaves the Akron Zips as a 19-year old NCAA Champion with boundless potential and a near future, at least, that lies in Major League Soccer. The Lancaster, PA native has left quite the footprint in only two seasons, one that has been duplicated on the international level with Thomas Rongen's U-20s as well.

This summer we saw the first crop of Seattle Sounders Academy players moving on to the college game. According to the (current) MLS rules, Seattle retains the ability to sign those players as Home Grown Players if both parties agree instead of having to watch them go through the draft when they choose to begin their pro careers.

Caleb Porter is the captain of the Akron ship and has them playing Barcelona type soccer. US National Team coach to be? Let's hope so!

Northridge, CA Game 2 of our college season coverage involving the defending national champion Akron Zips couldn't have come at a better time. Caleb Porter's team gave me a clear reminder that "it can be done at the collegiate level.

UCLA began the year with high expectations, but a slow start raised serious questions about whether the Bruins were going to be a serious contender in 2011.

UCLA looked more like the team that began the year ranked No. 2 in the nation on Friday night, as a Chandler Hoffman hat-trick helped the No.

Akron's Caleb Porter was named head coach of the United States under-23 men's national team, which will try to qualify this spring for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Porter now has to balance both jobs as he wears multiple hats, with his Akron Zips in the NCAA National Tournament and the US Under-23 team going through preparations for qualification for the next Olympics.

When last we checked on the Sounders Academy alumni in their first year of college soccer, we learned that three would be continuing their seasons into the NCAA Tournament along with a couple moving into the postseason in lower divisions. But a week later, only one remains.

NCAA Division I

After a bit of a slide (by their standards) in the second half of the season, the defending national champion Akron Zips - featuring Sounder DeAndre Yedlin at fullback - missed out on a bye in the NCAA Tournament and instead had to face Northwestern in the first round.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

There will be no repeat for Caleb Porter and the Akron Zips.

The defending champions were unceremoniously dumped out at the hands of unseeded Charlotte with a 1-0 defeat Sunday night. A first-half goal from A-10 rookie of the year Giuseppe Gentile proved to be the difference as Charlotte handed Akron its first regulation loss in NCAA play since 2008.