DC Metro NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer season preview: American Eagles

By Tom Myrick

One of the great things about being a soccer fan: there is very little down time. No sooner has the excitement of the World Cup worn off, than it’s time for the MLS playoff push, the beginning of European league play and, a bit closer to home, the kick-off of the NCAA college season. Here we break down the top Division I teams in the Metro DC area, who to watch for and what games not to miss, as the college season gets underway.

[ Editor\'s Note: We are also including the University of Virginia in our DC Metro preview - who can leave out the defending national champions when they\'re so close to DC? ]

[ + University of Maryland Terrapins ]
[ + Georgetown University Hoyas ]
[ + University of Virginia Cavaliers ]
[ + George Washington Colonials ]
[ + George Mason Patriots ]

American Eagles
Head Coach – Todd West (92-81-22, 11th season)
Starters Returning/Lost – 4/7
Letterwinners Returning/Lost – 19/12
2009 Record – 9-7-3
2009 Conference Finish – 4-2-1 (Third in Patriot League)
2009 Postseason – Patriot League Final (L, 1-0 to Bucknell)
Season Opener – 9/1 vs. Howard at DC College Cup
Don’t Miss: when defending Patriot League champions Bucknell come to town on Sept. 25

Much like their Foggy Bottom counterparts GW, American will be a bit of an unknown quantity heading into the 2010 season.

The Eagles soared into the championship game of the Patriot League tournament last season, and have posted an impressive 9-3-2 mark over the last two seasons in conference play, but retained only four starters from last year’s team.

To deal with this turnover, American will look to their senior forward Mike Worden to help continue the team’s progress. Worden earned first-team all-conference honors last season after scoring four goals (each one a game-winner) and one assist - nearly doubling his career output for points.

Another plus for head coach Todd West is that while he may be losing seven of his starting XI from a year ago, he still has plenty of experience stocking his locker room. David Menzie, for instance, will likely be promoted from his role of super-sub (where he scored two goals and created four others) to a permanent berth in the midfield for the Eagles.

American will also return goalkeeper Matt Makowski, who started all 18 games for the Eagles last season. The junior shotstopper finished third in the conference in both saves (71) and shutouts (five), and improved both his GAA and save percentage from his freshman campaign.

Of course, Makowski’s success will largely depend upon the quality of the defensive line in front of him. The Eagles did allow 21 goals last season – a number that will need to be reduced for the team to improve. Only defender Michael Roberts returns from last season’s starting back four, meaning West will need some other prospects, such as Jon Friemark or Adem Gokturk, to step up and fill in those gaps. Their success could well correlate to the Eagles’ success this season.