The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Positional Preview: The Midfield
8/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With the men’s soccer team set to report for preseason on August 9, here is the outlook for the Blazers midfield in 2016.
Midfield: David Valverde, James Ngoe, Henrique Sposito, DeAndre Robinson, Eder Mora, Clayton McDonald, Ryan Sullivan, Chase Rushing, Andrew Nkpoluwku
Two starters – James Ngoe and David Valverde – return in 2016 at midfield, while Clayton McDonald, Eder Mora, DeAndre Robinson and Ryan Sullivan return after winning letters last season. Chase Rushing and Andrew Nkpolukwu are the position’s newcomers.
“Midfield will be a very deep position for us,” head coach Mike Getman said. “We return a lot of guys who have all started a lot of games.”
Valverde and Ngoe both return after playing in every game last season. The junior and senior, respectively, combined to score three goals last year and will serve as the anchors of the midfield.
“David Valverde has started every match for the last two years, and he has national team experience,” Getman said. “He is skillful, quick, smart and is a player that I expect to play a major role on our team. James Ngoe started almost every game last year for us as a left back, but I expect him to play midfield. We recruited him as a midfielder, moved him to back to fill some needs, but expect him to play midfield for us this year. He is incredibly athletic and probably the fastest player on the team.”
Robinson returns after appearing in all 16 games last season. The junior totaled five points as a sophomore, collecting three assists and one goal. He saw time as a starter in the second half of the season.
“DeAndre Robinson has started a lot of games for us,” Getman said. “He can play the center of midfield, and we can also play him out wide. He has had a great spring and I expect him to play a major role for us either at midfield or out wide.”
Sposito finished the season as a starter after being slowed early by injuries. The team’s most technical player, he can play in a defensive or attacking role.
“Henrique is fun to watch when he has the ball,” said Getman. “He has the classic Brazilian flair that makes soccer the beautiful game. A healthy Henrique makes us a lot better.”
Sullivan, a transfer from Clemson, played in 15 games last season in his first year with the Blazers. As a sophomore, he netted one goal and collected two points in play off the bench.
“Ryan came off the bench, but played a big role in a lot of games for us. As he has gotten more and more comfortable with what our team is doing, I think he will play a bigger and bigger role for us. He gives us some size and strength in the center of midfield that maybe we’ve lacked in the past.”
Mora and McDonald both redshirted their freshman year in 2015. Mora was absent with an injury, and McDonald was active for UAB during the spring.
“Eder Mora is a fantastic player. He is big, strong, tough and smart, and I expect him to have a major role on this team,” Getman said. “And Clayton McDonald redshirted in the fall, but played a pretty big role with us this spring. He is very skillful. I expect Eder and Clayton to both play big roles on our team.”
The two newcomers to the midfield, Rushing and Nkpolukwu, will both challenge for playing time upon arrival.
Rushing is a six-foot freshman from River Ridge, La., who comes to UAB with all the tools to be a great student-athlete.
“Chase is very smart, very skillful and a great athlete. Like many freshmen, there may be an adjustment period, but he is really ready to play. I think he can challenge for playing time right from the very beginning. We are very excited about Chase.”
Nkpolukwu, an athletic 6-foot-4 Australian who has the ability to play anywhere on the field, enters his freshman season with more experience than the typical rookie.
“Andrew Nkpolukwu is a freshman, but he is a 21-year-old freshman, so he comes with a level of maturity that not all freshmen arrive at college with. I think he is going to have an impact right away. I think he is going to compete for a starting position right away. He brings size and power that will be important to our team.”
UAB plays its first exhibition game on August 13 at No. 3 Clemson. The Blazers begin the regular season on August 26 when they welcome the Memphis Tigers to BBVA Compass Field.
