Tag: Rutgers men’s soccer

Rutgers men’s soccer: Former Scarlet Knight MD Myers is making a transfer move from New York City FC

Rutgers men’s soccer alum MD Myers is heading to the USL.

MD Myers was transferred by New York City FC to the Charleston Battery on Thursday, bringing the former Rutgers star to one of the best teams in the USL.

The Battery play in the USL Championship, one level down from MLS. For the former Rutgers forward, it is a step up in competition and could lead to a move to MLS if he continues the high-level he showed in 2023.

Prior to joining NYCFC, Myers played one year with Rutgers in 2022 as a transfer addition but it was certainly memorable. He scored 14 goals for the Scarlet Knights and helped them to capture the Big Ten Tournament, the first in program history.

He was selected No. 66 overall in the 2023 MLS Super Draft.

Last season for NYCFCII, the reserve team that plays in MLS Next Pro, Myers had 19 goals and five assists in 28 games played. He made the MLS Next Pro Best XI and tied for the developmental league as the leading scorer.

Myers has a nose for goal and is a sound finisher. His movement off the ball, with the ability to play off the defender’s back shoulder, is a hallmark of his game.

At Rutgers, he was routinely man-marked by the opposition and frequently drew two defenders when he was in the box.

Dilly! Dilly! Former Rutgers soccer star Dilly Duka to take over FC Motown

Dilly Duka lands as head coach of FC Motown.

Former Rutgers men’s soccer star Dilaver ‘Dilly” Duka is the next head coach of FC Motown. Duka had a long career that saw him become a top midfielder in MLS and also played in the Champions League.

From Montville, New Jersey, Duka was a two-year letter winner at Rutgers where had made 35 starts. He was an All-Big East selection, his final season at Rutgers before turning professional.

He was a first-round pick of the Columbus Crew in the 2010 MLS Super Draft. During his career, Duka was known for being a creative player who was crisp on the ball and a good passer. He was technically and tactically strong as a central midfielder.

FC Motown, based in Morristown, New Jersey, operates two clubs, one in the USL and one in the NPSL.

 

They are a strong club in both leagues. Duka retired as an FC Motown player in 2020. He spent one season, in 2018-19 with Partizani Tirana, a Champions League club in Albania.

Duka played for the United States U20 and U23 national teams. He would spend eight seasons in MLS, his last one with the New York Red Bulls.

Watch: Rutgers men’s soccer gets a last second goal in their Big Ten opener

Jackson Temple got a huge goal for Rutgers men’s soccer in the game’s final moment.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Jackson Temple found the equalizer for Rutgers men’s soccer with one second left in Sunday’s Big Ten opener.

Literally, with one second left.

In what was an incredible finish, arguably the most dramatic in program history, the senior attacker pounced on a ball inside six-yard box. From a tight angle, Temple one-timed a shot that he tucked inside the far post.

The tie was well deserved for Rutgers, who controlled much of the match including possession and opportunities created. Three times in the match, Rutgers had an open header inside the six-yard box. Each time, Rutgers failed to put the effort on frame.

It was still a match where Rutgers likely deserved more than a draw. They grew into the match after a slow opening 10 minutes and were the more proactive team for much of the first half and the majority of the second half.

 

Temple, who came up through the Philadelphia Union Academy, now has three goals and two assists on the year.

With the draw, Rutgers men’s soccer is now 2-3-3 (0-0-1 Big Ten). It was an important result for the Scarlet Knights, who had some difficult results in out-of-conference play.

Last year, Rutgers won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history.

Rutgers plays next at Michigan on Friday.

Watch: Philadelphia Union Academy product Jackson Temple scores a beautiful goal for Rutgers soccer

Rutgers men’s soccer attacker Jackson Temple scores a beautiful goal in Monday’s game against St. John’s.

Jackson Temple was at it again for Rutgers men’s soccer, scoring a second half goal in Monday night’s draw against St. John’s. Temple, a senior at Rutgers, is a product of the Philadelphia Union Academy.

It was vintage stuff from Temple, showcasing his complete skillset as Rutgers secured a 2-2 result against a strong St. John’s team at Yurcak Field.

The 39th-minute goal from Temple showed great industry by the Rutgers winger, pressing up the field to pick up an errant St. John’s backpass, beat the centerback and then cooly finishing to give Rutgers the lead.

Temple is one of the Big Ten’s top returning attackers. In 2021, Temple was an All-Big Ten selection. Last year, he was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team.

Here is Temple’s second half goal:

 

Following the tie against St. John’s on Monday, Rutgers is now 0-1-1 on the season. They return to action on Friday at Princeton.

Temple’s progress through the Union academy is seen in this goal, as the MLS developmental side is known for producing quick, aggressive players who thrive in pressing and transition moments. The Union academy is one of the top soccer academies in North America.

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Rutgers Men’s Soccer announced promotions for their 2023 home schedule

Rutgers men’s soccer announced their 2023 promotions for their seven home games.

On Tuesday, Rutgers men’s soccer announced their 2023 promotions for the upcoming season. For Rutgers’ seven home games (three nonconference and four Big Ten), each game will have a different promotion for attendees.

Rutgers men’s soccer starts their 2023 season against St. John’s on Monday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. During their opener, the Scarlet Knights will celebrate their Youth Soccer Kickoff by providing multiple promotions for their fans.

The Youth Soccer Kickoff promotion will consist of free ice cream for the first 100 kids wearing their youth soccer team apparel, pictures with the Big Ten Tournament trophy, and postgame autographs with the team.

During Rutgers’ second home game on Monday, September 4, against Saint Peters, the team will honor its student section by providing one-dollar hot dogs and recognition throughout the night.

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On Wednesday, September 13, the Scarlet Knights will host their final nonconference home match against Columbia. Also, Rutgers will host its Mental Health Awareness match and celebrate International Student Night with a tailgate to honor their last nonconference home game.

For the Big Ten opener, Rutgers will have Senior Day Scarlet Out when they host Michigan State on September 17 at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear Scarlet to the game, and the team will welcome the Kids Club, giving out pins and celebrating with a high five line.

Rutgers will welcome Ohio State on Friday, September 29, as they promote Friday Night Lights: Rutgers Soccer and New Jersey Youth Soccer Night for kids around the state.

On October 13, the second Friday night game, Rutgers will host their Alumni game against Wisconsin at 6 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will welcome back former Scarlet Knights, encouraging fans to wear black for a Black Out of Yurcak Field as they hand out thundersticks to the attendees. 

For their final home game on Tuesday, October 17, Rutgers will host Penn State. During their last home game, the Scarlet Knights will hand out one-dollar hotdogs throughout the night for their fans.

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Breaking: Former New York Red Bulls standout Erick Ruiz joins Rutgers men’s soccer

Rutgers men’s soccer signs Erick Ruiz, a former New York Red Bulls midfielder.

Rutgers men’s soccer got a huge addition on Wednesday, adding Erick Ruiz to the roster. Ruiz is a midfielder who came up through the vaunted New York Red Bulls Academy.

He has also progressed to play for the New York Red Bulls II which played in the USL up through last year and is now in MLS Next Pro. The team has a track record of producing professional players, including United States international Tyler Adams.

Coming up through the Red Bulls system, Ruiz was a central midfielder. He has a strong work ethic and work rate, which the Red Bulls require of their holding midfielders.

Rutgers announced the signing of Ruiz on Wednesday, a bit of a coup for the Big Ten program considering that Ruiz was looked at as a player who could make the jump to the MLS level:

 

Ruiz is the first Pre-Academy player from the Red Bulls system to represent the New York Red Bulls II.

 

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Former Rutgers men’s soccer star MD Myers can’t stop scoring in MLS Next Pro

MD Myers continues his hot streak in MLS Next Pro.

MD Myers continued his hot run in MLS Next Pro, scoring the equalizer for New York City FC II in a shootout loss at the Chicago Fire II. The former Rutgers star forward has enjoyed an incredibly successful first season of professional soccer with NYCFC.

In fact, after his goal on Wednesday night, Myers now leads MLS Next Pro with 16 goals on the season. Given his form his season, his recent performances could see him knocking on the door of a first-team call-up.

Myers has six goals in the last three games, this latest was a stoppage-time header off a corner kick.

MLS Next Pro is in its first season as the developmental/reserve league for MLS.

 

In his one season at Rutgers, Myers spearheaded an attack that led Rutgers to win the Big Ten Tournament and earn a place in the NCAA Tournament.

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He scored 13 goals and had seven assists in the regular season and was the unanimous selection as the Big Ten Player of the Year.

NYCFC took him in the third round of the MLS Super Draft.

Following the late equalizer from Myers, NYCFC II lost to the Fire II in a shootout.

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Hosting Premier League club Brighton Hove & Albion was a learning experience for Rutgers soccer

Rutgers men’s soccer utilized an English Premier League club at their training facility to learn about player care.

This summer, Rutgers hosted an English Premier League club as part of Brighton Hove & Albion’s preseason tour. It was an opportunity for Jim McElderry to not just watch the tactics of one of the best clubs in the world, but to check-in on the little things that helped Brighton to a successful campaign last season.

Brighton & Hove Albion, who finished sixth in the league last year on 62 points, participated in a preseason tour of the United States along with several other English clubs..They participated in a preseason match at Red Bull Arena against Newcastle and while in New Jersey, they used Rutgers and the Miller Soccer Complex as a training base.

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For McElderry, the men’s soccer head coach, it was an exciting few days to see the ins and outs of how a Premier League club operates.

“Obviously, the quality of the players is fun to be around watching, you know, Premier League players train and play but I think watching their staff work was maybe more interesting to us in terms of how they used our facility and pre and post stuff that they did with their players,” McElderry said on a conference call this week to preview the season.

“Nothing that is rocket science but really interesting to watch how much care they give individual players – especially guys coming back from injury, how they work with the strength coaches.

“A lot to take away and even just the sessions they play some really good soccer as you know, and so watching them work and how they kind of build sessions was a lot of fun. Again, it’s, it’s not rocket science, but it’s just little subtle things that they’re doing and how they look after players. We’re lucky to have them here. It was just fun for our group to be around them and learn from them and have some of our players watch some of their sessions was a lot of fun for everybody.”

Rutgers is coming off a very strong 2022 season that saw them win the Big Ten Tournament. They made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and won their first conference tournament since 1997.

The Scarlet Knights have their first preseason game on Saturday against Drexel. They open the season on Aug. 24 with a non-conference game at Delaware.

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Rutgers men’s soccer releases 2023 schedule

Rutgers men’s soccer announced their 2023 schedule.

With fall quickly approaching, college soccer fans are waiting eagerly for the season to start. On Thursday, Rutgers fans began marking their calendars as the 2023 schedule was released. The Scarlet Knights enter the upcoming season with high expectations and will play eight of their 15 games at Yurcak Field.

Before the regular season begins, Rutgers will host three scrimmages in August. Those games will come against Drexel, Rider, and Villanova. All three scrimmages will begin at 7 p.m.

Rutgers will then begin its regular season on the Road on Aug.24 at Delaware. After their matchup with the Blue Hens, Rutgers returns to Piscataway for their home opener against St. John’s on Aug. 28. They will round out their New York and New Jersey tour with games against Princeton and Saint Peter’s.

The 2023 campaign will also feature matchups against Big Ten teams starting on Sept. 17 with Michigan State. Rutgers heads on the road for two games in a row, taking their talents to Maryland on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 8.

To finish their regular season, the Scarlet Knights will travel to Indiana in a rematch of the Big Ten Tournament Championship on October 29. Once the final whistle in the regular season blows, postseason play will be close behind.

The 2023 Big Ten Tournament is set for the first three weeks of November. The Quarterfinals will be on Friday, November 1, followed by the Semifinals on Wednesday, November 8, and the Championship match on Sunday, November 12.

Rutgers men’s soccer draws Ivy League champions in NCAA Tournament opener

Rutgers men’s soccer hits the road for the NCAA Tournament.

Rutgers men’s soccer’s return to the NCAA Tournament will see them travel to UPenn on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights booked their postseason berth on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Indiana at Yurcak Field.

It was a strong season from Rutgers, who are 10-4-6 overall and have a 4-2-2 record in the Big Ten. Sunday’s win over Indiana saw Rutgers, seeded second in the Big Ten Tournament by virtue of their regular season finish, win their first conference title on the men’s side.

Despite losing to Rutgers in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game, Indiana is ranked No. 13 in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers finished fourth in the Big Ten regular season.

Four Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Rutgers and Indiana, both Ohio State and Maryland got the postseason nod.

The winner of Thursday’s match will play at No. 3 Syracuse on Sunday.

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In out-of-conference play, Rutgers took the field against two Ivy League programs, earning draws against Princeton (1-1 on Sept. 2) and Yale (2-2 on Sept. 5).

UPenn finished the season 12-2-2 and 6-1 in the Ivy League.

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