With all the excitement of the European leagues getting underway it is easy to forget that college soccer is just around the corner.  This year’s MLS crop of rookies is starting to prove that maybe the college game does produce some top level players.  College products such as Sam Cronin, Steve Zakuani, Omar Gonzalez, Stefan Frei, and Chris Pontius are not only getting plenty of playing time at the professional level but also lighting up the field with their skill, speed, and tenacity.  Sam Cronin, who played all 4 years at Wake Forest, has even won himself a national team cap in his first professional season.

Right here in Denver we have one of the top NCAA Division 1 soccer programs in the country. The University of Denver typically gets lost when you talk about top college programs, such as UCLA, Maryland, Indiana, Wake Forest, and Virginia.  The Pioneers aren’t a traditional college soccer power but they are ready to change that.  Colorado has consistently produced some of the best young soccer talent in the country and you can see some these guys on display with the Pioneers this season.

Here are my top 5 reasons to go out and watch a Pioneers game:

5. The stadium. DU’s brand new state of the art stadium will be one of the top soccer stadiums in the country and will be ready for DU’s home opener against Stanford on August 29th. The site has also been selected to host the 2009 MPSF tournament in mid November.

4.  The coach. Head Coach Bobby Muuss enters his third year at the helm and is coming off two very successful seasons.  In 2008, he led the Pioneers to 8-1-1 league record (10-7-2 overall), earned DU’s first NCAA tournament berth since 1970, and won his second MPSF coach of the year award.

3. The schedule. The Pioneers will host some of the countries top programs this season. DU”s home schedule includes nationally ranked Dayton (#18 in College Soccer News), Pac 10 power houses Washington and Stanford, and conference rivals UNLV and New Mexico (picked to finish second in the MPSF preseason poll).

2. The players. The Pioneers’ Recruiting class is ranked 18th in the country.  This year DU welcomes 7 student athletes including a Canadian youth national team standout, 2 of the nations top 75 , and the Gatorade Colorado High School Player of the Year.  Learn more about these guys here: 2009 recruiting class

The team also adds former University of San Francisco midfielder and US youth national team captain Jesse Henderson.  Henderson is a talented and exprienced center midfielder that should bring leadership to DU’s young squad.

The list of returning players is highlighted by US U20 national team forward Sam Garza.  Garza was the 2008 MPSF newcomer of the year recording 4 goals and 4 assists for the Pioneers.  Garza has been with the U20′s all summer, including qualifiers in Trindad and Tobago, and friendly matches in Egypt and Argentina that were used as preparation for the upcoming Youth World Championships.  Garza is one of the top young players in the country.

Joining Garza are 5 starters including top returners Collin Audley, Jared Stigall, and Joe Willis. Sophmore goalkeeper Joe Willis was named the teams MVP last season and was an All-MPSF First team member.

1. The Pioneers will be playing to defend their title. DU won its first MPSF title last season so teams will be gunning for them this year.  That should provide for some interesting and intense matches. The Pioneers have already been chosen to repeat as champions according to the MPSF preseason poll.  DU is ranked 25 in Top Drawer Soccer’s national rankings and will be playing to prove that they are deserving of an even higher ranking come November.

I hope to catch as many games as I can and report about DU’s season here at the Green Army.  So please check back for updates on DU’s season.

For information on the Pioneers check out their official website: Pioneer Soccer

For tickets and season passes click here: Tickets

Hope to see you at the games!!!