Who is the second midfield this year?

[GoSU96]

?

 

[ohmilax34]

Often 4 guys get runs in the 2’s, and Seebold, Buttermore and Quinn are pretty obvious. Maybe Hiltz.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Wont know fully until the first game, only two are locks at this point Buttermore and Quinn. Desko mentioned Hiltz playing there a little bit but I don't see that being a full time thing. Third spot is probably between Seebold and it sounds like perhaps one of the young guys. No mention of Fiorini or Magnan doesn't bode well.

 

[CuSeLaX]

Buttermore: Lock
Quinn: Lock
Seebold: It may just be my opinion but I do not think his game translates to the midfield(hope I am wrong). He has never looked like a player that will start at Syracuse.
Magnan: really like what I have seen from him in minimal PT, but like Jeremy said, if we arent hearing about him is there a reason
Cook/Hiltz: Please please don't try this again
Lewis: the ultimate wildcard would be one of the Freshman and he does have a Desko Shout out + he is 6'4 234
Fiorini: hasn't shown much yet

At the end of the day I am hoping they give the third spot to Magnan. I think he showed enough the last 2 years to deserve a run. However the most likely scenario is a revolving cast around Buttermore and Quinn that eventually settles on one player.

Ultimate wildcard our boy Peter "elbow pads optional" Dearth runs SSDM 1 and MD2 channeling his Matt Abbot mixed with Dan Hardy minus most all of their offensive talent.

Prediction it wont matter who gets the first run game one with Buttermore and Quinn because it will change by the end of the year. Blind folded tossing darts Ill say they run Seebold out the first shift. Hiltz scores the most points but playes both attack and midfield. Lewis shows the most promise as a true midfielder.

 

[RoofBeam]

I don't get Quinn- small, slow, inaccurate. Am I missing something?

 

[Powellfan]

Buttermore: Lock
Quinn: Lock
Seebold: It may just be my opinion but I do not think his game translates to the midfield(hope I am wrong). He has never looked like a player that will start at Syracuse.
Magnan: really like what I have seen from him in minimal PT, but like Jeremy said, if we arent hearing about him is there a reason
Cook/Hiltz: Please please don't try this again
Lewis: the ultimate wildcard would be one of the Freshman and he does have a Desko Shout out + he is 6'4 234
Fiorini: hasn't shown much yet

At the end of the day I am hoping they give the third spot to Magnan. I think he showed enough the last 2 years to deserve a run. However the most likely scenario is a revolving cast around Buttermore and Quinn that eventually settles on one player.

Ultimate wildcard our boy Peter "elbow pads optional" Dearth runs SSDM 1 and MD2 channeling his Matt Abbot mixed with Dan Hardy minus most all of their offensive talent.

Prediction it wont matter who gets the first run game one with Buttermore and Quinn because it will change by the end of the year. Blind folded tossing darts Ill say they run Seebold out the first shift. Hiltz scores the most points but playes both attack and midfield. Lewis shows the most promise as a true midfielder.

Good summary and agree with almost everything here. Just disagree about Hiltz playing midfield - in the game tape I have seen of him he plays almost exclusively midfield (have only seen tape of his sophomore year) but he looks more than adequate coming out of the box. In fact I’ve never seen him below GLE in any of the tape I’ve seen. I hope he’s played mostly at attack but I think he’s a much different player than Cook, who seems most comfortable operating around the crease. I’m also a bit higher on Seebold than you but agree Buttermore and Quinn are the only locks. Lots of pressure on this line as I think the first line will get a lions share of the runs, so they will have limited time to impress.

 

[MaxFischer]

Obvious first attempt will be to get Seebold on a shorty and invert him. Use his size and attack-skills to create match up issues.

 

[PhatOrange]

At any given time I'd want my best 6 on the field, so if Cook or Hiltz are off the field I'd rather have them get some 2 line midfield run over sitting and watching. Especially if middie #4 and #5 are lesser players.

They are both more than capable of running midfield and it wouldn't make sense to keep them off the field because they're pigeon hold into positions.

 

[ivorytower]

Realize there can be a disconnect between practice and game play but multiple defenders have said Seebold is a very difficult cover . Size and skills, problably the most capable dodger at attack and another that can invert . Was getting 2nd line run at mid n looked to be emerging before season abruptly ended. Non mention tells nothing.

 

[ivorytower]

I don't get Quinn- small, slow, inaccurate. Am I missing something?

His shot, a microwave at times.

 

[JeremyCuse]

At any given time I'd want my best 6 on the field, so if Cook or Hiltz are off the field I'd rather have them get some 2 line midfield run over sitting and watching. Especially if middie #4 and #5 are lesser players.

They are both more than capable of running midfield and it wouldn't make sense to keep them off the field because they're pigeon hold into positions.

The cook at midfield ship has sailed. He's not comfortable there and SU ended the experiment.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Realize there can be a disconnect between practice and game play but multiple defenders have said Seebold is a very difficult cover . Size and skills, problably the most capable dodger at attack and another that can invert . Was getting 2nd line run at mid n looked to be emerging before season abruptly ended. Non mention tells nothing.

I expect Seebold to be on the 2nd line to start the year barring a young guy just crushing it now during the 3 weeks of practice. He looked comfortable playing there a few times last season including against Hop when Dordevic got dinged up. I don't see the path for PT for him at attack so I would like to see him get some run.

 

[DoctahLexus]

I don't get Quinn- small, slow, inaccurate. Am I missing something?

Very very strong. Does a good job getting towards the goal through contact. If he can get his shot off it can be deadly. Had a pretty great game against Colgate but after that it was just bad decision after bad decision. Trying to do too much. Never known the staff to be so consistently high on a player who has so little on the stat sheet so I think the potential to see something more from him simply has to be there.

 

[SkyTopBus44]

Has Seebold gotten any bigger? I recall him looking small when he was in the past few years. So far Seebold has not been as dynamic given his high school numbers, orange legacy and tape. Dallas area has some strong teams. Sometimes it takes a little longer for a player to come into his own. I hope he earns the job this season.

That said, having solid to elite options at 5 of our 6 top two middie lines is tremendous. Depth at that position is hard to counter as many teams do not have the defensive lines to match up. I feel like winning the one on one battles up top opens up the attack for more chances to get clean looks inside.

 

[PhatOrange]

The cook at midfield ship has sailed. He's not comfortable there and SU ended the experiment.

Agreed, but I think he's capable. If he's not in the game it doesn't make a lot sense to have him on the bench. 'Especially' if he's better than your 2nd line mids. I'm not really guessing what will happen, I'm saying it's what I would do. But if he's not a fit and Hiltz is better suited for it then he's the guy I'm rolling with instead of having him watch.

While the offense is different top down, it's really just about creating an iso for a dodge. March's offense has introduced a little more feeding into it and Cook likes to hang around the crease but March doesn't seem really married to any 1 base set. Just in last year's games we ran an umbrella, 3-2-1, 1-4-1, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, and dodging from all over, behind, wing, top, simple give and goes. Pretty much every set that exists, it's really something actually. Point being, imo, March will run sets based on who's in the game.

 

[ivorytower]

The cook at midfield ship has sailed. He's not comfortable there and SU ended the experiment.

Yes, there are several more suitable and better options at mf. Done to get Cook's feet wet that season but forced ,unnatural and unsuccessful at this level.

Hiltz is a different story, he can play either well and Coach basically told us to expect to see him used at both.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Has Seebold gotten any bigger? I recall him looking small when he was in the past few years. So far Seebold has not been as dynamic given his high school numbers, orange legacy and tape. Dallas area has some strong teams. Sometimes it takes a little longer for a player to come into his own. I hope he earns the job this season.

That said, having solid to elite options at 5 of our 6 top two middie lines is tremendous. Depth at that position is hard to counter as many teams do not have the defensive lines to match up. I feel like winning the one on one battles up top opens up the attack for more chances to get clean looks inside.

Seebold is listed at 6'1 205, never thought he looked smaller to be honest when he was in, are you sure your thinking of Seebold? Seebolds caught a bit in a no mans land. Not quite good enough to break through as a starting attackmen and the midfield has the best 1st line guys in the country and a ton of numbers behind it. I would like to see him given a shot at the second line to see what he can do with extended run. Buttermore is a star but he needs some complimentary pieces around him and Seebold could be that guy.

I am unsure what SU's overall plans are this year. Desko normally likes to run the 2nd line a lot and the third occasionally. Last year after the Army game he started going like Danowski used to by going with the 1st line about 80% of the time. Ryan Powell in the Army game kept asking why the 2nd line was playing so much as they really struggled that game as Quinn was a hot mess. Something seemed to change after that game.

I would assume that Desko will stick with the 1st line for the majority of the runs, but if SU wanted to throw waves at teams, SU could easily run 3 lines. He's already mentioned two of the freshmen middies as guys who have stood out so...

 

[JeremyCuse]

Agreed, but I think he's capable. If he's not in the game it doesn't make a lot sense to have him on the bench. 'Especially' if he's better than your 2nd line mids. I'm not really guessing what will happen, I'm saying it's what I would do. But if he's not a fit and Hiltz is better suited for it then he's the guy I'm rolling with instead of having him watch.

While the offense is different top down, it's really just about creating an iso for a dodge. March's offense has introduced a little more feeding into it and Cook likes to hang around the crease but March doesn't seem really married to any 1 base set. Just in last year's games we ran an umbrella, 3-2-1, 1-4-1, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, and dodging from all over, behind, wing, top, simple give and goes. Pretty much every set that exists, it's really something actually. Point being, imo, March will run sets based on who's in the game.

Agree with you on March, he is not married to any specific set and as you noted SU would attack from all over depending on the game. He has added a lot of wrinkles to the SU motion offense, lots of designed plays but also freedom to dodge from pretty much everywhere. He had Curry dodging from the wing across the middle of the field a few games ala Costabile at ND and it was highly successful. We had mostly seen alley dodges prior to that, always good to have an OC who is not afraid to adjust to opponents and personel.

As for Cook, I think the answer is sort of what you noted, is he better then the 2nd mid line guys? My answer to that is no, not at middie. I can definitely see Hiltz running with the 2 mid line or even the 1st, but has SU has more then enough middie depth that Cook I think just isn't a factor there. Cook is still trying to find his place from a scoring standpoint in this offense, you saw some flashes but he still hasn't broken out yet. I think he needs to be strictly at attack.

The depth at middie right now I think is such that SU besides potentially Hiltz and whatever there plans are for Seebold, there is no need to convert or run more attack guys at mid.

 

[ivorytower]

Has Seebold gotten any bigger? I recall him looking small when he was in the past few years. So far Seebold has not been as dynamic given his high school numbers, orange legacy and tape. Dallas area has some strong teams. Sometimes it takes a little longer for a player to come into his own. I hope he earns the job this season.

That said, having solid to elite options at 5 of our 6 top two middie lines is tremendous. Depth at that position is hard to counter as many teams do not have the defensive lines to match up. I feel like winning the one on one battles up top opens up the attack for more chances to get clean looks inside.

He has filled out , now a big strong mobile kid who can play with both hands. Listed at 6'!" 205 .

Quinn is not small at all rather a shorter strong bull . DocLexus gave a good rundown on him.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Yes, there are several more suitable and better options at mf. Done to get Cook's feet wet that season but forced ,unnatural and unsuccessful at this level.

Hiltz is a different story, he can play either well and Coach basically told us to expect to see him used at both.

Hiltz has plenty of game experience playing as a middie. In all of the game footage I have seen of him he very rarely dodges from x. Lots of dodging from up top or close to the wing. Lots of situations where he takes advantage of a slight lapse from the defender in front of him up top to unload his deadly fast/accurate shot. Dodging from X seems to be Cooks bread and butter and he also does not have a crazy long range shot so I understand why it was tough on him. Won't be the case with Hiltz.

 

[CHSLAX]

I have a feeling that you will see much more creativity this year with teams getting the best guys out there regardless of position. The position itself can be meaningless, it really is more about where they should be on the field. Up top/wings/X. "Attackman" coming out of the box will be the norm. Bertrand and Cormier coming out of the box for UVA is an example.

Rosters are so overloaded, I am always amazed that so many really good players just never see real time. Some of these guys would start on 90% of the teams in the country but don't get time until their Jr. year at the earliest in some cases.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Very very strong. Does a good job getting towards the goal through contact. If he can get his shot off it can be deadly. Had a pretty great game against Colgate but after that it was just bad decision after bad decision. Trying to do too much. Never known the staff to be so consistently high on a player who has so little on the stat sheet so I think the potential to see something more from him simply has to be there.

Quinn feels a little bit like Salcido before he broke out as the staff kept having good things to say but the results didn't match up on the field. Now that said, I havent' seen anything that tells or shows me Quinn is anywhere close to that level but he must be doing something good in practice if Dekso keeps mentioning him. He was a highly regarded HS player that a lot of us were high on, he just hasn't been able to show any sort of consistency to this point. Looked great versus Colgate and Bingo and then looked like horrific against Army and was a non factor the remaining two games after. I think this is really the last bite of the apple for him so to speak, He's a R-Jr with a whole bunch of young guys waiting for an opportunity. I really hope he seizes it.

 

[PhatOrange]

Hiltz has plenty of game experience playing as a middie. In all of the game footage I have seen of him he very rarely dodges from x. Lots of dodging from up top or close to the wing. Lots of situations where he takes advantage of a slight lapse from the defender in front of him up top to unload his deadly fast/accurate shot. Dodging from X seems to be Cooks bread and butter and he also does not have a crazy long range shot so I understand why it was tough on him. Won't be the case with Hiltz.

I noticed the same

 

[Powellfan]

Has Seebold gotten any bigger? I recall him looking small when he was in the past few years. So far Seebold has not been as dynamic given his high school numbers, orange legacy and tape. Dallas area has some strong teams. Sometimes it takes a little longer for a player to come into his own. I hope he earns the job this season.

That said, having solid to elite options at 5 of our 6 top two middie lines is tremendous. Depth at that position is hard to counter as many teams do not have the defensive lines to match up. I feel like winning the one on one battles up top opens up the attack for more chances to get clean looks inside.

Seebold has put on 20 pounds since first arriving at Syracuse, according to his online bio. That's not nothing and probably why you thought he looked small. Strangely it looks like he lost an inch from his freshmen year. I think it got lost in the craziness of the way the season ended, but I thought he looked good at midfield in the Hopkins game (he replaced Quinn, not sure if it was a straight benching or he was hurt). He scored one goal that the refs missed (frustrating because Hopkins scored on the "rebound"). And I know it was in the waining moments of a blowout against Colgate but he split a double team and scored pretty effortlessly. The kid is talented, things just haven't quite clicked yet. If he gains some confidence (he hasn't shot the ball well, just 3-16 in his career), he could really be a force on that second line where he'd be getting a shortstick matchup each time. The issue for the staff this spring will be how long do you give a kid to find that confidence, before trying one of the other options on the bench?

 

[JeremyCuse]

Seebold has put on 20 pounds since first arriving at Syracuse, according to his online bio. That's not nothing and probably why you thought he looked small. Strangely it looks like he lost an inch from his freshmen year. I think it got lost in the craziness of the way the season ended, but I thought he looked good at midfield in the Hopkins game (he replaced Quinn, not sure if it was a straight benching or he was hurt). He scored one goal that the refs missed (frustrating because Hopkins scored on the "rebound"). And I know it was in the waining moments of a blowout against Colgate but he split a double team and scored pretty effortlessly. The kid is talented, things just haven't quite clicked yet. If he gains some confidence (he hasn't shot the ball well, just 3-16 in his career), he could really be a force on that second line where he'd be getting a shortstick matchup each time. The issue for the staff this spring will be how long do you give a kid to find that confidence, before trying one of the other options on the bench?

I believe Seebold actually replaced Dordevic as well when he pulled a muscle in the second half and got some run on the 1st line.