Valpo Soccer Players in the Pros

[valpotx]

Congrats to Kyle Zobeck on making his MLS regular season debut on Wednesday for FC Dallas!

[valpotx]

Zobeck has started the last 2 FC Dallas games, with Jimmy Maurer injured, and our previous #1, Jesse Gonzalez, released in August due to domestic violence charges.  Kyle now has 3 MLS appearances to his name, and will probably add several more going forward.  This might be a career rejuvenation for him, in getting this playing time, whether at FC Dallas or elsewhere.  GKs can play into their late 30s/early 40s, and still be effective, and he is just 30 now.  This is an amazing turn of fortunes for him personally, as he was thinking about retiring from soccer when I last spoke with him last year, and starting his Engineering career.

[bbtds]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/09/04/meet-kyle-zobeck-fc-dallas-goalkeeper-who-made-his-mls-debut-8-years-after-being

One thing that I think may have been overlooked when it was reported that Kyle Zobeck made his debut in MLS was that he was the oldest player in MLS history to ever be drafted in one of the 3 MLS drafts and make his debut in MLS.

Imagine getting drafted by an MLS club, only for your league debut to come ... eight years later!

When FC Dallas goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck leaped off the bench and into action for the injured Jimmy Maurer shortly before halftime of the 1-1 Week 9 draw between FCD and Sporting Kansas City, he set a new mark as the oldest debutant among players selected in MLS drafts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

[valpotx]

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  He came out to a Valpo Club of DFW basketball watch party in early 2019 (somehow I am the leader of this club lol), because he wanted to start making connections into a potential new career (Engineering).  He didn't want to try overseas, as the contracts being offered at clubs he would play for, would be even less than he was making as a reserve in MLS.  I reached out to him earlier this year after his season has completed, to see if he needed any help in his job search, which is when he mentioned that he was going to give it another year, and see what happens.  He was coming off winning the USL League One with FC Dallas' reserve team (North Texas SC), so I have to think that playing time got his playing juices flowing again, and also some additional looks.  I am hoping that he has a solid 6+ years of MLS time ahead of him with this new opportunity. 

[bbtds]

It took Kyle a while to get up to speed in these highlights of the Minnesota vs Dallas match played September 9 but he made some excellent saves as he saw more of the action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0viOcZm3mBE&feature=onebox

[valpotx]

Another start and another win!  This is fun to watch.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/match?gameId=577192

He was also named to the MLS Team of the Week Bench last week:

https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2020/09/14/kyle-zobeck-included-mls-team-week-bench

[Corohan2]

anyone good on the soccer team at the moment?

[vu72]

anyone good on the soccer team at the moment?

Several girls are very good.

[bbtds]

anyone good on the soccer team at the moment?

Maybe you missed this story

https://www.valpo.edu/news/2019/11/20/valpo-announces-discontinuation-of-mens-soccer-mens-tennis-programs/#:~:text=Valparaiso%20University%20has%20announced%20that,of%20the%202019%E2%80%932020%20season.