Podcast: Forecasting the 2024 Massachusetts boys high school season

The 2024 MIAA season is underway. Will the Needham High boys make some noise this fall? (Brian Kelly/NESJ)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is NESJ boys high school soccer writer Patrick Donnelly.

The Massachusetts high school soccer season kicked off in full force over the past week, and it’s sure to be a compelling couple of months before state champions are crowned in November.

Donnelly joined host Matt Langone to preview the campaign with an in-depth look at how things are shaping up on the MIAA front, and to highlight which teams and players you should know this fall.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Donnelly:

On how programs handle losing key players to MLS NEXT:

Donnelly: “It’s kind of the way it is now. It could be a week before the season and (a team) is still not sure if this key player is going to come back or not. … I know Concord-Carlisle had a kid who might’ve had a shot at MLS NEXT and I believe he came back for the MIAA season. So, it’s just kind of the ball is in the air so close to the season that I’m sure it is suboptimal if you’re a coach trying to plan out your squad.”

On early-season results that caught his attention:

Donnelly: “Obviously, Needham’s had its fair share of heartbreak in the (state) tournament. They’re back-to-back runners up, but credit to them for getting there in the first place and they’re always in the mix. So, Newton South shutting them out was kind of a statement win for Newton South. And then Newton North dropping two games out of the gate — I had them ranked in my top 10 to start the season.”

On how difficult it was to create a preseason top 10:

Donnelly: “Coming in blind, it was talking to coaches who are all really helpful, whether it’s John Barata at Oliver Ames, Ray Pavlik at Concord-Carlisle, Roy Dow at Newton North.”

On what makes playing high school soccer so special:

Donnelly: “With the public schools and a lot of the MIAA, where kids are playing for their hometown, they probably had a brother or sister go through there already and make their mark. Pride is a good word. And the student sections, at least on a game to game basis at MIAA games, especially if you’re at one of the better team’s (home field), it’s pretty raucous.”