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In the waning minutes of Akron’s 2018 NCAA quarterfinals matchup against Stanford, freshman midfielder Colin Biros played patiently. The Zips executed 34 passes, progressing into the Cardinal’s half. Biros strided down the left side while most of the Zips played the right side of the pitch, cutting through gaps between Stanford’s defenders.

After Akron’s Marco Micaletto’s curling shot went wide, Marcel Zajac headed the ball back in front of the net. Biros waited in open space for the ball to bounce before heading it in to give the Zips a 3-2 win over the three-time national champions. 

Biros was a scorer in high school, but throughout his time with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew academy team and Akron he developed the ability to find uncovered areas in the midfield. His college teammates and his father agreed that he’s become a player to expose holes in a team’s formation and distribute the ball. Though Biros has scored two goals this season, he mainly uses soft spots in formations to create passes to advance up the pitch. 

“I kind of just find myself as the little technical guy that teams just can’t really get a handle on,” Biros said. “It’s my job to connect the backline to the forwards and just create goals and assists.” 

Biros said he honed these space-discovering abilities at Columbus, training five years under United States men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter. Michael said Biros joined the academy team after his freshman year of high school. Once the coaches watched Biros, Michael said they liked him instantly.

The midfielder said Berhalter structured a system where the midfielder learned to roam in areas where it would be difficult for opponents to mark him. 

“(He’s) technically sound, he can handle the ball properly and make the right decision on distribution plays,” Michael said. “He (also) weighs the ball properly for his teammates to easily handle it as well.”

At Jackson, Michael saw his son as “the coach on the field” because of the way he was always “available” and connected with his teammates. Michael said Biros’ ability to move up the field and get the ball to the next player made him a scoring and passing threat. Biros said he always wanted to play defensively in the midfield, but Michael was insistent on pushing his son more upfield. 

After high school, Biros wanted to play for Akron, a school that’s just 10 minutes away from home and won the 2010 national championship. Marco Milanese met Biros at Akron as roommates during freshman year. Milanese said that Biros was very quiet at first. But once the players got on the pitch, Biros’ shyness went away.

Milanese said Biros always expressed himself through his playing style. He described the 5-foot-7 midfielder as a “European player,” focused on technique compared to a big and physical “American player.”

“He is able to find the right pockets and he’s a very smart kid as well,” Milanese said.

Biros’ passes were sharp on corner kicks, too, Milanese said. In a matchup against VCU, Biros connected with Milanese’s head on a corner kick to tie the game at 1-1.

A game later against Syracuse, Biros found more space to score. Three SU defenders lined up in front of him, but once a gap between the two left defenders and Zip teammate Diogo Pacheco opened, Biros received a pass from Pacheco. Biros made two quick cuts to his right and sent a low shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

Biros became more comfortable with his Akron teammates, taking part in the freshman tradition of having his head shaved in a buzzcut. He started creating chemistry with his fellow midfielders.

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The Zips tried many starting combinations due to multiple transfers and freshmen comprised the roster, said Morgan Hackworth, former Akron player. Usually, Biros played wide on the right side while Hackworth played near the center. As he watched Biros practice, Hackworth said Biros would be “annoying” as he found pockets, always finding a way to play and receive the best possible pass. 

“I was kind of floating as a false nine and I found him all the time, because he’s just always in the right pockets,” Hackworth said.

In the 2018 Mid-American Conference semifinals against West Virginia, Biros collected a punched ball outside the box. Biros surveyed the Mountaineers’ half and sent a curling pass inside. Despite four defenders in the penalty box, Biros’ curler was placed perfectly, allowing forward Ezana Kahsay an opportunity to knock in a header to give Akron a 2-1 lead.

With his passing acumen and clutch goals, the freshman Biros brought Akron a MAC championship and a run to the College Cup Final against Maryland, where it lost 1-0. But in the next two seasons, the Zips went 10-14-4. Biros needed a switch, Milanese said. In his search, Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre called at the right time, and Biros found that SU had the perfect role for him.

At Syracuse, Biros has only scored four times and notched six assists, but he still generates scoring chances and goals. In the Orange’s 3-0 win over Virginia Tech, Biros saw a streaking Chrsitian Curti entering the box. Once Biros drew the multiple Hokie defenders to him, he passed to a wide-open Curti, who set up Noah Singelmann for SU’s second of the night.

“I can just get in there and really confuse them by finding areas that are hard to defend and hard to pick up,” Biros said. “I really wanted to bring that wherever I went. That’s what I’m good at.”

Published on October 5, 2022 at 11:30 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com