When Tony Amato arrived in Arizona in 2013, then-athletic director Greg Byrne asked his newest hire a question that now seems silly.
“Do you think we can ever get in the tournament?” said Byrne, now the AD at Alabama.
Amato knew how downtrodden the UA soccer program was, so he wasn’t sure.
“I said I gotta get my hands in here and see, but if we have the right players we will,” he said.
Fast forward to Monday and the Wildcats not only had their named called on Selection Monday — they face Denver on Friday at 7 p.