Who are your top 3 players?

If you had to pick the Unions top three players who would they be and why if you wish.

1. Gomez- it may be a little early, but guy looks like a stud and I am confident he will only improve.
2. Valdez- Covers lot of ground, gets a little squirley at times.

Third is a hard decision. I have Pajoy (still early), Sheanon, Torres.

3. Sheanon- hasn't been as solid this year, but was played out of position and had to deal with suspect Nowak decisions.

Migloranzi, LeToux and Harvey

1. Gomez, by a long shot.
2.
3.
4.
5. Um, Valdes?
6. Pajoy/Carroll

That about sums it up for me and I would probably put Zach at 7 even though he has conceded 6 goals he has kept that number from being higher by making some great/good saves. The squibler at Portland is a big gaff though. No one else on the team has really shown anything.

1. Gomez - good FK ability, strong on defense (usually)
2. Valdes - kept the defense from completely collapsing
3. Daniel - can actually keep possession in midfield

1. Valdes
2. Carroll
2. Gomez

Honorable mentions; Williams, Torres

1. Adu - I think the Union grabbed him thinking he could turn into a big name DP player for the next 3-5 years or so. I like this playmaking ability, but he has lots of room for improvement.

2. Valdes - The guy is a rock in the back.

3. Tough call. I'd have to say Mwanga. I really hope he can succeed as the #1 Overall and first pick of the Union.

1. Torres
2. Williams
3. Valdes

I might switch the order of the first two, but this would be my selection as well with Martinez being the player that I would like to see more of before deciding.

going on recent form rather than past performances im going with:

1- Valdes - one on one, most players have no chance, he's got physicality and speed. His positioning is usually really good and when it isnt it seems like he has another gear he shifts into and has deceptive speed to get back on the play. Has gotten a lot better at defending balls in the air. He's got great composure when he gets a takeaway and has a bunch of deceptive little moves he uses to keep the ball under pressure instead of needing to panic and clear it. One of the best defenders in the MLS.

2- Pajoy - looks like the real deal. Has played the target man role as well as you can without the goals to show for it. Has an arsenal of moves to keep possession and make people miss. Knows how to change speeds and lull defenders to sleep. He's really just been unlucky to not have scored more to this point. He's had a bunch of really good looks that have been blocked off at the last second and just missed. I don't think it's unreasonable that he can net 15 goals this season.

3- Daniel - Keon has comeback and picked up where he left off before the visa problems. Keon just knows what to do out there, he makes great passes, is able to keep possession. Plays his outside midfielder role as it should and always provides the team with width. He's a great two way player both 1v1 and tracking back. If anything I don't think he's selfish enough as he should take some more shots. The one glaring flaw he has is his crosses which haven't really been close.

***

I think Gomez is getting too much praise, I think he's been good overall, but pretty horrible defensively. He lumbers around having all kinds of trouble dealing with speed and goes to the ground way too much trying sliding tackles that haven't really been successful. Love his enthusiasm and tenacity, and those free kicks are awesome, but Brian Carroll and Valdes have been saving his ass on the defensive end each game.

stop thinking.


1) GOMEZ
2) GOMEZ
3) GOMEZ

1. Gomez
2. Pajoy
3. Williams/Daniel

That's my list. Honorable mention for Pajoy. I think he's done well but has suffered from lack of service.

You meant to put this in red, right?

1. Gomez
2. Pajoy
3. Williams

After the Vancouver game, I think it's:

1. Gomez
2. Valdes
3. MacMath

Honorable mention: Williams and Torres.

So yeah, that's four defensive players and our one good dead ball/cross hitter. This won't be the first 0-0 game we see, I'm afraid...

I couldn't agree more!!

Daniel
Valdes
Gomez/Pajoy

I think Adu is getting much more hate than he deserves. He's not the best player in the world, but he's far better than people are giving him credit for. Personally, if he plays like he was doing with the U-23 team then I can't wait to see what happens in the Columbus game. If Adu and Pajoy learn how to team up they will be dangerous.

This is, and has been, true for most of his career. Of course, he's also undeniably gotten more props than he deserves.

Folks have always argued about Freddy. Probably always will, barring a consistent step up or down in performance (hopefully up, ala Landon in MLS and at Everton and Clint for Fulham, which seems to have moved most critics over to the "fan" side of their ledgers). Heck, Benfica fans still argue about him in that monster serbenfiquista thread (37 thousand posts and counting).

For me, it's more understandable that Freddy would be held to a high standard in Philadelphia; anyone earning DP money ought to produce at a fairly high level, no?

If he plays like he did in Nashville, I think folks will be happy. I, personally, don't think he will, unless he's given a similar role, either as a CAM or an inverted right winger whose real job is to roam all over pitch and attack. If Piotr settles on a fairly consistent lineup and formation (allowing players to get into a rhythm and be on the same page), and plays Freddy in the hole or allows him to roam...then he might produce.

Otherwise, I think he'll drift in and out of games, showing glimpses of quality but, for the most part, not looking like a special player worthy of DP money. (Time will tell...)

I'm still waiting for him to regain his Gold Cup form we were all excited about when he signed last year.

And there is the rub of Freddy Adu. He plays well at international competitions, shows great potential, and then nothing on the club side. This scene has played out a few times across Freddy's career. Again now, he is coming back to a club after a good showing at the international level, but will we see it help the Union? Time will tell, but looking at past examples, I don't think it will.

The real question is why his play drops so low; whether that is Freddy's doing or the coach?

Or both.

There are two competing hypotheses I've seen regularly thrown out to explain why he shines in bursts (e.g., for the national team, initially at Benfica) and then disappears. Personally, I think there's probably some truth to both of them.

H1: It's Freddy's fault. He's simply a flawed player. He has athletic shortcomings (not fast enough, too small and gets pushed off the ball, etc.), lacks a high end motor, is a defensive liability, and may be tactically naive. And most of all, he's simply inconsistent, teasing us w/ great play when he's fired up (e.g., int'l level) but then disappearing; he's got to mature and develop a more consistent professional mindset.

H2: It's the fault of managers/the world. The game has changed. The creative #10 role has simply been phased out, leaving no real role for Freddy Adu types. When managers actually have (a) played him, (b) in the kind of central playmaking role he's suited for, he's generally rewarded them, no matter how high or low the level of competition, for club or country. Play him out of position, though, or not at all, and you'll be disappointed.

At the club level, it's simply been hard to convince managers to run their offense through him. This is perfectly understandable. After all, he's been a young, unproven kid; *still* just 22, right? (Even talents like Riquelme have a very hard time convincing managers to run the offense through them, and, thus, often bloom relatively late.) And if H1 is true, even in part, it would only make a manager that much more reluctant to hand over the car keys. If you don't hand them over, though, you probably don't have a player worth paying DP money for.

(Another poster recently compared him to Jeremy Lin. You either give him a shot, putting the ball in his hands and trusting him, and he rewards you...or he'll be the last player on your bench...no real in b/w. W/ Freddy, there actually is an in b/w, imho. In Greece, for example, I thought he clearly looked like a useful player; but when you're paid DP money, 'useful' is not good enough. So the point stands: trust him or be disappointed.)

The Union, of course, shouldn't do what's best for Freddy Adu, but what's best for the Union. Is handing him the car keys best for the Union? I'm not so sure...especially in a league where the athletic can sometimes dominate the technical. (Then again, I'm also not sure why you sign him at this level of pay if you're not planning on at least giving it a shot.)

He also consistently plays a different position than he does for clubs. Though from the Union's first game, it seemed Adu was playing A-mid/inverted winger as someone mentioned before. I'm optimistic.

1. M.Farfan
2. Gomez
3. Carroll

The crux of the problem.


They have to find out (in this lost season) whether Adu can play centrally, because if he can't-he can't play here at all.

That means diamond-and either Carroll or Marfan on the bench.

Since Mgt. hasn't shown the slightest inclination to make that move, get used to frustration and random, ineffective line-ups until they sell him for peanuts on the dollar.