Brian Carroll--An Unexpected Bonus?

[JoeW]

Out of our 2003 rookie crop, BC is probably the guy we had the least expectations about and the least chatter about. We just didn't see much of him. He wasn't drafted as high as Stokes and didn't have the expectations of Eskandarian. Some argued we should have drafted Logan Pause instead.

But then we get this from Nowak (via Diceson in IV after the Columbus, Carolina Cup match):

"Brian Carroll was the Man-of-the-Match today. He was unbelievable. The past two months I would say that this guy can play defensive midfield – win the balls, clean it up, and play the balls forward. I was very happy with Brian."

Wow--great words to hear. Especially since resolving the defensive mid uncertainly helps the team in a lot of ways (and clarifies some roles). Especially after a lot of speculation that maybe he wasn't cut out for D-mid, that his future was as an outside back or outside mid.

[CHICO13]

Especially since resolving the defensive mid uncertainly helps the team in a lot of ways (and clarifies some roles). Especially after a lot of speculation that maybe he wasn't cut out for D-mid, that his future was as an outside back or outside mid.
You're right on with that Joe. I seem to recall BC playing a little d-mid in school but if he can fulfill that roll for United then many questions get answered. Imagine if Ray had given Carroll and Stokes more meaningful minutes last year. I hope both players step up and take advantage of the situation.

[sckrmom]

You're right on with that Joe. I seem to recall BC playing a little d-mid in school but if he can fulfill that roll for United then many questions get answered. Imagine if Ray had given Carroll and Stokes more meaningful minutes last year. I hope both players step up and take advantage of the situation.

He has played more than "a little" d-mid. That was his position with all the youth teams and all but one year of college.
I am glad to see him finally getting some recognition after what was a long tough year. At the risk of inciting riots with this post, I'd just like to take a minute to say, "I told you so, I told you so, I told you so"!!!
This one quote by Peter is worth all the darts and venom you all have been throwing at me :D
Signed,
Not BC's mom

[Lanky134]

This one quote by Peter is worth all the darts and venom you all have been throwing at me :D

Actually, Mrs. Carroll, many of us were throwing darts and venom and Ray Hudson and John Trask.

[sch2383]

If BC can turn into the D-mid we need, that would be huge.

[chayes]

So did Carroll all of a sudden have a revelation over the winter and raise his game to MLS level or did Hudson really just hate young players?

Something has got to give, you can't go from playing 0 minutes one year to being one of the best players on the field the next.

[JoeW]

So did Carroll all of a sudden have a revelation over the winter and raise his game to MLS level or did Hudson really just hate young players?

Something has got to give, you can't go from playing 0 minutes one year to being one of the best players on the field the next.

I think even sitting on the bench can be useful and provide some value. For instance, Ben Olsen has talked about how he's improved some elements of his game by becoming a spectator. That said, I do think Stokes, Carroll and Eskandarian would be far better players if they'd gotten more minutes and especially more trust and responsibility last season.

But sometimes a change in regime makes a big difference. For instance, I personally believe that if we hadn't traded Mapp, he'd have had a disappointing season last year and we'd be talking about him in the same breadth as Barclay. I think the trade was both a wakeup call for JM and also a breath of fresh air.

I think Nowak is a great coach for the younger guys on this squad. He's continually sent the message that everyone has to earn their spot on the team every day, that if you play well you'll get minutes. We had a lot of guys hurt and not a lot of invitees or draftees (which mean they all got time). And I"ll bet the Olympics experience was probably a positive for our guys--lots of serious PT at a speed that might have been faster than where the MLS camps were at a comparable time.

So while I blame Hudson primarily on this (it's just unforgiveable that while we needed a D-mid, Carroll was invisible on the team), I think it's a bit simplistic to say that either Hudson's fault or Carroll got better overnight.

And, whatever the explanation, I"m always for a local guy making good, a young player stepping up, and an American proving he's good enough.

[GrillMaster]

FWIW, Red&Black and I both thought Carroll was probably MOTM vs Charleston on 20 March. He is playing very good ball right now; however, this is preseason and I'm very much interested how he will stand up to League play when it counts.

BC is assuredly blossoming under Nowak's new team regime.

GM