Why all the praise for Hejduk?

[gideon02]

OH MY GOD HEJDUK IS SO GOOD IF ONLY WE HAD HIM WE WOULD OF WON AGAINST COSTA RICA. OH MY GOD I HOPE HE'S HEALTHY FOR CONFED CUP.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with some of you people?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSPl5KhYnS4#t=03m23

watch at 3:20

did you forget the huge goal he gave up vs el salvador that cost us the win? He scored a goal, but his defense was questionable the entire game. I challenge you to rewatch this entire game and say that he, without a doubt, is our best right back.

[Matrim55]

did you forget the huge goal he gave up vs el salvador that cost us the win? He scored a goal, but his defense was questionable the entire game. I challenge you to rewatch this entire game and say that he, without a doubt, is our best right back.
You're highlighting only his worst game in years.

What about... just about every other game he's played for us since 2006? Frankie, positionally, is the best we've got. Offensively he's worked to the point that he's certainly not a liability.

And most importantly, he's never, EVER scared. We needed a testosterone injection the other night, and Frankie would have provided it. Would it have been enough to win? Probably not. But it would have helped.

That said, I'm very happy Wynne got blooded in Saprissa. Can only help us down the road.

[tab5g]

Who else are you gonna praise?

[TrueCrew]

He's our best right back right now. Dolo is #1, but he's hurt.

Yes, he was partially at fault on one CR goal. But he also created TWO (1 goal and 1 assist) for us. Now, I'm not an expert on the whole +/- thing, but I believe that puts him at plus one for the game.

Which seems to rate higher than any other defender on the field for that game, or the Costa Rica one.

If you'd watched the Costa Rica game again, you'd realize how dumb you look. You think Wynne played better vs. Costa Rica than Hejduk did vs. El Salvador? Where he saved our @sses?

Look defenders get beaten sometimes, its the nature of the game. BS boards always focus on "this guy got beat, so he can't play for the Nat's anymore." It's just ridiculous. They all get beat sometimes: Gooch, Boca, Wynne, Hejduk, Dolo, Pearce, John Terry, Vidic (he must suck because Eto'o beat him in the CL final, right?).

The measure is how often it happens, and what else do they do for the team. Hejduk got beat, got up, got his @ss back in the game, assisted on one goal (with a damn nice cross, I might add) and scored another. He exemplified the very characteristics our team was missing @Costa Rica on Wednesday:

Heart. Determination. Grit. Fight. Toughness. And Belief. That's why all the praise.

How anyone could watch both games (over and over) and not get that it just beyond me. You don't think Frankie would have knocked someone on their @ss at Saprissa?

Now, would we have won if Frankie was at RB? I doubt it. But who can say? I can say, we would have lost @El Salvador without him. And we would have stood a better chance @Saprissa with him.

[tab5g]

And I challenge anyone to read the below thread from Feb 2009, and not have some understanding of why there is "all the praise for Hejduk" --

You can always rely on Frankie... (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=944220)