Nutmeg
13 Apr 2004, 11:32 AM
So by my count, a total of 30 US-eligible players saw MLS action this weekend. If you made this list, congrats, but don’t let your head get too big. As always, comments, suggestions, questions, and corrections are welcome… I’m going with 4 defenders, 5 midfielders, and one forward this week. I mean, come on, not one American forward put a goal in.
Kevin Hartman: Really made some nice stops, but his 1v1 shutdown of Moreno is what gets him on this list. Sure, Moreno should have finished, but Hartman made it really difficult. Good game from “El Gato.”
Jim Curtin: What a pain in the ass. The guy is huge, and got in San Jose’s way all game long. Dominated in the air, and did a great job of organizing his defense around him. Chicago’s defense hasn’t missed a beat.
Bryan Namoff: Lining up alongside Jim Curtin in my central defense this week is Bryan Namoff, who I think really stood out against Kirovski and the Fish this week. He owned both players every time they squared off in 1v1 situations. Very good game.
Chris Albright: Two weeks in a row on the all-American 11 list for BS’ favorite scapegoat at right back. I’m surprised more DC United fans haven’t bitched about this selection. Maybe even they realize that Albright has found a spot where he has been very effective.
Jeff Agoos: Jeff played out left against Chicago, and I thought he caused the Fire a lot of problems, particularly in the first half. Don’t ask me how a guy with Jeff’s footspeed is better out wide than he is in the middle, but Jeff was better this week than he was last week in DC. I have to be honest – I really considered Chicago’s Leonard Griffin in this position. Griffin made Mullan look terrible. But overall, I think Agoos had a slightly better game.
The 5 Musketeers: I have never seen a midfield unit play more as a team than DC United’s midfield of Brian Carroll, Earnie Stewart, Ben Olsen, Bobby Convey, and Josh Gros. For two weeks in a row, Nowak has had his midfield functioning like a well-oiled, midseason form machine. They have busted their collective ass and owned the midfield against San Jose and LA. The performance in LA was considerably impressive considering how good LA’s midfield looked against New England last week. All due respect to Richard Mulrooney and DaMarcus Beasley, who I thought also played well this week, but for my money the DC United midfield hasn’t just been good, they’ve been dominant. They’ve personified the all-for-one, one-for-all attitude. Nowak's emphasis on the team before the individual is obviously paying off.
Alecko Eskandarian: Another player making his second appearance on this list, I think Esky has looked great his first two games. Obviously Moreno in his current form is tough to take off the field, but at some point this season I hope we get to see Adu and Esky partnered up front for DC. Esky has been dangerous, and was the closest American to actually scoring a goal on what almost looked like a replay of last week’s goal. Given more time on the field, I really think he would have put one away.
Kevin Hartman: Really made some nice stops, but his 1v1 shutdown of Moreno is what gets him on this list. Sure, Moreno should have finished, but Hartman made it really difficult. Good game from “El Gato.”
Jim Curtin: What a pain in the ass. The guy is huge, and got in San Jose’s way all game long. Dominated in the air, and did a great job of organizing his defense around him. Chicago’s defense hasn’t missed a beat.
Bryan Namoff: Lining up alongside Jim Curtin in my central defense this week is Bryan Namoff, who I think really stood out against Kirovski and the Fish this week. He owned both players every time they squared off in 1v1 situations. Very good game.
Chris Albright: Two weeks in a row on the all-American 11 list for BS’ favorite scapegoat at right back. I’m surprised more DC United fans haven’t bitched about this selection. Maybe even they realize that Albright has found a spot where he has been very effective.
Jeff Agoos: Jeff played out left against Chicago, and I thought he caused the Fire a lot of problems, particularly in the first half. Don’t ask me how a guy with Jeff’s footspeed is better out wide than he is in the middle, but Jeff was better this week than he was last week in DC. I have to be honest – I really considered Chicago’s Leonard Griffin in this position. Griffin made Mullan look terrible. But overall, I think Agoos had a slightly better game.
The 5 Musketeers: I have never seen a midfield unit play more as a team than DC United’s midfield of Brian Carroll, Earnie Stewart, Ben Olsen, Bobby Convey, and Josh Gros. For two weeks in a row, Nowak has had his midfield functioning like a well-oiled, midseason form machine. They have busted their collective ass and owned the midfield against San Jose and LA. The performance in LA was considerably impressive considering how good LA’s midfield looked against New England last week. All due respect to Richard Mulrooney and DaMarcus Beasley, who I thought also played well this week, but for my money the DC United midfield hasn’t just been good, they’ve been dominant. They’ve personified the all-for-one, one-for-all attitude. Nowak's emphasis on the team before the individual is obviously paying off.
Alecko Eskandarian: Another player making his second appearance on this list, I think Esky has looked great his first two games. Obviously Moreno in his current form is tough to take off the field, but at some point this season I hope we get to see Adu and Esky partnered up front for DC. Esky has been dangerous, and was the closest American to actually scoring a goal on what almost looked like a replay of last week’s goal. Given more time on the field, I really think he would have put one away.