Chicago1871
29 Jun 2004, 10:04 AM
The "From WAY Downtown" Edition. Kirovski has appealed to the league that 50-yard goals should count double, or triple, particularly if struck on the first touch; we will keep you updated on this developing story. Eric Denton scored a game-winning goal for the second time this season - but I'm pretty sure the last one was for the Crew, not their opponent. A schizophrenic Metrostars squad followed up a two-game sweep of the league's best team by losing to the league's worst team in a horrifyingly officiated match featuring hustle goals from two rookies and a backup goalkeeper getting away with pushing a linesman. A collective yawn greeted Jason Kreis' impressive achievement of breaking the MLS goals record, as we realized that either a) we don't care about stats, or b) we don't care about Jason Kreis. Finally, Landon Donovan performed a minor miracle, fouling Josh Wolff from behind to prevent the game-winning goal, without injuring him in the process. A grateful soccer nation thanks you.
Not only is this week’s AAXI (4-4-2 lineup) Metrostar dominated (7 players), but in no small part to that number and the players fielded by Bradley this past week, the average age of the thirteenth AAXI is 24. If you were drop the geriatrics (Walker, Pope, and Kirovski) the team would barely be old enough to drink. And, at 22, Beasley is the old man in the midfield.
Jonny Walker (2): Just a very solid performance. He played like the best keepers in the league and owned the box. His positioning was flawless. He stayed calm and did not over-commit when a lesser goalkeeper might have on several occasions. While other goalkeepers make look sensational, Walker handles nonchalantly.
Eddie Pope (2): An awesome performance from the US veteran. He continues to make defense look easy. He consistently disrupted LA buildups in the second half just through superior anticipation. Like usual he was dominant in the air, continually frustrating the Galaxy's attempts to send high balls into Ruiz. His positioning was near flawless, he blocked shots and never panicked and made mistakes or lunges. He embodied the 4 Cs: calm, cool, collected and close to perfect.
Ryan Suarez (1): Spent his day making the ever-dangerous Damani Ralph into obscurity. Not to mention making not one, but two possibly game saving saves when Hartman was beaten. He looked like nothing short of an animal on defense and one could argue for a MOTM nod for him.
Chris Leitch (1): He's just better on the right. Enough so that you want to end the Leitch-to-LB experiment and hope Ziadie or Regan can step it up over there. He got burned by Jones a couple of times, but that happens. He’s a defender who knows how to spark the offense without abandoning his defensive duties, which is a skill every team prays their defenders and bring on any given day.
Jeff Parke (4): A very good performance, but some believe he gave up too many fouls. His physical play on Ruiz earned him nominations as well as some minor complaints. Parke was rock solid for a good deal of the game and his tenacious defense shut down Jones very effectively.
Clint Dempsey (3): Clint was all over the pitch…again. He did it all: tackling hard, pushing forward, and what seems to becoming a habit--scoring a critical goal. While his mark on this match may not have been as important as others, he still proved to be a difference maker. Some might say this standout rookie is the duct tape holding his team together at this point.
Eddie Gaven (5): The top vote-getter this week, Gaven has impressed everybody all year with the quality of his play at such a young age. This past Wednesday night, however, Gaven put it all together and showed everyone just what all the fuss was about. His first goal: a great cutback leaving his defender holding his own jockstrap. His second goal: words simply can't do it justice. Watch the highlights on MLSnet and see for yourself what a sublime goal it was. When you look at him ask yourself what you see. Speed? Yep. Skill with the ball at his feet? Yep. Can use his left? Yep. Can use his right? Yep. Work rate? Yep. Passing? Yep. Playing out of pressure? Yep. Creativity? Yep. Size? Yep. In case you're not getting the point, the kid has the complete game...and he's 17.
Ricardo Clark (3): Overshadowed by Eddie's antics, Clark played possibly his best game of the year obliterating any attacks the Galaxy managed to create. Very good on the ball and seemingly only getting better, Clark looks to be getting very comfortable with the duties of a d-mid. Showing for his defenders to pass the ball out of the back. Dribbling away from pressure and getting the ball forward. Winning balls through pressure, sliding tackles and shoulder challenges. Another one of the youngsters on the AAXI that shows a tremendous amount of promise.
Damarcus Beasley (3): A good, if unspectacular game from DMB. His patented counterattacking dribbles relieved the Chicago defense and kept LA from pushing too far up-field. His long passes were almost always precise, but this game lacked the fireworks more Chicago fans wish they could see from him on a regular basis. He continues to be very solid when tracking back to help out on defense…sometimes more than people would like.
Mike Magee (2): Whoever said Magee can't beat people off the dribble needs to reevaluate his assertion. Magee created several chances with his ability to get to the end line and put balls in front of the goal. His service on corners once again proved to be dangerous. Magee was also the creator of the only Metros goal after he superbly chested the ball toward the goal and away from the defender and then beat Reis to the ball before being taken down in the box. Possibly his best match of the year.
Jovan Kirovski (4): Not many MLS players could hit a running ball 50 yards with the pace and accuracy that Kirovski did on his goal. Even more impressive is the fact that he hit it with his off foot. In addition to the goal, Kirovski was a lot for the Chicago defense to handle even if his efforts did not always end well. His runs and positioning were class. Note: there’s a new rule in effect for the AAXI, any time a guy scores the winning goal from 50 yards out, he gets the nod.
Header provided by Casper.
Not only is this week’s AAXI (4-4-2 lineup) Metrostar dominated (7 players), but in no small part to that number and the players fielded by Bradley this past week, the average age of the thirteenth AAXI is 24. If you were drop the geriatrics (Walker, Pope, and Kirovski) the team would barely be old enough to drink. And, at 22, Beasley is the old man in the midfield.
Jonny Walker (2): Just a very solid performance. He played like the best keepers in the league and owned the box. His positioning was flawless. He stayed calm and did not over-commit when a lesser goalkeeper might have on several occasions. While other goalkeepers make look sensational, Walker handles nonchalantly.
Eddie Pope (2): An awesome performance from the US veteran. He continues to make defense look easy. He consistently disrupted LA buildups in the second half just through superior anticipation. Like usual he was dominant in the air, continually frustrating the Galaxy's attempts to send high balls into Ruiz. His positioning was near flawless, he blocked shots and never panicked and made mistakes or lunges. He embodied the 4 Cs: calm, cool, collected and close to perfect.
Ryan Suarez (1): Spent his day making the ever-dangerous Damani Ralph into obscurity. Not to mention making not one, but two possibly game saving saves when Hartman was beaten. He looked like nothing short of an animal on defense and one could argue for a MOTM nod for him.
Chris Leitch (1): He's just better on the right. Enough so that you want to end the Leitch-to-LB experiment and hope Ziadie or Regan can step it up over there. He got burned by Jones a couple of times, but that happens. He’s a defender who knows how to spark the offense without abandoning his defensive duties, which is a skill every team prays their defenders and bring on any given day.
Jeff Parke (4): A very good performance, but some believe he gave up too many fouls. His physical play on Ruiz earned him nominations as well as some minor complaints. Parke was rock solid for a good deal of the game and his tenacious defense shut down Jones very effectively.
Clint Dempsey (3): Clint was all over the pitch…again. He did it all: tackling hard, pushing forward, and what seems to becoming a habit--scoring a critical goal. While his mark on this match may not have been as important as others, he still proved to be a difference maker. Some might say this standout rookie is the duct tape holding his team together at this point.
Eddie Gaven (5): The top vote-getter this week, Gaven has impressed everybody all year with the quality of his play at such a young age. This past Wednesday night, however, Gaven put it all together and showed everyone just what all the fuss was about. His first goal: a great cutback leaving his defender holding his own jockstrap. His second goal: words simply can't do it justice. Watch the highlights on MLSnet and see for yourself what a sublime goal it was. When you look at him ask yourself what you see. Speed? Yep. Skill with the ball at his feet? Yep. Can use his left? Yep. Can use his right? Yep. Work rate? Yep. Passing? Yep. Playing out of pressure? Yep. Creativity? Yep. Size? Yep. In case you're not getting the point, the kid has the complete game...and he's 17.
Ricardo Clark (3): Overshadowed by Eddie's antics, Clark played possibly his best game of the year obliterating any attacks the Galaxy managed to create. Very good on the ball and seemingly only getting better, Clark looks to be getting very comfortable with the duties of a d-mid. Showing for his defenders to pass the ball out of the back. Dribbling away from pressure and getting the ball forward. Winning balls through pressure, sliding tackles and shoulder challenges. Another one of the youngsters on the AAXI that shows a tremendous amount of promise.
Damarcus Beasley (3): A good, if unspectacular game from DMB. His patented counterattacking dribbles relieved the Chicago defense and kept LA from pushing too far up-field. His long passes were almost always precise, but this game lacked the fireworks more Chicago fans wish they could see from him on a regular basis. He continues to be very solid when tracking back to help out on defense…sometimes more than people would like.
Mike Magee (2): Whoever said Magee can't beat people off the dribble needs to reevaluate his assertion. Magee created several chances with his ability to get to the end line and put balls in front of the goal. His service on corners once again proved to be dangerous. Magee was also the creator of the only Metros goal after he superbly chested the ball toward the goal and away from the defender and then beat Reis to the ball before being taken down in the box. Possibly his best match of the year.
Jovan Kirovski (4): Not many MLS players could hit a running ball 50 yards with the pace and accuracy that Kirovski did on his goal. Even more impressive is the fact that he hit it with his off foot. In addition to the goal, Kirovski was a lot for the Chicago defense to handle even if his efforts did not always end well. His runs and positioning were class. Note: there’s a new rule in effect for the AAXI, any time a guy scores the winning goal from 50 yards out, he gets the nod.
Header provided by Casper.