Chicago1871
17 Aug 2004, 09:32 AM
The "Should MLS sign the whole Iraqi Olympic Team as Transitional Internationals, or do conquered countries count as Americans?" Edition. As the Olympic tournament kicks off with minimal MLS participation (anyone besides Pablo Brenes?), the league got to operate at nearly full strength for most teams this week.
At midweek, Freddy Adu played for DC instead of Ghana's Olympians (despite the lame invitation), and his best MLS performance met up with the travelling Richie Kotschau own-goal / last-minute penalty show, leading to a comfortable United victory. What do you get when Matt Reis repeatedly stuffs Jason Kreis to deliver a shutout victory? Reis Kreispies. Finally, with an MVP performance from the woodwork, the Jamaica Fire rode strong performance from Damani Ralph and Andy Williams to their first three points in nine games.
Over the weekend, non-Olympian DaMarcus Beasley scored in his Dutch League debut, inspiring former Olympic benchwarmer Landon Donovan to a dominating performance versus the Wiz. (Insert moment of silence for Chris Klein's 2004 MLS MVP campaign.) Non-Olympian Andy Dorman (who are we kidding, the guy's from Wales) scored his second last-minute goal of the week, stealing a Revs road point. The Rapids completed their home-and-home with the Fire with a 5-0 aggregate victory, despite not having scored on anyone else in a month. The Crew and Galaxy played a game, too. And in the Olympic spirit, the Metros added to their degree of difficulty by attempting the never-before-completed "only clear the ball to Pareja" late game defensive strategy. Oops.*
This week the AAXI is fielding a 3-5-2 lineup where the ages of the players range from 15 to 37. A small gap, to say the least, but there isn’t a player on this team, irregardless of age, who isn’t a danger to opposing players.
Matt Reis (1): Practically stood on his head to keep a clean sheet when the Revs were clinging to their 1-0 lead. His stellar play forced Dallas to keep pushing forward, which allowed NE to score on two late counters to finish 3-0. By all accounts a very strong performance, and Reis’ first AAXI nomination.
Jim Curtin (3): His usual self: a rock in the backline. He snuffed whatever San Jose could throw at the Fire backline...and more. He was a presence in the air, also on land, and why the sea as well. Good man marking and he was one of the few bright passers for the Fire in a game where the passing could have been better.
Jeff Agoos (3): A fantastic defender, to say the least. His marking was flawless and I don't think he got beat on the dribble even once. His tactical defensive senses are as good as they get. Despite the age factor (is there an age factor with Goose?) he shows that he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
Todd Dunivant (1): Got a lot of props last year and some people had forgotten about him this year since he'd been injured. Most people would continue to forget about him too, since Stoner and Waldo hardly called his name. But from what could be seen, that was because he had a quietly solid game. The idea was tossed around that Dunivant’s play is possibly the reason why Klein was moved over to the left side of the field, since Chiris wasn't having much success against him.
Richard Mulrooney (2): A good overall game against Chicago. He got involved both offensively and defensively and was ‘standout’ impressive several times. He passing is superb, and his defensive skills rival that of Armas and Mastroeni. In his second game of the week, the guys on ESPN2 tried to hype it as a battle between Mulrooney and Zvagnin. While not literally true, Mulrooney mostly got the better of Kerry. He read the game supremely well, broke up plays, and made very incisive passes to his team-mates; vintage Mulrooney stuff.
Freddy Adu (3): The young’un was the man. Quite possibly the most dangerous player on the field for either side. His perfect finish off of a perfectly-placed Gros pass was a highlight of the night. Had a great possession game as he was never dispossessed unless fouled, or trying to beat someone in a dangerous place. Colorado fans had to be panicking every time Adu and Gros came down the left together. Physically held his ground as well. This was an ideal situation for him in that DC had so much of the possession that he wasn't called upon to play much defense, plus, Kovalenko and Olsen dealt with a lot of the defensive central mid responsibilities pretty handily.
Brian Mullan (7): Another balls-to-the-wall performance for America's hardest working midfielder. Not Landon-esque performance (we’ll get to that in a minute), but we don't want to sell Mullan short for not playing up to Donovan's level. Mullan assisted on Donovan's goal, pushed forward very well, but also pitched in on defense. This guy never stops going, even when the ball is out of bounds. His precision cross resulted in SJ's first goal and his consistent running made life difficult for KC. That left footed floater was perfectly placed for Donovan's goal.
Steve Ralston (4): Was the best American player on the field vs. the (soon-to-be former) Burn. Not up to Donovan's (or Moreno's) level, but he kept the Revs attack moving all night. His passes, even on the wet and muddy field, were quite sublime. And let's not forget his brilliant dribbling and finish in the DC box to score the first goal. Per usual, Ralston's passing was accurate and smart. His tackles seemed to have a bit of an extra bite as well. Ralston's skill was on display Saturday night. His technique, even on the soggy pitch, was a class above the other Americans on said field.
Josh Gros (5): It was a little tough to tell whether Gros had extra space because the defense was concerned about Adu, or whether Adu had extra space because the defense was afraid of Gros. The nice part about a team sport is that it doesn't matter. His assist to Adu was a good read, perfectly placed and weighted. His overlapping runs are very good, and his ability to create space is among the best in the league. DC's midfield has dominated an awful lot of games this year, and they're still doing it despite Bobby Convey skipping over the pond. This kid is going to be a very solid player for a very long time.
Nate Jaqua (4): Had a pretty solid game getting forward and running at the Quakes defense. He didn't cause too many problems, but I liked his game play tonight. His 2nd half move to "midfield" just saw him playing good all around ball. Jaqua looks to have it in him to be a much more talented forward/midfielder. He isn’t afraid (usually) to run at people, and if he can just learn to make his size work for him he’ll be a prolific aerial goalscorer.
Landon Donovan (6): This has been called, “the best game I've seen LD play since the friendly against Mexico a few months ago.” He ran at people, he shot well, he involved his team-mates, and was clearly the best player on the field. He did sky a couple of shots over the bar, and Meola made a couple of nice saves. But you really can't find too much fault with Landon's game. Excellent off-the-ball running and the clinical header produced his first goal and his patented defense-beating dribble produced the second. On a day when he could have had four or five goals if he had his shooting boots on, Landon still made the difference by putting away two chances.
Also the AAXI would like to introduce the first honorary inanimate object nomination in the form of The Woodwork. With two fantastic saves against Landon Donovan and Brian Mullan, Woody proved that he’s got what it takes. The only question is can the Fire sign him to a long term contract?
*header written by Casper (his funniest yet, I think)
At midweek, Freddy Adu played for DC instead of Ghana's Olympians (despite the lame invitation), and his best MLS performance met up with the travelling Richie Kotschau own-goal / last-minute penalty show, leading to a comfortable United victory. What do you get when Matt Reis repeatedly stuffs Jason Kreis to deliver a shutout victory? Reis Kreispies. Finally, with an MVP performance from the woodwork, the Jamaica Fire rode strong performance from Damani Ralph and Andy Williams to their first three points in nine games.
Over the weekend, non-Olympian DaMarcus Beasley scored in his Dutch League debut, inspiring former Olympic benchwarmer Landon Donovan to a dominating performance versus the Wiz. (Insert moment of silence for Chris Klein's 2004 MLS MVP campaign.) Non-Olympian Andy Dorman (who are we kidding, the guy's from Wales) scored his second last-minute goal of the week, stealing a Revs road point. The Rapids completed their home-and-home with the Fire with a 5-0 aggregate victory, despite not having scored on anyone else in a month. The Crew and Galaxy played a game, too. And in the Olympic spirit, the Metros added to their degree of difficulty by attempting the never-before-completed "only clear the ball to Pareja" late game defensive strategy. Oops.*
This week the AAXI is fielding a 3-5-2 lineup where the ages of the players range from 15 to 37. A small gap, to say the least, but there isn’t a player on this team, irregardless of age, who isn’t a danger to opposing players.
Matt Reis (1): Practically stood on his head to keep a clean sheet when the Revs were clinging to their 1-0 lead. His stellar play forced Dallas to keep pushing forward, which allowed NE to score on two late counters to finish 3-0. By all accounts a very strong performance, and Reis’ first AAXI nomination.
Jim Curtin (3): His usual self: a rock in the backline. He snuffed whatever San Jose could throw at the Fire backline...and more. He was a presence in the air, also on land, and why the sea as well. Good man marking and he was one of the few bright passers for the Fire in a game where the passing could have been better.
Jeff Agoos (3): A fantastic defender, to say the least. His marking was flawless and I don't think he got beat on the dribble even once. His tactical defensive senses are as good as they get. Despite the age factor (is there an age factor with Goose?) he shows that he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
Todd Dunivant (1): Got a lot of props last year and some people had forgotten about him this year since he'd been injured. Most people would continue to forget about him too, since Stoner and Waldo hardly called his name. But from what could be seen, that was because he had a quietly solid game. The idea was tossed around that Dunivant’s play is possibly the reason why Klein was moved over to the left side of the field, since Chiris wasn't having much success against him.
Richard Mulrooney (2): A good overall game against Chicago. He got involved both offensively and defensively and was ‘standout’ impressive several times. He passing is superb, and his defensive skills rival that of Armas and Mastroeni. In his second game of the week, the guys on ESPN2 tried to hype it as a battle between Mulrooney and Zvagnin. While not literally true, Mulrooney mostly got the better of Kerry. He read the game supremely well, broke up plays, and made very incisive passes to his team-mates; vintage Mulrooney stuff.
Freddy Adu (3): The young’un was the man. Quite possibly the most dangerous player on the field for either side. His perfect finish off of a perfectly-placed Gros pass was a highlight of the night. Had a great possession game as he was never dispossessed unless fouled, or trying to beat someone in a dangerous place. Colorado fans had to be panicking every time Adu and Gros came down the left together. Physically held his ground as well. This was an ideal situation for him in that DC had so much of the possession that he wasn't called upon to play much defense, plus, Kovalenko and Olsen dealt with a lot of the defensive central mid responsibilities pretty handily.
Brian Mullan (7): Another balls-to-the-wall performance for America's hardest working midfielder. Not Landon-esque performance (we’ll get to that in a minute), but we don't want to sell Mullan short for not playing up to Donovan's level. Mullan assisted on Donovan's goal, pushed forward very well, but also pitched in on defense. This guy never stops going, even when the ball is out of bounds. His precision cross resulted in SJ's first goal and his consistent running made life difficult for KC. That left footed floater was perfectly placed for Donovan's goal.
Steve Ralston (4): Was the best American player on the field vs. the (soon-to-be former) Burn. Not up to Donovan's (or Moreno's) level, but he kept the Revs attack moving all night. His passes, even on the wet and muddy field, were quite sublime. And let's not forget his brilliant dribbling and finish in the DC box to score the first goal. Per usual, Ralston's passing was accurate and smart. His tackles seemed to have a bit of an extra bite as well. Ralston's skill was on display Saturday night. His technique, even on the soggy pitch, was a class above the other Americans on said field.
Josh Gros (5): It was a little tough to tell whether Gros had extra space because the defense was concerned about Adu, or whether Adu had extra space because the defense was afraid of Gros. The nice part about a team sport is that it doesn't matter. His assist to Adu was a good read, perfectly placed and weighted. His overlapping runs are very good, and his ability to create space is among the best in the league. DC's midfield has dominated an awful lot of games this year, and they're still doing it despite Bobby Convey skipping over the pond. This kid is going to be a very solid player for a very long time.
Nate Jaqua (4): Had a pretty solid game getting forward and running at the Quakes defense. He didn't cause too many problems, but I liked his game play tonight. His 2nd half move to "midfield" just saw him playing good all around ball. Jaqua looks to have it in him to be a much more talented forward/midfielder. He isn’t afraid (usually) to run at people, and if he can just learn to make his size work for him he’ll be a prolific aerial goalscorer.
Landon Donovan (6): This has been called, “the best game I've seen LD play since the friendly against Mexico a few months ago.” He ran at people, he shot well, he involved his team-mates, and was clearly the best player on the field. He did sky a couple of shots over the bar, and Meola made a couple of nice saves. But you really can't find too much fault with Landon's game. Excellent off-the-ball running and the clinical header produced his first goal and his patented defense-beating dribble produced the second. On a day when he could have had four or five goals if he had his shooting boots on, Landon still made the difference by putting away two chances.
Also the AAXI would like to introduce the first honorary inanimate object nomination in the form of The Woodwork. With two fantastic saves against Landon Donovan and Brian Mullan, Woody proved that he’s got what it takes. The only question is can the Fire sign him to a long term contract?
*header written by Casper (his funniest yet, I think)