Over the course of the season I've been doing a Rapids All-Time Team on my blog, which I finished last night. Here's the complete team: Spencer-Casey-Cummings Henderson-Paz-Mastroeni-Limpar Kotschau-Balboa-Vermes Cannon Coach: Gary Smith Bench: Hahnemann, Bent, Moor, Karanka, Ben Dayan, Valderrama, Bravo I'm wondering what other posters All-Time Team would be. Would you still use a 3-4-3?
I'd not go with a 3-4-3 simply because I don't think we ever played one on an ongoing basis. Mine... Cannon Kimura - Balboa - Wynne - Kotshchau Cooke - Larentowicz - Pibe - Hendo Spencer - Casey Coach: Smith You have to go a long way down the list to find another outside back who's played as many games as either Kot or Kimura. The team's been pretty deep with good center backs, Balboa wins on shear number of games, but I'd have a tough time picking amongst an in form group of Tritt, Balboa, Vermes, or Fraser. Wynne is just a player like no one we've ever had in the back. Yeah, I think Larentowicz is a better player than Pablo. I don't think he'll reach the heights Pablo did with the US team - different times - but at the club level I think he's got the goods. Pablo's best season, IMO 2010, was preceded by a lot of years where I'd wonder if he took his club team seriously. I hate flipping Hendo to the left for Cooke, but I never liked Chung much (great talent no heart). Liked Limpar a lot, but his injury status was about what Smith's is now on a team that was even more adrift without that one player (he also played during the dark ages of MLS).
I'll have to think for a bit on my Best All Time XI, but can I give you my Worst XI now (in my least favorite formation, the 4-5-1)? ------------------Delgado----------------- ---------Ballouchy-Kirovski-Trembley------- ----------------Powell-Cullen-------------- --Special ED-Butterworth-Jakins-Sanneh---- -----------------Thornton----------------- Bench: Wegerle, Osorno, Grimandi, Yherland McDonald, Thiago Martins, Luchi Gonzalez, Noonan, Borgetti. Feel free to replace certain bench players with old-timers - I was too young to remember many players from 1996-2000.
Didn't Paz play on the right? i'd put Paz over Limpar ... In the middle I'd have either Beckerman or Larentowicz. In the back, I'd boot Kotschau and put in Moor ... I'd boot out Vermes and put in Wynne. If you're going 442 I'd drop Omar ... the back line would be Bent Moor Balboa Kimura Harvey would have taken Bent's spot if he had more time here.