I'm curious for feedback, will Nate still be plying his trade in MLS in 6 years? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As appearing on Cybersoccernews.com On Fire: The Baby Giraffe “The Baby Giraffe’s time to shine has arrived, and each time he steps on the field his tag of ‘valuable forward’ or ‘MLS-bit player’ hangs in the balance.” By: Ivaldo Basso May 4 Chicago (CSA) – His coach calls him ‘gangly’, his teammates refer to him as ‘baby giraffe’ and the tea leaves forecast that his time to impress is running short. The quietly intense and boyishly good looking 6’3 forward, the third overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, doesn’t look at ease on a soccer field. Nate Jaqua came into the league playing forward with a crafty, nimble, diminutive midfielder-like playing style. His body, however, was built as a target-type player and coaches and teammates have been mentoring him hard to develop that style. Regardless of his approach, one thing is certain; Jaqua isn’t finishing his chances. Jaqua’s attentive eagerness to improve, and consistent work ethic have endeared him to teammates and fans, but Fire boss Dave Sarachan is ready for measurable results. “At the end of the day, in that position, you are held accountable for goals and assists, that’s the area where Nate needs to be more clinical,” says Sarachan. “He has to get himself situated in goal scoring situations and he has to finish. Whether it’s picking out a corner or getting a head on the ball, just making the right decisions,” added Sarachan. Slowly, Nate’s opportunity to seize the moment is disappearing. Damani Ralph’s off season transfer to Russia and Any Herron’s early season injury placed Jaqua into the starting lineup. Jaqua has appeared in six games, starting four, and has one goal. While any positive performance in the interim – while waiting for Herron and Slovakian International Lubos Reiter to play – would have still likely landed Jaqua on the Fire bench, the Oregon-native has not solidified his future. With Herron easing back in, Reiter on the cusp of his debut and opportunistic play from young guns Chris Rolfe and Chad Barrett, Jaqua is slipping to fifth on the Fire forward depth chart. Jaqua has the support of his teammates. “Nate works his ass off every game, he’s an honest guy. You can talk to him and look him in the eye and tell him you need to do this, this and this to get better. He’ll participate, he’ll ask questions, and he’ll try and understand. He’s a good kid,” said veteran midfielder Jesse Marsch. “He’s still trying to find himself a little bit and he’s still clumsy. When a baby giraffe is born they can barely stay on their feet,” added Marsch. Marsch forecasts that Jaqua is still getting better, “Part of being a good player is understanding that you need to get better and how you’re going to get better and Nate’s got that.” Sarachan sees improvement, “Clearly from a physical standpoint – the competing, heading and use of his body - he’s getting good marks now.” The boss’s compliment is book ended with a reminder, “Now it has to be the finishing touches.” The Baby Giraffe is at a crossroads. Absent injuries and call-ups, Jaqua will likely not start many games. From the bench, he will be expected to provide energy late in games, areas in which rookies Barrett and Rolfe are already mildly excelling. The Baby Giraffe’s time to shine has arrived, and each time he steps on the field his tag of ‘valuable forward’ or ‘MLS-bit player’ hangs in the balance. Ivaldo Basso can be reached at ibasso@cybersoccernews.com. © Basso/Cyber Soccer Associates, LLC 2005
Nice piece, once again Ivaldo. ...And thanks for posting it over here because in all honestly, with the exception of your stuff, theres a lot of hot air over there. I agree with the jist of this article that the kids got some skills, but needs to grow into his game. I think what is making him look bad, and the Fire suck it, is Dave Saccharin's coaching style.
Great article, Ivaldo, and hits the nail on the head. I agree with Mike, that Nate will see time during WCQ. Rolfe and Barrett, to me, are similar types of players, and are more likely stack at the "crafty, nimble" forward spot. The fact that he knows he needs to improve and Dave knows he needs to finish better should allay some concerns around here. It won't, but it should. FYI, you should paste the article into a text editor before sending it to the yahoogroups list, to get the special characters cleaned up. Quotes and dashes tended to get effed up. Later, COZ
I think I disagree. If Herron and Reiter are gone, I think Rolfe and Barrett will get the start though Nate would get some time from one of them. In Nate's favor is Barrett is going to miss some time for U-20 also.
Especially if those call ups coincide with Barrett and WIll John being gone to u20s. Haven't checked Herron and Reiter's internationals, but Barrett and John will be in Holland June 10 through July 2nd which by my count will make them unavailable for 5 games. I agree we'll see him paried up top with Rolfe (if healthy) in that period. Should this "baby Giraffe" have gone to the A-League first? Was he done a disservice by bringing him straight to MLS?
Good read. I am impressed that you got DS on the record saying Nate needs to start finishing. I think the perception of a lot of fans is that Dave has his favorites and just blindly sticks with them. Perhaps it' sad to say, but it's enlightening to see that he has expectations of growth from the players.
Whether Nate should have went to the A-League first is very interesting. Nate does nothing that really reminds me of John Wolyniec, so I do not mean to make a direct comparison of the two players, but it seems like the coaches would like Nate to be more that kind of forward (i.e., powerful, lumbering target man). Nate certainly has the body for it. Wolyniec seemed to improve during his "young-20s". While Woly had stints in MLS, he spent significant time at Long Island Rough Riders (leading the A-League in goals one year) and the Rochester Rhinos. Perhaps Nate would benefit/have benefited from getting the opportunity to succeed at a bit of a lower level. What frustrates me most about Nate is his "slowness" to "decide" in front of goal (well...maybe the headers that rarely find the frame are more frustrating). Theoretically, he may have more "repititions" in front of goal at a lower level league that could build his skills/confidence.
Wouldn't it be nice if Nate would watch the play of John Wolyniec and try to mimic his game? John has had a fine career for himself, given the energy he brings into the game whenever he is sent in to provide a spark.
John has done well for himself, but it's also worth nothing that John wasn't immediately able to find his niche.
I think John Wolyniec is an interesting comparison. Certainly, in terms of size and frame it makes sense. But does anyone really use him the way DS is trying to use Nate - as a target on long balls to collect, hold, then distribute or turn and attack? I've always admired the way Wolyniec makes slashing runs to disfigure the defense and look for space to get off shots. I've never really thought of John as a "target" guy as I understand the term.