The BASAs

I am proud to announce the first ever BASA's. What does that stand for?

Blogosphere
American
Soccer
Awards

I just recently started blogging about American soccer, partially because I'm a big fan and I feel I can contribute something, but also because there aren't many blogs on the subject. I wanted to do something that would generate excitement for our little community.

10 MLS awards have been voted on, and we will see how the opinions of bloggers compare to the real MLS awards. And there are some new, interesting awards as well. The results will be revealed one per day, for the next ten weekdays. I emailed 15 MLS bloggers with ballots, and 11 responded. Including mine, that makes 12. That's not a lot, but there aren't many MLS bloggers out there. So it's a good start, and I'm sure it will grow from to year to year, as I plan to make this an annual thing (I'm also planning to have a Yanks Abroad edition in May or June).

The following blogs participated in this event (thanks guys):

<ul>
<li><a href="http://usasoccer.blogspot.com/">Climbing the Ladder</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dunord.blogspot.com/">du Nord</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chicago5795.blogspot.com/">In Limbo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.jamesdemastus.com/index.php/soc">James and the Giant Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://maradawga.blogspot.com/">Maradawga</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mysoccerblog.blogspot.com/">My Soccer Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://correira.com/">Pseudo Corner Kick</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ericpz.blogspot.com/">Ramblings of a Soccer Junky</a></li>
<li><a href="http://realsaltlake.blogspot.com/">real salt lake blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dcunitedblog.blogspot.com/">The DCenters</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thekinoffish.blogspot.com/">The Kin Of Fish</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wecallitsoccer.com/">We Call It Soccer</a></li></ul>

Some of those blogs are very good reads, so if you haven't been checking out the scene, you should start to. Most of those guys post on Bigsoccer as well. Now on to the first award:


Goalkeeper of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Pat Onstad	9	2	1	52
2	Matt Reis	3	7	2	38
3	Nick Rimando    	2	4	10
4	Tony Meola      	1		3
5	Joe Cannon			2	2
5	Jonny Walker			2	2
7	Brad Guzan			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

It was a two-horse race, and Onstad outdistanced Reis by a decent amount. Both players were named on all ballots. Out of the 4 positional awards (GK-D-M-F), only one other player can make that claim.

Onstad also won the official award in this category, as announced by MLSnet on Wednesday. Their awards count votes from the media, players, and coaches/gm's equally. The top two were the same, but Cannon took third. BASA voters preferred Rimando instead, not giving Joe much love.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year
10/26-Rookie of the Year
10/27-Defender of the Year
10/28-Young Player of the Year

10/31-Midfielder of the Year
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Coach of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Dominic Kinnear	11	1		58
2	Steve Nicol	1	6	5	28
3	Peter Nowak		5	3	18
4	Colin Clarke			2	2
5	Mo Johnston			1	1
5	F. Clavijo			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

No contest here. The Earthquakes came out of nowhere to put together the third best MLS regular season ever, and Kinnear was the man leading the way. He almost got a unanimous vote. Nicol was also named on every ballot, while Nowak had to settle for the scraps. There really weren't any other credible options.

It's interesting that out of all six of those coaches, none were born in the United States.

The results aren't surprising in the least. The top three here is the same as MLS' official finalists, and I'm sure Kinnear will take that award as well.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year
10/27-Defender of the Year
10/28-Young Player of the Year

10/31-Midfielder of the Year
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Rookie of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	M. Parkhurst	9	2	1	52
2	Chris Rolfe	2	6	2	30
3	Scott Sealy		3	3	12
4	Brad Guzan	1	1	1	9
5	Bobby Boswell			3	3
6	James Riley			1	1
6	Gonzalo Segares			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

Another fairly easy call. Parkhurst played every single minute of the season; only four others did that this year. He was the in the center of a Revolution defense on a team that finished in first place. He was also named on every ballot.

Rolfe was the clear second place choice, while Sealy fell off down the stretch and only made half the ballots. The top three is the same as the official MLS finalists.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year
10/28-Young Player of the Year

10/31-Midfielder of the Year
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Young: Under 23 as of July 1.
Old: 33 and over as of July 1.

 

Defender of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Danny Califf	6	1	1	34
2	Eddie Robinson	2	2	1	17
3	Tyrone Marshall	1	3	1	15
4	Jimmy Conrad	1	2	1	12
5	M. Parkhurst		2	3	9
6	Brian Carroll	1			5
6	Steve Jolley	1			5
8	Wade Barrett		1	1	4
9	Todd Dunivant		1		3
10	Brian Namoff			1	1
10	Jay Heaps			1	1
10	S. Caballero			1	1
10	Greg Vanney			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

Danny Califf got half of the first place votes (nobody else with more than 2) and takes the award. His teammate on the league's best defensive team, Robinson, was the runner up. However, none of the runners up were named on even half of the ballots.

It seemed like people preferred either Califf or Robinson, as only twice were both on the same ballot. But none of the runners up really threatened. As with Robinson, Marshall, Conrad, and Parkhurst received little support and were way out of the running. It's always hard to rate defenders (who don't show up on the stats), especially from only watching games on tv. That's probably why 13 guys were named on the ballots here.

There were a few interesting choices...Jolley? At least for Carroll, his name is close to "Califf," so at least there's the chance of an error there.

Conrad won the official award, just announced by MLS yesterday. He only finished fourth here. Are the players, coaches/gms, and media seeing something we aren't? The other two finalists were Califf and Marshall.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year (Danny Califf)
10/28-Young Player of the Year

10/31-Midfielder of the Year
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Young Player of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Clint Dempsey	6	2		36
2	M. Parkhurst	1	4	1	18
3	Ricardo Clark	1	1	2	10
4	Justin Mapp		2	2	8
4	Freddy Adu	1		3	8
6	Chris Rolfe		2	1	7
7	Chad Marshall	1		1	6
8	Paolo Nagamura	1			5
8	Brad Guzan	1			5
10	Ramon Nunez		1		3
11	S, Quaranta			1	1
11	Bobby Boswell			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

This is for players under 23 as of July 1st. Dempsey had a killer start to the season, and picked up the award without too much trouble. Like yesterday's winner, he got half of the first place votes, while the rest were scattered among a bunch of runners up. Probably one of the reasons so many players were named is because this isn't an award that MLS gives out, so therefore a few favorites don't keep getting mentioned over and over.

Parkhurst, the rookie, finished second over veterans like Clark and Mapp. Also, I think it's a little surprising that Quaranta could only muster one third-place vote, given his callups to the national team this season.

Talented players shut out completely (for various reasons) include Alecko Eskandarian, Eddie Gaven, Eddie Johnson, Mike Magee, and Roberto Mina.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year (Danny Califf)
10/28-Young Player of the Year (Clint Dempsey)

10/31-Midfielder of the Year
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)[/QUOTE]

 

Midfielder of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	D. DeRosario	6	2	3	39
2	Christian Gomez	3	2	4	25
2	Shalrie Joseph	2	5		25
4	Justin Mapp	1		1	6
4	Ronnie O'Brien		2		6
6	Landon Donovan		1		3
7	Clint Dempsey			2	2
7	Youri Djorkaeff			2	2

(5-3-1 scoring system)

Not a landslide, but DeRo takes home the award for being the creative force for the Quakes, leading them to one of the best (regular) seasons ever. He's one of the three finalists for leage MVP, and I've been on the bandwagon for a little while now.

Either Gomez and Joseph could've mounted a challenge, but voters were split between them and they ended up tied for second.

Despite winning the Young Player award, Dempsey didn't get much support. Mapp was way behind him there, but outranks him here.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year (Danny Califf)
10/28-Young Player of the Year (Clint Dempsey)

10/31-Young Player of the Year (Dwayne DeRosario)
11/01-Old Player of the Year
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Old Player of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Youri Djorkaeff	6	4		42
2	Pat Onstad	2	4	2	24
3	Mark Chung	1	3	3	17
4	E. Hendrickson	2			10
5	Scott Garlick	1		1	6
6	Tony Meola		1	1	4
6	Cobi Jones			4	4
8	Bo Oshoniyi			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

This is for players 33 and over as of July 1st (see here). On mlsnet, 19 guys are listed who fit that age bracket, and 8 received votes. Possibly there were more who may have been cut earlier in the year, who knows. That doesn't really matter. I figured that since under-23 is the norm for young player awards, that exactly ten years later is a good cut off point for this one. 33 is old in soccer terms.

The BASA award winner for goalkeeper of the year was overlooked in favor of Youri Djorkaeff, who won easily. No surprise to see voters favoring offense over defense, it happens all the time across all sports. Djorkaeff was a deserving winner though, and Chung had an excellent season as well. Also goalkeepers make a good percentage of those eligible, and are well represented in the voting.

No votes for some decent veterans like Fraser and Henderson. And then there's Preki. If this award was around in the past, I'm sure he would've won almost every year. He's was eligible for it even in 1996.

Six current players will become eligible next year: Armas, Gutierrez, Kreis, Palencia, Valakari, and Galvan Rey.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year (Danny Califf)
10/28-Young Player of the Year (Clint Dempsey)

10/31-Midfielder of the Year (Dwayne DeRosario)
11/01-Old Player of the Year (Youri Djorkaeff)
11/02-Forward of the Year
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

Forward of the Year

Code:

          		1st	2nd	3rd	Points
1	Taylor Twellman	10	2		56
2	Jaime Moreno	1	7	2	28
3	Hercules Gomez	1	1	3	11
4	Landon Donovan		1	5	8
5	Youri Djorkaeff		1		3
6	Carlos Ruiz			1	1
6	Jeff Cunningham			1	1

(5-3-1 scoring system)

The second largest margin of victory, behind Kinnear (who was named the real Coach of the Year yesterday, along with Parkhurst as Rookie of the Year). No surprise for the top two spots, as that was the consensus. They were also the top two leading scorers. Landon and Youri got a few votes for Midfielder as well.

Very little love for Cunningham and Ruiz, despite their high goal numbers. Wolff was the only guy in double figures without a vote.

I find it interesting that Gomez does better than Donovan here (although he was named on one fewer ballot). I've saving my thoughts until I'm done posting all these, but I will say that I don't agree with that at all.

We're in the home stretch of the first ever BASAs; the Best XI followed by the Player of the Year in the next two days.


Results Schedule

10/24-Goalkeeper of the Year (Pat Onstad)
10/25-Coach of the Year (Dominic Kinnear)
10/26-Rookie of the Year (Michael Parkhurst)
10/27-Defender of the Year (Danny Califf)
10/28-Young Player of the Year (Clint Dempsey)

10/31-Midfielder of the Year (Dwayne DeRosario)
11/01-Old Player of the Year (Youri Djorkaeff)
11/02-Old Player of the Year (Taylor Twellman)
11/03-Best XI
11/04-Player of the Year

(results will be posted on my blog and this thread)

 

(forgot to post these)

The Official BASA Best XI

Onstad, Califf, Robinson, T.Marshall, Joseph, O'Brien, C.Gomez, DeRosario, Donovan, Twellman, J.Moreno


Ok, my system for picking the Best XI is a little different. I was going to just take the highest point getters from the individual awards, but I decided it would be better for each person to name their own Best XI using whatever (real) formation they chose. After looking at the goalkeepers, I then took the top ten field players regardless of position. I did this by counting the number of times they were named in a Best XI (out of 12). It's similar to World Soccer's "Team of the Month" that they always have. Any ties were broken by the players' positions in their individual awards (the next tiebreaker was points).

Here's how the voting went:

Code:

1 	Pat Onstad      	9
2 	Matt Reis       	3

1 	Taylor Twellman 	12
2 	Dwayne DeRosario 	10
3 	Jaime Moreno    	8
4 	Christian Gomez 	8
5 	Danny Califf    	7
6 	Shalrie Joseph  	7
7 	Landon Donovan  	7
8 	Eddie Robinson  	5
9 	Tyrone Marshall 	5
10 	Ronnie O'Brien  	5
11 	Michael Parkhurst 	5
12 	Clint Dempsey   	5
13 	Jimmy Conrad    	4
14 	Youri Djorkaeff 	4
15 	Justin Mapp     	2
16 	Wade Barrett    	2
17 	Jay Heaps       	2
18 	Amado Guevara   	2
18 	Mark Chung      	2
20 	Hercules Gomez  	1
21 	Brian Carroll   	1
22 	Jeff Cunningham 	1
23 	Greg Vanney     	1
23 	Samuel Caballero 	1
25 	Ricardo Clark   	1
25 	Daniel Hernandez 	1
25 	Brian Mullan    	1
25 	Paolo Nagamura  	1
25 	Brian Namoff    	1
25 	Steve Ralston   	1
25 	Dema Kovalenko  	1
25 	Bobby Boswell   	1
25 	Freddy Adu      	1
25 	Chad Marshall   	1
25 	Eddie Gaven     	1
25 	Steve Jolley    	1
25 	Thiago          	1

Twellman was the only unanimous choice. There was a 5-way tie for the last 3 spots. Robinson and Marshall finished 2nd and 3rd for Defender of the Year, and O'Brien finished 4th for Midfielder of the Year. Those guys make the Best XI, while Parkhurst (5th for Defender) was just edged out. His teammate Dempsey finished 7th in the Midfielder voting and also misses out.

Donovan makes it despite only finishing 4th in the Forward voting. He finished behind his teammate Hercules Gomez there, but only one person named Hercules to their Best XI. Interesting.

Earthquakes players got 4 of the 11 spots, while only 5 teams were represented. 39 different players were named in total, including 7 each for DC, NE, and SJ. The expansion teams were the only ones not to have a player voted for.

It's also interesting that only 4 of the 11 are American (at least international football-wise). Also represented are Argentina, Bolivia, Canada (2), Grenada, Ireland, and Jamaica.

 

Player of the Year

Code:

                	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Points
1	D. DeRosario	8	2		1		97
2	Taylor Twellman	2	6	2		1	73
3	Shalrie Joseph	1	1	5			42
4	Jaime Moreno		1	3	3	1	32
5	Pat Onstad	1		2	1		23
6	Christian Gomez				5	3	18
7	Landon Donovan		1			2	9
8	Ronnie O'Brien			1	1		8
9	Hercules Gomez				1	2	5
10	Danny Califf					1	1
10	Amado Guevara					1	1
10	Youri Djorkaeff					1	1

(10-7-5-3-1 scoring system)

The first ever Player of the Year BASA goes to Dwayne DeRosario. It's also the last award of this two week extravaganza. DeRo (or DDR?) is the only guy to win two awards, plus he was named to Best XI.

Taylor Twellman gave it a go, but finished in second. None of the players were named on all 12 ballots (which obviously had five choices each instead of the usual three). Once again, defense was not as valued as offense, as Defender of the Year Danny Califf got only one fifth place vote. Pat Onstad did finish fifth though, better than I thought he would.

Interesting that Joseph and C.Gomez were tied for 2nd in the Midfielder award voting, but Joseph outranks him here. Both times Joseph was named on fewer ballots, it's just that the people who like him really like him.

 

Recap:

http://usasoccer.blogspot.com/2005/11/basas-recap.html

My ballot and comments:

http://usasoccer.blogspot.com/2005/11/basas-my-ballot-and-comments.html