He came into the league with a good reputation, but he made so MANY mistakes. Is it just me, or is he getting his game together? His play looks much more under control, no dreadful mistakes. He has become valuable.
he was given a starting position in the lineup and its a position where he isnt getting switched around. He knows the outside back position like the back of his hand. Heaps was always a good defender, just needed time to adapt.
,.., I agree, he's a terrific overlapping right back in MLS. He's so much less spastic than he used to be
i was just thinking about this yesterday too. i came to the conclusion that if he's "better"....it's b/c he's gotten smarter playing in a system that is being drilled into the players. my view was that given his own perception of his abilities (agility, jumping, and speed), he was trying to do to much and often got caught out of position. he's probably of the mindset that he can wander and move up a bit and still have time do catch up with his def responsibilities. with ray in miami, it was probably more of a freewheeling prop for everyone on the pitch. now, i think there is "a system" in place where keeping form on the pitch is the goal. therefore, he's caught off less. i'm still undecided if this means he's gotten "better" though.
I think a lot of his improvement can be traced to the fact that he spends much more time on his feet this year than he did last year. Remember all those ill-timed slide tackles? Physically, he has always been a skilled slide-tackler, but this year he has also become a smart slide-tackler.
It helps when your coach was a world class defender and is able to teach younger players. There are a number of players that have matured over this season and Jay is one. He has always had the basic athleticism but needed grooming. Thank you SN.