Bill Hamid deservedly wins MLS GOY: (Nick Rimando, a close second, Steve Clark, third) http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...-edges-rimando-for-mls-goalkeeper-of-the-year Hamid, 24, led MLS in save percentage (75.3) while backstopping United's worst-to-first turnaround. The homegrown player also finished third in the league with a 1.13 goals against average and was second with 10 shutouts. "I am extremely honored to be named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year," Hamid said in a news release. "I have to recognize a great set of goalkeepers, Joe Willis and Andrew Dykstra, along with coach Preston Burpo, who I work with on a daily basis, a group that pushes each other and helps each other to get better. I also want to thank my team, a group that scraps and competes every day in training, week in and week out, to make sure everyone is at the top of their game."
MLS names top Eleven: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...est-xi-headlined-landon-donovan-thierry-henry Americans: Donovan, Gonzalez, Boswell, Nguyen, Hamid and Marshall . . .
That's unfortunate for Rimando, as he has never won this award. In terms of the player voting, he edged out Hamid, and his percentage (28.6%) was actually the highest of any keeper since MLS began releasing the details a few years ago. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...-bill-hamid-wins-allstate-mls-goalkeeper-year http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/conte...tate-goalkeeper-year-and-newcomer-year-awards http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/28/sporting-kcs-nielsen-voted-allstate-goalkeeper-year http://www.mlssoccer.com/awards/2011/goalkeeperoftheyear
Yeah, Rimando has never won MLS GKOY, and I thought he might get it as this might have been an additional reason. Of course, he missed a lot of games with the USMNT. Overall, I thought Hamid had the better season. Props to each of them.
To me, Wood has Bedoya like winger written all over him. No idea why he's seen as a forward with that scoring record, and that first touch. Loving this final matchup. I think this probably depends on LA having both CMs and the backline healthy. If they have to start Leo or either starting CM is out, then I like NE.
Rimando never having won GKOTY is not unlike Jaime Moreno never having won MLS MVP or Donovan having only won it once.
I thought it was an apt official first XI, but I also like Doyle's alternate picks and reasoning: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ternate-view-mls-best-xi-why-positions-matter
If MLS had a Most Valuable American award, here are the likely winners 2014 - Lee Nguyen, New England (3rd place in MVP voting) 2013 - Mike Magee, Chicago (MVP) 2012 - Chris Wondolowski, San Jose (MVP) 2011 - Brad Davis, Houston (2nd place in MVP voting) 2010 - Edson Buddle, LA (2nd place in MVP voting) 2009 - Landon Donovan, LA (MVP) 2008 - Landon Donovan, LA (MVP finalist) 2007 - Twellman, NE (16 g, 3 a), might've nosed out Eddie Johnson, KC (15 g, 6 a), and Donovan, LA (8 g, 13 a). No Americans were MVP finalists. 2006 - Jeff Cunningham, Real Salt Lake (MVP finalist) 2005 - Taylor Twellman, New England (MVP) 2004 - Joe Cannon, Colorado (MVP finalist) 2003 - Preki, KC (MVP) 2002 - Twellman, NE (MVP finalist, with 23 goals, I think he'd get picked over Mark Chung, Colorado, who was also a finalist) 2001 - Jeff Agoos, SJ (MVP finalist) 2000 - Tony Meola, KC (MVP) 1999 - Jason Kreis, Dallas (MVP) 1998 - Cobi Jones, LA (MVP finalist) 1997 - Preki, KC (MVP) 1996 - Roy Lassiter, Tampa Bay (MVP finalist, with 27 goals, I think he'd get picked over Preki, KC, who was also a finalist) Very few players would've won more than once, just Preki, Twellman, and Donovan.
Doyle makes an interesting case that performing well as a unit matters, but the lineups themselves don't seem faithful to this idea. If you look at the MLS semifinalists, they all consistently lined up two holding midfielders, not just one, and in addition, Seattle asks Evans to stay back when appropriate to give Yedlin more freedom to attack. If we're talking realistic lineups, shouldn't they resemble that? Imo, Thierry Henry isn't a real left mid, especially not when you've also got two strikers up top, plus Diego Valeri at a-mid and Ethan Finlay on the right. Might as well push up the outside backs and call it a 2-3-5.
Wood is intriguing. It's understandable why coaches would be hoping against hope with the man. The pace is electric and he actually has a soccer brain. Like you mentioned the usual procedure with a young player like that is to start him out on the flanks. The key matchup in MLS Cup is Farrell and Bunbury vs Rogers and Donovan. Farrell has shown a proclivity to getting worked by technical attackers. He has got to due a decent job marking LA's flankers and a left-pulling Keane. Bunbury needs to put in yeoman's game to help Farrell.
Perhaps a bit of an eyebrow raiser, Eriq Zavaleta was let go by Seattle. Surely someone else in the league will snag him. Too much raw talent there to not be playing in MLS, but Seattle is just too deep
This is going to be a very busy off-season. I'd imagine that he'll end up getting picked up in one of the coming sets of drafts. There's an additional club (plus two minus one) to employ his services now.
its especially surprising in the sense theres a reasonable chance hes still a better prospect than any of the field players coming into the MLS superdraft for the 2015 class.
De La Garza back in the lineup, but at RB, with Leonardo partnering Gonzales. Nguyen can attack those two in the middle with the ball on the floor all day. LAG's defense is weak where the Red Bulls were strong, and vice versa.
why does the LA stadium never look like a full house ever? there always looks like a ton of green seats there. really disappointing for an MLS final. Hopefully people in LA just fill in very punctually.
It's kind of a big ask to fill the stadium promptly for a noontime kickoff, if you ask me. My rule of thumb is to never judge the attendance until the first half is almost finished.
Really looking forward to this, apart from the Landon Donovan theme (yes, it's hard to believe that as a Quakes fan I'm actually pulling for LAG for that purpose, but I am, and after today probably never again). As someone else in another thread mentioned, this is a match-up of the league's best team versus the league's most exciting team. I expect this to be fun, fun, fun...
NE has been reduced to a very one-dimensional (but potentially dangerous) counterattack game. Or perhaps more aptly, they seem to have no interest in having the ball.