I always see arguments of the best MLS soccer player, but I don't think I've ever seen one for the worst MLS player. Opinions? Maybe the worst player with appearances and one with out too many appearances? My two are Marvell Wynn and Ade Akinbiyi. Wynn is a great athlete but I've always felt his positional sense might have been the worst I've ever seen (Like Chad Barrett's finishing skills before the 80th minute). And for Akinbiyi, I'm amazed he got an MLS contract. Mods, feel free to delete if this is too negative or if it exist / should belong somewhere else.
Tony Caig, backup goalkeeper. Dynamo fans will know why. He had several spectacular non-saves in his seven appearances in 2008 and was notable for his dramatic "watch-the-ball-sail-past-me" pose but his all-time lowlight was chesting a ball into his own net. A shot he was legally entitled to handle but why not be dramatic? The fact that he was directly in the path of the shot and it would probably have bounced off him harmlessly makes his maneuver to actually direct the ball into the goal all the more "memorable".
This thread isn't complete without mentioning the various alleged Brazilians who have played for the Galaxy over the years. Alvaro Pires, anyone? Naldo?
I would have to nominate Tony Frias III, who played for the Revolution from 2001 to 2003, and never logged a minute in an official match, not even in the US Open Cup. He did play in a scrimmage vs. a USL team from New Hampshire and witnesses described him as being "out of his element" even against a 3rd division team. The Kool-Aid Drinkers on the Revs board would argue that there was no harm in having a practice player on the team for 3 seasons, even if he couldn't cut it at that level, and never looked like he could. Apparently, his father was a building contractor and was supplying a lot of the cement for Gillette Stadium. By contrast, Red Sox owner Haywood Sullivan's son, Marc was on the Sox roster for a year, but didn't play much. The difference was that he was a decent AAA player and also went on to play (sporadically) with a couple of other MLB teams, so he was at least a legit border line player. Frias was nothing of the sort.
Darren Sawatzky ... or is that worst hair? ... I can't remember Chad Ashton needs to be on the short list for sure. And Lothar
I don't know, he wasn't even the worst player for DC United in that inaugural game. Having just watched the stream tonight, I thought Said Fazlagic was worse. (Not that any player on either team other than Wynalda covered himself in glory in that game.) I think a dishonorable mention should go to Carlos Johnson, who managed 3 red cards in just 899 minutes in his lone MLS season in 2009, including red cards in both of his first two MLS starts, a record unequalled in the league's history. His second red card, in the 2nd minute of the game, also stood as the earliest in a MLS game until Joe Nasco was sent off 34 seconds into a game in 2014.
Ah Joe Nasco, also a candidate for worst MLS facial hair ever. Colorado Rapids' Joe Nasco earns the fastest red card in MLS history with first minute ejection vs. LA Galaxy Have the Colorado Rapids unearthed yet another goalkeeping prospect in Joe Nasco? Prospect?? The dude was 30! Colorado Rapids' Joe Nasco earns the fastest red card in MLS history with first minute ejection vs. LA Galaxy How many MLS players only played four games and had two complete disasters? 5 goals vs RSL 1st minute red card (the Rapids got destroyed 6-0) In Nasco's four game, the Rapids conceded 13 goals! http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/joe-nasco And as a bonus, Joe Nasco was starting over Clint Irwin thanks to the worst MLS coach in at least the last half decade or so, Pablo Mastroeni. And the 2014-2015 Rapids tied the record for longest winless streak. So that's worst player, worst facial hair, worst coach, worst winless streak.....
I remember watching that 5 goal game against RSL. Joe was atrocious. There were drunks in the stands that could have done better than he did that game.
mustapha jarju of the vancouver whitecaps of 2011- signed as a significant DP attacking MF to create goals and score- lasted 10 games, no goals and barely broke a sweat in any game- and he left with hundreds of thousands of $$$$$ as a buy-out- now plays in kazakhstan
Jarju has to be the worst DP... who would have guessed that a guy from the Belgian second division wouldn't be worth DP money??
who would have thunk that so-called soccer intelligent coaches and administrators would ever EVER think that a second division belgium player was worthy of a DP salary- boggles the brain!! of course, some of those same people in whitecap land went for such disasters as the flailing eric hassli, the mouthy barry robson, the underperforming kenny miller, the poor striker in octavio rivero who hasnt scored a run-of-game goal for dozens of games and the frail pedro morales who can only score from set pieces and PKs they seem to have got it right with DMF mattias laba- you and i could have done a much better job
Vancouver finished second in the ridiculously competitive western conference last season, so I wouldn't go that far... also I like Octavio Rivero, I think he was the type of DP signing MLS needs to be making.
I wouldn't pick him. He scored 14 goals in one season for DC United: http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/abdul-thompson-conteh
He made 13 saves and conceded 7 goals in 4 games btw. Wow this guy is awful never knew about him. He gets my vote.
Police brutality! But really, Nasco had a long way to go to even reach the title of worst goalkeeper in MLS history. None of his gaffes were quite as bad as Caig or Spiteri. I usually prefer to give players a little more time before passing judgment, because one red card could just be really bad luck. Which is why I picked Johnson as the most red-card-prone player. When you play just under 900 minutes and you're still singlehandedly getting red cards faster than most teams...
I remember watching Marvell warm up before a game his first year in the league. He looked so uncomfortable with the ball that I was sure there was no way he would last in MLS. That was over 260 appearances ago so that shows what I know about what it takes to be a durable, consistent professional in MLS. So, now I can only think in terms of respect for Marvell and the things he does well rather than what he does not.
He's up there ... Also Nery Castillo, Frank Rost, Mista, Denilson, Kleberson, Jeferson, Geovanni, Rafael, Federico Puppo