Pick who are your two selections for all-time best DC United Central Defender, while with DC United. I think you can vote for more or fewer than two, but not doing more will dilute your vote. The criteria is up to you: minutes, quility over a length of time, most brilliant moment, likeability, etc. If your favorite is not on the list, then we can have a challenge knock-off election in a subsequent thread. Previously: Goalkeepers (https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262590) Winner: Scott Garlick Left Backs (https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=264051) Winner: Jeff Agoos Right Backs (https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265390) Winner: Tony Sanneh Center back nominations: Eddie Pope Jeff Agoos Carlos Llamosa Ivan McKinley Mark Watson Ryan Nelsen Mike Petke Bobby Boswell Facundo Erpen
I voted for Eddie Pope and Ryan Nelsen. Carlos Llamosa deserves a mention as our best man-marker ever.
Anybody who votes for anyone other than Pope, Nelsen, or Llamosa (especially with Agoos having won the left back job on this team) needs their head examined. And, BTW, one of the votes has to be for Eddie - he's the true no-brainer here. I went with Eddie and Ryan.
We can start taking nominations at this time Defensive Center Midfielder. I'd nominate: Richie Williams, Brian Carroll
See, I voted for Llamosa because I thought Nelsen's greatest gift was his leadership and tenacity, not necessarily his defending. However, he was only beaten out by Llamosa by a whisker.
Ben Olsen, I guess, although he probably should get a look at right mid with Sanneh having taken the right back job. And Geoff Aunger too, I suppose. It's all downhill after these four. Who else is an option? Dema? Nelsen, from the failed experiment there when he first came in the league?
Jason Moore slid in there a couple of times. No wait, he was supposed to be playing wing. Never mind. The clear winner here is Williams. There isn't a close second.
Pope & Nellie for me. Although between Erp-fu and Bozzilla, they have potential to be the next great.
And the guy who perfected the art of stepping between the attacker and the ball and slowing down until the frustrated forward ran up his back and fouled him. Then Carlos would crumple to the ground, and get up looking aggrieved. Ho-hum - another attack foiled...
You think? I kind of see Erpen as the anti-Chuck - incredibly gifted and skilled on the ball, but prone to gigantic mental errors and poor positioning.
?? Erpen plays nothing like Carlos, IMO. Llamosa was calm and steady. Erpen is not, although he tackles just as well.
Man, this is a tough one. Eddie for sure. Between Carlos and Ryan??? Hmm, that's not easy. I gotta go with Carlos, but that is a REALLY hard decision.
YEah, it was a tough decision, but I went with Nelsen over Llamosa because he played the organizer role very well.
I'd say Erpen is like Llamosa because of the saving tackles to stop breakaway situations that nobody else in the league can really do without fouling. This is important for a team that sends their outside defenders into the attack. The biggest danger while in attack is being counterattacked, and if the central defender can't stop these, then outside backs have to stay home. I'd say Erpen's biggest problem is on set-plays and marking up.
I don't recall Agoos ever playing centrally for DCU. He was moved there at San Jose and The Nat'l team the same time, after he left DC. I think.
Yeah, it was a tough call for me too, mainly because I did, do, and always will love both Chuck and Ryan. I took Ryan because of his (highly underrated, IMO) linking play and skill on the ball, as well as his demonstrated ability to play effectively as a center back in both 4-4-2 and 3-5-1 schemes. I don't know if Carlos was a good enough athlete to have been effective in the middle of a 3 back lineup. Eddie deserves the "#1 central defender in DC United history" award, but I think, when all is said and done, Ryan will go down as the best central defender to have come through MLS in its first 10 years. As great as Eddie was, he would not have become this respected this quickly had he gone to Europe back then.