Who are the faces of the MLS clubs?

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by psveindhoven, Aug 27, 2007.

  1. psveindhoven

    psveindhoven New Member

    May 17, 2006
    I'm from the Netherlands and interested in MLS. But who are the big stars of MLS clubs? I know some bigger names, are these the stars of the clubs:

    LA Galaxy - Beckham (and Donovan)
    NY Red Bulls - Angel (and Altidore)
    Chicago - Blanco
    Dallas - Denilson
    KC Wizards - Johnson
    Previous star Adu: DC United and Real Salt Lake.
     
  2. YilmazOrhan

    YilmazOrhan Well Brian, I hit it first time...

    Jun 18, 2006
    Suburbia, Kansas
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    By "face of the team" Do you mean "best player" or "team leader" or "guy who shows up in the most advertising" or "name who will be recognized most by people who don't actually follow the league"? Because those things are different.

    While Eddie Johnson is obviously the goal-scoring "star" of the Wizards, centerback Jimmy Conrad is without a doubt the captain, leader, and media-friendly star of the team. Conrad's the guy with the radio show, he's the one who writes the occasional column for ESPN.com, etc. (5-10 years from now, Jimmy Conrad will be the lead analyst for someone's MLS broadcast. Mark it down.)

    Locally, Conrad, Nick Garcia and Jose Burciaga all show up in as much or more media/marketing/advertising stuff than EJ. Why? Probably because EJ's public persona is pretty low-key.
     
  3. lawrenceterp

    lawrenceterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 2, 2006
    Virginia
    I would definitely add Toja to Dallas's list.

    For DC United I'd probably do Ben Olsen, Jaime Moreno and Christian Gomez. Although all three are aging and may not be there much longer. Fred and Emilio may be starting to take over.

    Schellotto in Columbus.

    Twellman and maybe Shalrie Joseph in New England.

    Dicchio and O'Brien for Toronto.

    Mastroeni for Colorado.

    DeRo and Ching in Houston.
     
  4. Schall

    Schall New Member

    Jul 25, 2007
    DC United - Ben Olsen, Bobby Boswell, Luciano Emilio, Gros
    LA Galaxy - Beckham, Donovan, Ensign Buddle (up and comming I believe)
    Real Salt Lake - Beckerman, Findley?, Pope
    Colorado - Mastroeni, Clark?
    RB New York - Angel, Altidore, Richards
    Columbus - Hejduk (attacking defender!), Schellotto, Moreno (foul victim)
    Chivas USA - Marsch, Razov (sp?), Bornstein
    TFC - O'Brien, Dicchio, Sutton
    Kansas City - Conrad, Marinelli, Johnson
    FC Dallas - Toja, Alvarez, Carlos Ruiz
    Houston Dynamo - DeRosario, Ching, Wade Barrett
    New England - Twellman, Reis, Noonan
    Chicago - Blanco, Rolfe, Pickens

    These are the guys who when I hear their name, I think of the team. mind you, this is my first season following MLS as close as I have.
     
  5. CACuzcatlan

    CACuzcatlan Member

    Jun 11, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd say Jaime Moreno is a bigger star and more recognizable than any of the DC players you mentioned. Cobi would be the third for LA.
     
  6. EdsonArantes

    EdsonArantes Member

    Apr 6, 2006
    Barra Brava
    I think Jaime and this year Emilio is the "face" of DCU, while players like Olsen, Namoff and Gros make up the "heart" of DCU if that makes sense. Jaime might double up and be part of the heart as well.
     
  7. ElJefe

    ElJefe Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 16, 1999
    Colorful Colorado
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    With respect to FCD, here's how it is in order:

    1. Carlos Ruiz
    2. Juan Toja
    3. Kenny Cooper
    4. Dario Sala

    Where Denilson fits in will remain to be seen, once he actually plays for us.
     
  8. KaptPowers

    KaptPowers Member

    Dec 29, 2003
    Arlington, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is just my personal list, but here it is

    -Taylor Twellman (most recognizable/media favorite)
    -Shalrie Joseph (fan favorite)
    -Matt Reis (recognizable/fan and media favorite)
     
  9. sharkeyca

    sharkeyca New Member

    Aug 24, 2007
    Los Angeles, CA
    As a Galaxy fan, Cobi Jones IS the face of the Galaxy. Beckham is the face of AEG/MLS/Soccer in America. The fact that he plays for the Galaxy is irrelevant (although Beverly Hills is a nice neighborhood). Beckham is a bigger media force than the team, league, or sport in this country. Cobi Jones's final year of an inspiring career is being treated like garbage due to Alexi La-loss, Frank Yallop, and the awful culture of "buzz" that the media industry has cultivated. He should have retired after 2005, but Cobi Jones is the only constant throughout the Galaxy's entire history. For those of us who have actually been paying attention, Cobi is the face of the Galaxy.
     
  10. Perugina

    Perugina Member

    Aug 7, 2003
    Grand Rapids MI
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    STEVIE RALSTON!!
     
  11. ElJustin

    ElJustin New Member

    Jul 23, 2007
    Houston/Buenos Aires
    Juan Toja is much better than Carlos Ruiz...Ruiz is a small little bag of hot air thats really not worth his weight in gold.
     
  12. Crewbasher

    Crewbasher Member

    Jul 7, 1999
    The Enemy Base
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's true that without Ralston, the Revs probably wouldn't have made it to an MLS Cup Final at all. He is an excellent player, a great sportsman, and a nice guy in general. However, as far as the "face of the club" thing goes, it's hard to say. He's such a low-key guy off the field, and he doesn't really have the on-field presence like Shalrie. Ralston steps on the field and does what needs to be done - nothing flashy, just solid, smart, veteran play.

    If the Revs had a hall of fame, he'd be in first-ballot, no doubt. But somehow, if you ask Revs fans (or people around here with some knowledge of the team) who the face of the franchise would be, Ralston would probably be somewhere around 4th on the list behind the three Seamus listed above. That's no knock on Ralston; I think it's more a testament to the talent of the players surrounding him.
     
  13. teddy_montoya

    teddy_montoya RapidsThugLife

    Nov 9, 2006
    Supporters Terrace
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Faces of the CLUB for Colorado----Pablo Mastroeni, and Herculez Gomez...
     
  14. The Marquis

    The Marquis Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    Washougal, WA
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    DC United - Luciano Emilio
    LA Galaxy - Beckham
    Real Salt Lake - Pope
    Colorado - Mastroeni
    RB New York - Angel
    Columbus - Hejduk
    Chivas USA - Bornstein
    TFC - Robinson
    Kansas City - Johnson
    FC Dallas - Ruiz
    Houston Dynamo - DeRosario
    New England - Twellman
    Chicago - Blanco
     
  15. chitownfire

    chitownfire New Member

    Aug 22, 2007
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Funny how everyone seems to be forgetting the best player in Chivas USA is Maykel Galindo.
     
  16. garnet&blackattack

    garnet&blackattack New Member

    Jan 14, 2007
    Columbia, SC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A lot of the players I'm mentioning are guys who have been with the teams for years/who've been in the league for years or listing guys who aren't exactly new but are just coming onto the scene. I'm also listing some of the new players who will most likely become faces of the the team.

    DC United- Jaime Moreno, Christian Gomez, Ben Olsen. New ones are Emilio and Fred who will become the face of the team.
    FC Dallas- Carlos Ruiz, Kenny Cooper, and Juan Carlos Toja. Denilson soon, but not yet.
    KC- Eddie Johnson, Jimmy Conrad
    Chicago- Chris Armas and Cuatemoc Blanco
    Chivas USA- Ante Rasov
    New York- Jozy Altidore, Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna (eh.... if he plays), and Clint Mathis
    Real Salt Lake- was Eddie Pope, Jason Kreis, and Jeff Cunningham when the season started. Now... Alecko Eskendarian and Eddie Pope?
    Columbus- Bobby Convey, Alejandro Moreno, Frankie Hedjuk, and Schellotto
    New England - Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, Steve Ralston, and Patt Noonan
    Houston - Brian Ching and Dwayne DeRosario
    Toronto - Danny Dicchio, Ronnie O'Brian, Marvelle Wynne, and Jeff Cunningham
    Colorado- Pablo Mastroeni, Hercules Gomez, and Kyle Beckerman (maybe.....the dreads do it for me, though)
    LA- Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones, and David Beckham (duh!)
     
  17. EdsonArantes

    EdsonArantes Member

    Apr 6, 2006
    Barra Brava
    Convey played for Columbus? If we're naming former players, this guy might have a slight case for being the face of DC:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Considering he plays for our rivals, not so much.

    Right now its Pablo and probably Bouna that are the "faces" of the team.
     
  19. RedBulls225

    RedBulls225 New Member

    Jun 19, 2007
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    First guy that comes to mind when I think of these clubs...

    Chivas USA - Ante Razov
    Colorado - Pablo Mastroeni
    FC Dallas - Juan Toja
    Houston - Dwayne DeRosario
    Los Angeles - David Beckham
    Real Salt Lake - Eddie Pope
    Chicago - Cuauhtemoc Blanco
    Columbus - Guillermo Barros Schelotto
    D.C. United - Christian Gomez
    Kansas City - Eddie Johnson
    New York - Juan Pablo Angel
    New England - Taylor Twellman
    Toronto FC - Danny Dichio
     
  20. glyconerd

    glyconerd Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 8, 2007
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CD Chivas USA
    Nat'l Team:
    Uzbekistan
    Chivas USA - Mykael Galindo, Brad Guzan, Claudio Suarez
     
  21. garnet&blackattack

    garnet&blackattack New Member

    Jan 14, 2007
    Columbia, SC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    OMG!!! I meant Eddie Gaven. I'm really stupid for saying convey. If I had a video of me hitting myself in the head with a sledgehammer saying that.

    I seriously am really embarassed.:eek:

    Don't ask me why, but I always say "Bobby Convey" when I'm referring to Eddie Gaven. God, I really don't don't think I can forgive myself for that one.

    And, I'm not being sarcastic either. I'm really pissed at myself. Now everyone thinks that I think that Convey played for Columbus. I meant Eddie Gaven.
     
  22. ssanchez

    ssanchez Member

    Oct 15, 2000
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When did Buddle join the navy?:) His name is Edson and no defenitely not the face, I would say it would be Jones or Vagenas if anyone else is right now, OH and Chris Alrbright.
     
  23. SimonAllen

    SimonAllen New Member

    Feb 12, 2007
    L.A.
    If I were to pick 10 MLS players to put on a poster to ship around the world to promote MLS.....

    David Beckham
    Juan Pablo Angel
    Cuautemoc Blanco
    Paulo Wanchope
    Cobi Jones
    Landon Donovan
    Guillermo Barros Schelotto
    Jaime Moreno
    Jozy Altidore
    Denilson



    Someone with a keen sense of photoshop...please have a go


    Cheers
    Simon Allen
    WORLD SOCCER WRAP
    on itune
    give us a listen
     
  24. jade1mls

    jade1mls Member

    Jul 9, 2006
    Seattle

    No Emilio? No Fred? No Toja? You Galaxy bias is showing.
    [​IMG]
    Most of the players you would be showing are 30 or so years old. Not the image i'd want to send around the world..."Come retire in MLS".
     
  25. Nidal Baba Superstar

    Sep 20, 2006
    Far away
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When Edson Buddle has become your face, it's time to shoot yourself in the face.
     

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