MVP = McBride Defender of the Year = Conde http://chicago.fire.mlsnet.com/news..._id=7636860&vkey=news_chf&fext=.jsp&team=t100
I disagree with both of these. I love McBride, but he missed 8 games after surgery and then, frankly, has not been very good since his return. That's not a criticism of him. That is part of being injured and returning. I'm just talking in terms of MVP. I think Rolfe and Blanco have both been more valuable and I think a case can be made for CJ who has been in the middle of a piece meal defense through most of the season and has really been a leader in the back. Which leads me to defender of the year. In my mind, its got to be CJ for the reasons stated above. Conde is more athletic but my guess is that if you put him in and take CJ out with other spare parts in the back, we would have been a mess.
I agree that Rolfe or Blanco should of been the teams MVP, but there is no way that we would of been a mess if Conde was in there instead of CJ.
Glad to see there are others who think this wasn't a good selection. Of course, I would have picked Rolfe over Blanco because I think he has done double duty all year doing his own job and helping to cover for Blanco but either one would have been my choice above McBride. Also, I would certainly agree on CJ as the defender of the year. He brought stability and some degree of cohesiveness to a unit that had no consistency without him. His experience was invaluable. Whoever makes these decisions IMO chose to ignore Rolfe and Blanco because they have chosen not to come back, CJ is a fixture if he does come back, and the hope is that both McBride and Conde will return to the fold. I know Conde's contract runs through next year but you can bet your galloping stallions that he has told Diego that he wants out. I know, I know--call it a conspiracy theory but I think there had to be some reasons for the decisions that extended beyond their performances on the field. I boldly await your lashes!!
I think our struggles past May have a lot to do with McBride's goal drought. Granted he was injured and he prob still isn't 100%, but we all expect more from him.
CJ Brown winning the Supporters Player of the Year Award and his check for $2500 to charity Mr. Chairman doing what he does best and accepting a signed jersey from the Boss of it all
I'm not saying you're right with your conspiracy theory, but I will say that you may not be as far off as the average person might think.
To quote Charlie Chan: "There's only one problem with his theory: it's too stupid." The Fire ran the very real chance of not making the playoffs by rope-a-doping the opposition during the regular season. Then his secret plan would naver have made the light of day. The reason the Fire won last Saturday is quite simple: they played with heart.
Stejskal: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-fire-confidential/2009/11/fire-announce-team-awards.html I, like most here, agree. At best, McBride would be third on my list behind Blanco then Rolfe. Aside from missing so much of the season with the surgery, he hasn't been all that great since coming back. That being said, McBride is still a good player and a good guy so I'm not exactly pissed that he won it. Congratulations.