Release here (many thanks to Brad Feldman for posting this on the Revolution site): http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=45195 Presentation of the coveted Revere Bowl will take place on the pitch at Gillette Stadium this Saturday when the Revs meet the Metrostars in their last regular season home match of the year. FYI, The Magpie
I agree, I love the guy and hope he doesnt play for another team in MLS but this year he wasn't our MVP. I think clearly Joseph should have won. Change your votes guys, your giving the award to the wrong person. Even Twellman would say that.
The vote is done game-by-game over the course of the season. If you didn't vote every game, then you have only yourself to blame if the result doesn't fit your fantasy. Only DC United and MetroScum fans try to change the past.
And MLS awarding the Supporter's Shield retroactively of course. Magpie, might I suggest a change to the MVP system for next year? A separate vote would likely be much more accurate. Yes, Twellman likely won many game-by-game contests, but the fact that Joseph scored two goals all season may have come into account. I think the people that stepped it up when more than half the starting lineup was out deserve it more. Shalrie Joseph, Pat Noonan (especially), Matt Reis, Brian Kamler. Those are the guys the Revs wouldn't have won without. The Revs have proven they can win without Twellman. Twellman was not the Revolution's most valuable player. Nat, I not once voted for the obvious choice. JSYK...
What do you mean? MLS doesn't award the Supporter's Shield. The supporters do. Even though the MOTY award is sponsored by the Midnight Riders, anyone who goes to the MOTY website can vote. A lot of votes are now cast for whoever scored a goal, not necessarily for the most valuable player. In years past, when the game by game voting was more restrictive, it was usually a hard-working underdog who won the award....someone who was not recognized in the press and who wasn't mobbed in autograph alley. I'm guessing many of the Riders would agree with you about TnT winning again. Valuable player, but does he really need another Paul Revere bowl? I think the way the votes are cast is fair, and game by game is the way to go. Otherwise, we'd end up with votes for whoever happens to be hot at the end of the season and it would be too much like All Star voting. Just keep all of this in mind when you have the chance to vote next year... Amy
If there were to be a draft from the Revs roster, and you could protect one player, who would it be? I say TnT. Ergo, he's the MVP.
Prof. Zodiac, I'd offer it's fair to say that any reasonable suggestion would probably be open to consideration with respect to the award. That being understood I personally feel that the system for determing the award is both reasonable and accurate. When you think about it, it may serve notice that the award is entitled "Midnight Riders Man of the Year" as opposed to "Midnight Riders Most Valuable Player." While these two are not mutally exclusive and it may seem a matter of semantics, the award handed out by the Riders, while perhaps considered an equivalent of an MVP Award, is done to show recgonition of effort over the course of "the Year." It's an award determined by effort on a game to game basis over the course of the season. Yes, it certainly helps that Twellman is the Revs leading-scorer for the second season in a row, and it doesn't hurt that oncce again he's been at or near the top of the League scoring charts. But stats don't tell the whole story with respect to the impact of a player, something we seem to be in agreement on. Adin Brown serves as a good example of this, having come closest of any Revolution player to beating out Twellman for the honor. He came closest no matter the fact amonsgt active starting keepers, Brown has one of the worst goals against averages in the league. But as any Revs fan will tell you, his numbers aren't an true reflection of the season he's had, nor of hisvalue to the team. He's pulled off more drammatic saves than the White House spin-doctors and has done much to keep the Revolution in games this season: leading by example, making some un-real saves, and stepping up in some pretty tough circumstances. I'd offer (although I don't know for sure) that the bulk of those points that brought him close to Twellman were picked up at the beginning of the season, and perhaps through being overshadowed by those more recent efforts of others, lost just enough votes that might have given him the edge over Twellman. Likewise the case could be made for Cancela or Joseph, players who finished neck-in-neck for third in the MOTY voting. As I've expressed to some other Rev supporters this season, Jose Cancela (IMHO) is the best Revolution midfielder to come along since Edwin Gorter - he could be the most compete midfielder we've ever had in the history of the team. Shalrie Joseph has also been a pleasant surprise, having matured into his role that has seen him become a key factor over the course of the season: defensively strong, nice touch on the ball, an emerging threat coming forward. But it's up to the fans to make their case. As has been pointed out, Revolution supporters… ALL Revolution supporters have the right to cast a vote. The Man of the Match (MOTM) voting that determines the MOTY Award allows the fan to select three players whom they felt to be the most valuable players of any particular game. As is indicated on the Riders website, "a player receives 3 points for first place votes, 2 points for second place votes, and 1 point for third place votes. The player who receives the most points for the game receives 3 points toward the Man of the Year vote and the second and third highest players receive 2 and 1 points respectively." There may be games where Twellman bangs in two goals, but might not be the most valuable player in that game. As such, you don't have to vote for him as the game's best player - you have options to rank someone else ahead of him. As Amy has pointed out however, the voting process can still boil down to a popularity contest. You can have a twelve year old girl go to the site and vote for Twellman just because she thinks he's hot (or something like that,) or perhaps an IU graduate voting for Noonan every match simply because he's a fellow Hoosier. "The way the votes are cast is fair, and game by game is the way to go. Otherwise, we'd end up with votes for whoever happens to be hot at the end of the season and it would be too much like All Star voting." Can't really disagree with that. The Magpie
Magpie and Amy, perfect explanations. It should have been no mystery to people who all had the opportunity to vote throughout the whole season. Boy, I think I remember a couple of people really slamming Joseph those first couple of games - guess he wouldn't have gotten points then, huh? Congrats again to the Midnight Riders for hosting/continuing a great tradition!
Magpie and Amy, Thanks for your responses. They were perfect. And ... I have nothing else to add. Monty "Metros are people too." quote from South Park Season Premier
One point to add is that the MOTY award is very strictly determined game by game, i.e. not the season as a whole. There was a time when the year-to-date standings were available and that may have lead to "ballot box stuffing" in some cases to help someone catch up. Since that is no longer the case, each vote is based solely on the merits of the player during that particular match. One could make the case for a second award based on value to the team for the season as a whole. That would help to open the door for someone like Cancela who didn't get to play the full season. Or it might encourage a choice like Noonan considering what the team would have been if he hadn't been able to step in like he did. This discussion reminds me of the "MVP=best player on the best team" thinking that has been argued by some on MLSnet. I tend to think of MVP as the most essential player, the one who made the biggest difference, thus I think that those who poo-poo the thought of John Spencer or Preki as MVP are missing this point.
I just got some film back from a wedding I went to recently, and what do you know? Mixed in with the pictures of the bride and groom are shots of Monty presenting MOTY to Cate' two years ago. I laughed out loud. Monty, PM me if you want copies....