He is an American defender. A class defender in his own right, but he never made the move over to Europe despite being linked to big clubs like Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. Eddie is one of the few American players to never really have any aspirations to play in Europe.
Re: Re: Best defender in the world....... Yes, he is very, very good at playing utter shiite against the US. He routinely gets schooled. I've heard that he is great against everybody else though
IIRC Eddie was one of the stars of the US team at the last world cup. He is a good defender when fit but I seem to remember he has suffered with a back problem for a while now which probably hasn't helped his career. In a sense it's nice to see someone staying in theor home country, particularly an American, and helping to develop the game for the benefit of everyone who loves soccer there - but it's also a bit of a shame that he doesn't get the chance to compare himself to others of similar ability week in and week out. As has been discussed on here a few times before, MLS is something of a 'mixed bag' with some great players and some who are little more than journeyman - often in the same team.
I certainly agree with that statement. Although they have started to weed out a lot of these journeymen. If nothing else, MLS is a good league for young players to improve. Players get playing time early in their career which, in my opinion, is what will really help the US National team down the road. Back to Eddie Pope. He still has some years aheah of him if he can stay healthy. He is only 29. I have always thought he was a very gifted defender. Outstanding man marker, fast, strong in the tackle, and great in the air. His athletic ability is impressive.
AHH, I've seen him. He's very technical. Very Good But why not paly in Europe. I'm sure all Basketball and baseball players would like to play in the MLB and NBA....
No one really knows for sure. Supposedly family ties have something to do with it. I agree that he should have gone to Europe. I thought for sure that he would finally move abroad after this past World Cup, but he decided to resign with MLS.
Re: Wow...Chelsea fans are all swinging dicks. Lazio 0 - 4 Chelsea Arsenal 5 - 1 Inter Milan Feeling a bit stupid right now?
Roberto Carlos is bar none the best left-sided player in thw World today. He's no longer the defensive liability he was pre-1998 and during that Cup. You can call him a midfielder depending on the team's lineup (he certainly was in Scolari's 3-5-2). But not a winger. But you can't compare central defenders to Brazilian outside backs - those positions are not interchangeable. Anyways, in Brazil Alex is certainly a big promise, I also look forward to seeing Chivu, Méxes and Rafa Marquez in 2006.
It's funny. Recently in europe English teams have dominated Italian sides. Italian sides have dominated Spanish sides. And Spanish sides have dominated English sides. It's a weird circle that has evolved. I think the difference that seperates Serie A and La Liga from the Premiership is in the later rounds when it goes to the knockout stage. English clubs have choked more often than Italian and Spanish clubs have.
OT. But I have to thank you for actually providing a very even-handed account of MLS. It doesn't come often enough on these boards. Pope had all of the key ingredients to be a good defender anywhere. Great quickness, instincts, positioning. A ball winner on the ground or the air. He makes things look easy, so I don't doubt he would have been quality in a good league anywhere. The knock on him is that he lacks the ability to initiate the offense when he gains possession to the degree you'd want from a truly world class defender. I've also got to agree on the difficulty in assessing players across leagues. I don't want to see it, but the only way we'd know for sure is if a Super League came to be and a more mixed, prevailing style came about.
Maldini. Maldini, Maldini As much as I hate both teams from Milan, it still has to be (as it has for the last decade and a half) Maldini for pure efficiency in stripping attackers and organizing the other defenders. Italy will miss him in Portugal in June.
It has got to be Maldini, followed by:- Tony Adams, Mark Butcher, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, Jamie Carragher, Stuart Pearce.
Wise Guy here Yeah just wanted to get someone yelling at me. Although just to say, is he pretty good or no, I only see him once in awhile and he always plays hard or dirty.
revPowa Well lookie there a reply, yeah i thought he was an up and coming player. I hope he puts his head in and gets stuck in with the Nats if he is deserving because thats what we need, some personality and fire.
I think Sol Campbell is as good as anyone out there. Jaap Stam too, although I feel that he's very underrated. John Terry IMO will soon be the best CD in the world- he's got all the tools.