If y'all remember the scouting reports before he was passed over by 4 MLS teams in the draft, he was expected to become one of the great #10's in this league. And while he doesn't look totally out of place, I don't think he's come anywhere close to fulfilling expectations. I suppose the most obvious reason is that he lacks the size to play in the center. MLSNet lists him as 5'6" and 125 lbs. Could Vaca add another 15 to 20 lbs to his small frame without diminishing the talents he relies on now? What exceptional traits does Vaca have as a player and how would they be affected if he carried another 15 to 20 lbs? Does Vaca have any other limitations that would prevent him from becoming a marquee midfielder in MLS? Does he consider himself a short-timer in MLS (ie, he doesn't want to invest any effort in becoming a better MLS player because he wants to leave ASAP)? Is he simply afraid of physical play? Is there something about the style of play in MLS that's not conducive to his traits/style as a player? Could he change the way that he plays to become a different type of effective midfielder (ie, instead of a marquee #10, he becomes a marquee holding midfielder, like Pareja)? Any thoughts? alansl
Not without a formation change. He's really not as fast as you like your wingers to be, and he's not a good enough defender to play centrally in a 4-4-2. He's a player who needs to be floating behind the forwards IMHO with a minimum of defensive responsibilities.... -----F-F-F ------ M -----Dm-Dm ---D--D-D--D
Vaca has stated in the past and again before this season started that HE prefers to play on the wing and not in the central...Don't know why he perfers that but its his choice...
But at least Pareja "plays bigger." He doesn't take crap from anybody and he'll give as well as he takes it.
i love that about Pareja. and the best thing about him is that he's silent but deadly- isn't he something like the leading foul committer in MLS (last yr) yet they're smart fouls (most of the time) and during the metros game, the announcers seemed surprised at many of those plays.
They also repeatedly kept calling him a "playmaker." He is no such thing. He's an outstanding holding midfielder or defensive midfielder, but he's not a playmaker even if we use him in that position. I do love watching him shield the ball and dribble away from would-be defenders in the midfield.
yes, i thought that was funny too- sad how little announcers in this league know about the teams. they were wondering why pareja was making all these fouls, saying he should instead be focusing on his role of attacking midfielder. amusing yet oh so wrong.
I was laughing at the announcers all night as well, for the exact same reason. I think they know the importance of Pareja to this team and since he plays as a center mid, well then he must be a "playmaker". Idiots.
I'm hoping some team out there thinks Vaca can be a quality midfielder, because his production for the Burn has fallen dramatically. He hasn't even been serving up those great Cotton Bowl crosses he once did... Oh boy... what a Drag-on that is.