http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/mls/events/mls_cup/2004/awards/ Beat out by Dempsey... At least Adu didn't get it but I'm a little surprised here. May the comments rain down ...
I jjust posted this in the other thread: The rookie of the year decision doesn't suprise me, and none of you should be suprised, either. Anyone who knows the game will tell you Chad Marshall is a better player and had a better year in the league. Of course the "sportswriters" who vote for this stuff just hear about Dempsey scoring and think that he's the best rookie. I honestly wouldn't be suprised if Freddy Adu got more votes than Chad Marshall. The bigger disappointment (to me) is that Chad Marshall isn't in the United States camp in Columbus this week. I was told way back that he would be callen in "later in the year" but the ankle injury must be bad enough to keep him out of this camp.
What a joke. Dempsey is a nice player, but not of Marshall's caliber. I think a nice case could be made for Marshall to make the Best 11.
Marshall is an exceptional young player, and as I've said previously, I would have liked to have seen him a co-winner of Rookie of the Year with Dempsey. I think those who know the game (i.e., those who've closely followed by Marshall and Dempsey this season) would suggest that goal-scoring is only part of the equation in determining the award in the case of Dempsey, and that there are other aspects to his play over the course of the 2004 season that may have contributed to this decision. They're both good players, they'll both get their chance with the USMNT, and I can't wait to see how both develop. The Magpie
One wonders just how flawless a defender would have to play in order to win ROY. I like Dempsey, but believe that it should have gone to Marshall.
Nope, Marshall was second: "Chad Marshall, who along with Robin Fraser anchored the Columbus Crew backline and fueled an 18-match unbeaten streak, finished second in the voting. Freddy Adu, the 15-year-old D.C. United prodigy who performed incredibly well despite an enormous amount of pressure, finished third in the voting." I'm sure Crew fans don't really want to hear from non-Crew fans, but as a rather neutral observer, I just think this was a toss-up. There were two exceptional rookies in MLS this year, and one had to win - sorry it wasn't your guy but, frankly, it's not gonna matter a bit two years down the line.
I think Heaps was on defense his first year. I'm sure he wasn't flawless. Bocanegra and Duhaney were defenders IIRC. I'm not saying Dempsey is the better player, but Dempsey is more likely to put my butt in the seat at the stadium. That's a powerful factor.
i have been singing the high praises of chad marshall for 3 years now i think he is exceptional and will get better and better as he learns for me he was the rookie of the year dempsey was second josh gros third but i figured it would go to dempsey cuz he got a lot of talk around the league he was the "sexy pick" so congrats to him go nagadoches go
Coach Dumbfvck winning the COTY made it impossible for Marshall to win ROTY. They have to spread it around.
Consider that Clint Dempsey scored like he did frequently from a defensive midfield position and that he basically carried the team (as much carrying as a next-to-last place team got) at various points in the season. He also did this for part of the time while recovering from a broken jaw. Many of his goals were pretty spectacular and no one can deny that the kid had a tremendous influence on just about every game. He played three different positions for his club, had very little continuity and didn't even come into the league with the same pedigree that Marshall had. And still, this midfielder just about broke the pre-Damani Ralph rookie scoring record. And never showed an ounce of intimidation - even in the conference final (note his clothesline on Freddy). If Chad Marshall had to lose this award, he lost it to a pretty deserving guy. I would argue that MLS couldn't go wrong with either candidate. And to be perfectly honest - watching the determination and internal motivation that each of these players brings to the field - I don't think either one of them is going to lose much sleep over this one way or the other. Awards like this year's are basically consolations for guys who really didn't get it done in spite of their team's overall achievements (Andrulis, Dempsey, Cannon and Guevara). As Amado Guevara said (paraphrase) - "I would trade this award to Jaime for the chance to play in MLS Cup in a heartbeat".
1st most of those goals came when he was playing forward and most of them came in 1/3 of the season. Marshall was there every single game he played throughout the season saving Busch's ass at least once a game. If Marshall had hit net instead of post on a couple of the many corners he got to, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Also whenever I caught a NE game and Dempsey played midfield, I hardly ever saw him make a huge contribution and I certainly wouldn't say he was their best player this year. 2nd he was on the same U-20 team Marshall was and both are P-40s, so they have the same background. Although you were right in one thing, Dempsey isn't in the same pedigree that Marshall is and that's why Marshall should have won this award. Marshall not winning ROY, Andrulis winning COTY, Guevara winning MVP, and Ching winning CBPOTY over Moreno just shows how absolutly worthless these awards are.
They don't have the same background, no matter the fact that Marshall and Dempsey were both members of the U-20 National Team, and no matter the fact that both are Project-40 players. Marshall was expected to start in year one, did, and pretty much lived up to expectations. Dempsey was not expected to start in year one, ended up doing so for the bulk of the season, and pretty much exceeded expectations. Marshall also has significantly more experience for any number of US Men's National Teams than Dempsey. As I've said before, both players are deserving, but it's not just about goals scored. Dempsey was able to play, and play well, in defense, midfield, and at forward this season, and far more was asked of him than was ever, and will ever be asked of Marshall, and that, and that alone, is probably the deciding factor in the ROTY decision. Marshall is a solid player, and will become a better player, no matter the result of ROTY. Marshall's getting great respect from Rev supporters, and that says a lot. The Magpie
Two guys from the same youth nat set up, two guys that were both at the YWC, and two guys who both were thought well enough by US Soccer and MLS to sign to a P-40 Contract, I don't know sounds pretty simular to me. Of course Marshall did get more playing time; a little thing called being more talented will do that. But at least I get the ROY award now, it's really the Rookie We Thought Would Suck and Get No Playing Time The First Year, but Amazingly Started and Actually Produced a Little of the Year Award. Silly me, I thought the award was to name the best rookie of the year. That person was Chad Marshall. He didn't meet expectations, he far exceeded them on every level. Hell for most of the year he was one of the five players they were watching for Best Defender, I don't remember anyone expecting that out of Marshall. Every single game Marshall cleard a ball off the line or was the last defender who made a goal saving tackel, I don't remember anyone expecting that out of Marshall. He was going to be called in for the Full Nats game as well before Reis reinjured his ankle with that mugging late in the second playoff game, I don't remember anyone thinking he would be with the full nats after his first year. Hell not even Boca got to that level after his first year. As for Dempsey, I think he's a servicable player. Might develop into something more, might not. Right now he's got Zavagnin and Mastro in front of him for the holding mid spot and Szetela probably coming up fast behind him for the Nats.
What you're saying about Dempsey is completely untrue. Most of the goals he scored were from a defensive midfield position, and he made quite an impact in the midfield. We had a lot of trouble maintaining posession when he wasn't in there, especially when Joseph was hurt. And he did score most of his goals in the first half of the season, but I think that he was on a 3 or 4 game scoring streak when his jaw was broken. While this slowed his progress, he did play for a couple of games with the broken jaw before he had his mouth wired shut, which shows his toughness. This isn't to take anything away from Marshall, who I kind of expected to win the award, but your criticism of Dempsey isn't very accurate.
No I went back and looked at his goals. The first goal against the Metros came as a left midfielder, the next 4 came as a forward, and the last one came as holding mid. Go back and look the game reports and goals, it's right there. As for Dempsey's jaw, who cares? Marshall played with a broken bone in his foot all year and loged over 2,000 minutes. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest a foot is more important to a soccer player then a jaw. Pure and simple Marshall was robbed of this award, no one else should have even been in the running.
Please, get your homer head out of your ass. First off, AS A SEASON TICKET HOLDER, Dempsey did not score most of his goal from the forward position. "His next 4 came as a forward". I don't think Dempsey played 4 games at foward in a row. So you are wrong in that aspect, he scored his goals from the midfield position. Dempsey was always considered for RoTY, Marshall wasn't. It wasn't until after Dempsey got injured did people start to take Marshall into consideration for RoTY. After Dempsey got injured and his play slipped to that of the other rookies did Marshall got strong consideration. Anybody watching MLS knows who RoTY is, and they got that award right, unlike the others (except Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year)
Only a Rev Homer would say Marshall wasn't being considered for ROY early in the year. Even so 1/3 of a year don't mean ********. The Award is Rookie of the YEAR, not Rookie of 1/3 of the year and not Rookie Who Most Surprised Us of the Year, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. Did you go back and look at his goals and the game reports? 4 goals came as a forward, that's what the game reports say. Either way, Dempsey breaks his jaw, he's out what 3 or 4 games, then comes back and does ******** all the rest of the year. Sounds like a really solid ROY canidate to me. All the while Marshall plays with a broken bone in his foot all year and was considered one of the 5 best defenders in MLS, AS A ROOKIE. Was Dempsey even considered in the top 5 of anything this year other then among the rookies? NO. There's no doubt Marshall should have won that award and there's nothing a Rev Homer is going to say to convince me otherwise.