Chris Carrieri (R)

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by JMU Soccer!, Aug 25, 2002.

  1. JMU Soccer!

    JMU Soccer! New Member

    Jul 19, 1999
    I know this subject was opened before, but I feel it deserves another mention.

    Say what you want about him being a headcase, a-hole, getting good service, whatever, but he's getting the job done. If Taylor Twellman wasn't putting in goal after goal, we'd be getting excited about Carrieri. Other then Josh Wolff, what other American kid his age has put in 10 goals in a season? And we still have a few games to go.
     
  2. NNCRed

    NNCRed Member

    Jun 16, 1999
    Land-o-Spuds
    After watching him on Saturday, he looks like Roy Lassiter reinvented. How often was that guy offsides? Sure he'll finish a goal or so every game or two, but that doesn't equate to strong nat'l team play, which I think your comments were heading too. He can be a good league striker, but I would not take him on my team. He was constantly offsides, which disrupts the pace of the game, and always bitched about the call everytime the linesman raised his flag.
     
  3. jd2084

    jd2084 New Member

    Aug 1, 2001
    Rhode Island
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What comes to mind from watching saturday's games was the chance where he had service into the box, and the ball bounce in front of him, but instead of volleying the ball he over ran it a little then took an extra touch with his chest before taking a shot.
    It wasn't that he didn't finish the play, but more so that he took the extra touch and gave Joe Cannon a chance to get into position.
    People can say what they want about a player like Clint Mathis but the difference between him and a player like Carrieri is that he wouldn't have taken that extra touch.
    By not taking the extra touch it makes the ball harder to handle, but if you do hit it well (and at that level you should), it gives you a much better chance to score. A perfect example of that is Wolde Harris' goal on Saturday night vs. the Fire. A tough ball to handle, but by hitting the first time he gave the goalie no chance.
     
  4. JMU Soccer!

    JMU Soccer! New Member

    Jul 19, 1999
    It's true that he may have a problem with offsides, but calling him Lassiter re-invented is a bit premature. He's still only 22 and has a bit of developing to do. Again, I count only two other american strikers that have put up his numbers at his age. (Excluding Donovan, because he hasn't had a full slate of games over a season)
     
  5. BenReilly

    BenReilly New Member

    Apr 8, 2002
    Yes, this has been brought up many times and Carrieri keeps producing the stats as he has from day 1 in MLS (maybe day 2, since he joined Colorado)

    And don't forget that he gets a good amount of assists. I would also add that the 10 goals is misleading because he hasn't played as many minutes.

    Carrieri has .920 Goals and assits per 90, Twellman has .918.

    Players who do well in MLS are much more likely than not to do well for the Nats. Lassiter keeps getting mentioned because he is such a notable exception. And, to be fair, he didn't get a great number of chances. Let's not forget that MLS is getting better each year making it even more likely to translate to the international level.
     
  6. notebook

    notebook Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Ben, what's your take on Jeff Cunningham? He is a guy who has impressed me the few times I have had a chance to see him play and he has put up some outstanding numbers the last two years. His ball skills and creativity strike me as superior to Carrieri's.

    Do you know what his situation is regarding the national team and/or Bruce Arena's view of him? I saw in his MLS bio that he has been capped, but do not know whether he received serious consideration perhaps due to his relatively recent naturalization.
     
  7. BenReilly

    BenReilly New Member

    Apr 8, 2002
    Carrieri is four years younger than Cunningham, who is definitely a very good player. The funny thing about Cunningham is how excited people were about his becoming eligible to play, but after just a few minutes of mediocre play for the Nats quickly gave up on him. I'd definitely have him in the mix. The funny thing is that it's quite arguable that McBride is the #3 striker for the Crew (I'm not making that argument, but one could).

    I wish we had more defenders to talk about. No matter what, we'll be scoring many goals for years to come. All thanks to MLS.
     
  8. crestuden

    crestuden New Member

    Apr 5, 2001
    Carrieri might have to settle for being the Jason Kreis or Steve Ralston of his generation. Guys who put up the numbers but could never crack the team. The only way will be sure he can play is to get him on the field and see if he is effective. Carrieri strikes me as an oppurtunist and I like having a guy on the field that can pounce on a mistake or finish a well placed ball, but I still would prefer a player who can create his own as well as jump on mistakes and Carrieri hasn't shown me that.
     
  9. BenReilly

    BenReilly New Member

    Apr 8, 2002
    You can't call a guy that has that many assists a poacher.

    As for Ralston and Kreis, they should have and still should see more time with the nats, especially Ralston, who is the MVP of the league.
     
  10. hangthadj

    hangthadj Member+

    A.S. Roma
    Mar 27, 2001
    Zone 14
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    How many minutes ghas Buddle played as compared to Carrieri. As far as youngsters with a national team future I think Buddle's is much more promising.
    He is younger and has only a few less goals with less minutes, I believe, and has to fight through a much deeper lineup just to even see the field. On top of that, If Buddle learns to succeed in the air that will give him a part of his game that Carrieri doesn't really have the potential to develop due to his size.
     
  11. soccertim

    soccertim Member

    Mar 29, 2001
    Mass
    There are enough young players who could step it up over the next few years that it's hard to pick any attacking players for the next Cup. Just players that are probably as young as or younger than Carrieri would include Twellman, Donovan, Buddle, Barclay, Casey, Magee, Johnson, and Quaranta (off the top of my head). I would expect many of these players to be at least at the level that Wolff and Mathis are now by the time that they are 26 or so. Most of them have incomplete games, but most of them should see action with the nats over the next few years.
     
  12. PumaJohnny

    PumaJohnny Member

    Nov 30, 2001
    Draper
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    don't bash him

    What better measure is there of a player's performance than the numbers he produces?

    On off-sides problem is common, he has enough assists that you can tell he's not a poacher.

    He had his rough first year, found his niche, and he's doing well. You haters must root for the teams he's scored against this year.
     
  13. BallStateMiddie

    BallStateMiddie New Member

    Mar 28, 2002
    Nashvegas
    I like his tenacity. He seems like a "fighter" to me, but in the good way (kinda like Mathis there.) As for Cunningham, I can't really put a finger on it, but there's just something I don't like about him. I guess I feel like he relies more on his quickness and physical abilities than real soccer skills. The word from the Crew camp seems to be that he doens't have the greatest attitude, either, and that plays a huge role for the Nat's, especially with Arena. Also, a reliance on being more physical than your opponents is a lot less effective on the National stage than it is MLS.
     
  14. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'll happily second that motion.
     

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