Freddy On Shortlist For ROTY

No offense to Freddy, but if he wins this over Dempsy or Marshall, I'm never going to another MLS match again. Freddy did get the league exposure, which is awesome, but there is no way he deseves to be ROTY.

 

That type of "protest" by people would only hurt league attendance... and low attendance and America's general disinterest in soccer is why Freddy is hyped by MLS so much...its all they've got to promote the game.

However, I do agree with you that he doesn't deserve ROY.

 

I'm all talk, I won't miss any Fire home games again next year unless I'm at school.

 

I'm not one of these "I'll never go to another game" people, because, who am I kidding, I'm addicted, but let's face it, it would be nothing more than a joke if Freddy were to win the RotY.

If you want to ask who will be the more dominant player 5 years from now, that's another question. If he wins the MVP at age 18, good for him. But right now, he's nothing more than a pretty good player with a lot of potential. He's had some great moments and scored a few goals, but objectively, you would have to give it to Marshall or Dempsey, since they have played more of a role in their team's seasons. If you took away these three, you'd find huge holes for the Revs and Crew. DC would only have to divvy up Adu's minutes among Moreno, Esky and a few others.

Tom

 

haha, what a joke. He isn't even roty on dc.

 

I'm a big fan of how Freddy has progressed since mid-summer, but I think Gros deserves to be on this list a little more than Freddy if you base it on overall contribution and consistency during the whole season.

 

How many weeks was Dempsey injured this season?

 

You made it through the Shootout and Lothar Matteus, and this makes you want to not come out to a game anymore?

 

I agree that Freddy should not get it, but not going to games to protest should he win it is a pretty stupid idea.

 

Who really gives a flying fvck? Seriously people! Get happy already. If you want to whine about something go find an election blog and do it there with all the other pajama freaks.

OK, I know. Berating is not the answer. However, even I can let this marketing driven kiss-up go. It is a shame that Gros doesn't get the DC nod, but you gotta admit...young master Fred has played quite well these past 10 games or so. In the end, there is only one thing that matters:

DC UNITED is a great football team again. It may not last too long, so let's just enjoy the fvck out of this while we can, eh?

Tim

 

What Tim said.

The kid didn't bust under the expecations and pressure put on him, and he had a solid year during a season where the rookie class was worse than last year.

Dempsey or Marshall will probably win it, and deservedly so. If you were to look at ROTY as the player who made the biggest impact on the league in his first year, it was absolutely Adu. I think that's some of the justification.

 

i thought Gros was better than Freddy....its a farce that he even got nominated but it was to be expected after all the hype,,,,would just love to find out who nominates these guys

 

you saw how he created 2 goals in 10 minutes right?

 

The key here is that Gros was also a serious candidate for ROTY so I don't think its a farce that Freddy was nominated. Personally, I think its a toss-up between Adu and Gros as DC United ROTY. Both good players who had their ups and downs this season.

 

Agreed. These 2 guys are being judged on totally different standards. Gros had no pressure as a 4th round pick and nothing was expected of him, thus when he performed above those expectations, he's a favorite amongst the knowledgeable fans. Freddy comes in with the weight of the world on his shoulders as the top pick, so because he doesn't score double digit goals, and he's not looked at as quite as much of a success by the knowledgeable fans. the realities of expectations have clouded peoples reasoning on this. was Gros really so much better when he was on the field? I don't think so. to me, Gros was up and down, much like Freddy was. however, Adu showed flashes of absolute brilliance and class along the way, which Gros didn't. Gros is a hard working tough player who will have a nice MLS career. that's it. his play this year showed that. the relative performances of these 2 players was basically even. Freddy clearly showed more room for growth though. having a flashier, younger, higher upside player who had an equal season take precedence over Gros in ROY voting is no big travesty.

 

I'm not judging Gros and Adu using different standards. Gros was better this year. Sure, Adu being 15 has more potential for improvement, but this year, it's got to be Gros.

I'm not picking on Adu. He actually did as well as I expected this year, which was a great relief.

Gros was better under pressure. He was more physical. He created havoc with opposing defenses, and pulled more pressure off his teammates. And, as a result, earned more playing time and starts.

Adu was also good, playing in almost every game, and getting several goals.

I think what is happening here is that Adu is being given consideration because of his age. so it's not just performance based.

The bright side is that it's not really important. If Adu and Gros can lift the Cup in two weeks, I doubt either will care much who got ROTY. I know I won't.

 

Okay, here are the past MLS rookies of the year:

1996: Steve Ralston, Tampa Bay
1997: Mike Duhaney, Tampa Bay
1998: Ben Olsen, D.C. United
1999: Jay Heaps, Miami
2000: Carlos Bocanegra, Chicago
2001: Rodrigo Faria, MetroStars
2002: Kyle Martino, Columbus Crew
2003: Damani Ralph, Chicago Fire



Out of this list, only one of them is a superstar, and that's Carlos Bocanegra. Sure Damani Ralph and Ben Olsen are quality players, but any of them Euro quality? I don't think so.

If this was a distinguished list with the likes of Landon Donovan, Damarcus Beasley, or even Eddie Johnson, then sure it'd be dissapointing if Adu weren't on there. But it's not, which proves that the rookie of the year award means SQUAT.


By the end of next season, based on how he's progressing....Adu will be MVP quality, no doubt.

And by the end of his third season, he'll be Euro-ready, just watch.


I'm sorry but as good as Dempsey and Marshall are I don't see them with anywhere near the massive potential that I see in Adu and Szetela.


(Oh, and if I wasn't clear, I don't think Freddy should get ROTY. I'm just saying that based on who our top talent is relative to the ROTY award, it really doesn't matter.)

 

I love Freddy, but Clint Demsey deserves it.

 

Yep, I agree with Lanky. Gotta be Dempsey.

 

Uh, I think Steve Ralston is decent, no?

And Freddy doesn't deserve ROY, but he's already the league's most talented player.

 

How is the ROTY determined? Do journalists vote on it? Perhaps there are some people voting who have to idea about MLS. The only guy they'll have heard of is Mr. Adu. Clearly he's not the best rookie. In fact, he not in the top 5. I'd put Jeff Parke and Gros ahead of him as well. That's not to say Adu won't be the best in 5 years, it's just the contribution these guys made to their teams THIS year.