Yeah, God help us if we actually give it to a player for being the most valuable at their job, regardless of where it is on the field. Oh wait, that's right, there are no rules about the MVP having to be an attacking player. Every amazing save by Cannon is equal to a goal by Guevara/Moreno.
people should stop discounting what he did from the beginning of the season through august, when he was the clear mvp candidate. clear. b/c moreno finished the season on a high note he deserves it? the evaluation of the MVP needs to be done for the entire season. from game 1 through game 30. not just the final 5 games. if you wanna give any importance to regular season, at least do that. like everyone, i was surprised that he got it, though that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. amado was worth the price of admission when going to the games. cannon will get GK of the year, Moreno comeback player of the year.
Hey - its just my opinion. I just appreciate the art and skill of those who try to create and score goals more than I do those that try and prevent goals. It is easier to defend than it is to attack. It is easier to destroy than it is to create. A great save is a thing to behold. But a goal beats it every time. Cannon was worthy of the MVP - I just think its not a travesty he didn't get it. My 6 year old now says he wants to be a goalie like Tony Meola or Kasey Keller. I am happy he likes the game - but I would much rather have him on the field where the real soccer players are. You know, people who can dribble the ball.
Oh please - you got Glen, SGR, and Taylor served up on a pretty silver platter for you guys this year and you still couldn't do crap. Count 'em up that is three Internationals to go with the three already on your roster. Bradley manipulates the rules like nobody else. DC cuts an ineffective forward and loses a player to England and they use the cap space to go out and acquire a midfielder with class and somehow we are getting special treatment. Keep dreaming buddy.
Nothing personal, Jason, but you've made both of the key mistakes that typify the anti-Guevara crowd on this thread. By no means is Guevara simply an attacking player. He drops deep into midfield to defend, win the ball, and work it forward. He is a workhorse who also led the league in scoring. That's a remarkable accomplishment. Even if he were a particularly dirty player, would that make him any less valuable? Obviously, this kind of award is a comparison between apples and oranges. Cannon was superlative at his position but not that far ahead of some other MLS keepers. Moreno was the league's most creative player in the attacking third, but he benefited from having a tremendous midfield behind him. Guevara, by contrast, played in a patchwork team but was still clearly the league's premier two-way player. I think it's relatively easy to select these three players as finalists, but none of them is obviously more or less deserving than the others.
"Kovalenkoed"? Even the majority of Metro fans don't think that this award deserved to go to Amado but actually rooting for a player's injury is in really bad taste. Here's hoping that Michigan football gets Mustanged, I suppose... Yeah, there was such a clamor for the services of Glen and Taylor in the off-season... And unless you're claiming that Bradley is getting people to lie about their ages on their visa applications, I don't see how carrying TIs on the roster counts as "manipulation".
He led the league in scoring (tied BTW with one other player) because he hit more penalty shots than anyone. 40% of his point total came from PKs. Forty-percent of his point total came from PKs And for those of you who tirelessly contend that "a goal is a goal, is a goal, is a goal, etc", even if true, a MVP selection process should be able to look beyond the mere stats to judge based on quality. Otherwise, Joe Cannon would have been a shoe-in. I'd say yes. His constant embellishment, dissent, and attempt to slide in dirty fouls without getting caught overshadows his skills. I also think that, long term, it hurts his own team. Can the young players on the team really emulate a guy who is constantly out to antagonize the other team, show up the officials, and draw advantage by shamming contact or injury where there is none? Maybe it's no coincidence that the Metros (and Guevara) started to fade near the end. Officials and opposing players can only be victimized by that crap so much before they get wise. I would love to know how he was chosen. Or was this award merely allocated?
Just to remind you, my point was that people shouldn't be judging Guevara so much on his scoring. Sure, he scored several run-of-play goals, created a lot of scoring chances, and went 6-6 on PK's. Even so, it's his work all over the field that makes him a strong MVP candidate. To some extent, I think this is an image falsely projected on him. He doesn't commit many dirty fouls, and while he does embellish things, that generally happens when the ball is out of play. He certainly isn't a diver like Eddie Gaven. Guevara does have a temper, but frankly, MLS needs more players who have passion. For the most part, he channels his emotions into being one of the hardest working players in the league. That's a great example to our young players ... after all, this isn't supposed to be golf.
Maybe some of the controversy around this has to do with much like the weak 2004 goal leaders (12 goals Ching, EJ) the MVP is a bit weak. Kind of a low ebb / stagnant performance-wise in MLS this season, in my opinion.
how about we look at it this way.... of the 3, cannon, moreno and guevara... you're playing a pick up game of soccer, you're the captain and you get to choose first among these 3 guys.... who do you take. me? guevara, no question.
With respects, I don't think the image is false. His physical fouls are usually sneaky - on the endlines or in the corners. I've seen several games where he easily could have "hit for the cycle" where yellow cards are concerned - earning yellow for a physical foul, embellishment, and dissent (this last - almost every game) - but of course getting all those calls is rare. And if I'm playing a pick up game - I want him on the other team because I don't want to be associated (embarassed) by the cheap stuff he pulls. From Wynalda comments about Moreno on ESPNsoccernet: Hmmmm. Quite a contrast...
You missed the sarcasm on this one. This was an exact duplication of what nother poster had said, only with Cannon and GK of the year instead of Guevara and Budweiser Scoring Champion. It was more about how stupid, IMO, it is to rule out a player for MVP just because there's another award he can win. Admittedly, that was a cheap shot. Still, if you're so dirty that you are getting yellow carded for your antics (Something that did happen to Guevara this year) you are less valuble to your team. But you can't compare Cannon to the effect the other keepers had on their teams, as they were actually able to score goals. Cannon (single-handedly somtimes) turned Rapids losses into draws, and draws into wins. Had Moreno won, I would not have been this dissapointed. But I have a hard time with Guevara, who had 6 of 10 goals from the spot (A fact, I'll point out, that was used to downgrade Spencer's chances at MVP two years ago) and 10 assists in a league that gives assists to a player for looking at the ball on it's way to goal (Credit to Greenie for that line).
OT, but despite only being out there 33-35 times a year, a starting pitchers faces more batters than any hitter has plate appearances. And there's a reason that only pitchers have a won-loss record.
Right, but really, that's completely irrelevant. If Albert Pujols has a lousy year next year (.270-25-75), you'd still pick him first for your mythical pick up game, but he wouldn't get MVP.
How many of you have actually watched the MetroStars this year? If you're saying that there's a hack on the Metros, then you must of watched a very few amount of games because Kenny Arena is the only true hack on this team. Guevara may have made some mistakes this year, but he has yet to break a leg of a young opponent...like Hristo and Dema have. He doesn't screem bulls*** every time he hits the floor like Cobi does. He doesn't grab guys by the shirt and chuck them into the goal like Thornton does. He doesn't play dirty like Califf. He doesn't flop like the Fish. He doesn't cry like Landon does. He doesn't pretend to be a macho man like Franchino. Does he get in the ref's faces sometimes? Yeah, after a crappy call. When you see a teammate almost lose a season in one game and then see another teammate go down on a simlar play in another...and not have the opponent get carded...I too would get in the face of the official. The guy doesn't even dive..I seriously don't know where you get that. Gaven does..and too much of it, but Amado doesn't. Not many of you actually watch Guevara and the Metros. He's a midfielder. The only real stat that counts is assists, which he had 10...a league high. He did job and very well. And to the guy who claims that NY would have gotten all the help they needed...um, where's Szetela? He wanted to be a Metro...yet he's wearing Yellow and Black. Gilberto was gone for almost the whole year...as was Lisi...any replacement for them? Taylor and Glen were injured all year long...no replacement. SGR stunk...no replacement. Yeah...that little theory of yours makes no sense. John Harkes, the rule is there. If Bob is one of the few who can play the loophole...what's wrong with that? Why don't the other coaches do the same? Also, it's not like he's preventing the improvement of America's youth. Eddie Gaven, Mike Magee, Rico Clark and Jeff Parke have been drafted by him.
sorry..i believe its relevant.....based on this years performance, i'd pick amado before moreno or cannon. and its just one way for those who don't believe guevara should've won to make it an easier pill to swallow. again, i'm surprise he won it, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it.
Guevara's cautions in 2004: -- 5 for dissent (3 of these from DC favorite Jair Marrufo) -- 1 for delaying a restart (late in the game, protecting a result) -- 1 for "trickery" on a play where he was fouled (Gbandi got a yellow for fouling him) -- 1 for a reckless foul Here's a guy who's constantly in the heart of the action and is no friend of the referees. Even so, he only committed one yellow card foul all season. When it comes to physical play, he doesn't cross the line.
Er...5 for yellows for dissent and one for "trickery"? Facts? I was about 20 feet from him in one Revs home game when Cancella tried to dribble to the corner. Guevara deftly, with his back to the linesman and 30 yards from the main official reached around and elbowed Cancella to the ground. While Cancella sat on the ground trying to clear out the cobwebs, Guevara came over smiling - one eye on the linesman - and offered to help him up. An astounded Cancella just stared in misbelief. Meanwhile Cancella's teammate Baker had retrieved the ball and was about to take a free kick. Guevara doesn't like the spot so he tries to take the ball from Baker, gets in a scuffle and nearly takes a swing at him. Got a yellow for that I believe (could that have been the yellow for time wasting?). Watched him play at least six or seven games this year. Can't remember a game where he didn't comit a rough foul, whine to the ref, or embellish a foul (in most cases, some combination of the above). Just an opinion. But the opinion of someone who actually saw him play in a bunch of games this year.
Hey, I wish Kovalenko whould get Kovalenkoed, too. Guevara is just your run-of-the-mill douche. Nothing special. But I'll go one better: I hope the next towel snap ends his career. How do you like them apples?