Maybe it's not the best time to be asking this, but considering he'll be going up against Martinez on Wed., maybe it is. I can't decide on the guy. He runs his #ss off, plays the 1-2 with Pibe as good as anyone, sends in some nice crosses and has definitely scored some key goals (he seems to be a good header and he strikes the ball from distance with authority). But he also more often than one would hope looks decidedly "A-League" - stumbling over a ball, trapping a ball poorly or, like Friday, just making a piss poor play which on Friday ended up costing the Rapids big time. A poor man's Ben Olsen if you will. Anyway, just wondering what other people thought. Either way, he needs to come up big in the playoffs if the Rapids are going to make a run.
As cliche as it sounds, his tendency to make bad, glaring mistakes will lessen over time as he gains experience. Keep in mind he's still 22, young for a US Soccer player. If he was 28, and toiling around the A-League for a while, then I'd be concerned about him being a one year wonder.
I agree, his mistakes are those that can be corrected in the coming years. He's shown many of the talents and instincts that generally can't be taught at the professional level.
I agree with the general consensus here. Kingsley works hard enough not to be a one-year wonder. He didn't impress me his first couple times out, but it soon became very clear what it is that he is able to bring to the Rapids. BTW-> Kramer should have stopped that shot in his sleep. Kingsley may have gotten intimate with the pooch, but c'mon, that's what a keeper is for!
Kingsley is not a really great player, but I think he is the kind of player who will compete for a starting spot on most MLS teams. Because he is only competing for the spot, he might lose out on the battle in some seasons/teams, but at least there is solid competition for the playing slot. So this means that he is valuable for any team as long as his salary is relatively low. So, he is basically Jason Moore without the salary headaches (actually Moore might have a cheaper salary now). He will persist in this league for a while because he does a few things very well that other players in the league just aren't doing well. He is a prototypical wide midfielder who can swing in a cross and get on the end of crosses. He isn't too uppity to do some defending. Compare him to Paule, who is all around a better player, but Kingsley play a wide role and is cheaper, so you trade Paule (yet another talented player who likes to cheat inside; Chung but not as good) and hang onto Kingsley.
Except that... - Kingsley isn't afraid to use either foot to pass or shoot - Kingsley isn't ridiculously predictable, nor afraid to cut in from the sideline and take defenders on 1v1 - In half a season, Kingsley has recorded more points (10) than Moore did in two full years with the Rapids (9). - In half a season, Kingsley managed to score 4 goals -- that's 4 more than Moore (never) scored for the Rapids. - Kingsley isn't a #1 college draft pick that failed to produce for the Rapids (see also: Jakins, McKeon, Shak)
My sentiments exactly... his first few times out, he showed great speed, but was otherwise unimpressive and made some cringe-inducing mistakes. Again, we agree. I look forward to the next time we get to see Garlick minding the net.
Kingsley got abused all night. For every nice play by the rookie, Martinez schooled him 1/2 dozen times. Often it was downright embarassing. Of course Martinez is top notch and has more moves than Houdini, but this game showed Kingsley is more A-League than MLS. At least based on one game.
We'll learn a lot about Kingsley on Saturday night -- inasmuch as he may have been a bit nervous in his first playoff game, I'm hoping he calms it down and returns the favor to Martinez back here in Denver. For me a telling sign that Kingsley wasn't comfortable was about 25 minutes in to the first half, he carried into the corner of the box and had a great opportunity to set himself up with a fine shot on goal -- instead, he paused and looked into traffic for the handoff.
I think Colo has a better eye than any team in MLS for A-league prospects. I guess the Crew drafted Buddle from the A-league, but very few teams have the domestic scouting to successfully identify guys that have the potential to make the jump to MLS like Colorado. I think any team would be proud to be acquiring guys like Titus and Kingsley for basically nothing. Of course they are going to show signs of wear and tear after opposing teams can look at film of their first few games. But how many draft picks would be able to contribute what these guys have in only their first year? The key is if these guys can learn from their experiences and successfully elevate their games to the next level. That's what will determine if they stay in this league, just like with every other player. If Colo keeps bringing players with the potential of these two, they are sure to strike gold eventually.
Issue: Martinez is a far better player than Kingsley. Result: Kingsley WILL look bad. Kingsley gives you something at little cost, but you would hope for something better. If the Rapids want to stop Martinez, place Herdsman on the right wing. You would basically lose that offense, though. If that is unacceptable, then Kinglsey will be burned a couple of times. The defense will have to know to double to help Kingsley when Martinez obtains dangerous positions (note to Mastroeni and Fraser). You would basically judge Kingsley by whether he is involved in four or five good scoring opportunities (goals scored, assists made, assists not made because of incompetence in front of the goal by another player). I think Kingsley can do that.
Actually, I think you sit Kingsley on Saturday, but not just because of his play on Wednesday. The team needs to go back to two defensive mids, but there's no way we shouldn't start both Carrieri and Spencer. Since Kingsley did get burned by MArtinez, sit him down and play Hart/Palacios in the DM slot with Mastroeni. Move Henderson to the right side into Kingsley's slot, and push Chung out left. Pibe will run (walk) the center as he always does. No change in our defense or our forwards.
He is and will continue to be a good player, but as I mentioned in another thread, I think Jeff Stewart is the Rapids rookie who shows the most promise.
I agree with the general concensus about Kingsley here ... great find at no costs (I mean he's 100% better then Baba) (I read somewhere that Bravo found him while looking at one of his A-League teammates -- Hankinson was credited with Titus), he works hard, has great upside, and will improve as he learns. He already has learned a lot this year. He doesn't work himself into a corner like he did his first 6 games or so. I'm VERY happy we have him and he replaced a player going no where doing nothing and provided us with depth and a possible solid MLS player for a few years at minimum. Anyway, he should be on the team. We have a lot of players that should be worried about thier spots on this team: Shak Trembly Palacios Jackson I mean if we find two guys in the draft in 2003 ... Kingsley isn't the first to go.