Re: Brian Ching...(R) Awesome. The guys on MLS Wrap picked Moreno for this. (Props for not burying this in "The Official Brian Ching thread"!)
Re: MLS Awards (R) I changed the subject line because we won another award: DeRo for Goal of the Year MOD NOTE: ...and I changed it again to more clearly reflect the subject, and also because it doesn't need an [R], being that it's not a match result. Felt the clarity was needed because people are posting these stories in other threads (I merged one into this thread).
Re: MLS Awards (R) I don't think Ching should've won it. Moreno had a much bigger comeback. The '03 Ching was pretty good until he got injured, while the '03 Moreno sucked and was injured even more. Now the '04 Moreno is an MVP finalist and better than the '04 Ching.
Re: MLS Awards (R) Was Moreno out for half the season because of one devastating injury? I think the "comeback player" is for coming back from a major injury, not coming back from sucking. Past winners Dayak '01, Klein '02 and Armas '03 came back from major injuries.
Re: MLS Awards (R) Good for Ching! He deserved it. Worked extremely hard to come back from that devastating injury. Bravo to DeRo! I knew he had to get goal of the year. Surprised it hasn't been discussed more - but did anyone besides me notice Alexi's comments re: DeRo - specifically DeRo wanting to test the waters elsewhere. Wonder if he's gone too.
Goal of the Year!!!! DeRo!!!! SUHWEET!!! Dwayne De Rosario's wicked strike against D.C. United that seemed to defy gravity and never gave United 'keeper Troy Perkins a chance has been voted the Sierra Mist Goal of the Year by MLS fans on the league's official website, MLSnet.com. More than 25,000 votes were cast in the process which narrowed down all 30 Sierra Mist Goal of the Week winners, plus specially selected goals by team and league officials, to De Rosario's strike on Aug. 7 in San Jose. ***** MOD NOTE: Shasta, since you have PMs and email contact turned off, there was no way to notify you, but I merged your Goal of the Year thread into this thread, which existed first.
Re: Goal of the Year!!!! Actually, gravity was his friend on that shot.....it grazed the underside of the cross-bar.
Re: MLS Awards (R) Not a surprise. He showed some interest to going to England/Scotland last year after a good showing with the Canadian National Team brought some interest from over the pond. With his contract up, it makes sense to look at all options, especially with the uncertainity here. If he gets any decent offers, I bet that he will be gone.
Re: MLS Awards (R) Get over it... Both were very deserved. However, Brian came back from a potential career ending injury. He gets the nod. Congratulations to Brian!
I agree that Moreno should have won the award. I've watched MLS religiously since 2000 and until this year I never saw anything that justified the legendary status fans gave him. This year I finally saw why he's a great player. Ching in my opinion was great in '03 too. Sure, he missed half the season, but he was still an impact player, and I kept tellin' everyone he'd be as good as new. Still, yay for the good guys!
Re: MLS Awards (R) Congrats to Ching. But, give Jaime some credit. Moreno was out for ahlf the season because of a devastating BACK injury that was also career threatening.
Re: MLS Awards (R) Totally agree. Have Moreno tear his achilles and let's see how he comes back. Not only did Ching play very well, he's also been called into the NATs camp, AND score the tying goal against Jamaica.
Congrats to both Brian and Dwayne! I did see that quote about DeRo wanting to "test the waters." As much as we can ill afford to lose him (IMO,) I can't say I'm surprised. He has been on the verge of starting for a few years and never quite gets that full time place in the XI. Plus, who knows what will happen with the team in the next year and he has a family to consider (like Latrell Sprewell minus the millions and the Bentleys.) It would be cool to see DeRo catch on somewhere in England or Scotland. If he goes SPL, I hope Celtic gives him a look.
Good for both of our lads. Ching deserved the 'comeback' award as well as the best XI he received. I respect Moreno very much, but he is a man well beyond the apogee of his career, whereas Brian last year was (seemingly) cut down just as he was rising. Chingy has proved that he has the heart and will to make it, and I expect great things from him representing our country. I believe that we are incredibly lucky to have him reaching his prime just as McBride (hmm, another Brian, maybe there's something to this name game!) is reaching the end of his (I think McBride is the classiest guy to ever suit up for the nats, but facts is facts). Re: DeRo - Pwamme could have easily won this award either with that strike or the bike he put in against (was it DC?) That's the thing about this guy; he runs around and does stuff that looks strange and silly (an awful lot of no-look backheels to nobody!) but then comes out with these incredible passes, shots and goals. He's rather like a force of nature - absolutely unpredictable, with all of the good and bad aspects of this. I will say that off the field, he is one of the most self-effacing, quiet, and pleasant human beings I have seen in eight years at Spartan. He's in a class with Barrett, Cloutier and very few others. I do think he deserves a go somewhere. I would hate to see him leave, but if he has the itch, he certainly has the quality. I think his talents have probably excited some interest in Europe, and should not be surprised to see him picked up. If so, I wish him all the best. It would probably be a great experience both for him and his young family. I'm somewhat ambivalent about this, I think it would be good for him to go, but of course as a Quakes fan, he would be missed (no more operatic choruses of "Dwayne DeRosario" ).