MLS Set to Honor Year's Best - MLSnet I wanna know how they didn't include Hartman in the Keeper list (or that Cannon even got a sniff)
I think goalies who make save after save playing for average teams and keeping them in games as a result is a good indicator of what makes a great goalie. I agree with Rimando and Howard's nomination.
Really quit simple...As the article states:"Joe Cannon (S.J. Earthquakes) Led MLS in wins (13) and shutouts despite playing behind a young, injury-plagued defense."
My picks: MVP - Little Fish in a tough call over TT. More money goals. COY - He's big, he's bad he's Sigmund. With the players the Revs were gifted, they were underachievers. Bradley should have been nominated for keeping his side together with scotch tape & spit. DOY - I really hate to keep giving hardware to Gals, but the big red donkey is the one. Boca had a nice year, but not nice enough. KOY - Howard, in spite of playing behind Petke & for Zamboni. ROY - No one in particular. Davis tailed off - Gray & Martino found themselves on the bench more than the pitch the second half. I'll be a homer & pick Gray. CPOY - The nominees are a joke - NEXT ! Fair Play - Award should be named after Chung. A nominee with 6 bookings? Half the league's center backs have less. Humanitarian - Pope Referee - Year after year Terry is most underrated ref. Hall & Stott are idiots.
My votes: MVP - Carlos Ruiz This one should really be a tie between Carlos and Taylor. Without his clutch goals LA would have been lost... Coach of the Year - Sigi Schmid Will take LA to their first MLS Cup Win. Ouch, that was painful to type... Defender of the Year - Wade Barrett Just because Alexi can't win two awards! However, if you had to twist my arm, I would have said Alexi... Goalkeeper - Joe Cannon With a revolving door defense because of injuries and Conrads yellow card suspensions, he made the key saves to keep the team in matches... Rookie - Kelly Gray With all of the injuries in Chicago, he seemed to be a spark that kept the team going... Comeback Player - Alexi Lalas No question. Would have had more competition if Ben Olsen played more games... Fair Play - Mark Chung Since Steve Ralston has already won the award, time to give to Mark... Humanitarian - Jimmy Conrad Just because...
MVP - Twellman edges out Ruiz, because LA was good last year Coach of the year - Sigi Schmid Defender of the year - Wade Barret 'Keeper of the year - Nick Rimando Rookie of the year - Kyle Martino Comeback player of the year - Ben Olsen Individual Fair Play Award - Mark Chung Humanitarian of the year - Eddie Pope Referee of the year - none
About time: My picks: MVP: Twellman Coach: Schmid Defender: Lalas Goalkeeper: Cannon Rookie: Martino Comeback: Klein Fair: Chung Humanitarian: Pope Ref: Hall
goalkeeper of the year: joe cannon, tim howard, nick rimando where the hell is jon busch? he led the league in gaa during the season with a suspect back line and lead the crew on a resurgance once he started in-between the pipes... my picks: MVP: the fish, mister carlos ruiz coach: bradley, who are we kidding. big mistake not including him. defender: alexi lalas goalkeeper: joe cannon rookie: kyle martino comeback: ummm... fair: mark chung humanitarian: eddie pope ref: Hall
About time: My picks: MVP: Ruiz Coach: Schmid Defender: Lalas Goalkeeper: Rimando Rookie: Martino Comeback: Olsen Fair: Chung Humanitarian: Pope or Conrad, who knows? Ref: Hall
My two cents "MLS Individual Fair Play Award Mark Chung (M, Colorado Rapids) Finished in the League’s top ten in scoring and fouls suffered without receiving a single caution or ejection in 27 appearances Chris Klein (M, K.C. Wizards) Committed just 11 fouls and acquired no cautions or ejections despite his physical presence on the right wing for Kansas City Steve Ralston (M, N.E. Revolution) A two-time winner of the award, Ralston led the Revs in assists and minutes while picking up just six yellow cards in more than 2,400 minutes played" These are just three classy, under-rated guys. My other comment is that the DC back line was overlooked in the Defender category. Although DC had a less-than-stellar season, they rank high in the goals-against category. No defender in the league as more athelic and more of an offensive threat than Reyes, and do I even need to say anything about Pope? I guess missing half the season for WC2002 probably hurt his chances.
MVP: Ruiz, it hurts me to write that Coach: Schmid another one that pains me defender: Lalas this is too painful to type but LA has had a good year. Goalkeeper: Howard, playing with that defense in NY he deserves this Rookie: Martino Comeback: Klein, it's hard enugh to play the wing position, but to do it, and do it well after having a knee operation is something else. Fair Play: Klein, Chung did good but I gotta give my Wizards something, and Klein is a good choice Humanitarian: Pope Ref: ...nevermind
Anybody else think that some of these awards are a bit silly (or to put it more boldly..."who cares?") If you have a defender of the year, why not midfielder of the year....or forward of the year too???? (I thought making it to the best 11 is what most players really care about) Rookie of the year??? Who cares (except THAT player who is hoping for a raise from MLS...like a $100 raise!?!?!?) Fairplay????? (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........) Comeback player of the Year???? ( zzzzzzzzz.....) MVP is alright...although it gets confused with best player in the league (Ruiz) with most important to his team (I'd say Twellman, Ralston, Kante and Adin Brown have ALL been important to the Revs....Without any of them in the puzzle, they wouldn't even be in the playoffs.) I'd actually like to have a Player's Player of the Year added in (just to get their perspective).
My picks... MVP: Carlos Ruiz. Money goals, and scored goals early on in the season when his teammates weren't scoring as well. But having said that, wouldn't surprise me if Twellman won it, either. But edge to Ruiz... Coach of the Year: Steve Nichol. Took over in midseason, kept his team focused and seized their opportunity when it had a chance. Winning a division flag against the odds should count for something. However... the real award SHOULD go to Bob Bradley-- huge injustice that he wasn't even considered, in light of his team's circumstances. Defender of the Year: Wade Barrett. In an Earthquakes defense defined by its seemingly-constant revolving door this season, Barrett was a pillar of strength-- and could be a USA international fixture for years to come. Goalkeeper of the Year: Joe Cannon. Put up the best numbers, and was a rock in the squad in the same manner that Barrett was (see above). Rookie of the Year: Kyle Martino, in a squeaker over Kelly Gray. Gray played more positions when called upon, but Martino had a better influence in one position. And while we're on about injustices over awards, I'm starting to side with Jeff Bradley over changing the rules of this honor to see that Taylor Twellman should at least get a little bit of consideration for it... Comeback player of the year: Alexi Lalas, for reasons mentioned in the release (nothing to add there, except to say good on ya, Alexi). Fair Play: Mark Chung-- Klein just as deserving, but Chung played more games, IIRC. Humanitarian: Steve Jolley over Jimmy Conrad, for his contributions in the 9/11 relief drives. Referee: Brian Hall. He went to the World Cup, the only American referee to do so. That says it all, to me... Count me in for wanting to see a "players' player of the year" as well... that would be quite interesting. Cheers, William
My Picks 2002 Honda Most Valuable Player: Carlos Ruiz MLS Coach of the Year: Steve Nicol MLS Defender of the Year: Alexi Lalas Aquafina Goalkeeper of the Year: Joe Cannon MLS Rookie of the Year: Kyle Martino ACE Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Klein MLS Individual Fair Play Award: Mark Chung U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year: Eddie Pope OSI Referee of the Year: Brian Hall
I don't understand the reasoning behind those who think Coach of the Year should be Bradley. Sure he's had a lot of injuries and difficult circumstances. But you act as though he dealt with those circumstances and managed to keep his team as successful as they have been in past years. That's not how it happened. Sure he had a lot of things to deal with, and that's why the team struggled and ended with its worst ever record by far. Yes, he did his best and did decent all things considered. But putting him in even the top 3 is ridiculous.
But having said all that, wouldn't one think that getting the Fire to the playoffs alone with all of the injuries and international call-ups that hit his side, so much more than that of any other team in recent years, was an amazing job within itself? Might have even been, arguably enough, his best job of coaching, even better than when the Fire did the "double" in '98, even. That was my reasoning... No team with an injury list spanning a length of two arms should be allowed, by any logic whatsoever, to make the top eight. But the Fire did, and that's my criteria, plain and simple. Cheers, William
My Picks... MVP: Ruiz Coach: Sigi Defender: Lalas Keeper: Cannon The rest I don't care about...except that all 3 Humanitarian nominees should be rewarded...How can you just pick one, all 3 did great things...
2002 Honda Most Valuable Player: Carlos Ruiz MLS Coach of the Year: Sigi MLS Defender of the Year: Alexi Lalas Aquafina Goalkeeper of the Year: howard MLS Rookie of the Year: gray ACE Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Klein MLS Individual Fair Play Award: Mark Chung U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year: Eddie Pope OSI Referee of the Year: Brian Hall
MVP - Steve Ralston (it's close call, but he's been roughly as valuable as Ruiz or Twellman and gets no credit) Coach of the year - Steve Nicol. He HAD to get the job done. He did. Defender of the year - Wade Barret Keeper of the year - Tim Howard Rookie of the year - Kyle Martino Comeback player of the year - Chris Klein Individual Fair Play Award - Clint Mathis Humanitarian of the year - Clint Mathis Referee of the Year - Brian Hall
Ruiz had a great year,,,,,,But was he more valuable to his team than Taylor? If Ruiz rides the pine all year, does LA make the playoffs? YES. If Taylor sits, do the Revs make it in? Nope Taylor is the MVP of the League, it will be close. Without twellman, there would be no post season for the Revs. coach-Nicol,,,,,,should be Bradley Def- barrett GK-Howard Rookie-martino CB-Klien FP-Ralston HOY-Jolley Ref-Hall
Jon Busch not even being nominated for Keeper is a disgrace, and a blatent case of the league pandering to NY and DC. Rimando? Howard? Good keepers, sure. But they are also the only keepers in the whole damn league who couldn't get their teams into the playoffs. But Busch took over when his team was in last place and featured a putrid defense. All he did was go 9-2-2 the rest of the way, (with 5 shutouts) lead the league in GAA until the last day of the season (when he tied with Cannon) and almost single handedly turn the Crew's defense from a liability to a strength. Him not even getting NOMINATED is just further proof of what a joke these "awards" are. Ridiculous.
I have no idea how Busch isn't nominated for goalkeeper of the year. He was .0001 away from having the best GAA. Unlike Cannon, you don't see a National Team plaeyer (Agoos) or possible defender of the year (Barrett) in front of him. Howard and Rimando couldn't even get their teams to the playoffs with comporable defenses to Columbus in front of them (though Rimando does deserve his nomination). It makes you wonder if the people who nominate these guys even watch the games, or if they just stick with the same old names.
If it's any consolation, I'm sure he'll always be first in his own mind. Think it's ridiculous that no DC defenders made it onto the Defender of the Year list. Keep in mind that the DC offense scored barely over one goal per game (1.10), and were one win away from making the playoffs. I can see the (Big Red) donkey being in the list just because the LA defense was so solid but...c'mon. Also a little surprised Busch isn't among the Goalkeepers of the Year choices, but I'm sure the fact that he only played 14 games didn't help him (which is why I don't think Aiden brown should be in here). However, the stats really show that Hartman should be among the finalists. Cannon, although he had a good year, is a bit of a curiousity in this category. Just my opinions...