"I stay in pretty good physical shape and eat my fruits and vegetables and maintain a healthy diet and take care of myself, so I can handle the extra running." kids, are you listening? GO VEGAN!
Kind of annoying that people, including KINNEAR, don't remember DeRo playing A-mid before the Chicago game. I realize the '05 team is a new context, but it really makes you think the internationals and Cup games are less than worthless in management's view. And don't the coaches know their players? Don't they try this stuff in training?
"Earthquakes midfielder Dwayne DeRosario to join Canadian national team for CONCACAF Gold Cup" (Wednesday, 6/22/05) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Speaking of DeRo, I can't believe nobody has posted in his thread since April. I know, we've talked about him on other threads, but thought I'd summarize some of the high points for DeRo this year. Since Dwayne has been starting (KC game), the Quakes are 4-2-4 (after a 0-1-2 start). He's tied for second in the league with 6 assists, he's played every minute of the last 10 games since he has been starting, and he works hard on defense (I think he's actually been getting better at that the past month or two; early in the year, he didn't seem to work as hard). DeRo has adapted amazingly well to this position, learning to control his natural instincts to dribble and create for himself and getting better at creating for others. I know he played some a-mid with Canada, but I don't think it is really his "natural" position (at least not until now) Look forward to seeing him work with Ching up top this weekend. The two have only played together in 3+ games this year, maybe they can generate some real fireworks Saturday against LA.
I think Guivara and Gomez are the only better attacking center mids in MLS today (assuming that Donovan still counts as a forward) and they arn't better by much.
I could'nt agree with you more, but that just goes to show how much credit you have to give Dero. This is not his natural position and for someone to rate Dero as high as these type of players (Guevara & Gomez )speaks volumes. I can say that it's only a matter of time until Dero develops his A-Mid vision and surpasses even players like Guevara amd Gomez. I can say that I would be surprised if Dero does'nt make it to the All-Star Game because IMO if you were to select players based on performance than Dero should be there for sure, he's a joy to watch.
Well, spejic rates him that highly. I think DeRo could ascend to Guevara's level, but he's not there yet. He's not consistently a threat, and he still disappears for a game or two at a time. That said, DeRo's play in central midfield has exceeded my best expectations, and I'm glad they've found a role for him. He's still a bit more style over substance, but he's young and improving and that's what's important.
Agree with BM here. I've been incredibly pleasantly surprised at how Dwayne has done, and I think he is continuing to improve as well. But, I think it's a bit early to crown him as close to the best a-mid out there....he has had a couple of dreadful games, and there are still times when he seems to fall back to his "dribble, dribble, dribble and then try to shoot when 3 guys are hanging off you" mode..... But, you can't deny the results, particularly in terms of assists, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him as one of the top a-mids in the league at the end of the year. Hope Canada doesn't make it too far in the Gold Cup - we need him back
I think he's better than those guys. Guevara disappears for months, and unlike DeRo he's inconsistent on defense - at best. You can't expect an atacking mid to be brilliant and effectively creative in every game, but DeRo can always fall back on his defensive contribution. Guevara has the best feet in MLS, and it's easy for me to think that on his best day, Guevara is better. But DeRo's best day is pretty freakin special too. This is all my opinion, of course, but I have less to go on with Gomez. I don't see DC as dependent on Gomez as SJ is on DeRosario. Gomez is a terrific player, always a threat and I'd love to have him on SJ. But I think of him as stealthy, whereas DeRo is the Go-To Guy. He has stepped up to shoulder a great burden for San Jose and if there was fairness in this world, or soccer intelligence around the MLS PR departments, DeRo would be a candidate for MVP.
I'm looking for DeRo to have an outstanding game this week. For years he sat in the shadows while Landon got all of the notoriety. His hat trick came one week after Landon's. Competition can do wonders and this is the game for DeRo to show Landon and the world his San Jose Earthquakes.
Well, I think I've heard that laugh track before, but then you weren't on board with me that we needed defenders coming into the season, that Onstad was a major liability and that DeRo was crucial. We've got the defenders now and they're making the desired impact. DeRo is crucial - hasn't he been playing every minute of every game? If we could fix the Onstad thing, we'd be in first place. But since my "Told Ya!" means about as much to you as your laugh track does to me, give me your top five or eight candidates for MVP when you have a chance. Pat Noonan? Joe Cannon? We're not talking about people who are miles beyond DeRo or something, and again, you gotta look at our guy's whole contribution - defense, offense and all the in-between. And try to factor in your own bias -- that you're a little bit pleased with yourself if DeRo doesn't perform. (Like me and Onstad)
And why did he fall back on that? Because Cerritos and Moreno were pathetic. He had to try to generate some offense himself by shooting outside, or taking people on. Seriously, they were so slow in most of these games they could never beat a defender to a ball or a space. DeRo would have more assists if they could do that, or finish good chances. Let's also not forget DeRo's winning goal and pk from the Chivas game, which will never show up in the stats. Even with Ching coming back we still really need speed up top. Mullen will help, as long as we don't rely on him too much.
I don't know about DeRo for league MVP, but he's certainly the leading candidate for Quakes MVP. He's been great for us since taking over the A-mid position. And again, bug time kudus to Dom for having the insight and daring to try DeRo at A-mid I'm impressed by both of them. As for the league MVP deal, I think the best way to judge that is to answer: "Which player adds the most value to his team?" or "Which player if removed from his team would instantly turn them into crap?" There's a good argument to be made for DeRo and The Joe on this basis. With Cannon, Colorado would be hopelessly awful, worse than the GoatShaggers. Without DeRo, we'd be poor. Of course, Califf has been a huge help too. Davis has been huge for us, and I think Ching might just prove to be incredibly valuable when he gets back to starting. But DeRo has played like a monster for us!! GO QUAKES!! - Mark
And think about the uphill battle the Quakes have fought to lose all those key veterans / All-Stars/ champions, and still be competitive. That's certainly something I'd keep in mind when casting my vote for DeRo. Every week he goes out there and shores up a Clark or O'Rourke. He's not doing his midfield thing with a Mulronney, or Donovan, or even a Corrales or Ekelund or Shalrie Joseph or Pete Vagenas. Squad issues would definitely put Kinnear in the running for best coach too, but I think Clark and Nicol have earned their first place spots.
Noah - I know you were directing most of your comments at BlueMeanie, but since I had posted that I agreed with him about where DeRo is compared to the other a-mids, figured I'd try to clarify my thinking. My bottom line is that it's really a bit early to put DeRo at that level. Of the 10 games that DeRo has started at a-mid, I think he has had 3 games where he has really "disappeared", either for the whole game or at least for a good part of it: Dallas, DC United, and LA. Dallas there were definitely "extenuating circumstances" given the injuries, but I would have expected him to be able to step up and help create more opportunities in these games. In other games, there were times when he didn't seem to know when to pass and when to dribble and shoot. But, as I said, I think he is really improving in this area. As for MVP, some names that come to mind are Dempsey, Noonan, Ruiz, OBrien, and Donovan at the offensive end. On the defensive end I don't profess to really have a good handle on the players on some of the other teams and how they have done this year. I hope that Dwayne can continue to evolve in this role, and maybe by the end of the year we can seriously talk about him as a MVP candidate.
This is a point in DeRo's favor too. Still, it's early in the season. We'll have to see what we think in August. You know, when the Quakes are in the hunt for the Supporter's Shield and preparing for another run at the Cup!! GO QUAKES!! - Mark
Regarding defenders, WTF? I don't remember us ever discussing this, because I'd have agreed. Where we may have disagreed was how much of an impact Califf would make and if he was just a "damaged goods" castoff. Regarding Onstad, I've been with you since last season as I've watched his already shaky game degenerate further, and I agree with you this season when you point out that he's certainly not the biggest factor in our defense, it's the backs not letting opponents get off many good shots. Before the season I also trumpeted Conway getting a shot. Regarding DeRo, were you calling for him to start at a-mid? If so, congrats, and you were right. Because I'm surprised he's done as well as he has, but like I (and lgf) pointed out, he's had his bad moments, too. Look, I'd love it if this guy keeps improving and gets to a point where he IS an MVP candidate. EDIT: Things I wrote about DeRo this offseason that could be perceived as negative but I thought were just analytical: (1) I expressed surprise that a four-year sub in MLS was being considered seriously by an EPL side...but even then I wanted his ass in OUR camp; (2) expressed an opinion that I think some of our fans overrated him in the past. O'Brien. Guevara. Dempsey. Reis. Donovan. Ruiz. Garlick. Nobody on our team is threatening those guys. But that's the beauty of this Quakes team. Guys are stepping up left and right (like DeRo taking a new position and doing pretty well), and when everyone's healthy, we'll have some depth. This is a team thing going on this year. I call bull. I am not pleased with myself when DeRo doesn't perform...and don't put words in my mouth. I will call a spade a spade when it's necessary, and give props when due (like when I said DeRo was my MOTM after the Chivas game...others said he sucked, not me). You seem to see no shades of grey: the player you like isn't the greatest, and the one you hate isn't the worst.
I would have to dig to make sure I'm not wrong here. I think you were one of the folks making the sensible point that we had warm bodies at least for defense, whereas we didn't have forwards or midfielders. I have said he was a good A-mid since waaay back. But the point here is that I've always said he needs to start, to be as much of a lock as we have, and I believe you were in the other camp. Now see that's what I'd say about Onstad, but at least I'm cognizant of my own spin. I'm not pretending to be Martin Fischer pretending to be objective. But our spinning is not essentially about the individuals - I don't have anything personal against Pat. The root of all our spinning is our concern for and vision of the team we support, right? It was a negative take, IMO. Interesting picks. I think O'Brien, Guevara and (this year) Donovan are overrated. Ruiz has been absent for some big results. Reis has made a big difference for New England (geez who wanted him years ago?) and Garlick is a cool choice but DeRo totally challenges all these guys for the award. Like Garlic and Cannon and Vanney, DeRo's contribution is bigger because of injuries and such that have forced him to shoulder more of the burden himself. Totally agreed, but we still could have an MVP. DeRo has proven many here wrong by showing what a team player he is. I call bull. 1. You are not above the fun and petty stuff that goes on here, nor are you the one human being who does not "spin" consciously or unconsciously. You may underrate DeRo as much as I overrated him. That's how it looks this season. Saying I see no shades of grey is kind of an absolute statement ya know. I see all kinds of greys, but the whole reason I harp about certain players is those players stand in such stark contrast, good or bad. And I have been right about them, BTW. For example: 2. Pat Onstad is the worst first string goalkeeper in MLS. Not that he doesn't have occasional challengers, but he's The Worst.
From a neutral observer http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/exclusives/481295.html: "The Galaxy had no real tactical plan for playing in the tight confines of Spartan Stadium, with Donovan a lonely, isolated figure on the left and a continual succession of long balls floated into the Quakes back four, who snapped them up and fed the lively figure of Dwayne De Rosario, the bustling, skillful heart of all the Quakes attacking moves. Can anyone else remember when De Rosario could not get a game for the Quakes? A time best forgotten, because De Rosario was the best player on the pitch, stamping his authority on the game and prompting a series of flowing Quakes attacks." Why is it Pat Onstad can get Quakes MVP for farting, but DeRo has to get two assists and a backflip game winner to get any recognition - as a selfish showboater? ESPN? They were all about Davis, Ching, Onstad and Chung.