In a wierd way, Jamil could be a pivotal factor in what the team does this offseason. Depending on what the team thinks he's capable of the team may or may not go after another striker, may or may not risk going with Esky and thus they team may or may not focus on positions other than forward in it's efforts. To go to one extreme, if you thought Jamil has the potential to do even better than last year as he gets more playing time with Moreno, Gomez etc, then why worry too much about forward? On the other hand if you think Walker had a fluke year last year then yoiu almost have to get another forward who would compete for serious playing time. So what do you think lies in Jamil's future?
He has scary potential, a great pickup. He just blows by people, DC doesn't have anyone like that. The big if is can he consistently finish his chances. Hope so, something to look forward to in the upcoming season.
I'm one of those who thinks he'll do even better as he gets more playing time with the starters. Call me an optimist, but I'm hopeful that both Jamil and Esky will be putting the ball in the net this season.
I think it'll take another year to figure out if he's capable of being a full-time starter or if he is destined to remain a super sub.
I'm solidly on the fence with Jamil. Love him, love his work ethic, love how he adds a dimension to the attack, but worried about how he fits with the players we have and with Nowak's system. I'd like my vote back. I think he's going to show more in 2006 than I gave him credit for.
Well, I had him as a strong backup/part-time starter, but that's the category I wooould have put AJ Wood in as well.
Jamil has one thing you can't teach: speed. His acceleration, quickness, and overall speed is close to the best in the league. This allows him to stretch defenses well which is pivotal when playing with a player like a Moreno who is a much more "on the ball" type of player. However, there are other things I see in Walker's game that lends me to believe he will be a valuable part of United's attack for a few years. In addition to being a perfectly complimentary type of player to a Moreno or a Quaranta, he understands the importance of things like making lateral runs across a defense to be at full speed and onside when a through ball is played to him. He has also improved his ability on the ball, and while it's certainly not up there with Moreno or Adu's techincal ability, it doesn't really hold him back much. Finally, he has become very good at holding the ball long enough in the attacking end while teams overcompensate defensively for his blazing speed and laying the ball off for easy scores to his teammates. It is absolutely no coincidence that despite playing around a quarter of the minutes of United's main attackers that he finished tied 2nd on the team in assists with seven. Also, Walker is willing to learn. He came on strong at the end of this season and he did the exact same thing in 2003 with the Earthquakes. He didn't see much time in 2004 because of injury so it is tough to guage that year. What can be said though is that when he has come to a new team he hasn't been altogether too impressive in the beginning but he has come on strong towards the middle of his first season with those squads. This leads me to believe that it takes him some time to work out how to use his speed and ability with his teammates as well as taking some time to develop some confidence in himself in a new area. Hopefully he can stay healthy this offseason and improve his technical ability. If he does this I believe he can become a very valuable contributor to United.
I am hopeful for his continued success and even moreso for him to become a more solid player on the team. IF he can get his finishing in order he could prove very very helpful.
I think you have to always be somewhat hopeful for younger players, so hence my answer. But I think this year will be the one that tells all. If he can put together a season of equal or improved performances, then he's likely to become a good solid MLS player. If not, then he'll fade into A-league glory.
"Would you like fries with that?" I also agree that this is his make or break season. If he can keep the level that he played later in the season versus how he started out, then he can be a solid contributor to the team. If however it takes him a while to get going, I don't see him sticking around past the season. Yes he has speed but what good is it if he can't finish a higher percentage of his chances.
If we have good 60 - 80 minute forwards in front of him, I think he will have another good season. I really like him of the bench late, but he is almost useless from the opening whistle. Hopefully he is spending the offseason learning to drill shots into wastepaper baskets from 20 yrds to improve his scoring potential. -dave
I am the one fool in the group who thinks he'll take another step forward this season and score 10+. I just like the improvement he has shown and think that he is Nowak's kind of coachable player that has yet to reach his potential.
I didn't vote till now and I actually agree with you. I know I'm wildly optimistic here (I tend to be) but I see him having the ability that, with more playing time, could get into a groove and stay there for years provided he has decent service. United has that service and I think Nowak is a good coach for him. Again the important thing here is that he get regular playing time including starters minutes. Will he get those precious minutes? All depends on how management answers the question I posed in the poll. If Nowak & Payne think that he has the potential to get to the next level then I think they will go into next season with an open competition between Esky and Walker for the #1 striker chair- and they get no one else who would automatically take the starter spot by default. If they aren't so optimistic about Jamil's chances then probably they will spend for another striker and Jamil will only see mop-up duty at least until the new striker and Esky prove they aren't capable. I think they are optimistic, at least thinking that the Esky/Walker combo will bang in 10 goals somehow and thus they will put their money into other positions. We'll see.
I was surprised to see so few with option "A". I have not seen Jamil play with the reserves, so perhaps I am naive, but I think he is too edgy right now, and perhaps DC (nowak) is not the best place for him to develop. I see him as a target man, moving quick on the ball, and although that is a tactic that DC uses pretty well, it's usually something that works better for us later in the game. Hence the Super Sub success that Jamil has had with the first team. I could see him slotting in Quaranta/Olsen crosses all day though, given half the chance.