The second stage of voting has been closed for Sporting KC's Best XI for the team over their prior 20 seasons. After picking goalkeepers, fans have now finished voting for three defenders to place in front of the goalkeeper. KC throughout its history has been blessed with a number of very good defenders, being a city that doesn't necessarily attract the big names building from the back is usually the smart move for "smaller" markets, focusing on stopping the other team and building from there. That has left fans with plenty of options to vote for in the defense, and it’s shown in a list that includes 13 players on, two of whom are current Sporting Legends, while another couple can and should make the list over the next few years. This list includes: Matt Besler, Sean Bowers, Jose Burciaga, Aurelien Collin, Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Michael Harrington, Chance Myers, Uche Okafor, Brandon Prideaux, Seth Sinovic, Peter Vermes, and Alex Zotinca.
The process of cutting 10 players from that list down to three certainly isn't easy and cases can be made for many of the players on the list to be included in the Best XI, but there are a few that I think you can immediately rule out simply because of the class of player ahead of them. For example I think Zotinca can immediately be ruled out, as can Prideaux, while both of them were on the back line for teams that made MLS Cup, others on the backline were more responsible for that team's success. The pair has also played some of the fewest games for KC on the list, and with a defender it's a lot more about legacy, especially for a Best XI. I think a similar fate falls on Burciaga, who like Zotinca was on the backline for the 2004 MLS Cup final, and scored a goal in the game, but he was overshadowed by better players on the same backline throughout his time in KC even though he played 130 games and scored 15 goals. He had one really good season but was very hit or miss for games during his career.
With defenders one area that needs to be looked at is how good the defense as a whole was, even under an offensive coach the defense should still be able to shut down the opposition. With that in mind I can't vote for players from KC's early years. Offenses as a whole in those early years of MLS were allowing a number of goals and with that in mind I just couldn't vote for early KC Wizards defenders because the ones that came later were just better all around. With that in mind I cut Bowers and Okafor from my list of players I'd vote for.
That cuts the list of players from 13 down to eight, with Besler, Collin, Conrad, Garcia, Harrington, Myers, Sinovic, and Vermes still available for me. Cutting down further, I feel that while Harrington played more games for KC, he lost his starting spot with the club when he was still in his prime to Sinovic. With that thought I couldn't vote to put both Harrington and Sinovic into my Best XI so I cut out the one that lost his starting job to the other.
The remaining seven players are 2/3rds of the 2000 backline (Garcia and Vermes), the defense that had been considered the best backline in club history until four other players on the list (Besler, Collin, Myers, and Sinovic), and finished up with a perennial defender of the year finalist during his time with KC (Conrad). From here the list is really hard to cut down to the final three, because all seven were a key part to a strong backline in KC's history. For me when it comes to voting for the best defenders it is hard for me to vote for an outside back, it's similar to how you don't see outside backs up for defender of the year for the most part, the center backs just get all the acclaim for their position. In that regard I ruled out the two remaining players who basically solely played outside back, Myers and Sinovic.
Cutting the final five down to just three is a difficult task; it basically comes down to your personal preference from here. One thing I thought about using was defender of the year, which KC has had three, Besler, Conrad, and Vermes, that seemed fairly easy, but the thing with Vermes is his lack of longevity with KC, making fewer than 100 appearances in league play for KC. From there I thought about longevity with the club, and three of the defenders on the list are the three with the most appearances for the club, Besler (219), Conrad (230), and Garcia (273). But personally I wasn't sure I wanted to rule out Vermes and Collin quite yet. So I looked further at trophies that each player had won in KC: Besler (3), Collin (2), Conrad (1), Garcia (3), and Vermes (2). Thinking further I looked at what each player brought offensively to the team, who had contributed the most to the club when they pushed further up the field: Besler (2 goals, 11 assists), Collin (16 goals, 4 assists), Conrad (17 goals, 5 assists), Garcia (1 goal, 5 assists), and Vermes (2 goals, 7 assists).
Thinking about these numbers I was able to select two of my three defenders, Besler and Conrad were my first two choices, in my mind the pair are the best and second best defenders to ever wear the KC jersey, no matter what order you want to put them in. They have each won a defender of the year award, they've been part of championship teams, they've both captained the club in their career, and they’re just two very easy picks to make.
To make my last pick though was much more difficult. Of the three remaining candidates I ruled out Collin, not because he wasn't a great defender for Kansas City, but because of the fact that I felt Besler was the better of the two defenders and I wasn't positive that the team from 2011 through 2014 had two of the best defenders in team history, or if it was just the way that the pair worked together. In the end I decided that it was the way the two worked together and because Besler does a lot of the simply stuff that allowed Collin to be more of the destroyer that made so many fans fall in love with him. I think you're seeing that reason develop again with the early returns on the play by Nuno Coelho next to Besler.
That left the final pick down to Garcia, a defender who has made the most appearances for the club of any defender, a pest on defense that frustrated opponents so much he earned a call up simply to mark Carlos Ruiz in Guatemala, but didn't see the field when Ruiz was ruled out, and a future Sporting Legend, and Vermes, a Sporting Legend, the 2000 MLS Defender of the year and the anchor of the 2000 backline. In the end while Vermes had the MLS defender of the year award, I went with Garcia because of his longevity in being a strong defender for KC, especially since Garcia played almost three times as many games for the club as Vermes did, if Vermes had played more games for KC he likely would have been the third but appearing 273 times in a shutdown defensive role is enough to just have Garcia beat out Vermes for the last spot.
So through the first two votes, here is how my Best XI voting has turned out so far:
Besler - Conrad - Garcia
Nielsen
Showing posts with label Nick Garcia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Garcia. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Friday, October 19, 2012
Top Rookie Seasons
Yesterday I read a good article about FC Dallas rookie Matt Hedges and where his season ranks in regards to other Dallas rookie seasons. I decided to take a look at this myself for Sporting KC. Obviously this seasons isn't looking like a stellar year for KC's rookies, in fact currently the 2012 rookie class for KC is set to finish the season with the fewest minutes played of any rookie class in KC's history. Dom Dwyer is the only rookie to appear in a competitive game for Sporting this year totaling 49 minutes in one league and one US Open Cup appearance. Unless he appears over the last two games, this rookie class will finish below the 2003 class that featured Taylor Graham and Jack Jewsbury making a combined 4 league appearances for a total of 71 minutes their rookie year.
Back to the top rookie seasons in KC's history. The first thing I did was disqualify any player who had played professionally previously (the MLS drafts used to allow you to draft players from the lower divisions as well as college players), so that means no Kerry Zavagnin, Brandon Prideaux, or Ryan Tinsley on this list as all played professionally in the US lower divisions before being drafted by KC. I wanted this to be about straight rookies, just out of college. I looked mainly at their contributions ONLY in their rookie season trying to avoid looking at how the rest of their careers has shaped how they're viewed.
So who just missed out on the list? Two players that just missed that are currently on KC's roster, Matt Besler (2009), Chris Brown (1999), and Diego Gutierrez (1996). All 3 had solid rookie seasons, Besler appearing in 28 of the 30 league games, Brown scoring 4 goals and assisting on 3 more while appearing in 28 games, and Gutierrez appearing in 28 games recording 5 assists in the leagues first season, but I think they both just miss out on making this list, but it's not by much. So here's the top 5.
Number 5 - Teal Bunbury 2010
The Generation Adidas, University of Akron product became the first son of a MLS player to be drafted into the league, following in the footsteps of his dad, Alex Bunbury, who also played for Kansas City. Under Peter Vermes, Bunbury was brought along fairly slowly his rookie year, now earning his first league start until about 8 games into the season. He scored in the US Open Cup qualifier against Colorado early in the season, but it was July before his first league goal. Bunbury finished the season appearing in 26games, starting 13, scoring 5 goals, 2 of which were game winners, and 2 assists.
Since that time, Bunbury has been a bit of a polarizing figure for KC. Some fans of grown tired of his perceived lack of hustle, especially compared to KC's rookie the next year CJ Sapong. But Bunbury has still played quite well, scoring 19 league goals, 24 in all competitions, he tied for the team lead in goals in league play last season with 9, and led in all competitions with 12. He was having another solid year this year before he tore his ACL vs New York.
Number 4 - Michael Harrington 2007
Over the course of his rookie year, Harrington, a UNC product supplanted the team's reigning MVP and MLS Best XI defender Jose Burciaga Jr at the left back position. Granted some of that was Burciaga's own undoing, but Harrington played a role in it and definitely made Burciaga expendable after the season. Harrington played in 29 of KC's 30 games that year starting 27 of them. He contributed 3 goals and 4 assists, including what at the time was the fastest debut goal, although it was topped by CJ Sapong 4 years later.
Since his rookie year, Harrington has been a solid contributor to KC, appearing in over 150 league games for the club. Most of that time has been at the left back position, but he's seen himself around the wingback and win positions especially under Curt Onalfo. The last season and a half though his playing time has decreased as Seth Sinovic and Chance Myers have emerged successfully at the wingback positions.
Number 3 - Scott Sealy 2005
Sealy is the rookie record holder for most goals in a rookie season. The Wake Forest product scored 9 goals and assisted on 2 more in his rookie season. That was good enough for second on the team, 1 behind Josh Wolff. He appeared in 28 of the 32 games that year for KC, starting 20 of them.
Sealy continued to be a fairly solid contributor for KC over the next few years, leading the team in scoring in 2006 with 10 and added another 7 in 2007. In 2008 though he found his time with the team slipping away and was traded to San Jose around midseason. After a few seasons in San Jose he moved abroad to Israel before coming back to San Jose. He's now with Dallas, mainly playing as a reserve.
Number 2 - CJ Sapong 2011
Last year's MLS rookie of the year and James Madison product comes in second on my list of the top rookies. Sapong was forced into the starting lineup at the very beginning of the 2011 season due to the elbow injury to Teal Bunbury. Sapong made the most of that opportunity scoring in only the second minute of the game. Sapong went on to finish the season with 5 goals, good for 4th on the team and 5 assists, good for 2nd, all in league play. In all competitions he added another 4 goals to his total. He also made the most appearances for the club in the season, playing in 40 of the teams 41 games in all competitions, including all 34 league games.
This season Sapong has continued to play well, with little sign of a sophomore slump. He's scored 8 more league goals this year, second on the team behind Kei Kamara and has hit double digits in all competitions with 10.
Number 1 - Nick Garcia 2000
It's hard to have a season that tops one that won rookie of the year, but that's my feelings on Nick Garcia's 2000 season. Garcia was part of a 3 man back line that set records left and right for defensive ability in the 2000 season. The Indian University, Project-40 graduate (precursor to Generation Adidas) was the second overall pick in the 200 draft, played every single minute of every single game that KC played in the 2000 seasons. Him and Peter Vermes started all 40 games in all competitions, amassing over 3,600 minutes. He missed out on rookie of the year, finishing second to future US national team captain, Carlos Bocanegra.
Garcia became a staple in the KC back line for the next 7 seasons, and left as the team leader in appearances and in minutes played (he's since been passed in both by Kerry Zavagnin and by Davy Arnaud in appearances). Garcia was traded to expansion San Jose for the first overall pick that KC used on Chance Myers. Garcia played a couple season with the Earthquakes before being traded to Toronto. He played two more seasons there before note being selected in the Re-Entry draft.
So do you agree? Disagree with my list of the top 5? Does Sapong's rookie of the year trump Garcia? Should Besler, Gutierrez, Brown, or another rookie have made the top 5 instead? Let me know.
Back to the top rookie seasons in KC's history. The first thing I did was disqualify any player who had played professionally previously (the MLS drafts used to allow you to draft players from the lower divisions as well as college players), so that means no Kerry Zavagnin, Brandon Prideaux, or Ryan Tinsley on this list as all played professionally in the US lower divisions before being drafted by KC. I wanted this to be about straight rookies, just out of college. I looked mainly at their contributions ONLY in their rookie season trying to avoid looking at how the rest of their careers has shaped how they're viewed.
So who just missed out on the list? Two players that just missed that are currently on KC's roster, Matt Besler (2009), Chris Brown (1999), and Diego Gutierrez (1996). All 3 had solid rookie seasons, Besler appearing in 28 of the 30 league games, Brown scoring 4 goals and assisting on 3 more while appearing in 28 games, and Gutierrez appearing in 28 games recording 5 assists in the leagues first season, but I think they both just miss out on making this list, but it's not by much. So here's the top 5.
Number 5 - Teal Bunbury 2010
The Generation Adidas, University of Akron product became the first son of a MLS player to be drafted into the league, following in the footsteps of his dad, Alex Bunbury, who also played for Kansas City. Under Peter Vermes, Bunbury was brought along fairly slowly his rookie year, now earning his first league start until about 8 games into the season. He scored in the US Open Cup qualifier against Colorado early in the season, but it was July before his first league goal. Bunbury finished the season appearing in 26games, starting 13, scoring 5 goals, 2 of which were game winners, and 2 assists.
Since that time, Bunbury has been a bit of a polarizing figure for KC. Some fans of grown tired of his perceived lack of hustle, especially compared to KC's rookie the next year CJ Sapong. But Bunbury has still played quite well, scoring 19 league goals, 24 in all competitions, he tied for the team lead in goals in league play last season with 9, and led in all competitions with 12. He was having another solid year this year before he tore his ACL vs New York.
Number 4 - Michael Harrington 2007
Over the course of his rookie year, Harrington, a UNC product supplanted the team's reigning MVP and MLS Best XI defender Jose Burciaga Jr at the left back position. Granted some of that was Burciaga's own undoing, but Harrington played a role in it and definitely made Burciaga expendable after the season. Harrington played in 29 of KC's 30 games that year starting 27 of them. He contributed 3 goals and 4 assists, including what at the time was the fastest debut goal, although it was topped by CJ Sapong 4 years later.
Since his rookie year, Harrington has been a solid contributor to KC, appearing in over 150 league games for the club. Most of that time has been at the left back position, but he's seen himself around the wingback and win positions especially under Curt Onalfo. The last season and a half though his playing time has decreased as Seth Sinovic and Chance Myers have emerged successfully at the wingback positions.
Number 3 - Scott Sealy 2005
Sealy is the rookie record holder for most goals in a rookie season. The Wake Forest product scored 9 goals and assisted on 2 more in his rookie season. That was good enough for second on the team, 1 behind Josh Wolff. He appeared in 28 of the 32 games that year for KC, starting 20 of them.
Sealy continued to be a fairly solid contributor for KC over the next few years, leading the team in scoring in 2006 with 10 and added another 7 in 2007. In 2008 though he found his time with the team slipping away and was traded to San Jose around midseason. After a few seasons in San Jose he moved abroad to Israel before coming back to San Jose. He's now with Dallas, mainly playing as a reserve.
Number 2 - CJ Sapong 2011
Last year's MLS rookie of the year and James Madison product comes in second on my list of the top rookies. Sapong was forced into the starting lineup at the very beginning of the 2011 season due to the elbow injury to Teal Bunbury. Sapong made the most of that opportunity scoring in only the second minute of the game. Sapong went on to finish the season with 5 goals, good for 4th on the team and 5 assists, good for 2nd, all in league play. In all competitions he added another 4 goals to his total. He also made the most appearances for the club in the season, playing in 40 of the teams 41 games in all competitions, including all 34 league games.
This season Sapong has continued to play well, with little sign of a sophomore slump. He's scored 8 more league goals this year, second on the team behind Kei Kamara and has hit double digits in all competitions with 10.
Number 1 - Nick Garcia 2000
It's hard to have a season that tops one that won rookie of the year, but that's my feelings on Nick Garcia's 2000 season. Garcia was part of a 3 man back line that set records left and right for defensive ability in the 2000 season. The Indian University, Project-40 graduate (precursor to Generation Adidas) was the second overall pick in the 200 draft, played every single minute of every single game that KC played in the 2000 seasons. Him and Peter Vermes started all 40 games in all competitions, amassing over 3,600 minutes. He missed out on rookie of the year, finishing second to future US national team captain, Carlos Bocanegra.
Garcia became a staple in the KC back line for the next 7 seasons, and left as the team leader in appearances and in minutes played (he's since been passed in both by Kerry Zavagnin and by Davy Arnaud in appearances). Garcia was traded to expansion San Jose for the first overall pick that KC used on Chance Myers. Garcia played a couple season with the Earthquakes before being traded to Toronto. He played two more seasons there before note being selected in the Re-Entry draft.
So do you agree? Disagree with my list of the top 5? Does Sapong's rookie of the year trump Garcia? Should Besler, Gutierrez, Brown, or another rookie have made the top 5 instead? Let me know.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Former SKC Wizards Update
The MLS season is winding down. Here's this week's former SKC Wizards update.
Active without a club or unknown
Chris Brunt
Doug DeMartin
Mauro Fuzetti
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Eddie Johnson
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Michal Mravec
JT Murray
Anthony Noriega
Ofori Sarkodie
Sam Scales
Ryan Smith
Ivan Trujillo
Lance Watson
MLS
Stephane Auvray - New York - Came off the bench and played 74 minutes in New York's 2-1 loss to LA.
Adam Cristman - LA - Came off the bench and played 9 minutes in LA's 2-1 win over New York. Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over RSL.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 15 minutes in RSL's 3-1 loss to LA.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Season is over.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Season is over.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-1 win over New York. Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over RSL.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Season is over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Season is over.
Mike Jones - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-1 loss to LA.
Chris Konopka - MLS Pool keeper - Did not have a game this week.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Season is over.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 3-1 loss to LA.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Season is over.
Ryan Pore - Portland - On loan to Montreal.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Season is over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season is over.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Season is over.
Josh Wolff - DC - Season is over.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Season is over.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Season is over.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Season is over.
Ryan Pore - Montreal - Season is over.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Season is over.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Out of season.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Out of season.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Out of season.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Out of season.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Out of season.
Yomby William - Richmond - Out of season.
John Wilson - Charleston - Out of season.
PDL
Byron Carmichael - Ocean City - Out of season.
Sergei Raad - FC Jax Destroyers - Out of season.
NPSL
Nelson Pizarro - San Diego Flash - Out of season.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Wichita - Scored 3 goals in Wichita's 16-14 loss to the Comets. Recorded an assist in Wichita's 14-4 loss to Missouri.
Nick Garcia - Kansas Magic - Recorded an assist in the Magic's 11-9 win over Illinois
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Did not have a game this week.
Nelson Pizarro - San Diego Sockers - No game this week.
Boris Pardo - Comets - Did not play in the Comets two games.
Paul Wright - San Diego Sockers - No game this week.
International
Vicente Arze - Diosgyor - Hungary - Started and played 57 minutes in Diosgyor's 3-2 win over Vasas. Beat Mezokovesd-Zsory 3-1 in the league cup.
Sunil Chhetri - Mohun Bagan - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Mohun Bagan's 5-1 win over Mumbai FC.
Eloy Colombano - Ferro Carril Sud - Argentina - Lost 2-0 to Once Tigres.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Did not play in Cali's game.
Herculez Gomez - Tecos - Mexico - Started and played 64 minutes in Tecos' 3-0 loss to Queretaro.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Honved - Hungary - Did not play in Honved's game this week.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Defeated Village United 2-0.
Will John - Vinogradar - Croatia - Beat Hrvatski Dragovoljac 2-1.
Igor Kostrov - FC Tiraspol - Moldova - Started and played 90 minutes in Tiraspol's 1-0 loss to Milsami-Ursidos.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 4-0 win over Alianza Atletico.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Started and played 82 minutes in Krasnodar's 2-0 loss to Terek Grozny.
Matt Taylor - SC Paderborn 07 - Germany - Came off the bench and played 23 minutes in Paderborn's 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - No game this week.
Active without a club or unknown
Chris Brunt
Doug DeMartin
Mauro Fuzetti
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Eddie Johnson
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Michal Mravec
JT Murray
Anthony Noriega
Ofori Sarkodie
Sam Scales
Ryan Smith
Ivan Trujillo
Lance Watson
MLS
Stephane Auvray - New York - Came off the bench and played 74 minutes in New York's 2-1 loss to LA.
Adam Cristman - LA - Came off the bench and played 9 minutes in LA's 2-1 win over New York. Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over RSL.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 15 minutes in RSL's 3-1 loss to LA.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Season is over.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Season is over.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-1 win over New York. Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over RSL.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Season is over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Season is over.
Mike Jones - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-1 loss to LA.
Chris Konopka - MLS Pool keeper - Did not have a game this week.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Season is over.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 3-1 loss to LA.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Season is over.
Ryan Pore - Portland - On loan to Montreal.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Season is over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season is over.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Season is over.
Josh Wolff - DC - Season is over.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Season is over.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Season is over.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Season is over.
Ryan Pore - Montreal - Season is over.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Season is over.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Out of season.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Out of season.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Out of season.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Out of season.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Out of season.
Yomby William - Richmond - Out of season.
John Wilson - Charleston - Out of season.
PDL
Byron Carmichael - Ocean City - Out of season.
Sergei Raad - FC Jax Destroyers - Out of season.
NPSL
Nelson Pizarro - San Diego Flash - Out of season.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Wichita - Scored 3 goals in Wichita's 16-14 loss to the Comets. Recorded an assist in Wichita's 14-4 loss to Missouri.
Nick Garcia - Kansas Magic - Recorded an assist in the Magic's 11-9 win over Illinois
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Did not have a game this week.
Nelson Pizarro - San Diego Sockers - No game this week.
Boris Pardo - Comets - Did not play in the Comets two games.
Paul Wright - San Diego Sockers - No game this week.
International
Vicente Arze - Diosgyor - Hungary - Started and played 57 minutes in Diosgyor's 3-2 win over Vasas. Beat Mezokovesd-Zsory 3-1 in the league cup.
Sunil Chhetri - Mohun Bagan - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Mohun Bagan's 5-1 win over Mumbai FC.
Eloy Colombano - Ferro Carril Sud - Argentina - Lost 2-0 to Once Tigres.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Did not play in Cali's game.
Herculez Gomez - Tecos - Mexico - Started and played 64 minutes in Tecos' 3-0 loss to Queretaro.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Honved - Hungary - Did not play in Honved's game this week.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Defeated Village United 2-0.
Will John - Vinogradar - Croatia - Beat Hrvatski Dragovoljac 2-1.
Igor Kostrov - FC Tiraspol - Moldova - Started and played 90 minutes in Tiraspol's 1-0 loss to Milsami-Ursidos.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 4-0 win over Alianza Atletico.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Started and played 82 minutes in Krasnodar's 2-0 loss to Terek Grozny.
Matt Taylor - SC Paderborn 07 - Germany - Came off the bench and played 23 minutes in Paderborn's 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - No game this week.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Former SKC Wizards Update
Quick update for you tonight on former Wizards. As mentioned on the Sporting KC radio show on Tuesday, Nick Garcia doesn't look like he'll become a current Wizard again as he is no longer in training. Here is the rest of this week's update.
Still looking for:
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in RSL's 1-1 draw with DC. Came off the bench and played 83 minutes in RSL's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-0 win over Toronto.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-1 win over Chivas.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Columbus' 2-0 win over Houston.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal and recording an assist, but also missing a penalty in Portland's 3-3 draw with New York.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 1-0 win over Philadelphia.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 1-1 draw with DC. Dressed but did not play in RSL's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 1-1 draw with RSL.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Dressed but did not play in Portland's 3-3 draw with New York.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in San Jose's 1-0 loss to KC.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 90 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 loss to KC.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 1-0 win over Toronto.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 62 minutes in DC's 1-1 draw with RSL.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 0-0 draw with Montreal.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Montreal's 0-0 draw with Fort Lauderdale.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 0-0 draw with Montreal.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Started and played 65 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 88 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 loss to Harrisburg. Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Richmond's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh in the US Open Cup.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 82 minutes in Pittsburgh's 3-0 loss to Rochester. Started and played 90 minutes in Pittsburgh's 4-1 loss to Richmond in the US Open Cup.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Rochester's 3-0 win over Pittsburgh. Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Rochester's 1-0 win over Harrisburg in the US Open Cup.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Did not in LA's 1-0 win in the US Open Cup.
Diego Walsh - Charleston - Started and played 57 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Did not dress in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 loss to Harrisburg. Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh in the US Open Cup.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Did not dress in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
PDL
Byron Carmichael - Ocean City - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Ocean City's 2-0 loss to Long Island. Came off the bench and played 44 minutes, scoring a goal in Ocean City's 2-2 draw with Central Jersey. Play Brooklyn tonight.
Sergei Raad - FC Jax Destroyers - Came off the bench and played 15 minutes in Jax's 1-0 loss to Fort Lauderdale.
International
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Defeated Depor 2-0.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Off until late July.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Started and played 81 minutes in Krasnodar's 1-0 win over Kuban Krasnodar. Started and played 90 minutes in Krasnodar's 2-0 loss to Terek Grozny.
Still looking for:
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in RSL's 1-1 draw with DC. Came off the bench and played 83 minutes in RSL's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-0 win over Toronto.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-1 win over Chivas.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Columbus' 2-0 win over Houston.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal and recording an assist, but also missing a penalty in Portland's 3-3 draw with New York.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 1-0 win over Philadelphia.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 1-1 draw with DC. Dressed but did not play in RSL's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 1-1 draw with RSL.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Dressed but did not play in Portland's 3-3 draw with New York.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in San Jose's 1-0 loss to KC.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 90 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 loss to KC.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 1-0 win over Toronto.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 62 minutes in DC's 1-1 draw with RSL.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 0-0 draw with Montreal.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Montreal's 0-0 draw with Fort Lauderdale.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 0-0 draw with Montreal.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Started and played 65 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 88 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 loss to Harrisburg. Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Richmond's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh in the US Open Cup.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 82 minutes in Pittsburgh's 3-0 loss to Rochester. Started and played 90 minutes in Pittsburgh's 4-1 loss to Richmond in the US Open Cup.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Rochester's 3-0 win over Pittsburgh. Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Rochester's 1-0 win over Harrisburg in the US Open Cup.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Did not in LA's 1-0 win in the US Open Cup.
Diego Walsh - Charleston - Started and played 57 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Did not dress in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 loss to Harrisburg. Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh in the US Open Cup.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 1-0 win over Dayton. Did not dress in Charleston's 1-0 loss to Orlando in the US Open Cup.
PDL
Byron Carmichael - Ocean City - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Ocean City's 2-0 loss to Long Island. Came off the bench and played 44 minutes, scoring a goal in Ocean City's 2-2 draw with Central Jersey. Play Brooklyn tonight.
Sergei Raad - FC Jax Destroyers - Came off the bench and played 15 minutes in Jax's 1-0 loss to Fort Lauderdale.
International
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Defeated Depor 2-0.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Off until late July.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Started and played 81 minutes in Krasnodar's 1-0 win over Kuban Krasnodar. Started and played 90 minutes in Krasnodar's 2-0 loss to Terek Grozny.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Why Signing Nick Garcia Would be a Mistake
Today posted on the Star that it looks like Nick Garcia is going to be training with the team. It sounds like it's not quite a trial, but not quite just training either. And with the way that the center defense has played at times this season, one might think this is a good move to sign for the former Wizards player. Personally I really don't think it would be a good move for KC for two main reasons.
First, Garcia is not exactly good friends with Sporting KC forward, Kei Kamara. The two have a colorful history dating back to both players' time with the San Jose Earthquakes. It continued through Kamara's time in Houston, and continued with Garcia in Toronto, as Kamara left BMO last year with a gash in his thigh. Needless to say it doesn't sound like the type of relationship that will be taken care of with a quick handshake. And that certainly is not well for team chemistry, especially heading into an important part of the season with the home opener and all the other games coming.
Second, is Garcia much, if any, better than Julio Cesar or Shavar Thomas? I'm really not so sure at this point. The past few years in San Jose and Toronto, Garcia has been a part of some of the worst defenses in the league each of those years, not exactly a ringing endorsement for him. While Cesar and Thomas haven't been great, I don't think Garcia brings anything that they don't to the table. Add onto that, at least Thomas (due to his time in the league) and likely Cesar (due to his previous experience) are on guaranteed contracts, getting rid of either one of them, KC would still have their salary hit the cap. Any potential value over Cesar or Thomas is negated by the potential issue it could have with Kamara.
But this all could be for nothing as this really could just be him training with the team. But it'll be interesting to see how tomorrow works out, especially if Kamara is back from Sierra Leone tomorrow. I hope Peter Vermes knows what he's doing in this situation.
First, Garcia is not exactly good friends with Sporting KC forward, Kei Kamara. The two have a colorful history dating back to both players' time with the San Jose Earthquakes. It continued through Kamara's time in Houston, and continued with Garcia in Toronto, as Kamara left BMO last year with a gash in his thigh. Needless to say it doesn't sound like the type of relationship that will be taken care of with a quick handshake. And that certainly is not well for team chemistry, especially heading into an important part of the season with the home opener and all the other games coming.
Second, is Garcia much, if any, better than Julio Cesar or Shavar Thomas? I'm really not so sure at this point. The past few years in San Jose and Toronto, Garcia has been a part of some of the worst defenses in the league each of those years, not exactly a ringing endorsement for him. While Cesar and Thomas haven't been great, I don't think Garcia brings anything that they don't to the table. Add onto that, at least Thomas (due to his time in the league) and likely Cesar (due to his previous experience) are on guaranteed contracts, getting rid of either one of them, KC would still have their salary hit the cap. Any potential value over Cesar or Thomas is negated by the potential issue it could have with Kamara.
But this all could be for nothing as this really could just be him training with the team. But it'll be interesting to see how tomorrow works out, especially if Kamara is back from Sierra Leone tomorrow. I hope Peter Vermes knows what he's doing in this situation.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Former SKC Wizards Update
Another former SKC Wizards update. Nick Garcia has returned to professional soccer as he played for the Kansas Magic (based out of Topeka) in their exhibition last week against the Illinois Piasa. The Magic won the game 7-3. Here is this rest of this week's former SKC Wizards update.
Still looking for:
Vicente Arze
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 3-0 win over New Englannd.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Portland.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 3-0 win over Toronto. Did not dress in Seattle's 2-1 loss to DC.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-1 win over LA.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-1 win over Vancouver.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over RSL. Did not dress in Portland's 1-0 loss to San Jose in a US Open Cup qualifier.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 2-1 loss to Columbus. Started and played 120 minutes in Vancouver's 1-1 draw with Montreal in the NCC.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to portland.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 4-1 loss to Houston. Did not dress in DC's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Portland's 1-0 win over RSL. Started and played 120 minutes in Portland's 1-0 loss to San Jose in a US Open Cup qualifier.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Started and played 58 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. Did not dress in San Jose's 1-0 win over Portland in the US Open Cup qualifier.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Dressed but did not play in San Jose's 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. Started and played 83 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 win over Portland in the US Open Cup qualifier.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 3-0 win over Toronto. Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 2-1 loss to DC.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 84 minutes, recording an assist in DC's 4-1 loss to Houston. Started and played 90 minutes, getting a goal and an assist in DC's 2-1 win over Seattle.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not dress in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Carolina.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Started annd played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 5-0 win over Edmonton. Started and played 120 minutes in Montreal's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Did not dress in Fort Lauderdale's 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Charlotte. Did not dress in Charleston's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes scoring a goal in Richmond's 6-0 win over Dayton.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 90 minutes in Pittsburgh's 2-1 loss to Wimington. Came off the bench and played 30 minutes in Pittsburgh's 0-0 draw with Charleston.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Did not have a game this week.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Started and played 90 minutes in LA's 1-0 win over Antigua.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 6-0 win over Richmond.
John Wilson - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Charlotte. Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
International
Sunil Chhetri - Chirag United - India - Scored two goals in Chirag's 2-2 draw with ONGC.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Did not play in Cali's 2-1 win over La Equidad.
Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Necaxa.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Budapest Honvéd - Hungary - Did not dress in Honved's 1-0 loss to Kaposvari Rakoczi.
Will John - Vinogradar - Croatia - Started and played 65 minutes in Vinogradar's 1-0 win over HASK.
Eddie Johnson - Fulham/Preston - England - Did not dress in Preston's 2-1 loss to Ipswich.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not dress in San Martin's 1-0 loss to Sport Boys.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Did not dress in Krasnodar's 0-0 draw with Zenit.
Matt Taylor - Rot Weiss Ahlen - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Ahlen's 3-0 loss to Aalen.
Still looking for:
Vicente Arze
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 3-0 win over New Englannd.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Portland.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 3-0 win over Toronto. Did not dress in Seattle's 2-1 loss to DC.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-1 win over LA.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-1 loss to Dallas.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-1 win over Vancouver.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over RSL. Did not dress in Portland's 1-0 loss to San Jose in a US Open Cup qualifier.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 2-1 loss to Columbus. Started and played 120 minutes in Vancouver's 1-1 draw with Montreal in the NCC.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to portland.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 4-1 loss to Houston. Did not dress in DC's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Portland's 1-0 win over RSL. Started and played 120 minutes in Portland's 1-0 loss to San Jose in a US Open Cup qualifier.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Started and played 58 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. Did not dress in San Jose's 1-0 win over Portland in the US Open Cup qualifier.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Dressed but did not play in San Jose's 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. Started and played 83 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 win over Portland in the US Open Cup qualifier.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 3-0 win over Toronto. Started and played 90 minutes in Seattle's 2-1 loss to DC.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 84 minutes, recording an assist in DC's 4-1 loss to Houston. Started and played 90 minutes, getting a goal and an assist in DC's 2-1 win over Seattle.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not dress in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Carolina.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Started annd played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 5-0 win over Edmonton. Started and played 120 minutes in Montreal's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Did not dress in Fort Lauderdale's 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Charlotte. Did not dress in Charleston's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes scoring a goal in Richmond's 6-0 win over Dayton.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 90 minutes in Pittsburgh's 2-1 loss to Wimington. Came off the bench and played 30 minutes in Pittsburgh's 0-0 draw with Charleston.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Did not have a game this week.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Started and played 90 minutes in LA's 1-0 win over Antigua.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 6-0 win over Richmond.
John Wilson - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Charlotte. Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
International
Sunil Chhetri - Chirag United - India - Scored two goals in Chirag's 2-2 draw with ONGC.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Did not play in Cali's 2-1 win over La Equidad.
Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Necaxa.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Budapest Honvéd - Hungary - Did not dress in Honved's 1-0 loss to Kaposvari Rakoczi.
Will John - Vinogradar - Croatia - Started and played 65 minutes in Vinogradar's 1-0 win over HASK.
Eddie Johnson - Fulham/Preston - England - Did not dress in Preston's 2-1 loss to Ipswich.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not dress in San Martin's 1-0 loss to Sport Boys.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Did not dress in Krasnodar's 0-0 draw with Zenit.
Matt Taylor - Rot Weiss Ahlen - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Ahlen's 3-0 loss to Aalen.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Former SKC Wizards Update
A day late as I got distracted watching the RSL-Monterrey game last night. So here is this week's update a day late. Akeem Priestley is back on the map as he's now playing with the Los Angeles Blues in the USL-Pro division. Also, Eddie Johnson looks like he could be on his way back to MLS. His contract with Fulham expires this summer so Johnson could find himself coming back to MLS via the allocation order. Also, Nick Garcia is going to be back playing, as he is going to play in the Kansas Magic exhibition in Topeka on April 30th. Here's the rest of this week's update.
Still looking for:
Vicente Arze
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 0-0 draw with Vancouver.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 2-1 win over Chicago.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 2-2 draw with Monterrey.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 3-2 loss to Portland.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Started and played 79 minutes in LA's 2-1 win over Chicago.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Columbus' 1-0 win over KC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 4-2 win over Chicago. Started and played 90 minutes, getting a goal and an assist in Portland's 3-2 win over Dallas.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 0-0 draw with Chivas.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 2-2 draw with Monterrey.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 3-0 win over Toronto.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Dressed but did not play in Portland's 4-2 win over Chicago. Dressed but did not play in Portland's 3-2 win over Dallas.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Came off the bench and played 26 minutes in San Jose's 3-0 loss to New York.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 62 minutes in San Jose's 3-0 loss to New York.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Dressed but did not play in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-0 win over Toronto.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Fort Lauderdale.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Minnesota.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Started and played 85 minutes in Montreal's 2-1 loss to Carolina.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Minnesota.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Dayton.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 74 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Did not have a game this week.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Started and played 90 minutes in Rochester's 1-0 loss to Richmond. Started and played 90 minutes in Rochester's 1-0 loss to Wilmington.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes, recording an assist in LA's 3-0 win over Sevilla FC Puerto Rico. Did not dress in LA's 2-1 win over Antigua Barracuda. Started and played 90 minutes getting a goal and an assist in LA's 4-2 win over Puerto Rico United.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 2-1 win over Dayton.
International
Sunil Chhetri - Chirag United - India - Scored a goal in Chirag's 1-1 draw wtih Mohun Bagan.
Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Season is over.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cali's 2-1 loss to Atletico Nacional. started and played 90 minutes in Cali's 1-0 win over Deportes Quindio.
Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss to Atlas.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Budapest Honvéd - Hungary - Did not dress in Honved's 1-0 loss to Papa.
Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Started and played 65 minutes in Vinograder's 3-2 win over Suhopolje. Lost 1-0 to Gorica today.
Eddie Johnson - Fulham/Preston - England - Started and played 72 minutes in Preston's 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Sport Huancayo. Did not dress in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Once Caldas.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Did not dress in Krasnodar's 0-0 draw with Krylya Stovetov. Did not dress in Krasnondar's 2-1 loss to Spartak Moskva.
Matt Taylor - Rot Weiss Ahlen - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Ahlen's 3-0 loss to Wehen Wiesbaden. Started and played 86 minutes, scoring a goal in Ahlen's 2-0 win over Jahn Regensburg.
Still looking for:
Vicente Arze
Nick Cardenas
AJ Godbolt
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Michael Kraus
Ryan McMahen
Ivan Trujillo
MLS
Jimmy Conrad - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 0-0 draw with Vancouver.
Adam Cristman - LA - Did not dress in LA's 2-1 win over Chicago.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 2-2 draw with Monterrey.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 3-2 loss to Portland.
Frankie Hejduk - LA - Started and played 79 minutes in LA's 2-1 win over Chicago.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Columbus' 1-0 win over KC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 4-2 win over Chicago. Started and played 90 minutes, getting a goal and an assist in Portland's 3-2 win over Dallas.
Jonathan Leathers - Vancouver - Started and played 90 minutes in Vancouver's 0-0 draw with Chivas.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 2-2 draw with Monterrey.
Kurt Morsink - DC - Did not dress in DC's 3-0 win over Toronto.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Dressed but did not play in Portland's 4-2 win over Chicago. Dressed but did not play in Portland's 3-2 win over Dallas.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Came off the bench and played 26 minutes in San Jose's 3-0 loss to New York.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 62 minutes in San Jose's 3-0 loss to New York.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Dressed but did not play in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Josh Wolff - DC - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-0 win over Toronto.
NASL
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Fort Lauderdale.
Aaron Hohlbein - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Minnesota.
Amir Lowery - Montreal - Started and played 85 minutes in Montreal's 2-1 loss to Carolina.
Abe Thompson - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Minnesota.
USL
Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Did not dress in Charleston's 2-1 win over Dayton.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 74 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Did not have a game this week.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Started and played 90 minutes in Rochester's 1-0 loss to Richmond. Started and played 90 minutes in Rochester's 1-0 loss to Wilmington.
Akeem Priestley - LA - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes, recording an assist in LA's 3-0 win over Sevilla FC Puerto Rico. Did not dress in LA's 2-1 win over Antigua Barracuda. Started and played 90 minutes getting a goal and an assist in LA's 4-2 win over Puerto Rico United.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 2-1 win over Dayton.
International
Sunil Chhetri - Chirag United - India - Scored a goal in Chirag's 1-1 draw wtih Mohun Bagan.
Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Season is over.
Pablo Escobar - Deportivo Cali - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cali's 2-1 loss to Atletico Nacional. started and played 90 minutes in Cali's 1-0 win over Deportes Quindio.
Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss to Atlas.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi - Budapest Honvéd - Hungary - Did not dress in Honved's 1-0 loss to Papa.
Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Started and played 65 minutes in Vinograder's 3-2 win over Suhopolje. Lost 1-0 to Gorica today.
Eddie Johnson - Fulham/Preston - England - Started and played 72 minutes in Preston's 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Sport Huancayo. Did not dress in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Once Caldas.
Yura Movsisyan - FC Krasnodar - Russia - Did not dress in Krasnodar's 0-0 draw with Krylya Stovetov. Did not dress in Krasnondar's 2-1 loss to Spartak Moskva.
Matt Taylor - Rot Weiss Ahlen - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Ahlen's 3-0 loss to Wehen Wiesbaden. Started and played 86 minutes, scoring a goal in Ahlen's 2-0 win over Jahn Regensburg.
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Look Back at the Chance Myers Draft Pick
Former first round pick, Chance Myers is set to enter his fourth professional season, and his first without the "protection" of a Generation Adidas spot. Myers has had a difficult first three seasons fighting injury and illness that have kept him from getting time. Before the 2010 season he looked poised for a breakout season as a starter. But an injury before the season started saw Kei Kamara take his spot and Kamara went on to be the team's leading scorer, and Myers saw little of the field. It's to the point where there's speculation that he may not even make the roster, and was initially left off the Sporting KC roster on the Star's website due to an oversight. Myers has become a bit of a forgotten player it seems. People have been asking for a few years now, and continue to ask why we drafted Chance Myers in the first place. Let's take a look real quick at the history leading up to the Myers selection.
On January 15th, the Tuesday before MLS' Superdraft, which was on Friday the 18th that year. KC made a trade with San Jose, sending veteran defender Nick Garcia to the expansion side San Jose Earthquakes for the number 1 pick in the draft. Unlike in recent years when there seemed to be a consensus 1-2 players that would go at number 1, there wasn't a whole lot of that. There was no Marvell Wynne, Maurice Edu, Steve Zakuani, or Danny Mwanga to go number 1 like the years before and after the Myers pick. Number 1 pick predictions ranged from Patrick Nyarko, to Eric Avila, to Julius James, to Xavier Balc, to Brek Shea, to Tony Beltran, to Chance Myers, the draft was full of a lot of decent talent that could make an impact. The prediction on who would go number 1 seemed to change daily depending on who you were reading.
Rumors the day of the draft started to float out that KC was going to take UCLA right back, Chance Myers would be the number one selection. The speculation turned out to be true that KC took the Generation Adidas player. People want to complain about the first round pick now and throw out suggestions of Shea, or Sean Franklin.
As I stated above, though, there was no consensus number one pick. Shea at the time was an incredibly raw 17 year old at the time of the draft. Franklin had a solid but not spectacular college career at Cal State Northridge. The rest of the players selected between Myers and 11th pick Roger Espinoza have had solid but not spectacular pro careers. Tony Beltran has been an off and on starter for RSL, Ciaran O'Brien made a grad total of 1 appearance for Colorado in 3 years. Andy Iro has been solid and become a starter for Columbus, but at the time of the draft there were rumors he was looking to return to England and play instead of signing for MLS, which hurt his stock. Patrick Nyarko was who I'd originally thought we'd take with the number one pick, I'd put him in the same group as Beltran, a solid but not spectacular pro career. Josh Lambo has yet to make an appearance for Dallas. Julius James had been solid for Toronto, Houston, and DC, but was recently waived by United. Pat Phelan is another that falls in with Beltran and Nyarko, solid but unspectacular pros that don't appear to be worth the number 1 pick.
As the above shows, there are a few players (Shea and Franklin) that with a revisionist view of history would have been a better number 1 selection than Myers but there's no guarantee Shea and Franklin would have developed like they did here. The rest of the picks have ranged from solid pros (Beltran, Iro, Nyarko, James, and Phelan) to total busts (O'Brien and Lambo). So overall the selection of Myers doesn't look as bad in comparison.
Now let's take a look at Nick Garcia's career since the trade. In 2008 and 2009 he started for the Earthquakes as they both seasons finished at the bottom of the Western Conference. In the middle of the 2009 season, Garcia was traded to Toronto. The rest of the 2009 season he started quite a bit for Toronto. In the 2010 season, Garcia went in and out of the lineup for Toronto. After the season he was put into the re-entry draft, but was not selected, and is currently without a club. His level of play has dropped since he's left KC, he's not the same defender he was, he doesn't have the speed he used to have and now relies a bit more on physicality. KC was at a point where they needed to replace at least one of their starting defenders, both Garcia and Jimmy Conrad were getting older and they needed a partner with a little more speed to cover with their experience.
So while the Myers pick may not have been a great selection for KC, there wasn't exactly a can't miss prospect in the class that has since gone on to become a star player. On the other side, Garcia hasn't exactly come back to prove that KC was wrong for getting rid of him. So while I don't consider myself a huge Chance Myers fan, there's not a lot to argue with about the selection when you really break it down.
On January 15th, the Tuesday before MLS' Superdraft, which was on Friday the 18th that year. KC made a trade with San Jose, sending veteran defender Nick Garcia to the expansion side San Jose Earthquakes for the number 1 pick in the draft. Unlike in recent years when there seemed to be a consensus 1-2 players that would go at number 1, there wasn't a whole lot of that. There was no Marvell Wynne, Maurice Edu, Steve Zakuani, or Danny Mwanga to go number 1 like the years before and after the Myers pick. Number 1 pick predictions ranged from Patrick Nyarko, to Eric Avila, to Julius James, to Xavier Balc, to Brek Shea, to Tony Beltran, to Chance Myers, the draft was full of a lot of decent talent that could make an impact. The prediction on who would go number 1 seemed to change daily depending on who you were reading.
Rumors the day of the draft started to float out that KC was going to take UCLA right back, Chance Myers would be the number one selection. The speculation turned out to be true that KC took the Generation Adidas player. People want to complain about the first round pick now and throw out suggestions of Shea, or Sean Franklin.
As I stated above, though, there was no consensus number one pick. Shea at the time was an incredibly raw 17 year old at the time of the draft. Franklin had a solid but not spectacular college career at Cal State Northridge. The rest of the players selected between Myers and 11th pick Roger Espinoza have had solid but not spectacular pro careers. Tony Beltran has been an off and on starter for RSL, Ciaran O'Brien made a grad total of 1 appearance for Colorado in 3 years. Andy Iro has been solid and become a starter for Columbus, but at the time of the draft there were rumors he was looking to return to England and play instead of signing for MLS, which hurt his stock. Patrick Nyarko was who I'd originally thought we'd take with the number one pick, I'd put him in the same group as Beltran, a solid but not spectacular pro career. Josh Lambo has yet to make an appearance for Dallas. Julius James had been solid for Toronto, Houston, and DC, but was recently waived by United. Pat Phelan is another that falls in with Beltran and Nyarko, solid but unspectacular pros that don't appear to be worth the number 1 pick.
As the above shows, there are a few players (Shea and Franklin) that with a revisionist view of history would have been a better number 1 selection than Myers but there's no guarantee Shea and Franklin would have developed like they did here. The rest of the picks have ranged from solid pros (Beltran, Iro, Nyarko, James, and Phelan) to total busts (O'Brien and Lambo). So overall the selection of Myers doesn't look as bad in comparison.
Now let's take a look at Nick Garcia's career since the trade. In 2008 and 2009 he started for the Earthquakes as they both seasons finished at the bottom of the Western Conference. In the middle of the 2009 season, Garcia was traded to Toronto. The rest of the 2009 season he started quite a bit for Toronto. In the 2010 season, Garcia went in and out of the lineup for Toronto. After the season he was put into the re-entry draft, but was not selected, and is currently without a club. His level of play has dropped since he's left KC, he's not the same defender he was, he doesn't have the speed he used to have and now relies a bit more on physicality. KC was at a point where they needed to replace at least one of their starting defenders, both Garcia and Jimmy Conrad were getting older and they needed a partner with a little more speed to cover with their experience.
So while the Myers pick may not have been a great selection for KC, there wasn't exactly a can't miss prospect in the class that has since gone on to become a star player. On the other side, Garcia hasn't exactly come back to prove that KC was wrong for getting rid of him. So while I don't consider myself a huge Chance Myers fan, there's not a lot to argue with about the selection when you really break it down.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Former Wizards Update
More former Wizards are joining the list, and we're at the point where we'll see the most former Wizards playing at one time as we will for most of the season. The silly season has started this year, and the first former Wizard mentioned, is Herculez Gomez who has had a strong season with Puebla. He's being linked with Club America as well as other clubs. In other former Wizards news, briefly a Wizard, Luis Gil was called in the US U-18 national team camp. Also congrats to Sean Bowers, Paul Wright, and the San Diego Sockers for doing the double and winning the US Arena Open Cup this past week as well.
Here's the rest of your former Wizards update.
MLS
Preston Burpo - New England - Started and played 90 minutes in New England's 4-1 win over Toronto.
Adam Cristman - DC United - Came off the bench and played 8 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Nick Garcia - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Toronto's 4-1 loss to New England.
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 2-2 draw with Seattle. Did not play in Salt Lake's 3-3 (5-3) PK shoot out win over San Jose in the US Open Cup.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 2-2 draw with Salt Lake.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-2 draw with Columbus.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-2 draw with Dallas.
Chris Klein - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-0 win over Houston.
Claudio Lopez - Colorado - Did not play in Colorado's 1-0 loss to KC on Saturday. Came off the bench and played 11 minutes, recording an assist in Colorado's 2-1 win over KC in an Open Cup qualifier.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Real Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in Salt Lake's 2-2 draw with Seattle. Started and played 120 minutes in Salt Lake's 3-3 (5-3) PK shootout win over San Jose in the US Open Cup.
Kurt Morsink - DC United - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Did not dress in San Jose's 2-1 win over Chicago. Did not play in San Jose's 3-3(5-3) PK shootout loss to Salt Lake.
Carey Talley - DC United - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Shavar Thomas - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over DC.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Came off the bench and played 42 minutes in Seattle's 2-2 draw with Salt Lake.
USSF Division 2
Doug DeMartin - Portland - Did not have a game this week.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Started and played 66 minutes in Minnesota's 2-0 loss to Vancouver.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Did not have a game this week.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Did not play in Rochester's 1-1 draw with Miami.
Amir Lowery - Carolina - Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 2-0 win over St. Louis.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Did not have a game this week.
Abe Thompson - Miami - Started and played 90 minutes in Miami's 1-1 draw with Rochester.
Lance Watson - Austin - Started and played 90 minutes in Austin's 2-0 win over Montreal.
Indoor
Sean Bowers - San Diego - San Diego beat Louisville 11-7 in the US Arena Open Cup Final.
Paul Wright - San Diego - San Diego beat Louisville 11-7 in the US Arena Open Cup Final.
International
Vicente Arze - Club Aurora - Bolivia - Did not play in Aurora's 1-1 draw with The Strongest.
Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Ferro's 3-0 loss to Liniers.
Herculez Gomez - Puebla FC - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Puebla's 2-1 loss to Indios. Did not play in Puebla's 2-0 win over Atlas tonight.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Started for Harbour View in their 3-0 win over Village United.
Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Lost 1-0 to Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
Eddie Johnson - Aris FC - Greece - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Aris' 2-1 loss to Asteras Tripolis.
Chris Konopka - Waterford United - Ireland - Started and played 90 minutes recording the shut out in Waterford's 2-0 League Cup win over Kerry League.
Carlos Marinelli - CA Aldosivi - Argentina - Came off the bench in the 60th minute and played 18 minutes before being subbed out in the 78th in Aldosivi's 4-3 win over Tiro Federal. Did not play in Aldosivi's 3-1 win over San MartĂn Tucumán.
Yura Movsisyan - Randers FC - Denmark - Started and played 82 minutes in Randers 1-0 win over København. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Randers 3-1 win over Silkeborg.
Akeem Priestly - FK Mughan - Azerbaijan - Did not play in Mughan's 2-1 win over Olimpik.
Khari Stephenson - Aalesund - Norway - Did not play in Aalesund's 3-1 win over Viking or their 2-1 loss to Haugesund.
Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt - Germany - Did not play in Frankfurt's 1-0 win over Rot-WeiĂź Oberhausen.
Ivan Trujillo - Deportes QuindĂo - Columbia - Did not play in QuindĂo's 2-1 loss to Sante Fe. Lost to Deportivo Pereira in the Copa Colombia 2-1.
Here's the rest of your former Wizards update.
MLS
Preston Burpo - New England - Started and played 90 minutes in New England's 4-1 win over Toronto.
Adam Cristman - DC United - Came off the bench and played 8 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Nick Garcia - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Toronto's 4-1 loss to New England.
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 2-2 draw with Seattle. Did not play in Salt Lake's 3-3 (5-3) PK shoot out win over San Jose in the US Open Cup.
Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 2-2 draw with Salt Lake.
Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 2-2 draw with Columbus.
Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-2 draw with Dallas.
Chris Klein - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 2-0 win over Houston.
Claudio Lopez - Colorado - Did not play in Colorado's 1-0 loss to KC on Saturday. Came off the bench and played 11 minutes, recording an assist in Colorado's 2-1 win over KC in an Open Cup qualifier.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Real Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in Salt Lake's 2-2 draw with Seattle. Started and played 120 minutes in Salt Lake's 3-3 (5-3) PK shootout win over San Jose in the US Open Cup.
Kurt Morsink - DC United - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Scott Sealy - San Jose - Did not dress in San Jose's 2-1 win over Chicago. Did not play in San Jose's 3-3(5-3) PK shootout loss to Salt Lake.
Carey Talley - DC United - Started and played 90 minutes in DC's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Shavar Thomas - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over DC.
Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Came off the bench and played 42 minutes in Seattle's 2-2 draw with Salt Lake.
USSF Division 2
Doug DeMartin - Portland - Did not have a game this week.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Started and played 66 minutes in Minnesota's 2-0 loss to Vancouver.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Did not have a game this week.
Neal Kitson - Rochester - Did not play in Rochester's 1-1 draw with Miami.
Amir Lowery - Carolina - Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 2-0 win over St. Louis.
Ryan Pore - Portland - Did not have a game this week.
Abe Thompson - Miami - Started and played 90 minutes in Miami's 1-1 draw with Rochester.
Lance Watson - Austin - Started and played 90 minutes in Austin's 2-0 win over Montreal.
Indoor
Sean Bowers - San Diego - San Diego beat Louisville 11-7 in the US Arena Open Cup Final.
Paul Wright - San Diego - San Diego beat Louisville 11-7 in the US Arena Open Cup Final.
International
Vicente Arze - Club Aurora - Bolivia - Did not play in Aurora's 1-1 draw with The Strongest.
Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Ferro's 3-0 loss to Liniers.
Herculez Gomez - Puebla FC - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Puebla's 2-1 loss to Indios. Did not play in Puebla's 2-0 win over Atlas tonight.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Started for Harbour View in their 3-0 win over Village United.
Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Lost 1-0 to Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
Eddie Johnson - Aris FC - Greece - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Aris' 2-1 loss to Asteras Tripolis.
Chris Konopka - Waterford United - Ireland - Started and played 90 minutes recording the shut out in Waterford's 2-0 League Cup win over Kerry League.
Carlos Marinelli - CA Aldosivi - Argentina - Came off the bench in the 60th minute and played 18 minutes before being subbed out in the 78th in Aldosivi's 4-3 win over Tiro Federal. Did not play in Aldosivi's 3-1 win over San MartĂn Tucumán.
Yura Movsisyan - Randers FC - Denmark - Started and played 82 minutes in Randers 1-0 win over København. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Randers 3-1 win over Silkeborg.
Akeem Priestly - FK Mughan - Azerbaijan - Did not play in Mughan's 2-1 win over Olimpik.
Khari Stephenson - Aalesund - Norway - Did not play in Aalesund's 3-1 win over Viking or their 2-1 loss to Haugesund.
Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt - Germany - Did not play in Frankfurt's 1-0 win over Rot-WeiĂź Oberhausen.
Ivan Trujillo - Deportes QuindĂo - Columbia - Did not play in QuindĂo's 2-1 loss to Sante Fe. Lost to Deportivo Pereira in the Copa Colombia 2-1.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Could there be a Strike?
Could the 2010 MLS season be in a little bit of danger next season? It seems like it could be a possibility, as the current collective bargaining agreement is up in January. According to former Wizard, Nick Garcia in the Toronto Sun (yes I know the Sun is a tabloid), players have been told to put money back for this year just in case.
Anyone that's paid attention to MLS can see that it seems like the players are getting a bit of a raw deal. There are multiple players on every team's roster that struggles to make it. Many take second jobs and coach youth teams in their cities to make extra money. They also have to room with 2-3 other roommates some times to help make ends meet, especially in cities like LA where the cost of living is higher (remember the exerts about Alan Gordon in The Beckham Experiment). There are other issues on the table, including guaranteed contracts for the players. This is something that every fan of not just the Wizards, but MLS will need to pay attention to in the coming weeks and months. Garcia's thought is that a deal won't be reached until around the time the MLS season starts.
Anyone that's paid attention to MLS can see that it seems like the players are getting a bit of a raw deal. There are multiple players on every team's roster that struggles to make it. Many take second jobs and coach youth teams in their cities to make extra money. They also have to room with 2-3 other roommates some times to help make ends meet, especially in cities like LA where the cost of living is higher (remember the exerts about Alan Gordon in The Beckham Experiment). There are other issues on the table, including guaranteed contracts for the players. This is something that every fan of not just the Wizards, but MLS will need to pay attention to in the coming weeks and months. Garcia's thought is that a deal won't be reached until around the time the MLS season starts.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Former Wizards Time
Time for another former Wizards update, and we start to have some other leagues return to play as well.
Indoor
Stephen Armstrong - Chicago Storm - Chicago did not have a game this week.
Abroad
Eddie Johnson - Cardiff City - England- Came on as a sub and played 7 minutes in Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Birmingham.
Diego Walsh - Adelaide United - Australia - Did not play in United's 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix FC.
Antti Sumiala - Porin Palloilijat - Finland - It's only preseason, Sumiala and Porin Palloilijat is getting started. They won a preseason friendly 7-1. Sumiala played the first half getting a goal and 2 assists.
In other former Wizards news, Taylor Graham has signed with Seattle Sounders FC of MLS, moving up from the USL side, and Nick Garcia has signed a contract extension with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Indoor
Stephen Armstrong - Chicago Storm - Chicago did not have a game this week.
Abroad
Eddie Johnson - Cardiff City - England- Came on as a sub and played 7 minutes in Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Birmingham.
Diego Walsh - Adelaide United - Australia - Did not play in United's 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix FC.
Antti Sumiala - Porin Palloilijat - Finland - It's only preseason, Sumiala and Porin Palloilijat is getting started. They won a preseason friendly 7-1. Sumiala played the first half getting a goal and 2 assists.
In other former Wizards news, Taylor Graham has signed with Seattle Sounders FC of MLS, moving up from the USL side, and Nick Garcia has signed a contract extension with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wizards Leave it Late
A fantastic ending to a back and forth game out at Community America Ballpark last night, as the Wizards got a goal late in stoppage time from Herculez Gomez to put the Wizards back into 7th place in the playoff race. KC now has to match New York's result next week, or hope that DC United does not get a win on Sunday next week.
Before the game, the Wizards and the Cauldron honored Kerry Zavagnin, who was playing his last home regular season game, as he retires at the end of the season. To see what the team and the Cauldron did, see this post from Hillcrest Road for pictures. The Wizards came out hard and attacked from the get go, and were rewarded with an early goal from Claudio Lopez, who made his return to the starting lineup. Lopez got his toe on a cross by Abe Thompson and directed it past Joe Cannon into the Earthquakes net. Only two minutes after the opener, though, San Jose was level, as former Wizard, Scott Sealy knocked the ball home after a poorly cleared corner. KC continued to pressure, though, and before the game was even a half hour old, Davy Arnaud had restored the lead after receiving a cutting ball from Jack Jewsbury.
The Wizards continued to pressure, but took the 2-1 lead into the half time break. Over the course of the second half, Kansas City continued to pressure, but San Jose was able to build up the pressure as well. In the 71st minute, San Jose was back level after a mad scramble in front of goal that eventually saw Shea Salinas score his first professional goal to level the game. After that point, KC continued to pressure but were denied either by San Jose's defense, or Joe Cannon in net.
Into stoppage time it went, and after hearing that New York had beaten Columbus, I was dreading the final whistle, but in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, a Claudio Lopez corner bounced into the box, where it was met by Herculez Gomez, who was able to get a foot on the ball and direct it into the net to give the Wizards the winner. Not a bad way to get your first goal in a Wizards uniform. Watch the goal and see the joy on everyone affliated with KC on that goal, from the players, to the fans, to even the excitement shown by Coach Onalfo when that ball went into the net. An absolute fantastic ending to the game.
The end of the game was followed by fireworks, and afterwards a presentation by the Cauldron to former Wizard Nick Garcia for his years of service to the club.
Wizards Man of the Match - Claudio Lopez - Had a hand in all 3 of the Wizards goals last night with a goal and 2 assists. He came on ready to play tonight and showed glimpses of the Lopez all Wizards' fans were hoping to see all season from him.
Honorable Mention - Herculez Gomez, Davy Arnaud
Before the game, the Wizards and the Cauldron honored Kerry Zavagnin, who was playing his last home regular season game, as he retires at the end of the season. To see what the team and the Cauldron did, see this post from Hillcrest Road for pictures. The Wizards came out hard and attacked from the get go, and were rewarded with an early goal from Claudio Lopez, who made his return to the starting lineup. Lopez got his toe on a cross by Abe Thompson and directed it past Joe Cannon into the Earthquakes net. Only two minutes after the opener, though, San Jose was level, as former Wizard, Scott Sealy knocked the ball home after a poorly cleared corner. KC continued to pressure, though, and before the game was even a half hour old, Davy Arnaud had restored the lead after receiving a cutting ball from Jack Jewsbury.
The Wizards continued to pressure, but took the 2-1 lead into the half time break. Over the course of the second half, Kansas City continued to pressure, but San Jose was able to build up the pressure as well. In the 71st minute, San Jose was back level after a mad scramble in front of goal that eventually saw Shea Salinas score his first professional goal to level the game. After that point, KC continued to pressure but were denied either by San Jose's defense, or Joe Cannon in net.
Into stoppage time it went, and after hearing that New York had beaten Columbus, I was dreading the final whistle, but in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, a Claudio Lopez corner bounced into the box, where it was met by Herculez Gomez, who was able to get a foot on the ball and direct it into the net to give the Wizards the winner. Not a bad way to get your first goal in a Wizards uniform. Watch the goal and see the joy on everyone affliated with KC on that goal, from the players, to the fans, to even the excitement shown by Coach Onalfo when that ball went into the net. An absolute fantastic ending to the game.
The end of the game was followed by fireworks, and afterwards a presentation by the Cauldron to former Wizard Nick Garcia for his years of service to the club.
Wizards Man of the Match - Claudio Lopez - Had a hand in all 3 of the Wizards goals last night with a goal and 2 assists. He came on ready to play tonight and showed glimpses of the Lopez all Wizards' fans were hoping to see all season from him.
Honorable Mention - Herculez Gomez, Davy Arnaud
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Zavagnin Sets Record
Last night, Kerry Zavagnin set a team record by appearing in his 274th game in all competitions (league, playoffs, USOC, international) for the Wizards. Zavagnin passes former Wizard Nick Garcia to earn that record. Zavagnin will also tie the team record for league appearances Saturday against Houston. If he plays, Zavgnin will tie Garcia with his 224 league game in the Wizards blue.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Going Away Party
A friend of mine sent me an email saying that tonight at Blonde on the Country Club Plaza there will be a going away party for Wizards defender, Nick Garcia, who was traded to San Jose. I've been told the event will be starting at 10 pm for those interested.
It certainly is sad to see Garcia go, I know plenty of people who weren't overly happy with the move. Including a lot of the younger fans who saw Garcia as their favorite player. All the best to you Nick, we will definitely miss you in Kansas City and hope that you return some day soon.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Appearances for the Wizards
Back in June, I posted the list of what Wizards players have played and started over 100 games for the club. Since it's the offseason, and the Wizards leader in both games played and games started (Nick Garcia) was traded away this offseason, I figured I'd update the list and include where the other current Wizards are on the list.
Seventeen players have appeared in more then 100 games for the Wizards. Four of those 17 have played 200 games or more. Four of the 17 are still on the Wizards roster now. Below are the 17 over 100 along with the rest of the current Wizards.
Nick Garcia - 224
Kerry Zavagnin - 220
Preki - 218
Chris Klein - 200
Mo Johnston - 149
Matt McKeon - 144
Davy Arnaud - 142
Tony Meola - 125
Jimmy Conrad - 124
Chris Brown - 123
Diego Gutierrez - 119
Uche Okafor - 119
Jose Burciaga Jr. - 115
Francisco Gomez - 114
Sean Bowers - 111
Jack Jewsbury - 109
Vitalis Takawira - 103
Sasha Victorine - 90
Scott Sealy - 75
Ryan Pore - 44
Eddie Johnson - 43
Kevin Hartman - 30
Michael Harrington - 29
Carlos Marinelli - 26
Kurt Morsink - 21
Ryan Raybould - 19
Tyson Wahl - 16
Lance Watson - 13
Eloy Colombano - 10
Aaron Hohlbein - 5
Will John - 4
Of those 17 over 100 appearances, 14 of them have started over 100. Here is the full list of players with over 100 starts, as well as the rest of the current Wizards roster with starts.
Nick Garcia - 224
Kerry Zavagnin - 215
Preki - 199
Chris Klein - 183
Mo Johnston - 142
Matt McKeon - 126
Tony Meola - 125
Davy Arnaud - 123
Jimmy Conrad - 123
Jose Burciaga Jr. - 110
Diego Gutierrez - 108
Uche Okafor - 107
Sean Bowers - 104
Vitalis Takawira - 100
Sasha Victorine - 84
Jack Jewsbury - 68
Scott Sealy - 55
Eddie Johnson - 42
Kevin Hartman - 30
Michael Harrington - 27
Carlos Marinelli - 19
Ryan Pore - 12
Kurt Morsink - 10
Ryan Raybould - 10
Tyson Wahl - 10
Lance Watson - 4
Aaron Hohlbein - 4
Eloy Colombano - 1
Zavagnin should pass both of Garcia's records early in the upcoming season. Hopefully the team does for him like they did for Garcia.
Seventeen players have appeared in more then 100 games for the Wizards. Four of those 17 have played 200 games or more. Four of the 17 are still on the Wizards roster now. Below are the 17 over 100 along with the rest of the current Wizards.
Nick Garcia - 224
Kerry Zavagnin - 220
Preki - 218
Chris Klein - 200
Mo Johnston - 149
Matt McKeon - 144
Davy Arnaud - 142
Tony Meola - 125
Jimmy Conrad - 124
Chris Brown - 123
Diego Gutierrez - 119
Uche Okafor - 119
Jose Burciaga Jr. - 115
Francisco Gomez - 114
Sean Bowers - 111
Jack Jewsbury - 109
Vitalis Takawira - 103
Sasha Victorine - 90
Scott Sealy - 75
Ryan Pore - 44
Eddie Johnson - 43
Kevin Hartman - 30
Michael Harrington - 29
Carlos Marinelli - 26
Kurt Morsink - 21
Ryan Raybould - 19
Tyson Wahl - 16
Lance Watson - 13
Eloy Colombano - 10
Aaron Hohlbein - 5
Will John - 4
Of those 17 over 100 appearances, 14 of them have started over 100. Here is the full list of players with over 100 starts, as well as the rest of the current Wizards roster with starts.
Nick Garcia - 224
Kerry Zavagnin - 215
Preki - 199
Chris Klein - 183
Mo Johnston - 142
Matt McKeon - 126
Tony Meola - 125
Davy Arnaud - 123
Jimmy Conrad - 123
Jose Burciaga Jr. - 110
Diego Gutierrez - 108
Uche Okafor - 107
Sean Bowers - 104
Vitalis Takawira - 100
Sasha Victorine - 84
Jack Jewsbury - 68
Scott Sealy - 55
Eddie Johnson - 42
Kevin Hartman - 30
Michael Harrington - 27
Carlos Marinelli - 19
Ryan Pore - 12
Kurt Morsink - 10
Ryan Raybould - 10
Tyson Wahl - 10
Lance Watson - 4
Aaron Hohlbein - 4
Eloy Colombano - 1
Zavagnin should pass both of Garcia's records early in the upcoming season. Hopefully the team does for him like they did for Garcia.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Garcia to San Jose for Number 1 Pick
After a quiet offseason so far for the Wizards, they jumped right into it today. The Wizards traded veteran defender Nick Garcia to expansion side San Jose for their first round pick, the number 1 pick overall in the draft. To this point, Garcia had spent all 8 of his seasons in the league in Kansas City, coming in as the number 2 pick in the 2000 season. Nick started all 224 league games that he played in for the Wizards, and started 272 of the 273 he played in all competitions for the team. All of which are team records. While he's appeared to have lost a step, he was still a fan favorite for the Wizards, and will likely continue to be treated in the way Chris Henderson and Diego Gutierrez are treated when they return to KC.
With the departure of Eddie Johnson imminent, it looks like the Wizards are moving into position to take Patrick Nyarko, who appears to be the favorite to go number one in the draft on Friday. The Virginia Tech Junior, would be a generation Adidas player for the Wizards, if he's who they take. The Wizards now have 4 of the first 25 picks (1, 11, 23, 25) in Fridays MLS draft.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Wizards Fantasy Draft Rounds 1 & 2
As I posted on Saturday, I started a Wizards history fantasy draft with a few friends of mine. Here is the first two rounds of the draft. The write ups on each pick are done by the drafter.
1(1). Team Shook - Preki - We were very excited to have the first pick in this draft, and we did a very thorough search to determine which player was deserving of the honor of the #1 pick.
We considered such stalwarts as Sergei Raad (who provided us with 22 heart-stopping minutes in 2006) and Yari Allnutt (still the only player in Wizards history to score a goal in every match he played in); as well as such fan favorites as Francisco Gomez (who else has been kind and thoughtful enough to give fans so many souvenir balls during the course of the games he played?).
But ultimately our search came back to the man in the middle with the virtually unpronounceable last name. Preki still holds (by a wide margin) every Wizards career scoring record with 71 goals, 98 assists for 240 points career points (next closest is 39/45/123 respectfully). Number 11 also holds the Wizards records for shots, shots on goal, is second in points per game, and is third in games played, games started, and minutes played for the Wizards franchise.
Preki also came up big in the playoffs, holding the career records for playoff goals (8) and playoff assists (4), and was a driving force of the offense as the Wizards won the 2000 MLS Cup. Preki is also one of only two Wizards to win MLS MVP awards (1997 and 2003), and the only player in MLS history to win multiple MVP awards and multiple scoring titles (also in 1997 and 2003).
By any measure, Preki (who played 9 seasons with the Wizards from 1996-2000 and 2002-2005) is the greatest player in Wizards history, and is deserving of the number one pick.
Perhaps if Yari Allnut had played in more than one game for the Wizards, he would have gotten more consideration...
1 (2). Team DTB - Tony Meola - With the second pick of the draft, Team DTB selects the only other Wizards player to ever win the MVP award. As I'd thought, the Shooks didn't pass on Preki, and honestly, who really could.
After a rough start to his KC career, where he missed most of the 99 season due to injury, came back with a vengeance in 2000, setting team and league records. Meola had 16 shutouts, a .92 GAA, along with winning Comeback Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, MLS Best XI honors, and MVP of the league and MLS Cup. Possibly the best single season in a Wizards players career. Meola holds basically every single team record for goalkeepers, games played (125), wins, (49), shutouts (37), and a GAA of only 1.22. He holds the same records for the Wizards in the playoffs as well, except for GAA, where he's only .01 out of first place in that category.
1 (3). Bravado FC - Mo Johnston - While the two previous selections are both solid, there is no player more important to the success of the Wizards franchise than Mo Johnston. He has demonstrated heart and courage beyond that of most players. By sacrificing his body, he helped create the goal that led the Wizards to the 2000 MLS Cup.
His presence in the attack will give us the spark that we need to prevail.
2 (1). Bravado FC - Miklos Molnar - Although Miklos played just one season with the Wizards - and not a full season at that - he showed a knack for finding goal that the strike force of today's squad would be well-served to notice. Even though he missed fully a third of the 2000 season on international duty with the Danish National Team, he scored the most game-winning goals of any player in MLS with six. Adding three playoff game winners cements his legacy in the minds of many Wizards fans and is good enough to warrant a second overall selection.
2 (2). Team DTB - Jimmy Conrad - The current Wizards captain will help lead our defense in front of Meola. Conrad has blossomed as a player while here in KC, going from an undrafted rookie, to captaining the national team last year. He's been a named MLS defender of the year, as well as being a multiple team MLS Best XI player.
2 (3). Team Shook - Nick Garcia - Nick is the all time leader in games played and minutes played for Kansas City and has been a rock in KC's defense for 8 years and on two cup championships(2000 and 2004) and also a leader on the team that went to MLS Cup 2004.
1(1). Team Shook - Preki - We were very excited to have the first pick in this draft, and we did a very thorough search to determine which player was deserving of the honor of the #1 pick.
We considered such stalwarts as Sergei Raad (who provided us with 22 heart-stopping minutes in 2006) and Yari Allnutt (still the only player in Wizards history to score a goal in every match he played in); as well as such fan favorites as Francisco Gomez (who else has been kind and thoughtful enough to give fans so many souvenir balls during the course of the games he played?).
But ultimately our search came back to the man in the middle with the virtually unpronounceable last name. Preki still holds (by a wide margin) every Wizards career scoring record with 71 goals, 98 assists for 240 points career points (next closest is 39/45/123 respectfully). Number 11 also holds the Wizards records for shots, shots on goal, is second in points per game, and is third in games played, games started, and minutes played for the Wizards franchise.
Preki also came up big in the playoffs, holding the career records for playoff goals (8) and playoff assists (4), and was a driving force of the offense as the Wizards won the 2000 MLS Cup. Preki is also one of only two Wizards to win MLS MVP awards (1997 and 2003), and the only player in MLS history to win multiple MVP awards and multiple scoring titles (also in 1997 and 2003).
By any measure, Preki (who played 9 seasons with the Wizards from 1996-2000 and 2002-2005) is the greatest player in Wizards history, and is deserving of the number one pick.
Perhaps if Yari Allnut had played in more than one game for the Wizards, he would have gotten more consideration...
1 (2). Team DTB - Tony Meola - With the second pick of the draft, Team DTB selects the only other Wizards player to ever win the MVP award. As I'd thought, the Shooks didn't pass on Preki, and honestly, who really could.
After a rough start to his KC career, where he missed most of the 99 season due to injury, came back with a vengeance in 2000, setting team and league records. Meola had 16 shutouts, a .92 GAA, along with winning Comeback Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, MLS Best XI honors, and MVP of the league and MLS Cup. Possibly the best single season in a Wizards players career. Meola holds basically every single team record for goalkeepers, games played (125), wins, (49), shutouts (37), and a GAA of only 1.22. He holds the same records for the Wizards in the playoffs as well, except for GAA, where he's only .01 out of first place in that category.
1 (3). Bravado FC - Mo Johnston - While the two previous selections are both solid, there is no player more important to the success of the Wizards franchise than Mo Johnston. He has demonstrated heart and courage beyond that of most players. By sacrificing his body, he helped create the goal that led the Wizards to the 2000 MLS Cup.
His presence in the attack will give us the spark that we need to prevail.
2 (1). Bravado FC - Miklos Molnar - Although Miklos played just one season with the Wizards - and not a full season at that - he showed a knack for finding goal that the strike force of today's squad would be well-served to notice. Even though he missed fully a third of the 2000 season on international duty with the Danish National Team, he scored the most game-winning goals of any player in MLS with six. Adding three playoff game winners cements his legacy in the minds of many Wizards fans and is good enough to warrant a second overall selection.
2 (2). Team DTB - Jimmy Conrad - The current Wizards captain will help lead our defense in front of Meola. Conrad has blossomed as a player while here in KC, going from an undrafted rookie, to captaining the national team last year. He's been a named MLS defender of the year, as well as being a multiple team MLS Best XI player.
2 (3). Team Shook - Nick Garcia - Nick is the all time leader in games played and minutes played for Kansas City and has been a rock in KC's defense for 8 years and on two cup championships(2000 and 2004) and also a leader on the team that went to MLS Cup 2004.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Shades of 2000, Wizards Defense Sees them Through
Wizards coach, Curt Onalfo has prided himself on saying that the Wizards are a team that was going to come out this season and attack. It showed throughout the regular season as the Wizards would throw numbers forward. In the process, their defense, which had been rock solid started to leak more and more goals. Last night all that changed.
Protecting a 1-0 lead from their home leg, the Wizards brought back signs of the great 2000 season Wizards defense. After a quick 15 minute start where the Wizards created probably their best chance, the team started to go into a defensive shell. Part of the reason for this, as Onalfo explains in this audio clip from the Sideline Views blog, was the fact that the Wizards were unable to hold much possession, which forced them into the defensive shell.
Throughout the week leading up to this game, much was said from Chivas' end about how they were going to take it to KC, and that the Wizards didn't have the personnel to stop them for 90 minutes. Even after the game, Chivas coach, Preki, doing his best Jose Mourinho impression, said the Wizards were lucky to even be in the playoffs, let alone win, "They were fortunate to be in the playoffs and they were fortunate tonight. There are no excuses. We played really good, we just couldn't put the ball away. We totally dominated. We're a far better team."
Sasha Victorine had the best response to Preki's comments though, with this gem from the same link above. "Lucky my ass," he said. "They haven't scored a goal on us in 180 minutes."
The Wizards were lucky in one or two regards, though, as Chivas had two shots hit the post, Kurt Morsink saved a ball off the line, and Chivas had a handball call go unheard (It's the same call the Wizards have had called on them at least twice this season, when a cross has struck a defenders arm.). Overall, while it wasn't the type of game I think anyone wanted, the Wizards will take it and move on to Houston to take on the Dynamo for the Western Conference title.
3 Stars of the Game
1. Kevin Hartman - KC - Came up with the big saves when he was needed, including some gems in the first half. Yet another time where we see why he was brought in.
2. Jimmy Conrad - KC - Chivas continually tried to come through the Wizards central defense, and Wizards captain Jimmy Conrad, along with central defense partner Nick Garcia worked to shut them down. Specifically Maykel Galindo, who while not 100% was still a handful, but Conrad handled him well.
3. Nick Garcia - KC - Conrad's partner in the back was just as strong as Conrad helping to clog up the middle of the field and keep Chivas from getting too many quality chances.
Protecting a 1-0 lead from their home leg, the Wizards brought back signs of the great 2000 season Wizards defense. After a quick 15 minute start where the Wizards created probably their best chance, the team started to go into a defensive shell. Part of the reason for this, as Onalfo explains in this audio clip from the Sideline Views blog, was the fact that the Wizards were unable to hold much possession, which forced them into the defensive shell.
Throughout the week leading up to this game, much was said from Chivas' end about how they were going to take it to KC, and that the Wizards didn't have the personnel to stop them for 90 minutes. Even after the game, Chivas coach, Preki, doing his best Jose Mourinho impression, said the Wizards were lucky to even be in the playoffs, let alone win, "They were fortunate to be in the playoffs and they were fortunate tonight. There are no excuses. We played really good, we just couldn't put the ball away. We totally dominated. We're a far better team."
Sasha Victorine had the best response to Preki's comments though, with this gem from the same link above. "Lucky my ass," he said. "They haven't scored a goal on us in 180 minutes."
The Wizards were lucky in one or two regards, though, as Chivas had two shots hit the post, Kurt Morsink saved a ball off the line, and Chivas had a handball call go unheard (It's the same call the Wizards have had called on them at least twice this season, when a cross has struck a defenders arm.). Overall, while it wasn't the type of game I think anyone wanted, the Wizards will take it and move on to Houston to take on the Dynamo for the Western Conference title.
3 Stars of the Game
1. Kevin Hartman - KC - Came up with the big saves when he was needed, including some gems in the first half. Yet another time where we see why he was brought in.
2. Jimmy Conrad - KC - Chivas continually tried to come through the Wizards central defense, and Wizards captain Jimmy Conrad, along with central defense partner Nick Garcia worked to shut them down. Specifically Maykel Galindo, who while not 100% was still a handful, but Conrad handled him well.
3. Nick Garcia - KC - Conrad's partner in the back was just as strong as Conrad helping to clog up the middle of the field and keep Chivas from getting too many quality chances.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Reds and Missed Chances Doom Wizards
The Wizards saw 2 players sent off and missed numerous good first half chances which ended up dooming the Wizards in front of 32,000 plus fans. Jimmy Conrad and Davy Arnaud both saw red for challenges on Peter Vagenas in the second half.
While Wizards fans will argue over whether the challenges were really red cards or not, I believe that both were certainly justifiable reds. Both were reckless challenges, Jimmy came in with his studs up, while Davy came into his challenge very late. Some days, those calls are just yellows, and some days they are red, last night they were both red carable.
Those cards likely wouldn't have happened, though, if the Wizards had taken advantage of their numerous chances in the first half. The Wizards could have had a goal within the first few minutes on an own goal as a Wizards cross was deflected onto the cross bar. Joe Cannon was under more pressure from his own team, as he had to come up with a big save on another almost own goal. Eddie Johnson hit the post in the first half, and Davy Arnaud also went close.
In the second half, the Wizards best chance fell to Eloy Colombano, who received a through ball and rounded Cannon, only to try and blast the ball into the net instead of trying to slot the ball home side footed. The Wizards paid when they went down 1 man, as Gavin Glinton scored on a header to give the Galaxy the only goal they needed.
3 Stars of the Game
1. Joe Cannon - LA - Made the saves he needed to make to preserve the shut out, inlcuding from his own team.
2. Chris Klein - LA - The Wizards former winger helped to shut down the Wizards attack.
3. Nick Garcia - KC - The Wizards defense stepped up last night stopping the Galaxy attack almost all night.
While Wizards fans will argue over whether the challenges were really red cards or not, I believe that both were certainly justifiable reds. Both were reckless challenges, Jimmy came in with his studs up, while Davy came into his challenge very late. Some days, those calls are just yellows, and some days they are red, last night they were both red carable.
Those cards likely wouldn't have happened, though, if the Wizards had taken advantage of their numerous chances in the first half. The Wizards could have had a goal within the first few minutes on an own goal as a Wizards cross was deflected onto the cross bar. Joe Cannon was under more pressure from his own team, as he had to come up with a big save on another almost own goal. Eddie Johnson hit the post in the first half, and Davy Arnaud also went close.
In the second half, the Wizards best chance fell to Eloy Colombano, who received a through ball and rounded Cannon, only to try and blast the ball into the net instead of trying to slot the ball home side footed. The Wizards paid when they went down 1 man, as Gavin Glinton scored on a header to give the Galaxy the only goal they needed.
3 Stars of the Game
1. Joe Cannon - LA - Made the saves he needed to make to preserve the shut out, inlcuding from his own team.
2. Chris Klein - LA - The Wizards former winger helped to shut down the Wizards attack.
3. Nick Garcia - KC - The Wizards defense stepped up last night stopping the Galaxy attack almost all night.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Garcia Sets Mark
Wizards defender, Nick Garcia set the Wizards record for most appearances tonight in MLS games for the Wizards, with 219. He breaks Preki's record of 218. Congrats to Nick for setting the mark.
A full match review of the Wizards 3-2 win tonight will be up tomorrow.
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