Photo by ISIphotos.com
With the MLS regular season finally over, it is time to start thinking about the winners of the league’s season ending awards. SBI will be naming its award winners as we get closer to the MLS Cup final, but we will be asking you, the readers, for your take on all of the awards.
Let us start off with MLS Best XI, which honors the players at every position who have had the best 2008 season (remember, it’s not who the best players are, but what players had the best season). While there are some easy choices to make for MLS Best XI, such as Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Landon Donovan, there are also plenty of difficult choices to make.
To submit your informal SBI ballot, simply type the list of 11 players consisting of a goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards like this:
Josh Wicks, Duilio Davino, Greg Vanney, Eduardo Dominguez, Laurent Robert, Alvaro Pires, Marcelo Gallardo, Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Tomasz Frankowski and Jovan Kirovski
SBI will reveal its own MLS Best XI on Friday. For now, please submit your Best XI, along with your brief reasonings for your selections, in the comments section below.
I think the best XI listed is pretty much unbeatable as is.
Jon Busch, Wade Barrett, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, Brian Carroll, Robbie Rogers, Shalrie Joseph, Dwayne De Rosario, David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper
Josh Wicks, Duilio Davino, Greg Vanney, Eduardo Dominguez, Laurent Robert, Alvaro Pires, Marcelo Gallardo, Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Tomasz Frankowski and Jovan Kirovski
Could this team beat LA? Probably
John Busch, Chad Marshall, Bobby Boswell, Jimmy Conrad, Ricardo Clark, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis, G.B. Schelotto, Landon Donovan, Brian Ching and J.P. Angel
Bench: Joe Cannon, Bakary Soumare, Brian Carroll, Steve Ralston, Kenny Cooper
I’m a Dynamo homer — what can I say. But if I had to win a game I’d want Ching and Angel up top. They’re clutch players who work well with their teammates. Busch is playing like his old self.
Busch, Conrad, Marshall, Soumare, Morales, Schelotto, DeRosario, Ralston, Joseph, Donovan, Cooper
Reis
Barrett, Soumare, Conrad
Thorrington, GBS, Joseph, Becks, Klejstan
Donovan, Cooper
I’m sure people will have criticism for me choosing Thorrington but I’ve watched all the Fire games this year and I can’t help but think he’s one of the big reasons we got into the playoffs.
I think Robert is a little bit of a reach but the rest of Ives’ picks I’m basically ok with
Jon Busch, Michael Parkhurst, Jimmy Conrad, Brian Caroll, Shalrie Joseph, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Steve Ralston, David Beckham, Jaime Moreno, Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper.
That team can beat any team in MLS and in the SuperLiga or CONCACAF CL
Jon Busch
Michael Parkhurst
Jimmy Conrad
Frankie Hedjuk
Shalrie Joseph
Cuahtemoc Blanco
Javier Morales
Guillermo Schelotto
Landon Donovan
Juan Pablo Angel
Kenny Cooper
I haven’t seen enough to know who really excelled defensively, so I went with the usual suspects. That said, I’ve seen enough to take everyone in the midfield and up front ahead of this Beckham guy I keep hearing about. I like Landon in the midfield role, and Angel was great when he played, so Landon wins the spot over Beckham.
Joe Cannon, Sharie Joseph, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Juan Pablo Angel, Landon Donovan, Michael Parkhurst, Jimmy Conrad, David Beckham, Daron Huckerbey, Frankie Hejduk. (if not for the suspension Jeff Park would make this list)
These guys have preformed well this year. And Mike, anyone could beat LA. my pub team could beat LA.
Jon Busch, Chad Marshall, Wade Barrett, Gonzalo Segares, Shalrie Jospeh, Robbie Rogers, Javier Morales, Darren Huckerby, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper
Busch, Soumare, Boswell, Marshall, Carroll, Barros Schelotto, Ralston, Klejstan, Joseph, Donovan, Cooper
Joe Canon: best goalie in the league, was in the top 5 of the stats, with an expansion side defense in front of him
Marvell Wynne: most improved and dangerous right back
Jimmy Conrad: scoring goals and leading KC into playoffs
Bakary Soumare: solid and a key to CHI success
Conde: the guy can play
Cuauhtemoc: brought the offensive spark to go along with CHI defensive strength. 7 goals, 11 assists
Schelotto: peter pan, was the leader of the lost boys and took them top of the table. 7 goals, 19 ASSISTS!!!
Morales: RSL is in the playoffs and it is thanks to this guy. 6 goals, 15 ASSISTS.
Donovan: 20 goals 9 assists, nuff said
Cooper:18 goals
Brian Ching: 13 goals, 5 assists, best season of his career.
Jon Busch, Frankie Hedjuk, Chad Marshall, Bobby Boswell, Gonzalo Segares, Steve Ralston, Javier Morales, GBS, Robbie Rogers, Landon Donovan, and Juan Pablo Angel
Will Hesmer, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, Sean Franklin, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, David Beckham, Brandon McDonald, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle
My Galaxy need to win something this year, a few spots in the SBI Best XI would be a small consolation…
Cannon
Conrad
Marshall
Segares
Blanco
Morales
Schelotto
Rolfe
Donovan
Huckerby (even with limited games)
Cooper
Joe Cannon
Gonzalo Segares, Wade Barrett, Marvell Wynne
GBS, Shalrie Joseph, D. Huckerby, Steve Ralston, DVB,
Lando, JPAngel
will hesmer, bakary soumare, chad marshall, marvell wynne, shalrie joseph, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Dwayne DeRosario, Javier Morales, Landon Dononvan, Robbie Rogers, Kenny Cooper
Hesmer
Wynne,Conrad,Conde
Klejstan,Blanco,Schelotto,Morales,Ralston
Cooper,Donovan
Soumare, Morales, and Rogers would be my subs (for the lineup above)
Will Hesmer, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, Gonzalo Segares, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Javier Morales, Steve Ralston, Sacha Kljestan, Nick Labrocca, Kenny Cooper, Landon Donovan
Cannon
Marshall, Conde, Segares
Schelotto, Klejstan, Joseph, VanDenBergh, Morales
Angel, Donovan
Matt Reis
Chad Marshal, Marvell Wynne, Bakary Soumare
Robbie Rogers, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Darren Huckerby, Javier Morales, David Beckham
Landon Donovan, Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Bench: Jimmy Conrad, Juan Pablo Angel, Shalarie Joseph, Dwayne De Rosario, Brian Carroll, Kenny Cooper, Wilman Conde, John Busch
I had the hardest time with defensive midfielders, not a good year for them. I thought Joseph, Rico Clark, and Beckerman all had sub-par years. What a year for MLS forwards though, some great years didn’t make the bench. I went with Reis at keeper because I saw more games that he completely dominated than anyone else.
cannon, soumare, marshall,conrad, Klejstan, Huckerby, schelotto, blanco, donovan(counting him as a midfielder),Cooper,Angel
i cant stress Angel, Cooper, and Donovan enough…they were one man armies for their teams.
——–busch——–
wynne-Soumare-Segares
—-Pause–Carrol—-
Ralston–GBS–Rogers
—Cooper—Donovan–
Joe Cannon, Bakary Soumare, Chad Marshall, Jimmy Conrad, Dwayne De Rosario, Steve Ralston, Robbie Rogers, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Kenny Cooper and Landon Donovan
I think honourable mentions should go to Edson Buddle and Conor Casey for shining in very poor sides. Also to Gino Padula and Darren Huckerby for coming in during the second half of the season and being very solid performers.
John Busch,
Chad Marshall, Bobby Boswell, Jimmy Conrad, Segares
D. Beckham, S. Joseph, G.B. Schelotto, Blanco
Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper
Cannon
Wynne, Conrad, Soumare
Joseph, Beckham
Huckerby, Javier Morales, Schelotto
Donovan, Cooper
Bench: Conde, Blanco, Van DeBurgh, Marshall, De Rosario, Rogers
————-Busch————-
wynee–conrad–parkhurst–conde
————Shalrie————
Beckham—-De-Ro–GBS—-Donovan
————-Cooper————-
Ives,
Please submit your example above as my official Best 11 nomination.
Regards,
Curtis
Busch (best in GA stat)
Heduk (still good)
Marshall (can head the ball on corners)
Soumare (Chi much better w/ him in there)
Bornstein (tough call vs Segares)
Ramiro Corales ( SJ couldn’t win w/o him)
Schelotto (better than Blanco this year)
Darren Huckerby (exciting)
Ronnie O’Brien (played better than Becks)
Cooper (even more goals if used his noggin)
Donovan ( Golden Boot Award)
Subs: Onstad, Conrad, DeRosario, Angel, and Shea Salinas (best in MLS at attacking w/ ball since Clint Dempsey)
Joe Cannon, Bakary Soumare, Chad Marshall, Sean Franklin, Shalrie Joseph, Darren Huckerby, Robbie Rogers, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Kenny Cooper and Landon Donovan
Busch, Soumare, Conrad, Hejduk
Huckerby, Joseph, Blanco, Beckham, Schelotto
Donovan, Cooper
Jon Busch, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, Wade Barrett, Brad Davis, Javier Morales, Steve Ralston, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Landon Donovan, Juan Pablo Angel
bush,wynne, soumare, marhsal, schelleto, dero, joseph,thorrington,huckerby,donovan,angel
Hartman
Marshall, Conrad, Barrett
Schelotto, Rogers, Joseph, Morales, Donovan
Cooper, Angel
Busch
Conrad, Chad Marshal, Segares
VandenBergh, Schelotto, Morales, Ralston
Donovan, Angel, Cooper
————-cannon————-
franklin–soumare–parkhurst–segares
————-joseph————-
beckham—————–morales-
————schelotto————
———angel—-donovan——-
bench:
helsmer, cooper, wynne, conrad, blanco, de rosario
jon busch
bakary soumare, jimmy conrad, michael parkhurst
shalrie joseph, cuahtemoc blanco, guillermo schelotto, yuri morales, landon donovan (foward/midfield flex, you get it)
kenny cooper, darren huckerby
Busch
Soumare, Marshal, Boswell
S. Joseph, Morales, Ralston, Blanco, Schelotto
Donovan, K. Cooper
Busch, Segares, Marshall, Barrett, GBS, Morales, Carroll, Ralston, Huckerbee, Cooper, Landycakes
Kevin Hartman, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, Bakary Soumare, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Steve Ralston, Cuahtemoc Blanco, Dave van den bergh, Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper
Too lay to put together a list. But as an RSL fan I’m pleased to see Morales on so many lists.
Too lazy, that is.
I really can’t believe anyone picked Matt Reis as GK for this year. He’s a great keeper, but did not have a good year. Any of Onstad, Busch, Cannon and Hesmer had much better years.
Onstadt,
W. Barrett, C. Marshall, Padula
Kljestan, Blanco, Joseph, Clark, Beckham
Angel, Donovan
busch, wynne, soumare, segares,
beckham, blanco, schelloto, van den bergh, de rosario
donovan, angel
reis had a great first half of the year… until he got hurt.
Ives, how did you guess my First XI? Your choices were spot on. Heres another take:
Busch
Wingert, Conde, Marshall
Huckerby, Joseph, Morales, Ralston, Schelotto
Cooper, Donovan
i’d put cichero, khano smith, and xavier abel in the worst xi.
wicks certainly takes the cake at GK.
Ives, Kudos on the site. I am on at least once a day. Could you please comment on the “sample” list you posted. You don’t really mean you believe these are the best XI do you? Some people seem to think it a decent list, but obviously your tongue is planted firmly in cheek as none of these guys were even close to best XI. Please let us all know you haven’t lost your good sense. You don’t have to say who you would pick as you are keeping that close to the vest for now.
Nick Rimando
Hejduk, Conrad, Olave
Blanco, Schelotto, Huckerby, Beckham, Joseph
Donovan, Cooper
(and a shout out to Chris Wingert on a fine, and underrated, year)
Hesmer – edges out Busch b/c I’m a Crew homer
Marshall – no, not him the center back; yeah, wears #14; really tall… well, the one in Columbus, not the one in Toronto
B Soumare – Very good, very steady performer
Jamison Olave – Totally under-rated do-it-all guy edges out Conrad and Hejduk
Brian Carroll – Never takes a game, a play, or a minute off and blows up every opposition attack… rarely concedes the foul and almost never carded
C Blanco – Engine that drives an impressive attack
R Rogers – Told you I’m a Crew homer. But he really is that good
Shalrie Joseph – Held together a team falling apart around him
Huckerby – Listed as a MF, plays like a F, and did any mid-season acquisition have as much influence on a team as he did?
Schelotto – Listed as a F, plays like a MF. Balances the selection of Huckerby. League MVP who’s deadly on dead balls and plays providers to everyone else
Donovan – Hard to ignore his numbers, even compared to Cooper
Subs: Busch, Cooper, Hejduk, DeRosario
So yeah, 5 Crew players, but they were the best team in the league. If you want to trade Hesmer for Busch, I won’t argue. But you can’t really make too much of a case *against* Marshall or Schelotto, and in my mind, against Carroll, either.
Jesus look at all the Cooper fanbois… how many of his second half of the season goals were PKs that he didnt earn? Oh yeah, a lot.
Onstad
Soumare, Boswell ,Barrett
Clark
Donovan, GBS, Brad Davis
DeRo
Ching, Angel
Matt Reis, Jon Conrad, Frankie Hejduk, Wade Barrett, Shalarie Joseph, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Sacha Klejstan, David Beckham, Dewayne De Rosario, Landon Donovan, Juan Pablo Angel
Beckham on so many lists? Why? Maybe the first half of the season, but after July – nada. He was already dreaming of ACM.
first 11:
Matt Reis
Hey!Duck!! – Jamison Olave – Barrett
Showering Joseph – Javi Morales – GBS – Robbie Roggers – Sasha Klejstian
Donovan – Cooperboy
Last 11:
Wicks
Cinchero – UnAbel X – Peralta
Franchino – Robert Lorent – Giallardo – Grababoy – Chrisian Gomez
Espindola (backflipboy) – Gallindo
Busch
Marshall, Conrad, Boswell
Carroll, GBS, Huckerby, Morales, Joseph
Donovan, Cooper
Any ballot including goldenballs should automatically be disqualified. There’s no way two Galaxians make this list and Donovan earned it not his royal brandness!
Uh, Tim – you have no right to talk about Cooper fanboys.
DeRo has no place near a best 11.
William Hesmer, Gonzalo Segares, Chad Marshall, Jimmy Conrad,
Guillermo Barros Schelotto , Cuantehemoc Blanco, Javier Morales,
Steve Ralston, Brian Carroll, Landon Donovan, & Kenny cooper
Carroll may be the most surprising, but he had a better year than Joseph at CDM.
He played every game, only committed as many fouls as he suffered,
low yellow card count, and is the main reason GBS was able to do what he did.
I included Blanco & Schelotto as midfielders, though they often play as withdrawn strikers.
It was hard to not include any Houston or Chivas players given their success, but they
seemed to be lacking individual superstar performances. Could argue Ching or Klejstan.
Hesmer
Conrad, Marshall, Olave
Joseph, GBS, Morales, Huckerby, Ralston
Cooper, Donovan
I think you could even remove Ralston and put Ching instead. I would rather have that kind of 3-4-3 instead of a 3-5-2.
Onstadt
Marshall
Boswell
Conrad
Beckham
Schelotto
Huckerby
De Rosario
Blanco
Donovan
Cooper
William Hesmer, Gonzalo Segares, Chad Marshall, Jimmy Conrad,
Guillermo Barros Schelotto , Cuantehemoc Blanco, Javier Morales,
Steve Ralston, Brian Carroll, Landon Donovan, & Kenny cooper
Carroll may be the most surprising, but he had a better year than Joseph at CDM.
He played every game, only committed as many fouls as he suffered,
low yellow card count, and is the main reason GBS was able to do what he did.
I included Blanco & Schelotto as midfielders, though they often play as withdrawn strikers.
It was hard to not include any Houston or Chivas players given their success, but they
seemed to be lacking individual superstar performances. Could argue Ching or Klejstan.
Busch
Wynne Marshall Soumare
Donovan Schelotto Joseph Morales Beckham
Angel Cooper
Hesmer
Wynne,Conrad,Conde
Donovan,Schelloto,Joseph,Morales,Rogers
Cooper,JPAngel
Hesmer really proved his worth this year and earned extra points w/ athletic saves
Wynne demonstrated his shutdown d and utilized his speed to create scoring chances. His improvement has been immense since Copa America.
Conrad beats out Marshall on goals scored and his leadership which led to the playoffs. Marshall was a close second.
Conde showed great defensive instincts and is the best distributing MLS centerback.
Donovan played both fwd/mid. He was included to make way for JPA. When Landy is feeling it, defenses struggle with his skills. Good luck in Europe.
Joseph, the most underappreciated player in MLS, showed his astute box-to-box play, great passing, and leadership in the midfield. His superliga play was great.
Morales has increased the level of play for RSL. His vision, passing, and offensive acumen has brought RSL for the first time. Teams around the league should take a page out of RSL’s scouting obtaining young South American players that can improve the league.
Schelloto has been so money this whole season. His passing, set pieces, and intensity has allowed the Crew to the supporters shield. Great acquistition for his contract and production. MVP for 2008
Rogers combined with GBS has been a terrifying experience for most MLS defenses. Robbie has had a break out year utilizing his speed and taking on defenders 1v1. He is a game changer and plays well with both feet. If Rogers stay healthy and the Crew add some more team speed, he could tally a 15+ goal season.
Cooper has been the MVP of FC Dallas. His eighteen goals were a personal best. Although he did not receive the best service this season, his ability to create his own shot and take defenders on 1v1. It was enjoyable watching him this season and hope that he stays in MLS. Time will tell if they give him a better supporting cast ,but if he receives an attractive european offer, he is gone.
JPA has definitely earned his DP money with precision fininshing and superior skill. It is amazing the types of goals that he scores with the number of shots on goal. Definitely the best DP player this year which makes up for CLaudio Reyna…….Sorry David,,,,,,,but your the most marketable.
Honorable Mention
Reis
Marshall,Soumare,Segares
Kljestan,Blanco,Clark,Becks,Huckerby
Buddle,Casey
Reis
Wynne, Soumare, Marshall
Schelotto, Joseph, Ralston, Blanco, Kljestan
Cooper, Donovan
Busch, C Marshall, Conrad, Parkhurst, Joseph, Schelotto, Morales, Blanco, Beckham, Donovan, Angel.
Sub for each position pretty much a Houston player for each spot (Onstad, Barrett, Dero, Ching)
Busch
CONRAD, SOUMARE, MARSHALL
ROGERS, BLANCO, SCHELLOTO, JOSEPH, VAN DER BERGH
COOPER, DONOVAN
Busch
Soumare
Segares
Conrad
Schelotto
Ralston
Rogers
Kljestan
Morales
Donovan
Cooper
Busch
Conde, Conrad, Parkhurst
Ralston (when healthy), Joseph, Beckham, Schelloto, and that jackass Blanco
Lando and Ching.
Screw the Western Division (I should have left them off).
1st XI:
Hesmer
Marshall, Conrad, Conde
Schelotto, Morales, Joseph, Blanco, Kljestan
Angel, Donovan
2nd XI:
Cannon
Olave, Soumare, Boswell
Rolfe, Arnaud, Thorrington, Beckham, Ralston
J. Moreno, Cooper
3rd XI:
Busch
Hernandez, Borchers, Segares
Beckerman, Jewsbury, Huckerby, Van den Berg, Rogers
Ching, Casey
Others receiving votes:
Rimando
Wynne, Brennan, Mendoza, Wingert, Parkhurst
C. Clark, Carroll, Corrales, R. Clark, Quaranta, Guevara, DeRosario
Emilio, Buddle, Twellman
Busch
Hejduk-Soumare-Conrad
Ralston-Joseph-J.Morales
Blanco-Baros Schelotto
Donovan-Cooper
Notes:
*Ralston narrowly beats out Beckham & Cooke.
*Huckerby would’ve been a shoe-in, but I don’t count players who didn’t play at least half a season.
*Not sure why Angel is being picked over Cooper…the numbers support Cooper.
BIG JON BUSCH
Segares, Soumare, Conde
GBS, Pause, Kljestan, Rogers, Blanco
Landy Cakes JPA
Mark: “Not sure why Angel is being picked over Cooper…the numbers support Cooper.”
1. Probably it’s due to a gut feel that JPA’s goals we’re more impressive/skillful. That and his record of dominance from last year probably influences opinions too.
2. The numbers can go either way. For JPA, he actually has more goal/min and goals/start than KC. Also, when you take away PK goals, KC has 14 and JPA 13 from the run of play, making JPA’s edge in scoring rate all the greater (22 starts v. 30 starts). On the hand, the pro-KC arguments are that playing more minutes is a good thing, and ultimately that scoring more goals matters. Also, at least KC made all his PKs (4-4), whereas Angel was 1-2.
For me it could go either way.
jon busch
bakary soumare – chad marshall – jimmy conrad
Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Darren Huckerby – Dave van den Bergh – Javier Morales – Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Landon Donovan – Kenny Cooper
Thanks for looking up Cooper’s pk’s, someone made the lame argument that his stats were bolstered by them. Not too bolstered.
The KC/JPA debate brings up one of the harder aspects of voting – do you support the more skillful player (JPA) who had a long stretch of poor play, or the more consistent guy who still turned in a great year (KC)? It’s why the arguments are fun.
Busch
C. Marshall, Soumare, Segares
Joseph, Ralston, Schelotto, Kljestan, Morales
Donovan, Cooper
I’ve only watched TFC games, so I dont’ feel qualified to say much, but I can tell you that Carl Robinson is TFC’s best player game in, game out. He’s a solid defensive midfielder. I don’t know if he’s good enough to make a best 11 or not, but he’s got quality.
Jon Busch
Bakary Soumare
Wilman Conde
Gonzalo Segares
Steve Ralston
Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Guillermo Baros Schelotto
Javier Morales
David Beckham
Kenny Cooper
Landon Donovan
I know that picking 4 Fire players in the back may seem absurd but I truly feel that they each are the best player at their position in the league. MLSnet had some page that previewed the end of season awards and as of a few weeks ago Segares and Soumare were 1-2 on that list – and I think Conde has been better than both of them (I know it took him a little while to win the starting job but he has been fantastic ever since). And all 3 guys are great defenders and great going forward.
I don’t think that my midfield and forward choices need explanation though.
Busch, Segares, Marshall, Conrad, Schelloto, Ralston, Morales, Blanco, Kljestan, Cooper, Donovan
Hesmer
Marshall Olave Soumare Segares
Ralston Morales Schelotto Huckerby
Cooper Donovan
These guys did not play badly:
Seitz
Valentino, Elkinson, Koroma
Kraus, Hatzke, Mayen, Tennelle
Pierre-Louis, Josten
All Dev-Roster-XI:
R. Burse
J. Leathers, B. Soumare, B. Burling, B. Wagner
G. Cameron, N. LaBrocca, R. Espinoza, R. Rogers
Y. Movsyssian, J. Braun
Bench:
P. Ianni, J. Harvey, K. Kimura, T. Beltran
J. Flores, E. Avila, A. Wallace, D. Borman
A. Ibrahim, P. Nyarko, S. Lenhart
Busch
Marshall, Conrad, Barrett, Segares
Joseph, Morales, Blanco, Schlelotto
Cooper, Donovan
subs: Onstad, Soumare, Huckerby, Angel, Carroll
hesmer
wynne,Marshall,Boswell
Schelotto, Morales, Huckerby, Joseph
Cooper, Donavan, Jaime Moreno(only player with at least 10 and 10)
Jon Busch; Jimmy Conrad, Bakary Soumare, Wade Barrett; Dave Van Den Bergh, David Beckham, Guillermo Barros Scholetto, Landon Donovan, Darren Huckerby; Kenny Cooper, Juan Pablo Angel.
Jon Busch
Michael Parkhurst
Jimmy Conrad
Chad Marshall
Shalrie Joseph
Cuahtemoc Blanco
Javier Morales
Guillermo Schelotto
Landon Donovan
Juan Pablo Angel
Kenny Cooper
Joe Cannon, Chad Marshall, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares, Darren Huckerby, Dave Van Den Bergh, GBS, Sascha Klejstan, Shalrie Joseph, Landon Donovan, Kenny Cooper
Cannon, Wynne, Soumare, Marshall, Kljestan, Joseph, Schelotto, Morales, Huckerby, Donovan, Cooper
Josh Wicks, Duilio Davino, Greg Vanney, Eduardo Dominguez, Laurent Robert, Alvaro Pires, Marcelo Gallardo, Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Tomasz Frankowski and Jovan Kirovski
Flops or Underachievers top 11?
busch, soumare, conrad, marvelous marvel wynne,if I must play 3 in the back. shalrie joseph, ricky (the most underrated) clark, derosario, van denbergh and blanco, juan pablo and landon. additinally rogers, ching and kljestan if I could field 14. next years best 11 will include MIKE MAGEE, heard it here first. coached by osorio and preki, the best in the league Left Beckham off but still over the salary cap!!!!
Busch
Chad Marshall,Soumare,Conde,Segares
Huckerby, Joseph, Morales, Schelotto
Angel–Donovan
(and pray Joseph sweeps everything at defensive mid)
Just for kicks let’s see someone top Ives “worst eleven”
Rimando
Wynne, Olave, Soumare
Schelotto, Morales, De Rosario, Beckham, Ralston
Donovan, Angel
Clearly a bunch of people didn’t read Ives’ instruction: 3 defenders, 5 MF, 2 forwards
Jon Busch; Jamison Olave, Chad Marshall, Gonzalo Segares; Brian Carroll, Shalrie Joseph, Darren Huckerby, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto; Landon Donovan, Juan Pablo Angel.
Those including Beckham did not watch him very often June and beyond
Cannon
Gibbs Soumare Hejduk
Beckham D-Ro Schelotto Joseph Blanco
Donovan Angel
Honorables:
Klejstan
Cooper
Segares
Rogers
DVB
Ralston
Parkhurst
Santino Q
Cannon
Soumare
Marshall
Parkhurst
Schelotto
DeRosario
Joseph
Donovan
Blanco
Angel
Cooper
Jon Busch–best GAA in the league–enough said.
Boukary Somare–can we get this guy citizenship soon so he can play for the U.S.
Marvell Wynne-most improved right back in the league, if he can get his crosses better, he will destroy oppostion left sides.
Michael Parkhurst–steadiness defined.
Shalrie Joseph–best holding midfielder in the MLS–bar none.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto–19 assists, please, is there anyone else you want operating as your playmaker.
Landon Donovan–the Golden Boot has to have a place, right. Let him attack from the middle.
Sacha Kljestan–one of teh best things going for Chivas, too bad they won’t have him next year.
Darren Huckerby–the best Englishman playing in MLS. His impact on the Earthquakes was real and timely.
Kenny Cooper–big man up top, scoring lots of goals, shame his team didn’t make the playoffs this year.
Juan Pablo Angel–a mixed season at times, but he turned it on when it mattered.
My Bench: Joe Cannon, Frankie Hejduk, DeRosario, Robbie Rodgers.
Busch
Soumare,Marshall,Conrad
Morales,Ralston,Barros Scholetto,Joseph,De Rosario
Cooper, Donovan
I have to reward the players who led their teams to the playoffs when it comes to gk,def,and mf. But for forwards I gotta go with the top 2 scorers, each of whom could have played their last game in MLS.