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The first seven weeks of the 2011 MLS season have seen some real roller-coaster rides for some teams, but for the cream of the crop, the season has been a steady rise to the top of the standings.
For the clubs enjoying the best early goings, their successes can be linked to the strong performances of the league's best players in the early going. Whether it is Teemu Tainio running the midfield in New York, Brad Davis spear-heading the Houston attack or Faryd Mondragon leading the stingy Philadelphia back-line, there is a strong collection of talent leading the charge in the season's opening weeks.
So who has been the very best in MLS through the season's first six week's? Here are SBI's selections for the first MLS Team of the Month:
HONORABLE MENTION
Tally Hall, Omar Gonzalez, Jan Gunnar Solli, Nat Borchers, Tim Ream, Rafa Marquez, Davide Chiumiento, David Ferreira, Osvaldo Alonso, Shalrie Joseph, Javier Morales, David Beckham, David Ferreira, Kalif Alhassan, Mauro Rosales, Will Bruin, Luke Rodgers, Thierry Henry, Fredy Montero
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Some thoughts:
Yes, it's a Team of the Month, and yes we included March together with April since March was a short month on the MLS calendar.
Shalrie Joseph was a lock for the first team before slipping off in the past few weeks. To say it was a toss-up between he, Jewsbury and Diego Chaves is an understatement. Really could have gone either way. Omar Gonzalez and Jan Gunnar Solli were also very good candidates for the first team defense.
The goalkeeper pick wasn't an easy one either. Tally Hall has had some truly outstanding games, but Mondragon has been instrumental in the organization and effectiveness of one of the stingiest defenses in MLS.
No, there are no fullbacks on the first team. If we were doing a natural Best XI, then Jan Gunnar Solli (right back) and Alain Rochat (left back) would have replaced Bobby Boswell and Heath Pearce. No, there really aren't many quality left back options in MLS. No, that's not surprising.
If you're curious about the rest of our All-Natural Best XI picks, David Beckham would get the not on the right wing over Dane Richards (replacing Steve Zakuani on the Best XI), while Davide Chiumiento would get the nod at attacking midfielder (replacing Jack Jewsbury in the Best XI).
So why no Real Salt Lake players? RSL played just five matches in the season's first seven weeks, and of RSL's top players, none played more than four matches (and no, we DO NOT count CONCACAF Champions League performance or U.S. Open Cup performances in the Best XI consideration, just MLS play).
We could have named a few more Honorable Mention picks, but stopped at 19 to make it an even 30 players. We'll go with fewer going forward, but with six weeks of games to account for, we opened things up a bit.
UPDATE- I've replaced Jeff Parke with Rafa Marquez on the Honorable Mention list. Parke did start strong, but with him having sat the past two matches, I'll give Marquez the edge. His penalty kick was awful, and set pieces have been erratic, but as far as defending goes Marquez has been solid all season.
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What do you think of this month's selections? Who didn't make our team that would have made yours? Anybody you're happy to see mentioned, either on first team or honorable mention?
Share your thoughts below.
Ouch. Ream deserved this more than any other defender. I’d have given it to Rodgers over Davies as well, Davies has been cherry picking and scoring PKs. Rodgers has poached a few himself but his play off the ball has been phenomenal.
I would have understood Shalrie over Tainio as well. But Ream getting the HM is an insult.
(SBI-Kevin, he would have been a lock first teamer, but that blunder to lose the Philly game ultimately dropped him to honorable mention.)
Philly has the stingiest defense yet New York has conceded two goals???
(SBI-So has Philly, and you could definitely argue that Philly has played a tougher schedule to date than New York, having faced LA and NY. Right now NY has allowed two in seven, Philly two in six. Both are pretty damn stingy.)
Have to admit I am amazed not a single Red Bulls defender is in the first team. A .29 goals against average and only 2 goals allowed. I know Tainio is a big part of that but…
(SBI-Solli, Ream and Marquez were all good enough to be first-team selections, but the reality is New York’s defense is so strong across the board that it becomes tough to single any of them out as carrying the defense the way you can say for someone like Boswell or Marshall. You can certainly make an argument for one of them over Valdes or Pearce but Valdes has been outstanding on a back-line that isn’t nearly as talented as New York’s. Same can be said for Pearce. So again, remember that these selections aren’t based on ability, but performance and importance of those performances relative to the team. Ultimately, there were a bunch of very good defender options.)
Even with missed PK, Rafa Marquez has been stellar in the back.
(SBI-Agreed, he’s been good, and after initially not having him on Honorable Mention I have decided to put him on there ahead of Jeff Parke, who has also been solid, but has sat the past two Seattle shutout wins.)
Take away Davies’s PK goals and he is a struggling forward. Will Bruin deserves it more.
(SBI-And take away Bruin’s game against a putrid D.C. defense and he’s a promising rookie with one goal. Bruin’s off to a great start but I probably would have gone Luke Rodgers for first team before Bruin.)
Why did Ream deserve it? He did have that embarrassing moment against the Union, that may have influenced the decision.
Tainio over Alonso as a midfielder? I don’t think so. Alonso either leads the league or is near the top in tackles won and he has played every minute of the Sounders season. If he played in NY I’m sure he would be a starter on this team though.
(SBI-Sorry Jeremy, but while Alonso is certainly a quality player off to a great start, Tainio is an MVP-level player at this point in the season. He doesn’t just tackle, he keeps the midfield moving as one of the sharpest passers in the league. Tainio is the clear choice there, no question.)
Ooooh, no Red Cows, the world must end. Oh wait, there is one, I forgot. Oooh, only one, there must be more than three or else the world must end!!!1!!!One!
/sarcasm
I can understand that logic. They are a good unit. Solli has been great both ways and when he missteps defensively Marquez has been there to mop up the mess. Glad Tainio made the team. Red Bulls were noticeably less dominant in the second half this weekend when he came off injured.
Tainio could be an MVP candidate imo, no way Alonso gets on this list over him.
players of the week pending?
Davies on the team of month? I’d go with honorable mention at most, shut down these past few weeks. Certainly some strikers that played a lot better than him.
(SBI- It hasn’t been a good start of the season for forwards in general. There are no forwards who have been doing well straight through from the start of the season until now. Guys like Henry and Montero started off badly and now Davies has hit a rut along with his team. Still thought I saw enough from him before the recent rut to give him the nod, though you really couldn’t go wrong with a Rodgers or Bruin as the pick either.)
720 minutes played for Alonso versus 585 minutes played for Tainio. Alonso is the most disruptive center midfielder in the league. Tainio has been solid no doubt, but Alonso is at another level and has contributed more in March/April than Tainio has.
Have you seen Tainio play? He is the glue that holds that Red Bulls team together. For all their clamor players he has been the most important to their new possession style. They were noticeably less potent this weekend when he came off injured and Carl Robinson came on. And Robinson is a great player but he couldn’t fill the role Tainio is playing.
Yes, I have seen him play several times this season. I am not saying he hasn’t been good. I am just saying that Alonso has been better. Alonso shuts down countless attacks in the midfield and the defense and jump starts the counter attack. Very underrated outside of Seattle.
sorry but tainio is better. i’m assuming your a SFC fan and thus like alons, but tainio is the best passer IN THE LEAGUE. not only that but he has broken up quite a few attacks as well.
If strikers aren’t playing well, then there should be extra midfielders on the team. This is best XI not best 4-4-2.
(SBI-It was a consideration, and I came very close to making it a 4-5-1 with Joseph as the fifth midfielder, but ultimately decided the two top forwards deserve mention on first team.)
He’s also ALMOST had a (-)assist two games running now with miss cleared/played headers in the box that have fallen right to the feet of attackers.
No harm/no foul BUT that definitely drops him below most of the other candidates…. expect for John apparently.
Kind of an understatement to say MLS forwards are struggling at this point. I have to admit, pretty slim pickings to start the year. Based on the games *I have seen* (and not the total body of work) I like the expansion team forwards from the run of play — Hassli, Camilo from Vancouver and Portland’s Perlaza has looked pretty decent too.
Hey I love Alonso too but I’d take Tainio over him. It’s a good selection.
I just don’t understand one thing or have I missed something? Jeff Parke gets an honarable mention but he has been in the bench and P Ianni took his place? he must be injured or not 100% otherwise I don’t understand why he would be replaced….anyone have more info?
Alonso’s been off his game a bit too. I don’t know what it is, but he just isn’t playing as well as he did last year. He’s still been good for Sounders, just not stellar. And not better than Tainio. Also, I don’t think he’s underrated outside of Seattle at all.
Kpuqs, arguably Rodgers is not even the best forward on the Red Bulls this season (some would argue that both Henry and Agudelo are better). Charlie Davis leads the league in scoring so he is a very logical pick by SBI. And Davis’ ability of being a reliable PK taker is an asset to his team rather than a defect in his game. As a NYRB fan, you should know that goals from PKs are not a foregone conclusion. Your team is 0-2 in PKs this season.
Not benched. Sounders have been rotating Ianni, Hurtado, and Parke at CB depending on match-ups and to keep each in game shape.
Saying 720 minutes vs 585 is slightly misleading because Seattle has played more minutes than NY has. Alonso played all of Seattle’s available minutes and Tainio played all but 45 of NY’s available minutes. If he hadn’t picked up an injury, he would have gone the full 90 in that game as well. Another way to view Tainio’s impact is to look at how NY looked during those 45 minutes without him.
I would like to note I have rated Alonso since game 1 in MLS. Great player.
DC fan here and Davies doesn’t deserve this. Most of his goals have been from penalties and he hasn’t been leading the attack any where near where I would like to see for a top XI spot. He has speed but he has had a few he hasn’t put away and unless you’re giving him balls in behind the back line, he has been useless. Needs to learn how to find the game when it’s not finding him (Houston/NY).
And as far as Beckham getting the “natural XI” nod at right wing… He’s played, by far, his best in the center. Odd place to toss him if we’re talking natural.
Why is the team of the month playing so defensive? They need to push some guys further up the field.
Henry gets my vote for his recent play 3/4 weeks running.
Ives – don’t get that logic at all. “They are too good so we won’t put them in”? Put the whole back line, yes they’re talented and yes as a unit they are a brick wall and that makes them the best in the league. No point in putting people who are holding up their own teams when you have star quality CBs working together to form the best pair.
That’s like not putting Vidic or Rio in a PL XI because they’re too good together to pull them apart…
Solli’s attacking instinct and assists are what makes him stand out for me. He has dominated the right side (DC).
(SBI-Josh, the picks are the picks, and are you ever going to stop misquoting me? Disagree if you choose, but I’m sticking with these. It isn’t about punishing a group that’s done well together, but there is something to be said for defenders who are having to do much more because of the players around them. Are Marquez and Ream quality? Yes, they are, but they also benefit from playing behind the best defensive midfielder in the league in the first seven weeks and between arguably the most impressive set of fullbacks in the league early on. The Red Bulls defense is a truly impressive collective, but have any of them been CLEARLY better than the other defenders selected? Not really.
Ultimately, Ream would have made first team if not for that terrible blunder against Philly and in the end there are three Red Bulls defenders plus Tainio on honorable mention. Solli has been good, no question, and arguably the best right back in the league so far this season, but for me there were other DEFENDERS who contributed more over the course of the first six/seven weeks of the season. It’s that simple really.)
lol
Mondragon and Hall have been amazing and I can’t really complain but Hesmer had four straight shutouts. I know the defense has been sharp in front of him (even with 3 newcomers) but he’s been pretty sharp himself
no pappa? the guy has been nothing but Chicagos force behind any offense they TRY to create.
robbed
(SBI-Pappa has been one of the few bright spots for Chicago, no question, but he loses out to several players who have been key to much more successful starts to the season. Hard to get many guys on when you’ve got the third-worst record in the league.)
The spanish commentator on ESPN Deportes just said Marcelo kicked Messi harder than Chuck Norris! Love it!
Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but I stop reading comments when their authors confuse “your” and “you’re”. Sorry.
I would’ve thought that Bunbury deserved an honorable mention. He’s been better than Montero.
Looks like Ives is parking the bus haha. Look where the strikers are playing.
u r serious w that, kkken? lolz
Has Chiumiento been playing centrally or on the wing more?
I think Chris Pontius should have made an honorable mention, definitely not first team but at least an honorable mention. he has been a consistently good winger so far.
I really like Alonso and thought he was the best CDM last year. Tainio is giving him a run this year, though.
They’re easily the best two in the league – we can agree on that.
because Nowak is their coach.
Pappa has been awesome. He at least deserves honorable mention.
I don’t think you could rate him higher than the other wingers who got honorable mentions too, that are on winning teams.
SBI, Boswell has been outstanding but, I’ve heard no body in Houston credit him for carrying our defense alone – Andre Hainault has been every bit as solid. You may have heard otherwise I guess. I’m glad you give Bobby the nod but It’s a tough choice to make, Rafa has been stellar and several other guys would have to be in the mix. Over all I like your choices.