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Goal.com's MLS Best XI: Week 22
After another exciting weekend of MLS action, Goal.com's Nick Rosano takes a look at who stood out.
Aug 30, 2010 7:52:00 PM
By Nick Rosano
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei, Toronto FC: Two excellent goalkeepers battled it out at BMO Field, but in the end Frei gets the nod for his impressive saves on Chris Wingert and Javier Morales, and for slightly better positioning than his RSL counterpart.
Defenders
Chris Wingert, Real Salt Lake: The RSL full back was superb against Toronto, providing a spark to the offense with his runs forward then getting back to defend when the situation required. He was unlucky not to break the deadlock, being denied first by a fine save from Stefan Frei and second by the crossbar.
Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards: The veteran defender is a big reason for Kansas City having lost just once in their last seven games (eight, if you count the Man United friendly) and once again proved to be an integral part of the back line, shutting down the Los Angeles attack while chipping in with a set piece goal.
Zach Loyd, FC Dallas: The young defender had a fine game in keeping the Columbus attack quiet in a tough game at Crew Stadium. His most notable contribution was clearing a sure goal from Eddie Gaven off the line to keep the game scoreless.
Tyson Wahl, Seattle Sounders FC: Wahl put in a superb defensive performance for Seattle in their 2-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday night, shutting down almost all of the Fire's activity on his side of the field.
Midfielders
Dane Richards, New York Red Bulls: Thierry Henry may have notched his first MLS goal on Saturday, but it was Dane Richards who stole the show against the Earthquakes. He scored a superb solo effort to open the scoring before blowing past the San Jose defense to set up Henry's tally.
Rafael Marquez, New York Red Bulls: After a rough start to MLS play, Marquez seems to have settled superbly into his midfield role in New York. His passing was smart and he was no slouch out of possession either. Although he still may bear the scorn of many US national team fans, he certainly endeared himself to the New York faithful by tossing his shirt into the stands at the end of the match.
Davy Arnaud, Kansas City Wizards: The Wizards' captain kept their midfield ticking in a fine 2-0 victory over Los Angeles. He was the beneficiary of Kei Kamara's assist to score the first goal while providing a fine service to Jimmy Conrad for the goal to seal the win.
Justin Mapp, Philadelphia Union: With the ten-man Revolution looking like they might hold out for a result, Justin Mapp stepped up in a big way to key the Union's comeback in the last ten minutes. He first set up Jack McInerney's equalizer with a deft chipped ball before stealing the win in injury time with a placed finish.
Forwards
Conor Casey, Colorado Rapids: The veteran forward has faced his fair share of struggles recently, but those troubles were forgotten on Saturday night as Casey sparked the Rapids' offense to a 3-0 win over the woebegone Dynamo. He set Jamie Smith's opener with a slide rule pass and left Omar Cummings with the easiest of finishes on
Fredy Montero, Seattle Sounders FC: The Colombian striker is certainly an MVP candidate and showed it with his brace against Chicago. He took his first finish extremely well and punished the Fire defense for their criminally poor marking to grab an injury time equalizer.
Formation (4-4-2):
Bench: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake; Andy Iro, Columbus Crew; Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids; Andy Najar, D.C. United; Brek Shea, FC Dallas; Justin Braun, Chivas USA; Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls
Nick Rosano is a NorCal-based contributor for Goal.com. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasrosano for more MLS insight and the occasional moment of hilarity.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Stefan Frei, Toronto FC: Two excellent goalkeepers battled it out at BMO Field, but in the end Frei gets the nod for his impressive saves on Chris Wingert and Javier Morales, and for slightly better positioning than his RSL counterpart.
Defenders
Chris Wingert, Real Salt Lake: The RSL full back was superb against Toronto, providing a spark to the offense with his runs forward then getting back to defend when the situation required. He was unlucky not to break the deadlock, being denied first by a fine save from Stefan Frei and second by the crossbar.
Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards: The veteran defender is a big reason for Kansas City having lost just once in their last seven games (eight, if you count the Man United friendly) and once again proved to be an integral part of the back line, shutting down the Los Angeles attack while chipping in with a set piece goal.
Zach Loyd, FC Dallas: The young defender had a fine game in keeping the Columbus attack quiet in a tough game at Crew Stadium. His most notable contribution was clearing a sure goal from Eddie Gaven off the line to keep the game scoreless.
Tyson Wahl, Seattle Sounders FC: Wahl put in a superb defensive performance for Seattle in their 2-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday night, shutting down almost all of the Fire's activity on his side of the field.
Midfielders
Dane Richards, New York Red Bulls: Thierry Henry may have notched his first MLS goal on Saturday, but it was Dane Richards who stole the show against the Earthquakes. He scored a superb solo effort to open the scoring before blowing past the San Jose defense to set up Henry's tally.
Rafael Marquez, New York Red Bulls: After a rough start to MLS play, Marquez seems to have settled superbly into his midfield role in New York. His passing was smart and he was no slouch out of possession either. Although he still may bear the scorn of many US national team fans, he certainly endeared himself to the New York faithful by tossing his shirt into the stands at the end of the match.
Davy Arnaud, Kansas City Wizards: The Wizards' captain kept their midfield ticking in a fine 2-0 victory over Los Angeles. He was the beneficiary of Kei Kamara's assist to score the first goal while providing a fine service to Jimmy Conrad for the goal to seal the win.
Justin Mapp, Philadelphia Union: With the ten-man Revolution looking like they might hold out for a result, Justin Mapp stepped up in a big way to key the Union's comeback in the last ten minutes. He first set up Jack McInerney's equalizer with a deft chipped ball before stealing the win in injury time with a placed finish.
Forwards
Conor Casey, Colorado Rapids: The veteran forward has faced his fair share of struggles recently, but those troubles were forgotten on Saturday night as Casey sparked the Rapids' offense to a 3-0 win over the woebegone Dynamo. He set Jamie Smith's opener with a slide rule pass and left Omar Cummings with the easiest of finishes on
Fredy Montero, Seattle Sounders FC: The Colombian striker is certainly an MVP candidate and showed it with his brace against Chicago. He took his first finish extremely well and punished the Fire defense for their criminally poor marking to grab an injury time equalizer.
Formation (4-4-2):
Montero-Casey
Mapp-Arnaud-Marquez-Richards
Wahl-Loyd-Conrad-Wingert
Frei
Mapp-Arnaud-Marquez-Richards
Wahl-Loyd-Conrad-Wingert
Frei
Bench: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake; Andy Iro, Columbus Crew; Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids; Andy Najar, D.C. United; Brek Shea, FC Dallas; Justin Braun, Chivas USA; Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls
Nick Rosano is a NorCal-based contributor for Goal.com. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasrosano for more MLS insight and the occasional moment of hilarity.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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