A scarf and a media vote

by Dave Clark on Oct 26, 2009 6:00 AM PDT in Sounders: MLS Regular Season

Individual awards are going to trickle in over the next few weeks. I had the opportunity to vote for them, and like most media in most markets I have way too much focus on the local side, but I think that since I watch more of this sport than I should I will share my votes.

Some of these were made slightly more difficult as the league limited who I could vote for in certain categories.

Later we can compare how they looked compared to the entirity of the voters.

MVP - Cunningham, Casey, Keller
Coach - Arena, Schmid, Hyndman
Defender - Hurtado, Cameron, Marshall
Keeper - Keller, Ricketts, Thornton
Rookie (1st year as pro) - Zakuani, Frei, Alston
Fairplay - C.Robinson, Donovan, Ashe - hardest award for me
Comeback - Thornton, Vagenas, McCarty
Referee - Prus, Ward, Salazar - 2nd hardest
Team PR - Sounders, Toronto, Houston
Newcomer (1st year in league) - Keller, Ljungberg, Montero
Best XI (3-5-2) - Keller, Hurtado, Cameron, Marhsall, Joseph, Donovan, Alonso, Ljungberg, De Rosario, Montero, Cunningham

As always, share your thoughts. ROY is a close enough race that there are actually 4 more players that could be in the top 3 (Gonzalez, Wallace, Pontius, Cronin).

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I like your referee choices. I might have put Salazar above Ward, but in my mind Prus is definitely in first. I love the calm and respectful way Alex Prus referees games.

For Fair Play you should have put Tyrone Marshall. Just to get in a little dig. So to speak. :-)

Also agree completely on your “Team PR” awards, but I was wondering what criteria they gave for this? I don’t remember this award from previous years and I think it’s an interesting one. (Will having an award like this make a club like Dallas actually promote their team?)

by laurie on Oct 26, 2009 8:48 AM PDT reply actions

Steve Davis reveals his ballot for the major awards

by Dave Clark on Oct 26, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I think you are being a bit of a homer in your best XI. I love Alonso as much as anyone but I’d have a hard time seeing him as one of the best eleven players in the league. These sort of things tend to favor the offensive players, see 3-5- formation which limits defensive players. I’d put Brad Davis ahead of him. Ljungberg is a fantastic player but I don’t think he has the stats to earn a spot. Not to mention all the games he missed. Nor would I put Fredy Montero on the list, Conor Casey among others had a better year.

But that’s just my opinion and I don’t have a vote.

by Troy on Oct 26, 2009 2:19 PM PDT reply actions

Troy,

I made my picks public so critique is expected. For a 3-5-2 I tend to want to go with 2 more defensive types. Nagamura, Beckerman entered my mind but each had issues. Considering the Sounders defensive success I went with Alonso.

As for the forwards. It was a tough call. Montero’s numbers were as great as any players but Cunningham. Casey had all those PKs and nearly no assists.

by Dave Clark on Oct 26, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Good choices, overall.

by SM on Oct 26, 2009 5:10 PM PDT reply actions

interesting. i give ROTY to Frei, personally… he’s had a bigger positive affect on his team than any other rookie. I also think Pontius belongs on the short-list.

newcomer to the league list seems kind of one-sided being all sounders.

MVP – i don’t think you can list cunningham or casey on that short list anymore since those sides didn’t make the playoffs. If those teams had made it through, sure. But when you have guys like Donovan having such a spectacular year down in LA and Joseph leading NE to a playoff berth, i’d have to put them in the conversation with Ljungberg, and add Thornton to that list – his wall of play has kept chivas in it down the stretch.

I wouldn’t put Montero on the best XI either.

Otherwise good list. very difficult for sure, but i applaud how objective you were in some of those categories.

by ABT on Oct 27, 2009 12:20 PM PDT reply actions

I think that Dallas didn’t make the playoffs is nearly entirely due to Cunningham not being a starter for the first 14 matches.

Casey, I’ll admit was a bit of a reach. Yes, Donovan, Thornton and Joseph have to be in that conversation.

For Newcomer the non-Sounder most likely to finish in the top five is Ricketts. Almost half the available players were Sounders for the category.

by Dave Clark on Oct 27, 2009 12:28 PM PDT reply actions

Vagenas for “comeback player”…? Don’t you mean “pass-back?”

by James Walley on Oct 28, 2009 2:01 PM PDT reply actions

No. He allowed Alonso to get forward, the offense actually was better when he played, and the defense stayed strong all for a good team. Last year he was a mediocre player on an awful team. This year he was a solid rotational player for a good/great team. That’s a hell of a comeback.

by Dave Clark on Oct 28, 2009 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions

Vagenas for "comeback player"? A joke, right?

by Ontario Wellness Center on Oct 31, 2009 6:46 AM PDT reply actions

If you watched his play last year (i did) versus this year, yes. If you didn’t, or if you only judge him off of reputation and not how the team performed while he was on the pitch it would seem like a joke.

by Dave Clark on Oct 31, 2009 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions

I had no problem with Vagenas this year. Reputations are a hard thing to shed, nevermind he has hardware on his mantle with LA.
Tyrone Marshall was another player that might be considered. I don’t know how many times before the season started that I read Marshall was too slow and done. I even remember some fans of Toronto thinking they fleeced Seattle for getting anything for him.

by Coug1990 on Oct 31, 2009 10:23 AM PDT reply actions