Landon Donovan was named the 2009 MLS Most Valuable Player on Thursday, and while it is tough to argue against awarding the U.S. national team star for his performance this season, the MVP results still raised a glaring question.
What about Shalrie Joseph?
It isn't a question so much about choosing between Joseph and Donovan, which is a subjective debate that has supporters on both sides. The question is how can a player who so clearly carried his team to the playoffs and who enjoyed a career year winds up a distant third in the voting.
In case you missed the voting breakdown (votes are taken from players, coaches, general managers and media), Donovan finished with a weighted score of 39, while Jeff Cunningham wound up with a 25.3. And Joseph? He finished with a 17.6 total.
Those totals make no sense and are an insult to a season by Joseph that deserved far more respect.
With all due respect to Cunningham, he was invisible for half the season before going off on a goal-scoring tear in the second half. He became a goal machine, but also benefited from the stellar play of FC Dallas midfielders David Ferreira, Dave Van Den Bergh and Dax McCarty.
Joseph didn't take half the year off. He was a force from beginning of the season until the end, helping the team as a forward when the Revs were desperate for help up top, while also playing his usual dominant central midfield role the rest of the time. He took a Revs team that lost leading scorer Taylor Twellman for the season, and Steve Ralston for the stretch run, and dragged it into the playoffs.
So how in the world did Joseph finish a distant third in the voting? One possibility is the league's flawed voting process, which has all voters except for players providing a top three on their ballots, while players simply select one player. In fact, MLS players often ignore voting for post-season honors (voting isn't mandatory), which winds up hurting a player like Joseph, who is easily one of the most respected players in the league.
In the end, it is tough to argue against Donovan, who had somehow gone this long without winning an MVP award. He did enough this year to be an MVP winner, but he didn't just win. He ran away with the award in voting that should have been much closer than it wound up. Joseph deserved a better finish, and as far as I'm concerned, he deserved the MVP Award.
WHERE WILL SCHELOTTO GO?
With all signs pointing to Guillermo Barros Schelotto's days in Columbus being numbered, it is time to start thinking about what may be next for the 2008 MLS MVP.
Sources tell SBI that Schelotto is already looking into potential destinations within MLS, and Columbus may have no choice but to deal the Argentine star if it can't reach an agreement on a new contract. A deal seems unlikely given the Crew's lowball offer.
Schelotto could take a payday in Argentina, but he has enjoyed life here and appears intent on staying in MLS. Where might he wind up? If the Crew look for a trade that lands them the type of package D.C. United scored from Colorado for Christian Gomez then a trade may never happen, but
Who might be able to land Schelotto? The New York Red Bulls could use a player with Schelotto's playmaking ability (An Angel-Schelotto tandem would be outstanding), as could Chivas USA. One club that could use his attacking spark is Toronto FC, a club whose fans have come to despite Schelotto for his theatrics in past meetings with Toronto. Something tells me TFC fans would embrace Schelotto if he showed up wearing red (something also tells me that Crew fans might go crazy if their hero signed with their most hated rival).
There is no guarantee Schelotto will even return to MLS, but if he wants to stay in North America, there are too many teams in need of a player like him for a deal not to be made.
WHAT NOW AMADO?
Preki didn't waste much time making an impression on his team in Toronto. He has already let it be known that he will run a disciplined ship and will waste no time unloading players who don't make the grade. One player who seems destined to depart is Amado Guevara, but not just because of Preki's arrival.
Toronto FC has too many midfielders and needs money to sign a forward capable of addressing the team's most pressing need, a reliable goal scorer. With Julian DeGuzman and Sam Cronin looking set to run the central midfield, Guevara is expendable and will have plenty of teams interested in his services.
Who would be in the market for Guevara? The list would be similar to the list that would want Schelotto, but Guevara would probably be the cheaper of the two alternatives. Red Bulls fans would welcome Guevara with open arms, while the Honduran midfielder would probably be more inclined to return to Chivas USA with Preki out of the picture.
It will be interesting how much the interest in Guevara is diminished by the fact that he will likely miss between six weeks and two months of the 2010 season to play in the World Cup (yes, MLS is taking a break during the World Cup, but Guevara would miss time for the pre-World Cup camp, he'd miss time if Honduras reached the second round, and would likely miss a match or two as he recovers from the tournament). Teams in dire need of a playmaker might overlook that and consider what he could give the team the rest of the season.
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What did you think of the MVP voting? Think Joseph got a raw deal? Could you picture Schelotto playing for another MLS team? Where do you see Guevara winding up?
Share your thoughts below.
Ives, what makes you think that Guevara would be welcomed with open arms by NY fans? Both boards are at BEST split 50/50 between accepting him (while still acknowledging his flaws), and rejecting even the idea of a return. GBS is slightly more debatable.
Ha! Apparently it’s a three-way involving Colorado as well, or maybe the teams will merge. Ooh, someone should post that on Big Soccer
I don’t see GBS or Guevara working in Houston where they are all hard working players who bust their asses for each other. Neither guy is known for doing any type of dirty work, so I don’t see how that fits there system. I would think Guevara at somewhere like Colorado which needs someone to play AM behind Casey and Cummings makes a lot of sense. Then again Colorado typically doesn’t do anything that makes sense, so…
How did Casey end up in your RSL lineup?
GBS is great, but Kries needs all 10 field players to play defense and he just plain doesn’t.
guevara doesn’t have what it takes to win a championship
with the eminent departure of clark and holden i could see GBS in houston. Amado not so much but it wouldn’t surprise me.
either way i’d like to see GBS in NY
I think the question we’re all forgetting to ask is “who cares?” I doubt Shalrie does that much. He’s a great talent and has had plenty of people sing his praises ad nauseum throughout his career I imagine. The guy makes $450K a year…my guess that at this point the only thing bumming him out is that his franchise has been to four Cups and won exactly zero. This late in his career the man can’t be caught up worrying about whether he’s second or third in MVP voting.
As a Toronto fan I wouldn’t want Schelotto with & I don’t think he’s what we need anyway.
donovan is an attacking player as is jeff cunningham so obviously they are going to get the vote. They are both American which also helps them. I am not saying either of these things are right, but they are both definitely deciding factors.
On a different note, i would not say that Cunningham was on vacation early in the season. I would say that he played second fiddle to a tactically befuddled and terrible teammate kenny cooper. It is no coincidence that cunningham’s great run of form came as soon as cooper left. I think it is unfair to blame cunningham when cooper was obviously stifling a deadly offense with his unintelligent greedy play.
WHy not SChelleto to the Revs, is what I meant.
I thought about that as well, but ultimately I would rather have GBS here in Houston.
I’m concerned Guevara might present a host of attitude problems up with which Kinnear will not put!
Isn’t this really the age-old debate on whether the award is a Player of the Year mark or a Most Valuable Player nod, and what the heck does “valuable” mean anyway?
Personally, I think that valuable is too subjective and going there means nothing but arguments. It should be a Player of the Year award, and for that reason, of the three finalists, I would have voted for Donovan. He’s the best outfield player the US has ever produced, bar none and he has led a team that few respected after missing the playoffs for three years in a row, through controversy and talent limitations to the No. 1 western seed. He is the MLS Player of the Year.
Playing around with the “valuable” designation essentially asks voters to look at players in the context of their teams, which means that not all players can be seen on a level playing field. Cunningham was definitely Frisco’s MVP, but couldn;t that team have missed the playoffs without him?
Similarly, Shalrie is easily one of the best in the league and was the lone consistent force for the Revs this year. He had a truly amazing run and I would have placed him over Cunningham for that reason.
But being asked to choose among the three finalists and at the same time compare wildly disparate definitions of what “valuable” is in the context of their individual situations is ridiculous. Landon was the best player of the three all around and thus deserved the award he got. Player of the Year is the designation to look for, while rejecting this whole silly “valuable” business.
Why not the Revs?
Although Kinnear and Preki are very similar style coaches, and for that reason I dont think Amado would fit, I would love to see him come to Houston. Plenty of Hondurans will come out for that, as well.
I am not certain that Sigi was always appreciative of Schelotto taking over as field general….he didn’t seem to follow the sideline directive too closely.
Toronto – Crew is absolutely a great rivalry, but the Chicago – Crew rivalry is a bit stronger because neither team dominates the series and there are 10 years of chippy history, etc. Oh yeah….and Chicago also suits up the Crew’s all-time most valuable player.
I want Schelotto back, but, the 1st San Jose playoff game notwithstanding, the Crew had very significant success without GBS in the lineup for quite some time late this summer.
No way will he GBS end up in Dallas. It is Hunt Sports Group that owns both the Crew and FC Dallas. It is clear HSG decided to low-ball GBS in the negotiation, so they’re not going to shell out the money for him to be on their other team after he’s established himself in Columbus.
Oh, and who is going to take into account how difficult it is to pass on turf?
Shalrie takes PKs too, and he’s not bad at them either, but of course, the Revs get fewer opportunities.
But anyway, Donovan is a forward, he should score more than a midfielder. If people just look at stats it’s always going to be goal-scorers that come out ahead because there aren’t stats to indicate good midfield distribution or holding up a counter attack.
Great article Ives! As a RSL supporter, I would have to say Joseph should have had the MVP. Simply because he carried the Revs. Cunningham is a locker room cancer, we here in SLC know, as I’m sure Crapid fans do also. And that type of player should’nt be the MVP. And as you pointed out, he was only hot for half a season. Landon is the American Idol/ Mia Hamm of mens soccer in America. He’s an excellent player, but I don’t believe he carries LA like Joseph did for NE. I think Chivas needs Guevara, and GBS who knows?? Give him to Philly. Maybe Yallop could use him in San Jose. I would trade Mathis, Campos, and Gabavoy for him to come to SLC.
Findley———Casey
Johnson—Morales——GBS——Berkerman
Wingert—-Broachers—–Olave—–Beltran
————–Rimando—————-
GO RSL!!!!!
Did Sigi and Schelotto have a good relationship during their time in Columbus? What are the chances of a reunion in Seattle?
Personally I think they should have both gotten the award however Donovan shouldn’t be overlooked because he was on a good team. Hell one could argue it’s even harder to stand out on a good team. Shalrie shouldn’t get any special because he was on a lousy team.
Any reason the Fire would not be interested in GBS?
and we don’t really think of you guys as rivals more like dandruff that we must continue to rub off our damn shoulders just annoying. Course you’re a Crew fan and must have an imaginary friend and foe thus it’s the Fire — ROFL. What gives?
Whats up with the Crew shunning Schelotto? Do they feel that they’ve had a good run of excellence and now its time to return to mediocrity? Do they genuinely think they can succeed w/out him?
Schelotto in NY would be amazing. However, for the price that he will probably want… 🙁
I’d like to see Amado playing for the Galaxy. I think he could fit in pretty good.
I’m an unabashed Donovan fan, but I would not have complained if Joseph won. I may have even voted for him. Ultimately I think you give the award to Donovan for the major brass balls in calling Beckham out (correctly) and them reparing the relationship to the point where Beckham called him, “An exceptional human being”. I’m never one for the “intagibles” argument, but in this case he was the heart and soul of the team in more ways then one.
The votes for Cunningham over Joseph, however, are just silly.
Please no Guevara on Chivas. He is the wrong type of player for the team. Chivas is not divas and Guevara is a diva.
When you consider the great goal scores who did NOT take PKs, or had disasterous PKs (Baggio, anyone?), I fail to understand how to some people they somehow “count less”. Look at some of the misses and poor shots in the RSL/Fire shoot out. Some guys look ready to puke when they step up. Taking a PK can be one of the most pressure packed moments in sports, and some people want to take somethng away from Donovan because he takes the burden on himself.
Ives, good article. I’m a Fire fan, so no bias for SJ, but it is clear that without him NE doesn’t make the playoffs. He probably was the MOST valuable player to his team. Unfortuntaely, goals always affect voters more than they should. Also, the classic “what have you done for me lately” concept comes into play in JC’s strong showing in the MVP voting.
Meanwhile, I think it is really hard to make any predictions on who will end up where until the expansion draft is completed. Also, it seems like there are so many players out of contract this year. Can you put together a list? That would be interesting to see.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer but MLS might not be looking so pretty next year.Beckham leaving,Donovan maybe leaving (as he should,now is the time),Rolfe off to Denmark,Movsisyan off to Denmark,Blanco to Veracruz,Pappa maybe not coming back,McBride pondering retiring probably,Scheletto set to leave,Holden and Clark waiting for calls from European teams. I can’t see players like Kljestan and Rogers going to Europe, I think the league losing so many bigtime players will effect there chances of hopping the pond.
Why no USA-Denmark breakdown Ives?
Prefer not to be critical of the Bradley’s, ergo ignore the Dane game?
😉
(SBI-Good theory, but no. I traveled all day yesterday and have been playing catch-up today. I’ll throw up a breakdown today at some point (hopefully). What I will say is all the “The Denmark game shows Bradley is a terrible coach” talk is silly.)
“(something also tells me that Crew fans might go crazy if their hero signed with their most hated rival)”
As a Crew fan I can tell you that “most hated rival” ain’t really Toronto. They invented the Trillium Cup to make a bigger deal out of the games than they really deserved.
Most Crew fans I know (myself included) would’ve considered Chicago their bigger rival- especially since the games always seem to be pretty tough and physical and borderline mean. The DC-Crew playoff clashes of the late ’90s have kind of given way to the Chicago-Columbus tilts recently as the ‘tough’ games.
And Section 8 almost got their butts kicked one night when they were chanting “Fi-re Fi-re” though the National Anthem, in a section right next to a company of Marines that had just returned from Iraq. Not good.
As a Revs’ fan, I wanted Shalrie to win, but I can’t argue against Donovan, either. But the voting results offer further proof that the people who do the voting don’t actually ‘watch’ the games — they just see highlight reels and the few stats available.
BTW Ives, the way you gushed about RBNY’s acquisition of Khano Smith prior to the 2009 season, I suspected you were just as guilty as the rest of the US soccer media of judging players based on highlights only. Those of us in NE knew that he was capable of a Pele-quality highlight once every 3 or 4 months, but the rest of the time he was so very inconsistent and indecisive. We miss Khano the person much more than we miss Khano the winger.
Donovan was with LA the last few years when the sucked. The player who made the difference this year was Ricketts. That make him more “valuable” than Donovan …
Didn’t MLS announce they won’t play any games during the first round of the World Cup next year? If so unless Honduras make the second round Amado won’t really miss any games.
(SBI-He won’t miss as many games as he would have in 2006, but he’ll be gone for the World Cup camp, and if they reach the second round, and one or two matches after Honduras is eliminated as he recovers and re-adjusts.)
Joseph, as usual, got the short end of the stick. The man runs our team. He has a bad game, we have a bad game, he has a good game, we have a good game. That’s all that has to be said.
I think one of the curiosities about the Revs is figuring out what will happen with several players next year. Does the front office finally cash in on Joseph? Will Ralston be able to make it back? Will Twellman? Who will we lose to Philly? The answer to these questions could throw our name in the pot for Schelotto. I don’t see Amando as a good fit – Stevie Nicol brooks no patience with whiners – but I could see a situation where Rally and Twellman disappearing could put us in the market for Schelotto and a decent forward. Larentowicz is ready to run the midfield defensively and we have decent young prospects at forward. Give them the kind of service that GBS gives, and hire one decent backup forward, and we could have a good combo.
Not ready to give up on Rally and Twellman, but maybe the coaches know more about their situations than I do.
(SBI-Larentowicz is a free agent ready to test the European market.)
amado + draft pick for schelotto seems fair…its a situation where everyone wins since columbus wont get anything near fair trade value for him. Thats TFC’s forward right there
(SBI-Amado Guevara isn’t going to Columbus. Can’t ever see him agreeing to that deal.)
Great points Ives.
I also want to point this out too-
Shalrie finished the regular season with 8 goals/8 assists. Which accounts for 50% of the entire REVS scoring production. ALSO ONLY 1 GOAL (1/1) WAS BY PK.
Landon finished with 12 Goals/6 Assists. BUT 3 of the goals were from PK.
So even from a statistical perspective LD isn’t really more “MVP-ish” than Shalrie
Maybe we could give the Crew that #1 allocation selection that we get, which Seattle used to get Keller last year? I’m not really sure how much value that’s worth, that may end up being too much to give up.
Red Bulls fans would welcome Guevara with open arms?! Maybe some but not me.
As a Red Bull fan, I would not want Amado Guevera again. He is a locker room cancer, and his antics are old. He will come in as the “good” Amado, until something happens and he starts to pout, then we are back to square 1 with him. I believe he would hinder any type of improvement the team could make in 2010.
Would either midfielder possibly come to Houston, with Clark and likely Holden on the way out?
Where Schelotto ends up probably has a lot to do with how much pay he wants. I could see him Dallas. I could even see him back with Sigi in Seattle. But I doubt many teams will want to pay him what Columbus did.
It will be interesting to see where GBS lands with his salary its hard to imagine teams giving up a large package for his rights. If I was a Crew fan I would be incensed that they are letting GBS walk it sounds like the Sigi debacle all over again.
of course Joseph got the short end of the stick. people who vote look at stats only (minus the few (Ives) who actually know the game). player voting should be mandatory. how hard is it to hand out ballots in the locker room and get them back in 5 minutes? if they dont vote, fine them like $250.
i can tell you that guevara would be a great fit in either the chivas or dallas locker rooms. both teams could use that central midfielder to set up their forward lines.
as for schelotto, i dont think anybody knows where he will go.
As a Union fan, I really hope they grab Amado either in the expansion draft or in a trade! I personally have a few Honduran friends that would love to go to a Union game to see their captain play in person, and there’s a large Honduran population here in the Philly area… He probably doesn’t fit Nowak’s system, but we’ll see.
(SBI-Christian Gomez fit Nowak’s system just fine, so I think Guevara could find a place with the Union. Not sure what Philly could give the Crew though.)
Ives, I think you’re forgetting the No. 1 thing that would get Donovan a big push in MVP voting: Play with USA.
No, it shouldn’t matter. But it affects people.
(SBI-Adam, I didn’t forget it, I actually had that in the piece originally, but took it out because I didn’t want to make it an anti-Donovan piece. My main point was that Joseph deserved better.)