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SBI MLS Player of the Week/Weak

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When it came down to picking the best player in week three of the MLS season, it was pretty tough to look past the best individual performance in the most dominant team display of the weekend.

Real Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman earned MLS Player of the Week honors for his two-goal performance in lifting Real Salt Lake to a 4-0 thrashing of D.C. United. Beckerman’s two beautiful blasts left D.C. goalkeeper Jose Carvallo no chance and helped give Real Salt Lake its first win of the season.

Here are Beckerman’s two goals against D.C. United:

Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto would probably have been player of the week most other weeks with his one goal and two assist effort against Chivas USA. A week after being invisible against the Red Bulls, Schelotto returned with a virtuoso performance that included this beautiful assist:

FC Dallas midfielder/forward Arturo Alvarez was also in the running for the honors with his goal and overall dominant showing against the Red Bulls.

MLS Player of the Weak had several candidates for the dishonor but nobody could stack up against Los Angeles defender Greg Vanney, who was torched on all three goals Toronto scored in its 3-2 win against the Galaxy.

Others in contention for POWeak included Brad Guzan, Chris Leitch and Gonzalo Peralta.

Comments

  1. giving the ‘honor’ to Peralta wouldn’t have been an injustice. He was every bit as terrible as Vanney was. (who was atrocious)

    Beckerman had a monster game. Again, it wouldn’t have been an injustice for GBS to win it though. He was a maestro in that game. (probably the best MLS game in recent memory actually)

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  2. Beckerman’s goal was much more impressive in person than on the highlight reel; it was pretty much unstoppable due to speed and placement, and he had a pretty narrow space to put it through.

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  3. First of all, who has been pimping Beckerman as “the next great thing”? He got a look for the Nats in the Rico Clark/Pablo Mastroeni role, but I don’t think anyone who’s not in the habit of overblowing every prospect got THAT hot and bothered. Come on, Benny Feilhaber was/is supposed to be the next big thing, Beckerman’s hype has always been a notch or 2 below that.

    Prospects are players you hope will develop, what’s the point in saying a guy who’s a legit all-star is a bust? If anything, I think the Rapids never got enough criticism for trading Beckerman and keeping Pablo (I can’t quit thinking about how good a partner he’d be for Gomez), and Beckerman’s pretty off the radar in the SLC for the average fan.

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  4. kpugs,

    I’ve been ‘soccer goalie’ since I was 6 and I’m 40 now. Keeper’s definitely gotten more popular now, but goalie’s always been there. Let’s not get carried away with the thought police. ‘Keeper isn’t even a complete word, and it sounds like he should be cleaning up a tiger cage in the Bronx.

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  5. I know I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for this but I think Donovan deserves some kind of consideration for most disappointing player of the week (maybe not player of the Weak, because he did score). Did anyone see the replay of when he rounded the keeper and shanked one over an open net. There was another blunder that cost him a goal from a Beckham cross I believe. Those were two that you have to finish. I’m not saying he’s bad or anything, but when I saw those opportunities missed I couldn’t believe it.

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  6. Oh – and yes, SK’s goal was a great team build-up. But his totally un-necessary and suspension-worthy red card are likely to trump that goal in the highlight film of this game.

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  7. kpugs: “Schelotto’s assist was just nasty.”

    Thing was, his first assist was as good, or better. He had a free run at the net, but knew he lacked the speed to get there, so he held up and waited for Moreno to catch up, and laid off a perfect square ball to the open guy. It was masterful positioning.

    The assist in the video was as much due to Rogers being a LOT faster than people realize as it was Schelotto’s ball.

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  8. Kpugs,

    What do you mean, the first goal of Beckerman’s was weak? He slotted the ball on the run into the back of the net. Classic, beautiful finishing that many can’t accomplish. From Beckerman’s performances in the first three games, he deserves to be an allstar. He has played really well, and I, for one, will be satisfied and happy if he continues to play as well as he has so far.

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  9. did any one see Javier’s Morales free kick vs. DC in the 58th min, if that would have gone in it would of for sure been GOTY!!!

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  10. Kljestan’s goal is a potential Goal of the Year contender. That was absolutely stunning; the ball was struck with such pace and touch that it continued to rise and curve as it hit the net, almost like a guided missile strike. Brilliant!

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  11. kpugs: is anyone currently saying he’s going to be the next big thing??

    sometimes people just dont pan out the way you expect…

    still doesnt take away the fact that this is only a week by week honor, not a life time achievement…

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  12. To kpugs: Beckerman’s first goal was well done, because he opened up his stance, and waited for the keeper to commit. Then went to the opposite post. Made the goal simple.

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  13. I agree with Spencer about the goal of the week nomination. I remember seeing Beckerman’s goal and thinking “that’s the one for sure.” I liked Kljestan’s but Beckerman’s was more emphatic and should at least have been in the running.

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  14. Guzan deserves the POWeak. As much as Vanney has been victimized, his mistakes were due mainly to his limited athletic ability, which comes as no surprise. The POWeak standard should reflect the disparity between the level expected of players and how they actually perform during the weak. As such, in my opinion, Guzan takes the award this week. For as much as many expect of him, he let in some atrocious goals that many MISL goalies would have easily saved.

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  15. I think Beckerman is overrated, he is 25 and still not the next great thing, which is all I kept hearing a couple of years ago. Having said that his second goal was sick. The first one was weak, I don’t know how that ball found the back of the net.

    Schelotto’s assist was just nasty.

    P.S. Goalies play hockey, keepers play soccer.

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  16. Well Beckerman deserved it. I was mad about MLSnet not putting his 2nd goal up for goal of the week. Most of the goals they chose were less than impressive or goalie blunders except for the Kljestan goal. Which was pure touch. But I coulnd’t vote for his for the pinhead move he made later in the game when he got the read. Maybe we can add dumbest foul of the week. Sad thing is this isn’t the first time Kljestan has done this stuff, he did it last year and also did it in the U-23 qualifiers. But was only given a yellow in the qualifier.

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