Juan Pablo Angel is back.
At least that is what the New York Red Bulls are hoping after he delivered the game-winning goal in the Red Bulls 2-1 win against Los Angeles on Saturday. Angel delivered his best performance of the season, showing mobility and purpose and finally finding the net after going scoreless to start the season.
This week’s MLS Best XI boasts a definite veteran feel, with Steve Ralston and Cuauhtemoc Blanco taking the lead in the midfield.
Angel wasn’t the lone Red Bull to earn Best XI honors. Goalkeeper Jon Conway delivered a clutch performance while Dave Van Den Bergh pestered and neutralized David Beckham all night.
Here is how this week’s SBI MLS Best XI shapes up:
SBI MLS Best XI: Week 7
——–Juan Pablo Angel————-Guillermo Barros Schelotto–
—————————-Cuauhtemoc Blanco—————–
Robbie Rogers——————————————Steve Ralston
—————————–Kyle Beckerman—————————
Dave Van Den Bergh———————————-Frankie Hejduk
——————–Bakary Soumare—Bobby Boswell—————-
——————————–Jon Conway—————————–
Honorable Mention: Zach Wells, Gonzalo Segares, Dane Richards, Emmanuel Ekpo, Justin Mapp, Jeff Larentowicz, Kenny Cooper
Share your own thoughts and suggestions on this week’s MLS Best XI in the comments section below.
I don’t think Robbie is a huge stretch to start talking about the senior National Team. Is he ready to replace Landon as our best offensive player? Of course not. But is Clint Dempsey that far ahead of him? Clint had a decent stretch mid year at Fulham, but he hasn’t exactly been lighting it up since then. Moreover he has been average at best with the national team.
I won’t go into my issues with DMB, but let’s not forget he isn’t the most durable of guys. Who do we have on the left wing after him? Mapp isn’t ever going to do make it unless he turns into a different person. Heck, last time out we stuck LD out left. So the idea of a speedy young player who actually has a decent work rate, can beat 1 or 2 guys off the dribble and actually has the ability to score is actually a pretty attractive concept for our senior team. I am not saying that we annoint him as our new starter… but he deserves as much of a look as Adu and Jozy.
I’m surprised by Ralston over Larentowicz. I felt like Stevie was invisible for most of the game, but did have the great pass to Twellman. However, Ginger’s ball to Mansally was amazing. (Mansally deserved some consideration too, despite only playing a half. He was EVERYWHERE.)
Soumaré’s stated that he wants to play for Mali and has been in contact with their national team. In fact he was going to get capped in a friendly in the spring against Senegal but he was on that Gen Adidas trip to Spain and missed it.
Love everyone trying to plug Robbie Rodgers and Bakary Soumare into the MNT.
Yeah, let’s drop Dempsey, Beasley and Donovan for Robbie Rodgers, that makes sense.
SLOW DOWN PEOPLE! Olympics yes. MNT not yet.
Josh, you’re drunk. Did you even watch the Red Bulls game? Conway was the best goalkeeper in the league this week, period. Van Den Bergh helped frustrated and neutralize Beckham and Angel scored a game-winning goal. I must have missed where Christian Gomez and Kenny Cooper scored game-winning goals. Anybody have a link to where I can find that?
I’ll agree that Cooper and Larentowicz had good weeks, and I would probably have gone with Cooper over Schelotto, but Gomez? Please, he got subbed out with the game still on the line. How good could he have really been doing?
I still say Sean Franklin deserve a permanent spot on the Best XI for playing next to Vanney or Xavier (sometimes both) on a weekly basis.
3 Red Bulls? wow. They played LA, not exactly a top team, and barely squeeked out a win. I think Christian Gomez had a better game than Angel, as did Cooper, and Larentowicz. Heck Twellman did as much in just a half. Van den Bergh is the NY version of Bornstein, people are impressed by their ability to go forward but easily forget their defensive lapses.
Ted,
Beckerman does not play a wing midfielder for RSL. He definitely plays centrally but is a two way player, who chooses his spots to aggressively move forward when he can.
Conway had a sick game, good pick.
How about young Mr. Robbie Rogers? Finally decided to show up this season. Good for him.
Conway was amazing this week…definetly great pick
I agree with the inclusion of van den Bergh. He frustrated the hell out of Beckham and if you notice, LA’s goal came from the other side of the field, away from van den Bergh. Sure he lacks pace, but he makes up for it in soccer IQ…and he has a sweet left foot. van den Bergh has been huge so far for the Red Bulls.
And the Mehdi Ballouchy / Kyle Beckerman trade continues to look so strange.
Does anybody else find Beckerman’s journey around the field interesting? He starred as an attacking midfielder with the U-17s when he played with Beasley and Donovan, then he was moved to a holding role when he joined MLS, then slowly was allowed to play a linking role in Colorado, and is now playing well out on the wing. Is he going to suit up in goal next?
Rogers for MVP!
(j/k – really, it’s Schelotto… or “es-Schelotto” if you’re Christopher Sullivan…)
Busch – Wells argument: Busch had shutout but didn’t do anything overly impressive. Wells let in 2 goals, but made 2 or 3 very impressive saves. Game could have been 4-0 easily. So really could have gone either way in my book.
…plus honorable mention tally
it’d be interesting to see the occasional tally of who’s made the best xi and how many times they’ve made it.
Good for Conway!! I agree, I thought he played his “pants off” on Saturday. He has waited a long time for his moment and so far he is shining.
Van Den Bergh did well for the first 75 mins, for the last 15 minutes, all the plays ran thru his side, we was just fortunate thats Becks shanked and few crosses.
I think Jon Busch is the best keeper every week and this year.
He has the most shutouts in the league.
Soumare has been great this season, I enjoy watching him play!!!!! Like the rest of his squad, he plays with lots of passion. Both him and Segares have a bright future ahead! Is Soumare eligible to play for the US National team?
Rogers is turning the corner this year. He is starting to develop into a serious player (not just a prospect) and someone that Bradley needs to keep his eye on.
Van Den Bergh? Not in my book!
Marlon, getting beaten isn’t simply someone getting by you with the ball, it’s someone getting by you and doing something with the ball. Van Den Bergh did get beaten a few times but recovered well or watched the attacker do nothing with the chance. He bothered Beckham far more than most defenders have been able to this year so for that he gets the nod.
It should be noted that the only goal for LA came from the other side of the field, yet LA had Klein on the right AND Beckham floating toward the right and still didn’t create many chances on that side of the field.
As for Jon Busch, he’s had a good season to be sure, but he had nothing to do on Thursday. Wells made a pair of top-notch saves in the second half and kept the match from being a blowout. I’m okay with putting someone else in for Wells on honorable mention but it wouldn’t be Busch this week.
Tough to not include Busch. At least in the honorable mention. The guy has just been stellar.
Has anyone thought about Rogers playing forward for the USMNT? I could see him being a great streak partner with Jozy. That kid has some serious wheels, every time I watch him play he makes the people guarding him look very slow.
I am a Beckermaniac!!! Thanks for the trade last year FC.
i strongly disagree with van den bergh’s inclusion. he was the only defender on saturday getting beaten by anyone. he is just too stiff.beckham who is far from being known as a world class dribbler was getting around him easily.