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Schelotto wins MVP (as premature ad spoils the surprise)

Guillermo Barros Schelotto (ISIphotos.com) 

                                                                       Photo by ISIphotos.com

If the suspense over finding out who will be named MLS MVP was getting to you, you can relax, the wait ended even sooner than most thought it would.

Thanks to a prematurely released advertisement by MLS sponsor Volkswagen in the newest issue of Sports Illustrated, the magazine's readers learned as far back as Tuesday that Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto had won the MVP award. At least that is what the full-page ad in the magazine congratulating Schelotto on the award seemed to suggest.

The actual ceremony to "reveal" the winner of the award is set for this afternoon, which leaves us with the question of just exactly who dropped the ball so badly that they let that ad go out four days before the award winner was to be announced. MLS? Volswagen? Either way, it's just a bit embarrassing.

Not that Schelotto didn't deserve the award. Schelotto rightfully beat out Landon Donovan and Cuauhtemoc Blanco for the award after help guide the Columbus Crew to the best record in MLS during the regular season by registering seven goals and 19 assists.

What do you think of Schelotto being named MVP? At all surprised at the award/magazine ad revelation? Did you vote for somebody else?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. GloryRSL Morales shouldn’t have been MVP but he was much more deserving to be in the running than Blanco. Blanco’s candidacy was a joke, MLS is an unapologetic panderer, shame they’re so consistently transparent.

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  2. GBS was the deserving MVP, but for Blanco to even be a finalist is a joke! Look at the League release – Blanco got exactly ZERO percent of the Coach/GM voting, which is FIFTY percent of the total voting!

    RSL’s Javier Morales continues to get snubbed – is that because of playing in a small market, or do people think he had a “turf-aided” season?

    Morales’ 15 assists represents a threshold that he and GBS became only the 3rd and 4th MLS players to reach since 2000 (Preki, 2003, with 17; and Ralston, 2002, with 19).

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  3. Modibo–maybe your kid CAN get a loan deal! But seriously, Hoeness is not being condescending. He is both being 1) a cautious organization exec, and 2) the German phrase that is based on is a bit more positive. BUt it is certainly not exuberant.

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  4. I hate the slow announcement schedule for end of season awards for all sports leagues. I get that they’re trying to stretch their news coverage, but just break it to us all at once, it’ll be more fun that way. It’s like if the Oscars announced Best Picture one week, Best Actress the next, etc.

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  5. So Schelotto was the most valuable…that’s hard to argue against.

    Who was the best player? Was it still Schelotto? Or does Donovan get the nod then?

    I’m curious as to what others think.

    (I personally would go with Donovan. He did his job by leading a team to a fantastic offense…the Galaxy’s defensive woes are not on his shoulders…but it definitely would still be close).

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  6. i agree that the MLS have picked the right player for the award this year….

    it was a clear run away, 7 goals and 19 assists is definately worthy of the title…. Donovan may have scored a ton of goals, but it was GBS who led the Crew to victory… good show Crew, this is truly your year, and it makes me sick 😛

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  7. If you needed any proof of who was the MVP look at the head to head from last week between Blanco and Schelotto. Blanco was largely ineffective while Schelotto was magnificent.

    Oh, and while I love Lando, I refuse to accept that an MVP could ever come from a lousy team.

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  8. You know I used to love this blog, until this recent Crewlovefest. I should lay low until this Cow loving boils over. 😉 😉

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  9. Off topic, sorry – about Donovan, Uli Hoeness had this ‘glowing’ assessment: “What he has shown so far is okay, he can certainly kick,” said Hoeness.

    Wow, sounds like what the AYSO parents say about my daughter. Maybe she can get a loan deal with Bayern too.

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  10. Sean, lol, I am in the same boat as you!

    Ives: Schelotto is crafty, and he is just the Crews type! Seriously, he is a beast, and I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t getting more press early on. I love to watch the guy play, and I am glad that the Crew have a team built that is working well together.

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  11. The award: well-deserved.

    The leak: eh, it happens. I hope no one loses any sleep over it, and especially that no one loses their job over it. I don’t think it should come as any surprise to anyone except, well, maybe SI readers who are only vaguely aware of Donovan (and then only because of Beckham: “what, he plays with Becks and scores twice as many goals as that Italian guy in Columbus and still can’t win MVP?”)

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  12. Damn printer’s deadlines!

    I’m sure that one ad wasn’t going to stop the presses. Besides, those presses are probably in China somewhere and the latest edition was printed and shipped last week.

    This falls on MLS’s shoulders. SI goes out when it goes out, MLS should have known this and planned accordingly.

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  13. Ives, love the blog.

    But, I find some irony in the fact that I never would have known he won until after it was announced if YOU didn’t post this article on your blog 😉

    He certainly deserves it!

    Reply

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