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A look at MLS bad boy Steven Lenhart

StevenLenhart (Getty)

By all accounts, Steven Lenhart is a laid-back and mellow person off the field. Someone who enjoys surfing and is considered quiet by most who know him.

On the field, the San Jose Earthquakes forward is something else entirely.

Lenhart has fashioned a well-earned reputation as a bad boy, a villain, the kind of player who spends as much time getting under his opponent's skin as he does actually playing the game.

On Saturday, Lenhart reminded us there's more to his game than just being a pest. He can also score big goals. Lenhart delivered two of them in San Jose's 2-1 road victory against Philadelphia on Saturday night.

I focus on Lenhart in my latest Fox Soccer MLS Rewind, with comments from Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop and star striker Chris Wondolowski about a player who might be second only to Rafa Marquez on the most-hated player list.

Give the story a read and let us know what you think of Lenhart. Think he's a good player? Hate his on-field antics? Do you enjoy seeing him get under people's skin?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. And I’m sure these same RSL fans LOVED Malone and Stockton’s Jazz–the dirtiest, floppiest, and complainingest NBA team of the ’90s.

    I personally enjoy watching Lenhart. His hold-up play is quality and aids the flow of SJ’s offense. If CBs in the league can’t stand a forward who dishes out as much as he takes, they can suck a carrot and deserve every foul their child-like dispositions lead them to commit.

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  2. As a Crew fan who is dying for them to put it in the ol onion bag, I’d give my left arm to have Stevie back. Push, pull, dive and scream your way to a goal. At least Lenhart has a desire to compete. MLS needs more personality guys like Lenhart.

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  3. I gotta say that I don’t think I ever even heard of him before last weekend. I remember the “please pay attention to me” hair, but I didn’t notice him other than that.

    That said, he and that tiny rocket guy who came in with him, made punks out of our back line on Saturday. Sad, (for me at least) but true.

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  4. Lenhart is an absolute beast in the air, and he works tirelessly for his team. I’m an RSL supporter, but I think he’s fun to watch.

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  5. you said it perfectly. i didn’t like him much when he was with columbus, but have grown to love him for SJ. relentless worker and great in the air. decent touch for a target type player. and he actually has pretty good vision to make the final pass. sure he has done some stupid stuff, but neither of the controversial calls this year were dives in any way, shape, or form. the ones that hate lenhart most are the ones that get beat by him

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  6. I can’t stand Lenhart…but I suspect every hater here, (myself included) would love to have him giving his all for their team. He is a guy you would love to play with, and despise playing against.

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  7. How can anyone write an article on Steven Lenhart and not mention that he took several months off from the season last year to recover emotionally from the death of his father and that he has come back playing like never before?

    There’s a great story in there somewhere but the article missed it. Completely.

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  8. Ok he may not have the most technical skill. But he has gotten so much betterhan where he was years ago. But you can’t say that he is not fun to watch. Anyone with that much energy and passion is great to watch. Yeah he gets under people’s skin, that’s what a good player is capable of doing. He is a workhorse and his teammates love it. The other teams hate it cause he can annoy. He is far from dirty as others are. He knows what he has to work with and uses it to his advantage, I think others hate because they don’t have it and want what he has. I would take Lenhart on my team anytime.

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