Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIPhotos.com
If you told most D.C. United fans that Dwayne DeRosario and Hamdi Salihi would start the season without a goal in the first seven matches they probably would have assumed a terrible start. Seven weeks into the 2012 season, neither DeRosario or Salihi has a goal but Chris Pontius and Maicon Santos have more than picked up the slack.
Pontius and Santos have combined for eight goals this season, a major reason D.C. is currently riding a six-match unbeaten streak. The pair combined for five goals in just the past week to help D.C. gain four points from two matches. Those efforts earned both players spots on SBI's MLS Best XI for Week Seven.
The San Jose Earthquakes were big winners this week as well, and both Steven Beitashour and Khari Stephenson were vital to the team's 3-1 win against Real Salt Lake.
From a purely defensive standpoint, no defender in MLS was more important to their team's win last week than Carlos Valdes, who was key to the Union shutting out Chivas USA despite being down two players due to red cards.
Here are this week's picks for SBI MLS Best XI:
SBI MLS BEST XI: Week 7
———Will Bruin——Maicon Santos—–Khari Stephenson——
Chris Pontius—Eddie Gaven—-Reggie Lambe—-Patrick Nyarko
–Young-Pyo Lee———-Carlos Valdes——Steven Beitashour–
—————————-Joe Cannon——————————–
HONORABLE MENTION– Zac MacMath, Aurelien Collin, A.J. De La Garza, Hanyer Mosquera, Lovel Palmer Perry Kitchen, Kyle Beckerman, Michael Farfan, Nick DeLeon, Camilo, Dominic Oduro
It was his best game as a pro.
As in, you want him to be in the starting XI or not listed at all? Perry is the man, he plays an MB like role for DCU.
1 – Chad Marshall has always been good, but out shined by somebody’s great season in the league. He has made a lot of horrible centerback partners look great. He will retire in MLS and be celebrated for a long successful career when it is all done.
2- Thats not him but I cant remember the name of the guy you are thinking about. Young-Pyo Lee has played in PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspur, & Borussia Dortmund.
Who is the best American fullback in MLS?
Here are my Top 6: (RSL bias?)
Beltran
Williams
Wingert
Beitashour
Dunivant
Loyd
A question in honor of Hejduk retirement 🙂
BTW how far has Sean Franklin & Kevin Alston fallen from the list. And how high has Sinovic/Harvey/Farfan climbed! lol
Lost in the SJ victory is that it’s the first game Tressor Moreno started and went 90.
He wasn’t spectacular, but helped maintain possession and spread the ball around–like Camargo for Houston.
Also–the Quakes scored all 3 of their goals after Moreno came on the field vs. Vancouver.
haha should be a 3-3-4. Maybe next week if no GK is deemed good enough to be in the best XI they will just put a field player in the box.
Perry Kitchen honorable mention? Why?
I was thinking the same thing.
Tally Hall.
I guess it doesn’t matter that Pontius played forward?
2 things:
1. Chad Marshall is so good in MLS but gets ignored by so many people. I don’t know if he deserved Best XI this week but dang he’s good. Having said that, he’s too slow for the international game.
2. Is Young-Pyo Lee the guy that used to play at Bolton?