Photo by Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
Having already been labeled as “The Franchise”, the Columbus Crew’s Wil Trapp has drawn plenty of praise from in and around the club. Now, in addition to the respect he’s earned in the Crew locker room, the 21 year-old midfielder has earned a stamp of approval from one of soccer’s legends.
Following the Crew’s 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls Sunday, Thierry Henry was quick to praise the play of Trapp, who played a key part in the waves of attacking play that gave the Red Bulls’ defense trouble throughout the game.
“Wil Trapp was outstanding today,” Henry said. “I know (Federico) Higuain usually gets all the (credit), their striker will get (some too) I’m sure because he scored two goals, and (Ethan) Finlay wasn’t bad either, but Wil Trapp is the key of that team.
“Today, he was giving the tempo of the team, bringing the ball out from the back, Higuain doesn’t have to drop and get the ball, he will get it in a good position because Wil Trapp does his job. Difficult to stop. He has, hopefully for him, a good future. As Americans, you should be happy.
“Today I thought he was the difference.”
Here are some more Crew notes from Sunday’s victory over the Red Bulls:
PARKHURST WEIGHS IN ON KLINSMANN, GARBER
Following the debate between Jurgen Klinsmann and Don Garber, the proper path for the United States’ best soccer players has become more widely-discussed than ever before.
As a player that has plied his trade both domestically and abroad, Crew centerback Michael Parkhurst has experienced the game at virtually each and every level. Parkhurst, who spent six seasons in Europe before returning to MLS, was quick to give the league credit when asked for his view on the MLS commissioner’s war of words with Klinsmann.
“I’ve been reading a little bit about it. It’s comical,” Parkhurst said. “I don’t really have much to say about it, but obviously MLS, I’ve got a lot of respect for the league, and I think everyone that plays in the league realizes what’s going on.”
Parkhurst also voiced his support for U.S. Men’s National Team players that have come back to the league following Klinsmann’s criticism of Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley earlier this week.
“Guys make choices for a lot of different reasons other than just playing in the Champions League or playing at the highest level possible, so you don’t fault anybody for making those decisions,” Parkhurst added. “I don’t think that’s hurt their level that much. I think a lot of guys in MLS help the national team out a lot, so I think the league’s going the right way.
“The biggest difference right away that I saw was not necessarily in guys one through 11, but guys 15 through 28. When I was in the league prior, those guys weren’t really pushing you. You weren’t fighting for your starting spot or competition to be in the 18. The level dropped pretty significantly, whereas now I think we literally have 20 guys that can come in and play and the level wouldn’t drop.”
TCHANI FINDING HIS FORM IN THIRD SEASON WITH CREW
Five years after entering the league, midfielder Tony Tchani has finally found his niche.
Tchani provided yet another assist, his fourth in three games and sixth of the year, Sunday by sliding a through ball past the Red Bulls backline and onto the feet of Ethan Finlay for the game’s second goal.
The Crew midfielder, who had only had six career assists entering the 2014 season, has found his form this campaign to become a valuable part of a Crew side that looks set to contend with the league’s elite.
“It’s just about being confident and just trying to move the ball around,” Tchani said of his passing exploits. “I feel like when we move the ball around and when I’m in the right spot to make the pass, I try it. I can miss maybe once or twice, but I’m positive that the third one or the fourth one is going to be the right one.”
Tchani’s performances this season have caught the eye of many of his teammates as well.
“I think he’s been fantastic for us,” Parkhurst said on Tchani’s play. “He’s been fantastic. He’s taken it to a new level. He’s super confident, and you can see that. (Crew manager Gregg Berhalter) has worked a lot with him in the middle of the field and he’s been really key for us. He provides that bite in there, that strength that we need in there… It makes the game so much easier for us.”
Tchani’s latest assist also had the added benefit of coming against the team that drafted him back in 2010, although Tchani was quick to point out that the game was about a lot more than going against ex-teammates.
“The game wasn’t about me,” Tchani said. “It was about the team. We came in here because we wanted to get that home-field advantage in the playoffs. It was important game for us. We wanted to be there to get that win.”
CREW HAPPY TO CONTINUE FIGHT FOR RESPECT
While several of the league’s more high-profile teams have drawn a majority of the headlines, the Crew have spent a majority of the 2014 season flying under the radar.
With the playoffs approaching and a statement victory over the Red Bulls in their back pocket, the Crew are now headed to the postseason with hopes of earning the respect of those outside the locker room.
“I feel like we don’t get enough credit because we’re like a small team,” Tchani said. ” After this massive win, they’re going to give us a lot of credit. ”
“I think throughout the league,” added goalscorer Aaron Schoenfeld, “from what the guys hear on the team, everyone else thinks we play a good style of soccer and when we finish our chances, we’re a dangerous team.”
The pair’s beliefs were echoed by club newcomer Emmanuel Pogatetz, who, just a month-and-a-half into his Crew career, has already come to embrace the Crew’s battle.
“We came to New York today and what we also wanted to do was earn the respect of the league and the fans,” Pogatetz said. “I think we play good soccer and we deserve to be in the playoffs. I think when you watch the coverage in the media, sometimes this team doesn’t get the credit it deserves. We’re also playing for ourselves, to show that we deserve to be in the playoffs, to show that we’re a good soccer team. I think that’s what we did today.
“I know there are teams out there who probably have players with bigger names then our team, but we have a very good team and I think it will be tough for anyone to beat us and to play against us, especially at home… We really believe in ourselves and we will go as far as we can.”
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What do you think of these notes? What do you expect from Trapp in both the playoffs and the coming seasons? What do you think of Parkhurst’s assessment? How far do you think the Crew can go in the postseason?
Share your thoughts below.
Henry !!! Go back to Arsenal !!!
Stop wasting time in NJ!!
what? as a coach?
If my math is right Trapp is eligible for the Olympic Team so we can see how he rates against International Competition when the qualifiers for that take place and hopefully the Olympics themselves. We can all think of plenty of young players that were great in MLS, but just didn’t pan out in international play.
Bradley was having a good start to the season in Toronto, before leaving for Brazil. Few of the MLSers on that team have been lights out since returning. The physical toll drained many of them. You could say Dempsey has been good 8 goals and Jones has been fantastic at NE, but he was able to rest for month before joining. Plus Bradley has never been a big goals and assist guy other than his one breakout season with Heerenveen.
I don’t think MB is going anywhere other than I hope… from the attacking/creative role he had assigned in Brazil to where he fits best for the Nats…… a more talented version of what Beckerman provided… that when the opportunity presents itself, can occasionally go forward or slot in a digonal ball to a streaking forward and provide an offensive spark. Rather than run himself ragged trying to do everything, it would be nice to see Bradley settle into a rock solid role bolstering the mid defense and linking the back to front.
Seems the second a defensive mid (or an outside defender- see Yedlin) shows offensive skill we want to immediately send him forward. We’ll never have a well balanced team with versatile talent throughout this way.
“a more talented version of what Beckerman provided…”
I love Mikey but he has never been a particularly good defender; he certainly has never been in Beckerman’s class.
yep, Parkhurst bitter and others just taking it too personally, etc., that must be it. not like Michael has actually played in both Europe and MLS in the past few seasons so would have an insightful perspective to take in and digest, a perspective to listen to about these things. at least his name is not Garber or beachbum saying this stuff 🙂
Parkhurst did not come across as bitter. He was just defending the rather obvious choice that Mikey and Clint made.
The overwhelming thing about the Mikey/Deuce repatriation was that, if the numbers are true and the contracts hold, the Dynamic Duo got deals they would not have been able to replicate anywhere else on the planet.
It must have been harder for Mikey than Deuce, being younger with probably with far more attractive Euro suitors than Clint and going to a garbage team (probably the biggest downside for him) but in the end they both would have been insane to turn down those deals.
Since they happened so close to Brazil it was unlikely the moves affected their form much. Clint did about what I expected and I still wonder if Mikey was hiding the extent to which his foot surgery hampered him.
As for the future, Clint wants to keep on until at least Copa America in 2016 while Mikey has said he’ll keep turning up as long as he is called. Clint’s long term prospects are better but we will see.
In 3 years, Trapp will be 24 and Bradley 30. Each of them will be different then and probably better than they are now. (Injuries, lack of playing time, maturity, experience, strength and skill can and likely will play a part in the next 3 years). It is premature to predict which or even if either will be in the middle for the USMNT in 3 years.
But hey! that kind of speculation is what the comments section lives for.
Defiantly. Watch Trapp. He pulls the strings. Bradley looks like Donovan before his sabbatical.
That is the point — look at how much better Donovan is playing now.
You don’t take a player because of his “form” because you do not know if that form is going to last. You take the better player because the odds are that his form will be better no matter what his previous form was. Form is fallacy.
Form is temporary. Class is forever.
Trapp has both
yep, Parkhurst bitter and others just taking it too personally, etc., that must be it. not like Michael has actually played in both Europe and MLS in the past few seasons so would have an insightful perspective to take in and digest, a perspective to listen to about these things. at least his name is not Garber or beachbum saying this stuff 🙂
excuse me Trent, this was posted here by mistake, my bad
anyway, I dig Trapp too but agree with don Lamb on this one
Well to be fair, when he actually went to a league above MLS level (I don’t think the Scandinavian leagues are of a higher level, just a better shop window) in the Bundesliga, he didn’t actually play. He couldn’t even get on the field.
PS. I know he played like 1 or 2 games, so no need for anyone to correct me haha.
to be fair, didn’t Parkhurst play in CL games? against the likes of Chelsea and Juventus? and didn’t he get on the field in those games? yes they lost, but he played CL games, more than just a couple too, right?
don’t worry Brian I, I predict JK will have others still in the USMNT pool come out and support his take, impartially of course. we’ll see
That was when he was in the Danish league, a league that is probably worse than MLS as a whole, and at best equal. When he took a step up to a top league he couldn’t cut it. When he left Denmark he went to Augsburg in Germany where he played 2 games. Not exactly a success. You think he would have came back to MLS if he was a starter there?
Throw the top MLS sides (Galaxy, Sounders etc.) into the Danish league and I’d bet a couple would get to play in European competitions every now and then as well.
He only played a few games in Germany but you’re totally wrong about his time in Denmark. He was a starter on FC Nordsjælland, played something like a hundred games for them, won a league title with them, and got rave reviews in the CL matches he played in. I even remember him making CL best-11 lists once or twice.
You didn’t read my post correctly…I said when he went to a league ABOVE MLS LEVEL then I went on to explain how I don’t consider the Danish league above MLS level.
I DEFINITELY do not consider the Scandinavian leagues (Denmark/Sweden/Norway) above MLS.
Right now, I would take Trapp over Bradley. Much better form.
Really, if the WC started tomorrow you play Trapp over Bradley?
Funny. Linking these articles together.
Praise for Trapp and Tchani, in an article where Parkhurst calls JK clueless. (OK, maybe he didn’t say that directly). Quite frankly the guys that love to hate MLS, probably don’t even know who those guys are…and like Parkhurst said, those guys are competiting for spots and it is very competitive.
Easy to say those two are starters now, but Tchani was being passes around from team to team, a few years ago. Many sure he could play, many others thinking he would have made it by now.
you are either exaggerating or only comprehending what you want them to say..
either way no need to add fuel to fire when the original comment from Parkhurst states that the debate is “comical”
I don’t think Klinnsmann is targeting the players 10-28 when he says they should play in Europe. I think he’s talking about players 1-9, definately the top 5. MLS is a good league however its not one of the best leagues in the world. Not sure whats controversial about that.
Agreed, I don’t understand it either. People are taking things way to personal. He’s talking about players with national team aspirations and who are the top in the league. He just thinks they need to be tested at the highest level.
Can’t say I’m surprised at Parkhurst opinion though, I don’t think he is the biggest fan of Jurgen’s after not making the final 23 for the World Cup. Also, he couldn’t exactly break through in a top league (Germany) overseas either. MLS is his level in my opinion of his play over the years.
+1
No loss…his anger on missing out is understandable. He’s an ok pro, but he is really not a player of the international quality or standard that the US is striving to obtain.
Actually, he is talking about a handful of MLS players with US passports, who could help the USMNT and are good enough to play for a club in a good European league (whether based on their current quality or future potential). This is probably less than 1% of MLS players.
Eurosnob – I agree with what you’re saying, but unless you’re inside JK’s head or have had a conversation with him you are making an inference about his statement. Therefore, your comment should be positioned as an inference and not a fact.
Just a logical inference, when considering the full context of Klinsi’s remarks and his numerous prior remarks.
There are fewer than 6 players with US passports who can play for USMNT and in Europe?
Yeveniy, I did not do the exact math, just an approximation, hence, I used “probably.” But here’s the list of MLS players that made it to Brazil with the USMNT: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC) Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) Graham Zusi (Sporting KC). How many of them would be of interest to, let’s say, Ajax or PSV or Roma? How may of them would start for these teams? Maybe 2 or 3? Less?
Sunderland lost 8-0 this weekend. I missed the game, but too bad Jozy didn’t play, as a forward it would have been a really good growth experience for him.
A lot guys, like me, happen to think that MLS has a lot of advantages. Bradley may be failing to make the playoffs, that is because he is in a real competition.
JK discounting those advantage or completely ignoring them puts him a step away from blog troller catagory. He probably got there when he opined on Pro/Rel.
Nein, nein, nein! Jürgen Klinsmann would never visit zee comments section of a soccer bloggen. You are being silly! Und ich know this for a fact, okay.
So Trapp needs to keep up very high level play in MLS for 1-2 More years, then make a move to Europe and get playing time in one of the Top leagues then he replaces MB90 for
WC 2018. That should be the best case scenario plan right?
The more realistic situation is he gets on a team in England that will lose most of their games, competing for absolutely nothing, and then end up being blamed and sitting on the bench.
Sorry just being too cynical, but my point that there are a lot of advantages of playing in MLS stands.
He is leading his team, in a real competition. One that he can win, one that he will play a big part in.
Your right, Most of the Americans Oversees seem to have a rough time of it. A guy can dream though.
Dman,
Most nationalities have a hard time of it trying to break into the top teams in Europe.
The latest SBI Americans Abroad listed about 38 Americans in Europe, Few of them were playing.
US fans like to whine about it but the reality is when you consider how many players from all over are going for jobs on those teams the percentage of Americans is pretty small. There are are not an awful lot of Americans players in Europe period..
As of 2012:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2222621/Brazil-players-spread-Europe–analysis.html
The sheer numbers alone tell you how hard it is to get playing time in any worthwhile club in Europe let alone a top one.
I don’t know why US fans on SBI think Americans can just waltz in and are entitled to a job just because they are among America’s best players.
Dman — I think the phrase “make a move to Europe” is the biggest issue, and non-starter, in American soccer. And it’s not your fault either — I hear that phrase from everyone, from players to coaches to pundits on TV. What does “make a move to Europe” actually mean? Does it mean bumming around Agudelo style? Does it mean taking any offer thrown at you simply because it’s Europe (Altidore)? There’s this sense, and it’s certainly backed by JK, that you need to “make a move”. The only case that I think is immune to this horrible trend in Yedlin’s situation — he told the media straight up before the WC that the idea of playing in Europe was a distant dream to him and that he wasn’t going anywhere at least for the time being. Then, Tottenham comes out of the woodwork and says, “we need that guy.” THAT’S a good move to Europe. And I dearly hope that Trapp follows that path and doesn’t decide next year to “make the move”.
Best case scenario is Trapp continuing to develop and then playing alongside a hopefully still good and only 30 y/o Bradley in 2018.
I think you are missing Parkhurst’s point, and it’s a good one. Klinsmann argues (more directly some times than others) that in MLS good players get into a comofrtable place where are not challanged Parkhurst points out the qulaity throughout squads has increased signficantly since he was last in the league and that compititon for spots os therefore tougher. There are also few weak spots to take advantage of. That puts more pressure on guys to perfrom .
I am a fan of MLS and want it to keep growing but lets be realistic, depth (due inpart to the low salary cap) has and is still a big problem for the MLS. I’m sure it has improved since the days Parkhurst first started but it’s definitely still a weak point. Look what happens to these teams when they play in the Champions League with backups because they need to rest their starters for the regular season. Obviously Mexico is the gold standard for leagues in this region, but they aren’t exactly power house teams loaded with National team talent everywhere. They drop 4, 5 and 6 spots on our MLS teams on many occasions.
re. CL, 2 points
1. depth is an issue and the Mexican teams have more cash to spend on that depth to compet in multiple compeitions
2. the scheduling snafu is a HUGE detractor from MLS teams advancing, and Garber pisses me off on that one to this day
Depth is still a problem.
But lack of depth is one of the things that is a benefit of playing in MLS. Look at Brek Shea, he was struggling as he left Dallas, big time, but got playing time. That continued in Europe…sit down, immediately.
Perhaps, Brek Shea is out of his “depth” in Europe. Frankly, I am not surprised that he struggled at EPL, given his low soccer IQ and lack of skill. Athleticism alone may not be enough. If he returns from his loan, is it likely that he would unseat Bojan Krkic, a product of Barcelona system, who plays on the wing for Stoke? Probably not.
Parkhurst is talking about MLS Team rosters with that comment. Meaning when he was first in MLS starting 11 players didn’t have to train as hard to keep their spots, whereas in Europe you do. He is saying now that MLS depth has improved and you do have to be on your game. Not sure his experience in the Denmark and a short spell on bottom table German side makes him an expert but much more an expert than me.
Tchani has surprised me with his progression. I did not think he was ready to play a big role when he first came in and was starting for NYRB. He is clearly ready for that type of role now.
surprised me too. he’s been fantastic and works great with Higuain
I wish NYRB/Pink Cow would have held on to Tchani. TT paired with Dax would make them a much better team
You wouldn’t have said that last year. Before preseason started I was upset that Berhalter kept Tchani, he’s done nothing but frustrate (i.e. lots of giveaways) over the previous two years. Gregg has REALLY turned his game around this year. Every game this season he keeps getting better!!