New MLSnet.com Feature...Rookie Life...

Looks like MLSnet.com is coming out with a new on-line video feature, Rookie Life. This is right after the hearts of our readers here at FCTP. Check out the trailer and support this cool new feature once it comes out next week.


MLS Rookie Life from The Offside Rules on Vimeo.

Thanks to The Offside Rules for pointing this out.

2008 MLS Rookie Of The Year...

It is official, Sean Franklin wins 2008 Rookie Of The Year award.

As I sad ten days ago, this class of rookies doesn't really seem to hold up to previous years. I also don't think Sean Franklin will end up being the best player to come out of the class, I just think it could take others longer to mature. I also think people will scratch their head when they compare this year's award winner to previous years winners.

2008: Sean Franklin - Los Angeles Galaxy
2007: Maurice Edu - Toronto FC
2006: Jonathan Bornstein - Chivas USA
2005: Michael Parkhurst - New England Revolution
2004: Clint Dempsey - New England Revolution
2003: Damani Ralph - Chicago Fire
2002: Kyle Martino - Columbus Crew
2001: Rodrigo Faria - MetroStars
2000: Carlos Bocanegra - Chicago Fire
1999: Jay Heaps - Miami Fusion
1998: Ben Olsen - D.C. United
1997: Mike Duhaney - Tampa Bay Mutiny
1996: Steve Ralston - Tampa Bay Mutiny

Does anyone out there think Franklin will be headed to Europe in a few years for successful careers like Dempsey or Bocanegra? Or will Franklin be the next Jay Heaps or Kyle Martino? I tend to think he'll have a career as a serviceable player but won't stay in anyone's mind as an amazing player.

I don't know, am I being too harsh? Is my season ticket in Denver keeping me from seeing a gem in LA? What do you all think?

MLS 2008 Rookie Of The Year Nominees....

MLS award nominees are out and as you should expect my eyes went first to Rookie of the Year.

Rookie of the Year: Sean Franklin, Geoff Cameron, Kheli Dube

As always I like to take a look back, see where they came from and the like. Here is some bio info.

Sean Franklin was the highest draft pick of the three. He was taken #4 overall by LA after playing college soccer at Cal State Northridge. He was the first non-generation adidas pick in the '08 draft. He first hit my list in 2007 when he got some time with the US U-23 team. He was also selected to the 2007 All PDL team after a strong summer playing in the amateur league. The defender was one of the lone bright spots on a terrible LA defensive line and you have to wonder if he would have earned those 26 starts on another team. I'm not trying to knock the kid, he played well and had a good rookie year, but he was part of a defense that gave up a staggering 62 goals. A stronger defensive unit, not starting a rookie almost all season, would have probably helped the Gals make the playoffs seeing as that they scored the most goals in the league. Obviously not all his fault, but something to think about.

Geoff Cameron was a total unknown to me when he was drafted 42nd overall by Houston. The young midfielder played his college ball at the University of Rhode Island and was the 2007 A-10 midfielder of the year. That award should have put him on my list, but I somehow missed him. I must have been busy with work when those were announced. Geoff played 921 minutes for the Houston senior team in 2008 making him a somewhat unknown commodity to those of us who don't attend/watch every Houston match. Frankly I'm somewhat surprised to see his name on the list, but like I said, I didn't get to see him play much. I'm starting to worry about this class selected by the league.

Last but not least; Kheli Dube. The forward had a strong rookie year for New England scoring four goals and making four assists. He played over 1,200 minutes for the Revs which is good on a team with such talent. Dube was drafted 8th in the 2008 Supplemental Draft out of Costal Carolina University. At CCU he earned the 2007 Big South Conference Player of the Year award. He is a quick SOB and I'm excited to see more of him in 2009.

Of all the players nominated I'm having a tough time picking my favorite. Franklin seemed to live up to his high draft pick while Dube came out of a less known college program and made the best of his opportunity and the same can probably be said for Cameron. However, I am surprised these are the Rookie of the Year candidates and I fear this is a sign of things to come as MLS signs more players directly from academies and foreign leagues. The young Americans players coming out of college are not always ready to play the pro game in their first year and this list shows it.

Should they be ready to make the jump? That is up to individual opinion. My opinion is as follows. The expectation should be different for each player. In the case of an eighteen year old GA player, you can't expect him to jump into a man's game right away. Kids like Jozy Altidore are the exception. If they can play well in their rookie year, great...but I don't expect them to. Twenty-three year old men like Franklin are a different story. They've developed mentally and physically and need to be ready upon joining MLS to battle and play hard. MLS is signing them hoping they can contribute from day one. As the player pool expands in the coming years rookies are going to get more chances and they need to be ready. The fact that Franklin's back line was so porous is due to his inexperience and lack of leadership, yet he is a rookie of the year candidate?

I fear for the future of American college soccer and the players it produces when this list is the pick of the litter. In foreign leagues twenty three years olds have been training professionally for a few years. They are ready to capitalize on given opportunities to start in the best leagues around the world. The kids coming to MLS from college are hindered by NCAA rules. Therefore, I see more and more future pros coming from Academies and other leagues, not college unless NCAA changes their rules and allows more training and game time. Time will tell.

As for my Rookie of the Year? He isn't on this list and I'm not sure there is one. Rookies in 2008 had a tough time and the breakout players were coming from reserve leagues having gotten some pro time under their belts. I'll look for the success stories out of the 2008 draft next year.

2008 MLS Rookie Salaries....

Wow, it has taken me a few weeks to actually get this post together. My loyal readers will note recent posts have been few and far between. I apologize as work has been hell and I’m not going to try and compete with all of the bloggers doing weekly reviews of the play on the field. I learned last season that is a big time sapper. So I have less to draw inspiration from.

Anyway, last year we discussed Rookie Salaries in MLS and I decided it would be another fun topic. I’ve taken the pdf file released by the Players Association and culled out all of the veteran players so I’m just looking at real first year players who were brought into MLS via the draft or direct signing. The players we’re talking about here have not been professionals in the past. They’re ROOKIES! That being said, MLS is terrible at updating their on-line player database so some second year players appear to be rookies because it says they have zero years playing experience. However, Jordan Harvey, I’m on to you. You’re out! I tried to get all these types of guys out but it is difficult.

As an aside, how does MLS, the employer, still think Harvey has zero experience when he was drafted in 2006 and has featured in two MLS Reserve Championship Teams? He has experience! MLS, you’ve done a lot right with the website, please fix this.

On to the good stuff. In 2008 I count 69 rookies. As I said, that may be including a couple second year players because of the issue of the MLS website I referenced above. Rest assured I have removed all of the Argenis Fernandez and Mauricio Castro type players who had professional careers before MLS but show up as zero in the experience column. For those 69 rookies MLS is shelling out $1,519,800 in base compensation and $1,977,300 in total compensation. Yes, all of the rookies combined make less than David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco individually. Let’s just say they have something to aspire too.

Last year when I looked at the numbers there were 79 rookies on the books in MLS making a total of $1,682,200 Base and $2,072,025 guaranteed. The rookie class did shrink between 2007 and 2008 but the average salary for first year players went up. In 2008 average rookie salary is $22,026 base and $28,657 guaranteed. In 2007 those figures were slightly lower at $21,294/$26,228. That is a 3% increase in base which comes directly from the collective bargaining agreement and 9% increase in guaranteed. The second increase is most likely from generation adidas type players being able to negotiate better offers. MLS knows they need to get the best of the young Americans and they’re paying up for the top talent.

So, who are the biggest bread winners of the 2008 MLS Rookie class? (All numbers below are base/guaranteed and are ranked by guaranteed)
Patrick Nyarko takes the top spot pulling down $55,000/$135,000
Chance Myers is next coming in at $70,000/$130,000
Anthony Beltran negotiated a nice deal: $55,000/$90,500
Roger Espinoza, Ciaran O'Brien, Eric Avila, Josh Lambo, Alex Nimo and Brek Shea are all tied for fourth: $45,000/$78,750
Andy Iro and Rob Valentino are tied for fifth at $36,000/$53,500

Looking back at another post I did last year at this time you’ll see the top pick in 2008 isn’t quite as well off as the top pick in 2007. Maurice Edu made $50,000/$132,500 in 2007 and is up to $75,000/$157,500 in his second year. As you can see, the top talent going into the draft are getting some good deals. I will also point out that most of these guys are Generation Adidas players so the league isn’t paying their way. However, Edu is not and is one of the top earners of his class.

On the other end of the spectrum there are 41 rookies making the league minimum, $12,900/$12,900. These are the guys playing for a dream. For some it will work out. They’ll work their tails off at practice and in reserve games for a chance. As a role model they need look no further than Rapids defender Stephen Keel. He started as a developmental player making less then the current class. He’s now on a senior contract making $33,000/$33,000 for playing professional soccer and I am sure when the time comes to negotiate a new deal he’ll have some leverage to get more based on the fact he is starting every game in 2008.

There are 7 players who earned a “senior developmental” contract at $17,700/$17,700. Then there are 5 rookies who earned senior contracts at the minimum $33,000/$33,000. Pat Phelan, one of the bigger names going into the draft is at that level. Julius James joins three others at the $36,000/$44,750.

So there you go. The annual list of the MLS have and have nots is out and analyzed. Many fellow soccer bloggers have poured over the league in general and I have given you the rookie perspective.

MLS Rookie Darkhorses...

Every season there are those players who find their way to a MLS team and you end up scratching your head asking, 'where did they come from?' Sometimes they are drafted but didn't play in the combine. Sal Cacavale anyone have him on their 2007 mock drafts? Doubt it, but he was selected in the Supplemental Draft and he did get a MLS deal and he did play in 1 Red Bull New York game and he did score 1 goal in the 2 minutes of playing time he had. Yes, I didn't make that up.

So who could be that Sal of 2008? Here are a few names for you to remember in 2008:

John Gilkerson - D - Winthrop: The Winchester, VA native has been invited to the INFO Sport Combine in Samford, FL according to his agent. That combine has helped other MLS players get seen. Played for the Hampton Roads Piranhas in the PDL. 2006 All-Big South 1st Team.

Nate Oyefeso - M/F/GK - Columbia Union College: Holds the assist record at his college and is also attending the INFO Sports Combine in early January. Has youth club experience in Italy including a try out with Italian giants Juventus before his family moved to the US. In 2007 he was all over the USCAA All-American list.

Saidi Isaac - F - Winthrop: Before the start of the season Isaac was on the MAC Herman Trophy watch list. He's been named to the Big South first team and played in the PDL for the Indiana Invaders. The Kenyan has played for his nation's U-18 & U-20 team. His list of achievements is a mile long.

Joe Donoho - D - Bradley: Defensive player who scored 6 goals and made 3 assists from his back line position. Named College Soccer News 2nd team All-American. Has PDL experience with the Michigan Bucks and his Bradley coach, Jim DeRose, was named 2007 coach of the year by Soccer America.

There are a few guys. Who else do you think could make it into MLS?

2007 MLS Rookie of the Year Finalists

MLS has announced the finalists for the Rookie of the Year award.

Adam Cristman - New England Revolution
Maurice Edu - Toronto FC
Dane Richards - New York Red Bulls

Robbie Findley is the big missing name in my opinion. Why do there have to be three finalists? I'd say Findley had a bigger impact then Cristman, but Cristman is still in the playoffs. Overall a solid group to pick from. I don't think anyone is the clear winner.

The award will be announced by the league on November 7th. Who do you think should win?

Dane Richards Impressed Me Last Night...

I didn't get to watch the entire match and I missed the now infamous no-call in the box when Cannon pulled Richards down on a scoring opportunity. Despite all of that I've got to single out Richards for his play last night. LA is losing one speedy winger with Cobi's retirement and somehow a much younger twin of his showed up on the other team. Had LA used a slower left back last night he would have been left in the dust by Richards on multiple occasions and the game probably wouldn't have ended the way it did.

I think everyone is in agreement that Maurice Edu will be named the league rookie of the year, as he should be, but Richards could in the long term be the guy who makes a bigger mark in MLS. Edu is probably going to be here a few seasons and then go over to Europe, but Richards could literally be the next Cobi. I don't know if he'll garner the same hype that Edu certainly will. With another couple years experience, Richards will turn into a dangerous, speedy threat down the right wing for NY. Too bad they traded Wynne to Toronto because the two of them overlapping would terrorize defenders.

Another comparison that popped into my head last night was DMB. Richards seems posed to become Jitterbug II. Richards' small frame, blazing speed and willingness to try fake out moves to jitter around defenders down that right sideline make him look like a mirror image of Beasley on the left. No, he's not the finished article and he isn't to Beasley's quality, but he certainly looks like he has the ability and promise. With good coaching and hard work he'll last a long time, like the guy they honored in LA last night, Cobi.

Richards certainly needs to work on his ball control and ability to trick defenders. Last night Mike Randolph was able to block Richards and match his speed so the put the ball beyond him trick didn't always work. However, with a couple years' development Richards could be the best right winger in the league.

2007 MLS Rookies and What They Make...

MLS fans love to talk about salaries for young players in MLS and how they need to increase for the game to grow in the US, etc. etc. We've discussed it here too. Today I'm not going to get into that arguement again, but we're going to look at the facts. Which 2007 MLS rookies are earning their salaries in 2007. We can all argue what the best way to analyze this kind of thing is. First we'll look at a statistic or two, then we'll dive into some intangibles. Let's go, shall we?

First off, by my count there are 86 rookies currently on MLS rosters. This does not include the pool players listed on the MLS website. There is a chance I'm missing one or two, but let's hope they're not one getting good playing time. Between all of the rookies they have played in 408 games, scored 30 goals and made 29 assists. There is one more regular season game for 12 of the teams and two more for the Galaxy, so those number should change a little. Michael Harrington has proven to be the iron man of the rookie class having played in 28 of his teams 29 games. Adam Cristman and Dane Richards are following close behind with 27 games out of 29. Wells Thompson, Maurice Edu, Robert Findley, Ty Harden, Andrew Boyens, Corey Ashe and Kurt Morsink have all broken the 20 game barrier.

So how do you create stats to show impact on a team based on what they cost? Heck, I don't know, but here were some of my ideas.

Games Played/$ 2007 Guaranteed Salary:
This one will obviously be won by the guy who took the low ball salary and made the most of it earning a lot of playing time. In this case, Adam Cristman is the lucky winner. He pulled down a paltry $17,700 in 2007 (not including any bonuses) and will certainly be offered more to stay in 2008. Following Adam we've got Dane Richards, Wells Thompson and Ty Harden. All these of these guys earned the $30,000 salary reserved for guys on the senior roster. I'm not sure if any of them were moved up mid-season. Rounding out the top ten are: Chris Lancos, Corey Ashe, Kurt Morsink, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Michael Harrington and Robbie Findley. Those are the guys who cost the least for the number of games they played.

Who's on the other end of the spectrum? Anthony Wallace only made one start while pulling down Generation Adidas kind of money; $78,000. Israel Sesay, Chris Seitz, Nico Colaluca and Osei Telesford are just some of the guys making a good paycheck while not playing too much. Maurice Edu is far down on this list because he's guaranteed $132,500 in 2007 despite having played a big role in the FC Toronto midfield.

Then there are guys like Bryan Arguez, David Arvizu, Abdus Ibrahim and Amaechi Igwe earning over $50,000 in 2007 while not playing in a single senior game. They're young but will need to make an impact next year if they want to outlive their big Generation Adidas contracts.

Goals/$ 2007 Guaranteed Salary:
Forwards are obviously going to be expected to score goals and win games for their teams. In this one we're measuring a player's goal production value, based on their 2007 salary. Once again Adam Cristman wins for the same reason he did in the last category; he's on a developmental salary and scoring goals. He's followed by Robert Findley, Salvatore Caccavale, Dane Richards, John Cunliffe, Omar Cummings, Jerson Monteiro, Michael Harrington, Wells Thompson, Maurice Edu, Nicholas Addlery and Andrew Boyens.

That is all of the rookies who have scored goals ranked by their "value" measure I've created. Cristman sure is looking like a steal, isn't he? Once again, those who didn't score didn't make the list and look much less valuable by this statistic.

Assists/$ 2007 Guaranteed Salary:
The final statistic based measure I came up with for this one. Similar to the other two but for helpers. No one should be surprised that Adam Cristman wins again. He's scored 4 goals and made 4 assists on a developmental player salary. I certainly hope he gets a raise. He's followed in descending order by: Dane Richards, Corey Ashe, Michael Harrington, Guy Kpene, Chris Lancos, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Josh Tudela, Brad Evans, Nicholas Addlery, John Cunliffe, Andrew Boyens and finally Maurice Edu.

While numbers and statistics are fun, they certainly don't tell the whole story. If they did, Adam Cristman would win the Rookie Of The Year Award and Maurice Edu would lose; in 2007 that isn't right. Edu should be one of the final three in this race. However, I will say that seeing Cristman in this light really moves him up my list. They guy was drafted 48th overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, he was offered a crappy wage and he made the most of it. He worked hard, earned a spot in a crowded lineup on a good team and helped them win some games with a few goals and assists. This kid wasn't hyped like the generation adidas kids who earn a lot of money for comparatively little production.

Other guys who's stock rose for me during this exercise: Robbie Findley, Michael Harrington, Dane Richards, Wells Thompson and Ty Harden. All these guys are playing the game they love for lower salaries (Findley and Harrington have broken the $45,000 barrier.)

Now onto Maurice Edu. For the money, it is hard to compare him to the guys on developmental and regular contracts. He's making Generation Adidas money and it shows. He was a player the league knew could come in and contribute and they went after him hard. The guys in the last paragraph didn't have as strong a bargaining position. I'm not trying to marginalize Edu's contribution this year. He has been a stud for Toronto. He is no doubt going to continue to improve in the future in MLS and he'll help raise the level of play on the field, justifying his high salary. He'll probably win Rookie of the Year while he's at it. I'm not sure if my analysis here should be part of the criteria or not. If it is, the award goes to Cristman in my mind.

How about the other Generation Adidas players pulling down big money with little return. Did the league mis-scout? Are they too young and still growing into their games? MLS needs to figure this out because if they're wasting good money on poor prospects, the problem needs to be fixed. The 2006 class has seen some guys have superior sophomore years compared to their rookie campaigns, so here's hoping one or two of the 2007 class can be the next Altidore, McCarty or Wynne.

How Well Did MLS Team's Draft in '07...

Here is one person's opinion on the topic. I haven't come up with mine yet but as the season winds down this is what we're all wondering. So take a read over there and keep your eyes here for something in the coming weeks....probably after MLS cup to see if any rookies contributed to hoisting the league championship.

FCTP 2007 MLS Rookie Of The Week...Week 19...

Well folks, this is getting tougher and tougher to keep up with. Especially when there are other interesting things to blog about, read about, etc. Plus, my Rapids have put two wins up on the board in a row, against the top teams in each conference! I've got other things going on people! So, from here on in I am not not always going to write a full blog piece about the ROTW. They will just appear in the margin...like magic.

This week was a little disappointing on the rookie front. Only two rookies played complete games this week...and it was the same guy in two games. Congrats to Ty Harden. His play has been solid in the back for LA all season and he's finally won his rookie of the week award. Harden has also played in every LA Galaxy game and started everyone. No other rookie has done that. Maybe we'll have to give him a rookie iron man award or something.

He's been deserving in the past but someone always beat him to it. This time, it is his award. Congrats Ty.

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 18...

I know, I know. I have fallen way behind. Trust me, catching up has been tough. I have a lot of the data together but it seems mlsnet.com doesn't always want to give me the info I need to do my evaluations. So, we're jumping ahead to Week 18 so that I don't fall further behind.

This week we saw similar numbers in terms of the percentage of rookies playing in their matches. 7% of the MLS players to take the field were rookies. 45% of those rookies started the matches while only 27% of the rookies completed their assignments in full. Let's review who played.

Complete Gamers:
Maurice Edu
Ty Harden
Robbie Findley

Starters:
Guy-Roland Kpene
Michael Harrington

Substitutes:
Wells Thompson
Adam Cristman
Corey Ashe
Bakary Soumare
Wells Thompson (2nd game)
Adam Cristman (2nd game)

This week the award comes down to two big plays. On one side of the field a rookie defender scissor kicks a ball off the goal line to preserve a 0-0 scoreline, keeping his team in the game. On the other side of the field a rookie scores a nice goal helping the worst team in the league to take the lead over and beat the best team in the league. This comes down to the age old soccer question...which is more important, defense or offense? Time to vote kids. Who do you think earned Rookie of the Week with their valor?

Personally, I'm giving the award to Findley. Yeah, I know this is his 3rd award and Ty Harden hasn't earned a single one. Yeah, goal scorers get all the glory... But folks, this is a Real Salt Lake rookie taking down the mighty Houston Dynamo. This is a RSL rookie keeping the Dynamo from cruising to a 12th straight unbeaten game. Harden just kept his poor side from losing to a similarly poor side. Actually, if you watched the LA - Toronto match and didn't focus on the fact that Beckham wasn't playing you'd have watched an entertaining match. Who says 0-0 draws can't be fun? Especially when Joe Cannon is in goal making breathtaking saves. Harden, you were close my man. Had Houston beat RSL the way they should have, ROTW would have been yours. Congrats to Findley on his 3rd award and 5th career league goal.

FCTP Roundup...7-23-07...

I apologize to my loyal readers for the lack of recent updates. I went on a binge there after vacation and then petered out. The All-Star game didn't help.

...I am going to get back in to the swing of Rookie of the Week now that we are past the ASG break. I will post make ups this week. Ty Harden is going to get an honorable mention for his play against Chelsea on Saturday. Throw an American rookie defender against the like of Drogba, Malouda, Kalou and crew and you're bound to get mistakes, however Harden didn't get burned too badly and he kept that fierce attacking squad at bay. It helped him that Abel Xavier was playing an outstanding game next to him...

...The SUM U-17 Cup wrapped up with DC United taking home the silverware. Congrats to them. DC was one of the earlier MLS clubs putting youth teams out there so I can't say I'm surprised they had the best team. That club just knows how to win. Maybe someday that will wear off on my Rapids. I really hope MLS continues and expands this type of event to all of their age groups. I also hope MLS clubs enter their teams into youth tournaments outside their control, like the Dallas Cup...

The U-20 World Cup wrapped up with Argentina beating the Czech Republic 2-1. As anticipated the best MLS players in the event for the Americans have started to receive interest from around the world. Rumors have both Freddy Adu and Danny Szetela moving abroad. Now is the time for MLS to sell these hot commodities while they're hot and MLS still owns them. If the league waits past this summer there is more of a chance of the player finishing their contract and leaving on a free transfer. Rumors go so far as to say MLS wants $7.5 million for Adu. Yes, you read that correctly. Some European team may be crazy enough to pay that knowing that if he works out they can sell him for double in three years or less. This is how club soccer works around the rest of the world and MLS needs to take advantage. $7.5 million for Adu would be a great return on the league's investment and would help the league sign more designated players or another Juan Toja or ten...

...The second half of the season is upon us. Let's talk about Rookie of the Year. If voting were to happen today, who do you think would win the award? My money is on 2007 #1 draft pick, Maurice Edu. The kid has shown he was worth the #1 pick and has stabilized an expansion franchise. It is hard for rookies to step into the middle of the pitch and show they belong. Edu has done that. Runner up...Adam Cristman...

...Can you believe August is almost here? I can't. That means the college season is coming up quickly while the PDL season is winding down. The PDL playoff picture is firming up. Look for the top college prospects in their summer league. The 2006 Herman Trophy winner, Joseph Lapira, has been playing for the Baton Rouge Capitals but he's only seen action in 6 games. That didn't stop him from scoring 3 goals...

...Most if not all of the major college programs have reported their incoming freshman. Look for an update to the right margin for the different college classes in the upcoming weeks...

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 12...

I am going to dedicate this Rookie of the Week award to Alexi Lalas. You'll know why soon.

Week 12...190 MLS players took the field. 7% were rookies. Of those rookies 62% started their match and 54% finished a complete game. Once again, the list of starters and complete gamers is getting somewhat predictable. If you're going to pick a rookie of the year thus far, they would be on the complete gamer list.

Complete Game:
Michael Harrington (2)
Andrew Boyens
Maurice Edu
Adam Cristman
Wells Thompson
Ty Harden

Starter:
Robbie Findley

Substitutes:
Corey Ashe (2)
Kurt Morsink
Gary Flood
Guy-Roland Kpene

When I saw the highlights of the RSL - DC match I made up my mind. I said to myself, "even if Adam Cristman scored a hat trick this week, Robbie Findley is my ROTW." Why? Read my last blog post. Findley gets traded out of La La Land where GM Lalas has gone through a hysterical period during which he has destroyed one of the better franchises in MLS. Findley comes to his new team and gets them their first win of the season by scoring two goals. Findley could have been helping LA to get out of the Western Conference basement...now he is going to do his best to keep them there. Cheers to Robbie Findley for not letting a trade to Utah get him down. If I had been traded to SLC, I might have retired. Instead, Findley goes and shows the league he isn't going to lose the Rookie of the Year award without a fight. His pace and finishing ability are now known to all. Let's see where he can go from here.

Alexi, your ship is sinking with or without HMS Beckham.

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 11...

With the Gold Cup in full swing many MLS teams have lost their top senior players to international call ups. This will continue for another month as the US team is going straight from the Gold Cup into Copa America. A busy summer to be sure. I was thinking that MLS teams would turn to their rookies even more this week, however it seems for the most part that the same rookies are getting playing time and that the MLS teams turned to other bench players as much as rookies.

This week MLS saw 190 players take the field, 8% of whom were rookies. 60% of the rookies started their games and 47% played a complete game. This week we saw some nice goals from rookies in Toronto, DC and New England. So let's see who played.

Complete games:
Andrew Boyens
Maurice Edu
Ty Harden
Adam Cristman
Wells Thompson
Bakary Soumare
Michael Harrington

Starters:
Dane Richards
Nick LaBrocca

Substitutes:
Joey Melo
Gabe Gala
Robbie Findley
Jerson Monteiro
Kurt Morsink
Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Bold players saw their first MLS action of the season this week.

First off, I'm not going to do this every week but this week I am going to single out the anti-rookie of the week. For my money, it was Nick LaBrocca. No offense to Nick, but he didn't look like he should have been out there. The Rapids were missing Pablo Mastroeni and Kyle Beckerman so there was a hole to be filled, but I have a hard time believing the combination of Jovan Kirovski and Nick LaBrocca was the answer to fill in for them. Certainly Daniel Wasson and Jose Cancela were looking better in practice then this combo. Thankfully for us Rapids fans Beckerman is available this weekend...LaBrocca still has a lot to learn.

Now down to the players who played well. As you all know by now, I tend to look exclusively at those who played a complete game for this award. While Dane Richards did look dangerous and tally his third assist of the season, I think we need to look at Toronto and New England for the finalists this week. First lets go to the Great White North and BMO Field. Toronto completely demolished league best FC Dallas. Boyens and Edu surely earned honorable mention for holding FCD to a clean sheet. Edu even got on the scorers sheet first for his team. However, my money this week is on Adam Cristman who is filling in for Taylor Twellman during the Gold Cup. New England fans should feel safe with Cristman taking shots on goal. True, Will Hesmer really sucked in goal and a better keeper would have saved Cristman's first goal...but not his second. That was quality finishing in any league and most keepers wouldn't have gotten to that upper 90 blast. Cristman not only gets the credit for the finish, but how about the 50/50 ball he won to set up Noonan's run that led to his goal? That was what you need out of a strong forward.

Congrats to Adam Cristman this week, winner of his third FCTP ROTW award.

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 10...

This week I am uninspired. Maybe it is because I am tired...maybe it is because only 13 rookies saw playing time. I don't know, but I feel like the LA Galaxy must as they wait in desperation for David Beckham's arrival. Personally, I think Alexi Lalas is more interested in Posh's new "reality" show...but no matter. He'll be here soon. Fear not LA. Until his arrival it appears your offense relies on one man...Landon Donovan. I believe (please don't quote me on this because I got the stat from a MLS commentator during a match) that this weekend was the first goal scored by the Gals without Landycakes' participation (read goal or assist). Congrats LA, you're screwed until late July when Beck's and Landy join/rejoin your team (sooner if Landy decides not to go south for the Copa America).

So, who played? 12 rookies (7% of the MLS players to take the field in Week 10).

Complete gamers:
Dane Richards
Robbie Findley
Ty Harden
Bakary Soumare
Maurice Edu
Andrew Boyens
Dane Richards (second game)

Started:
All rookies who started finished a complete game. Good work!

Subs:
Corey Ashe
Mike Banner
Jerson Monteiro
Corey Ashe (second game)
Omar Cummings

Bold = first MLS appearance

One positive for the Gals...Robbie Findley. The former Oregon State Beaver continues to run tirelessly just like Cobi once did and he got the only goal for LA against FC Dallas this weekend. If the Gals could play more like they did in the lead up to the goal, they wouldn't need Becks or Landy...but they can't. I am going to give Findley the rookie of the week award this week. Not just because he got the goal, but more because I feel sorry for he and his team. They are working hard and all they have to look forward to is Beckham's arrival and the circus their lives will become. On the goal, Robbie didn't do much but put in a rebound, but that is what goal scorers do. They put themselves in the right place to score no matter what the circumstanes. I'm sure Findley would have liked to dribble from midfield while splitting and sprinting past defenders al la Lionel Messi, but that doesn't always happen. Either way, Findley got the goal and the Week 10 ROTW.

2007 MLS FCTP Rookie of the Week...Week 9...

Well folks, we hit a milestone of sorts this week. 10% of the players to step on the field were rookies. That is the first time we have hit that number in 2007. Congrats youngsters. You're taking over the league. Ok, not quite yet but it is an impressive mile stone.

Rookies are continuing to win starting places. After seeing some of the performances over the past weeks I am starting to think this could be one of the most productive draft classes in MLS history. One third of the way through the season and 69% of the first round players have logged playing time in the league. Many of them have significant playing time.

So let's see who played a complete game this week:
Andrew Boyens
Maurice Edu
Dane Richards
Michael Harrington
Ty Harden
Bakary Soumare

Many of the usual suspects at this point, with the exception of Bakary Soumare who earned his first league start.

Starters:
Adam Cristman
Jeff Curtin

The rest:
Jerson Monteiro
Corey Ashe
Robbie Findley
Guy-Roland Kpene
Kurt Morsink
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Wells Thompson
Gabe Gala
Omar Cummings

Players in bold saw their first MLS action this weekend.

This week my Rookie of the Week is Bakary Soumare. His first start was also Chicago's first win in a long time, and I don't think that was a coincidence. His play on the defensive end of the field solidified things enough so the attack could do their job. His strong tackles and good positioning helped Chicago right their sinking ship...this week. I'm not saying the young defensive team was the best...they did give up 18 total shots making Matt Pickens do a lot of work. Dasan Robinson, Jeff Curtin and Soumare showed this week they can play and as the season wears on I have a feeling we'll be seeing better performances from Chicago based on these young players.

2007 MLS FCTP Rookie of the Week...Week 8...

Am I the only one who is shocked we are 1/4th of the way through the MLS season? Heck, FCD is already 1/3rd through its season. Wow, how time flies.

Let's get down to business. This week we saw 188 total MLS players take the field with 9% (17) being rookies. 47% of the rookies started their games while 29% played the entire match.

Complete Game:
Jeff Curtin
Ty Harden
Maurice Edu
Aaron Hohlbein
Michael Harrington

Started:
Guy-Roland Kpene
Kurt Morsink
Dane Richards

Substitute:
Jerson Monteiro
Bakary Soumare
John Cunliffe
Robbie Findley
Brad Evans
Corey Ashe
Wells Thompson
Adam Cristman
Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Players in bold saw the professional field for the first time. As you know, I heavily favor the guys who play the entire game for this award. Something has to be said for the guy who grinds out 90 minutes. This time around no one scored a goal or got an assist...so we're really looking at intangibles. I'm going back to Michael Harrington for this one since he was involved in the most exciting match of the weekend and has started all eight of his team's matches so far this season. Harrington is really solidifying his place on that left say. Dare I say he is the 2007 version of Jonathan Bornstein? Who by the way has been invisible...maybe he misses coach Bradley on the Chivas USA bench. But that is beside the point. Congrats Mr. Harrington...there is your second rookie of the week award.

It will be interesting to see if more rookies feature in coming weeks as many MLS players go train and play with their national teams. Keep your eyes peeled.

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 7...

Another week of MLS action in the books and this week is a tough one for rookie of the week voting. I don't know if anyone really stood out enough to win the award hands down. So, as you'll see in a minute, our winner is being selected not only for this week's performance but for other recent performances.

So which rookies saw the field this week?

Played entire game:
Andrew Boyens (2 games)
Maurice Edu (2 games)
Michael Harrington
Ty Harden

Started, didn't finish:
Dane Richards
Brad Evans
Adam Cristman

Substitutes:
Robbie Findley
Guy-Roland Kpene
Sal Caccavale
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Corey Ashe
Wells Thompson
Nico Colaluca
Aaron Hohlbein
Kurt Morsink

First off, we saw 221 total MLS players take the field this week with 8% (18) being rookies. That is our highest number of rookies yet this season. 50% of the rookies started and 33% played the entire game. Edu, Boyens, Harden and Harrington have become automatic starters for their respective teams. As the season wears on we're no doubt going to see some more names added to the list of early rookie favorites.

This week we're going to recognize the un-heralded defenders. Two years ago Michael Parkhurst had a break out rookie season. Last year it was Dasan Robinson. This year it looks like a two horse race between Andrew Boyens and Ty Harden. This week's ROTW goes to one of those defenders for making the leap to professional soccer and staking a claim in the back line. I'm going to give the week 7 award to Boyens. He played two matches this week, one where his defense shut out the defending champions, Houston. Additionally, he doesn't have Joe Cannon behind him to clean up his mistakes.

Harden deserves honorable mention. He stepped into an established team and won the starting spot. We knew going into the season LA was going to have a questionable defense after trading Ugo Ihemelu but it seems that Harden has been able to help keep a steady presence in front of a great keeper, Joe Cannon.

All of you calling for a ROTW from the defensive side of things now have it.

Welcome to the club Corey Ashe and Sal Caccavale. They both played in their first matches this week. Interestingly, Sal a goal in his first game in which he started playing in the 88th minute. He scored the 4th Red Bulls goal in minute number 92. Way to go Sal!

2007 FCTP MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 6...

Another week down and FCTP is here with another Rookie of the Week selection. This week MLS saw 161 players take the field, two more then last week. 6% of those players were rookies. 80% of the rookies this week started their matches while 60% completed the entire game. Those are the highest percentages yet this season.

Complete Game:
Andrew Boyens
Maurice Edu
Michael Harrington
Aaron Hohlbein
Ty Harden
Dane Richards

Started:
Adam Cristman
Robbie Findley

Subs:
Kurt Morsink
Sinisa Ubiparipovic

This week's ROTW will be a surprise to few who watched the games this weekend. While Harrington did score another goal, Cristman got his first goal to add to his three assists and Richards and Findley ran wild all over the field, north of the border gave MLS fans the most rookie excitement. Andrew Boyens helped marshal a defense that gave up one goal and Maurice Edu scored a beauty that looked as if it was scored in the Premier League or La Liga...not MLS. Toronto FC got their first victory and helped confirm that Real Salt Lake is the worst team in the league as the only remaining winless club.

For his cracker of a goal and overall solid play in midfield, Maurice Edu is our week 6 ROTW. If you didn't see the match get to mlsnet.com for some highlights of his goal. Edu showed why he was the #1 SuperDraft pick in 2007. His career in MLS is off to a great start.

MLS College Combine 2005 - Midfielders

Last week we looked at the forwards that went to the 2005 MLS college combine. Below is a summary of the midfielders that attended the same combine. Most interesting is Luke Kreamalmayer who won the first Tom Fitzgerald award. It was to be given to the best player at the combine. The last 2 years Major League Soccer hasn't seemed to mention it in their press releases.

2005 Adidas MLS Player Combine - Midfielders

Hans Bevers (New Mexico)
Bevers was not chosen in the MLS draft and does not appear to have played professionally since college.

Mubarike "Mamba" Chisoni (Coastal Carolina)
4th Round Superdraft (46th overall) by Los Angeles Galaxy
Chisoni was born in Zimbabwe. He played in 11 games for LA in 2005 but didn't make the 2006 squad and signed with Portland in April of that year. He played for Portland Timbers in 2006 making 17 appearances with 2 goals and 3 assists. He didn't make the 2007 squad and it's unknown if he's playing this year.

Michael Enfield (UCLA)
2nd round Superdraft (15th overall) by Los Angeles Galaxy
The UCLA product played in 11 games during his 2 years with the Galaxy. Enfield was waived after the 2006 season. He doesn't appear to have played again until going Sydney FC (Australia; A-league) this year.

Kevon Harris (Old Dominion)
The Jamaican born Harris was not drafted. He does not appear to have played professionally since college.

Chris Karcz (Rutgers)
3rd Round Supplemental draft (27th overall) by Chicago Fire
Karcz didn't make teh Fire's squad. He's had some injury problems but recently popped up with Soccer by Ives mentioning him as the Crew and NYRB have had a spat over him. The Crew have his rights and have been trying to get something out of the New York Red Bulls for him if he's going to play for them. So far it looks like the Crew still have his rights.

Thabiso Khumalo (Coastal Carolina)
3rd Round Superdraft (36th overall) by Chicago Fire
From Soweto (a black urban area near Johanesburg), Khumalo was drafted by the Chicago Fire. He didn't make the squad and ended up with the Charleston Battery in USL-1. In 2006 Khumalo played for the USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads scoring a goal in 20 appearance for the USL-2 club. He isn't on the 2007 roster and it is unknown if he's still playing.

Jeffrey Krause (New Mexico)
Krause was not drafted and doesn't appear to have played professionally since college.

Luke Kreamalmeyer (Bradley)
4th round Superdraft (37th overall) by Real Salt Lake
Luke won the inaugural Tom Fitzgerald Award as the outstanding player at the 2005 combine. He was a good example of a player whose value rose at the player combine. He played with the Chicago Fire Reserves (previosuly St. Louis Stikers) in the PDL. He was drafted for Real Salt Lake and played for them in their innagural season. Luke was cut by Real Salt Lake after the 2005 season he joined the Portland Timbers where he was one the few bright spots during the teams poor 2006 showing. He was named to the USL-1 all-11 for 2006. He is again playing with the Portland Timbers (USL-1) in 2007.

Doug Lascody (SW Missouri)
3rd Round Supplemental Draft (35th pick overall) by Kansas City Wizards
Lascody appears to have made the squad in 2005 but did not play. He doesn't appear to have played professionally after the 2005 season.

Amir Lowery (Wake Forest)
4th Round Superdraft (45th overall) drafted by Colorado Rapids
The DC native, Wake Forest product played with the Carolina Dynamo (PDL) before joining the MLS. Lowery only played for 1 minute in one game in 2005 for the Rapids. It's unclear what he did in 2006. He is currently on the Kansas City Wizards 2007 roster as a developmental player.

Domenic Mediate (Maryland)
2nd Round Superdraft (23rd Overall) by Columbus Crew
Mediate made 11 appearances and scored a goal for the Columbus Crew in 2005. Domenic looks to be the first Wyoming-born player in the MLS. He was traded to DC United for a 4th round pick in the 2006 Supplemental draft. He made 8 appearances for DC United in 2006. He was cut before the 2007 season. It's unclear if he's caught on with a new club yet.

John Minagawa-Webster (Michigan State)
4th Round SuperDraft (47th overall) by Kansas City Wizards
Minagawa-Websterdidn't make the KC squad in 2005 and doesn't appear to have played since then.

Danny O’Rourke (Indiana)
4th overall by San Jose Earthquakes
O'Rourke played for Quakes in 2005 in 13 games, losing the his starting spot in the midfield to US International Ricardo Clark. Before the 2006 season began, Houston (ex-San Jose) traded O' Rourke to New York Red Bulls for Adrian Serioux. He made 28 appearances for NYRB. But after 2006 season NYRB made him avaiable in expansion draft. Toronto FC took him in the expansion draft but traded the Hermann Trophy winner O'Rourke and Wil Hesemer to Coloumbus Crew for parial allocation.

Steven Rhyne (Clemson)
1st round Supplemental Draft by Real Salt Lake
Rhyne did not make the team and doesn't to have played since then.

Ian Rodway (Maryland)
Rodway was not drafted by the MLS. He did play with Cleveland Force in 2005. The Force went under after the season and Rodway was selected by Baltimore Blast before 2006 in dispersal draft. Ian was a honorable mention for 1998 all-metro DCHS team. Interesting enough this was the same year Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu (Newcastle United) and Micah Cooks (ex-DC United ; ex-Charlseton Battery) made the 2nd all-metro team. Scott Buete (ex-Chicago Fire; Atlanta Silverbacks) was in the first 11.

Simone Salinno (St. Johns)
Salino was not drafted and may have returned to his native Italy.

Jamal Shteiwi (Kentucky)
Shteiwi wasn't drafted. He played in 3 games in 2005 for Cincinnati Kings (USL-2). He joined Ian Rodway at Cleveland Force in MISL. Shteiwi was selected by Milwaukee Wave in 11th round (66th overall) of 2005 dispirsol draft. He played for Carolina Dynamo (PDL) in 2004 along with Amir Lowery, Justin Moose (DC United), James Riley (New England), and Stephen Rhyne. Marcus Storley also played on that team.

Marcus Storley (North Carolina)
Sorely wasn't drafted and doesn't appear to have played since then. He did play on 2004 Carolina Dynamo (PDL) team along with quite a few of his fellow 2005 combine players.

Nick Van Sicklen (Wisconsin - Madison)
2nd round Superdraft (19th overall) by DC United
Van Sicklen made the DC United team in 2005 but didn't see playing time during the regular season. He later played for Canterbury United (Christchurch) in the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC).