Cuauhtemoc Blanco takes some getting used to.
You could ask Blanco's Chicago Fire teammate Justin Mapp about that.
Mapp, a sixth-year MLS veteran with the Chicago Fire, was dribbling the ball down the right side, about 35 yards out, in the Fire's first home game this season, when Blanco came alongside him and, without saying a word, took the ball off Mapp's foot and began to dribble toward the middle.
Without so much as a shrug, Mapp just went down the right side and waited to see what Blanco had in mind.
Mapp's shrug came after the game when he was asked about the moment. He said Blanco didn't let him know he was coming up from behind and said nothing about commandeering the ball.
"He usually does good things with it, so what am I going to say?" Mapp asked.
Blanco, in his second season with the Fire after playing half the year in 2007, has become a fixture with the team. He has played the full 810 minutes in the Fire's first nine games, despite being 35 years old and appearing sometimes like an old man playing a young man's game.
But there can be no arguing with the results. With Blanco patrolling the middle, the Fire have jumped out to a 6-2-1 record after just nine games and are battling for the lead in the MLS Eastern Conference. He has four goals and five assists to lead the team in both categories.
Playing with Blanco is a unique experience. He is a central midfielder who seems to graze around the field, moving in what appears to be a random manner until somehow he finds himself with the ball. At that point he becomes dangerous to the opposition and a visual magnet for his teammates, who have to keep an eye on him at all times.
"That makes it more difficult, the way he moves around," forward Chris Rolfe said. "We understand that, so we shift around and help cover so he can go wherever he wants. You have to keep an eye on where he is at all times so we can have balance on the field."
Backing Blanco up in the midfield is five-year Fire veteran Logan Pause.
"He offers something that not many people do," Pause said. "I am obviously more of a defensive holding midfielder, and I am allowed to do a lot of the dirty work, winning balls, and when I have the ball my first option is to find 'Temo.' He can make something special happen every single time he touches the ball. It is a pleasure to play with him."
Occasionally, Blanco plays the game in a straightforward manner. Other times, he likes to employ the backheel pass, or a 360 spin with the ball. He makes long, precise passes along the ground that his forward and midfielder teammates must be prepared for.
"You just keep making your run because more than likely he will see you and he will make the play if you make a good run," Rolfe said.
"His vision and ability to execute the passes is top-notch," said forward Chad Barrett, who is tied with Blanco for the team lead in goals. "I have to make my runs even if he is not looking at me because I know he knows where I am at."
Even though he is the man who must make up for Blanco's seeming meandering style of play, Pause actually enjoys describing the way Temo handles his job.
"A lot of people might think he is just waiting for someone to get him the ball, but it is much more creative than that," Pause said. "He knows he is going to get hit, and other teams are always looking out for him, and he has to find ways to get the ball. He does a good job of mixing it up.
"He and I have opposite styles of play," he said. "I am very cautious about where I am and being where he is not, and letting him dictate the play. I just try to make his life easier by minimizing the dirty running he has to do."
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
