Nostalgia once again rules the week here at First XI central. Since I got a lot of nice e-mails last week for my Valentine's Day card to people I miss, I'll stick with the good old days theme once again this week as I hold a little impromptu 10th reunion for the Class of '98. We'll leave the names of those who've departed MLS (we still love you, Josh Wolff, Clint Mathis and Timmy Howard) off this First XI, and focus on those guys who have hung around long enough to celebrate their tin/aluminum anniversary.
11. Matt Reis. It took him a little while to find regular playing time (until 2004, to be exact), and it took a trade from his hometown Galaxy to the Revolution to get him on the field, but once he moved into the position, he nailed it down in a big way. Reis has become a Best XI keeper and an ironman. He's proof that sometimes the guy who works hard and waits for his opportunity can become one of the best at his position.
10. Carey Talley. Here is a guy who is pretty emblematic of this class. By that, I mean, here's a guy who has grinded his way to a nice MLS career. From the early days with D.C. United, where he was a frequent starter for the '99 championship team, to Kansas City, where he served as a versatile role player on two playoff teams, to Dallas for a year, and now to Real Salt Lake, where he's a veteran leader.
9. C.J. Brown. Picked in the old supplemental draft by the Fire, Brown is a Chicago fixture who will likely end up with his name in Toyota Park's Ring of Fire. Brown is a player who gets the most out of his ability (mainly through his tenacity) and has the utmost respect of his teammates. To this day, Brown remains a great American soccer success story, having come out of the San Francisco Bay Seals program, all the way to MLS and even a handful of appearance for the national team.
8. Mike Petke. MetroStars/Red Bulls fans still miss Petke, who we've all watched grow up from his early days in the league (he once told me that Eminem copied his look, not the other way around), to the present. He's bounced around a bit, but picked up a ring along with way with D.C., and continues to be a serviceable MLS defender. When Red Bull Park opens up, he should definitely be one of the guys taking a bow in the center circle, as he remains one of that club's all-time greats.
7. Wade Barrett. Another guy who's pulled every ounce of talent out of his body to become one of the league's best players. Those of us who've been around this league forever remember some of Wade's questionable hair and sideburn selections (there's got to be a picture of the old chops), from back in the day when he played for the San Jose Clash, but more than that we appreciate how he has continued to improve, and become a leader on what is now a Houston Dynamo dynasty. I also know him to be a generous guy who contributed a nice amount of money (from Denmark, no less) to support my marathon run for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation back in 2002.
6. Pablo Mastroeni. I remember hearing that Mastroeni would be the No. 1 overall pick of the Miami Fusion in the 1998 draft, but he hung around until the way until the second round, where the Fusion took him. If you take a look back at that draft, you'll see it wasn't so much that teams were missing the boat on Mastroeni but there was just a load of talent out there. Nevertheless, Mastroeni has been a stalwart defensive midfielder (and at times a center back) in the league for a decade, and was a part in the biggest victories in U.S. soccer history at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Pretty easy to see that the theme for most of the players on this list is grit. That's Mastroeni, for sure.
5. Tyrone Marshall. Drafted as a forward out of Florida International, Marshall has developed into one of the league's more consistent outside defenders. From his early days in Miami to a long stint in L.A., where he was a part of both of the Galaxy's MLS Cup victories, Marshall is a hard tackler and runner who has proven to be a winner. His signature play will probably always be his feed to Carlos Ruiz for the game-winning goal in MLS Cup 2002, at Gillette Stadium.
4. Chris Klein. This is a funny thing to say, but it seems like Chris Klein has been around more than 10 years. I guess that's just because he is a player who is always making his presence felt on the field. It was his assist on Miklos Molnar's goal in MLS Cup 2000 that led the Wizards to the title, and it's been his tireless running on the right flank that's made him one of the league's best at that position ever since he broke into MLS.
3. Joey Franchino. The man everyone loves to hate, except if he's on your team. I remember chuckling when then MetroStars GM Nick Sakiewicz commented that his team had a tough decision when it came to picking Clint Mathis ahead of Franchino in the now-infamous Luis Hernandez re-allocation draft (I think that was what it was called, anyway). But now, seriously, when you think about it. Mathis gave the early thrills, but over the long haul, Franchino, who has frequently worn the captain's armband for the Revs, has had an amazing MLS career. I look forward to his return from injury in '08.
2. Ben Olsen. There was a little bit of controversy back in 1998 when D.C. United, with two Cups in the trophy case, was handed the Project-40 rights to UVa's Benny Olsen. Those were different times in the league, for sure, but there's no denying that Olsen has willed his way to perhaps the best MLS career among all those listed in this column. Again, time flies, but it seems like just a couple of years ago that I was supposed to be writing a story about Olsen's move to Nottingham Forest. Injuries prevented that from happening, but they didn't keep Olsen down.
1. Jeff Cunningham. I had to laugh out loud a couple of seasons ago when I wrote that Cunningham was the most underrated player in the history of MLS and then found out that he was referring to himself as just that. I'm not so sure anymore if "underrated" is the word so much as "under appreciated." How else to explain how a guy with 96 career goals has played for four teams in the last four years? I've heard that he's not the easiest guy to play with, but from what I've seen, he's certainly one of the hardest to play against. Looking forward to seeing Cunningham chase Jaime Moreno and Ante Razov this season for the top spot on the all-time MLS goal scoring list.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
