The Westminster Dog Show has First XI in the mood for some Best In Show awards. And since I've got a feeling we could be using this theme for at least another week, we're going to keep our categories pretty specific. Also, since it was Grammys week, we'll list the nominees in each category. Here goes:
11. Best Right Foot for Crossing.The nominees: Terry Cooke. Steve Ralston. Ronnie O'Brien. And the winner is: Ralston. There's no doubt Cooke delivered many amazing crosses a year ago, but the nod still goes to Ralston, who's been providing superior service in the league for 11 seasons. I've seen him hit ropes, I've seen him hit lobs. He can curve the ball in either direction. And, it helps that he's had some good targets.
10. Best Right Foot for Shooting.The nominees: Dwayne De Rosario. Landon Donovan. Carlos Ruiz. And the winner is: De Rosario. When he's got the ball on his right foot and has a little time, De Ro has proven he can find the net from anywhere inside of midfield. I hate when free kicks win Goal of the Year, but his winner two years ago was a jaw-dropper. Let's not forget, he also delivered a golden goal with his right peg in MLS Cup 2001.
9. Best Left Foot for Crossing.The nominees: Todd Dunivant. Brad Davis. Khano Smith. And the winner is: Davis. Did I shock you a bit with that nod to Khano Smith? I love the way he crosses the ball, though at present that seems to be the only thing he brings to the game. Still, when it comes to putting a ball accurately into the box from the run, or from dead balls, no one in the league can deliver the ball with his left leg like Brad Davis.
8. Best Left Foot for Shooting.The nominees: Ante Razov. Freddy Adu. Dave van den Bergh. And the winner is: Razov. He'll rarely score with his right or his head, but watch out when Razov has a ball on his left foot. He can do just about anything he wants. Run the highlight reel of Chivas USA goals from this past season if you have doubts. As you can see from the list of nominees, there was not much competition in this category.
7. Best Defending Header.The nominees: Craig Waibel. Jimmy Conrad. Tony Sanneh. And the winner is: Conrad. Simply put, Conrad is the Brian McBride of defenders. As fearless as they come when a ball is up in the air between two players. Forget the goal he scored vs. Mexico last week, but rather think of how many balls he put out of danger.
6. Best Attacking Header.The nominees: Brian Ching. Kenny Cooper. Taylor Twellman. And the winner is: Ching. Down the stretch last season, as Houston got on its championship roll, Ching was a beast in the box. The play of the 2006 season is, no doubt, his response in extra time of the MLS Cup Final, a brilliantly placed header off a deflected pass. His playoff winner vs. Chivas USA wasn't half-bad either.
5. Best Short Passer.The nominees: Jaime Moreno. Amado Guevara. Claudio Reyna. And the winner is: Moreno. I wrote about this last week, but even after 11 seasons in MLS, the master of tight space is still Moreno. As one of my friends once said, he could play a one-two in a phone booth. Talk about an analogy a kid would not get. Notice the injection of Reyna into the MLS Awards mix?
4. Best Long Passer.The nominees: Amado Guevara. Claudio Reyna. Greg Vanney. And the winner is: Guevara. This is just another chance for me to bring back to life the Crime of the Century, the John Wolyniec wonder goal from 2003, which should've been GOTY and GOTD (Goal of the Decade). Not only an amazing strike from Woly, but an amazing delivery from Amado, who'll be looking to spring Razov for Chivas USA this spring.
3. Best Attacking Dribbler.The nominees: Jeff Cunningham. Justin Mapp, Landon Donovan. And the winner is: Mapp. His elusiveness and unpredictability give Mapp the nod over the fast and furious Cunningham and the bullet-fast Donovan. Obviously, Mapp's weaving run against Denmark is still fresh on everyone's mind, but I forever think of his extra time goal at The Home Depot Center in 2005, when he took on the world, found himself in the box and delivered a sweet left-footed finish. I'm guessing Mapp is every defender's worst nightmare when he's bearing down on them.
2. Best Possession Dribbler.The nominees: Amado Guevara. Christian Gomez. Claudio Reyna. And the winner is: Gomez. The second-best all-around attacking player in the league (nod goes to LD) deserves his props somewhere on this list. If Gomez loses the ball anywhere on the field it's shocking, so adept is he at keeping his possession of the ball close to his feet. A big reason why D.C. can ping the ball better than anyone in MLS.
1. Best Attacking Defender.The nominees: Facundo Erpen. Ivan Guerrero. Jonathan Bornstein. And the winner is: Bornstein. Even though most of Bornstein's six goals a year ago came on the days he was playing up front, or in midfield, his speed and fitness make him the league's best attacking defender at the current time. It will be interesting to see where first-year coach Preki decides to play Juanito in the upcoming campaign as he's the ultimate utilityman.
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.
