So, what do we do for the next four months? That's the question we ask around my house at the end of every MLS season. Thursday and Saturday nights for a while will have to be filled with something other than an MLS game. I guess we'll get by. Of course, we try not to stay sad for long, especially at this time of year when we're all giving thanks. And what a convenient way to put a wrap on the 2007 MLS season, with a First XI of thank you notes to the people who made this a most memorable MLS season.
11. Thanks, Houston. Imagine that the San Jose Earthquakes never left San Jose. You'd have MLS Cup championship banners hanging with the years: 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007. Talk about the team of the new millennium. What's more impressive is that this organization continues to improve, to add depth, to bring in new weapons. There was no doom and gloom here when Landon Donovan came back to MLS and went to LA. Ricardo Clark is lost for nine games to suspension? No problem. Brian Ching can't play in the final? Oh well. A lot can change before next season, but who are you going to pick to beat the Dynamo in '08? I can't imagine any team looking any better. Nice job.
10. Thanks, New England. As a longtime Red Sox fan, I can't help but feel for the New England fans. In the early days of MLS, the Revs weren't much to talk about. But when Steve Nicol came on board, everything about the team changed. They've put good teams on the field year after year since 2002. They've played hard. And now, they've been to four finals in six years, only to come up a goal short of a title four times. I really felt this year's final was their game, especially with the type of soccer they were playing in the first half of the final. However, as we all know, the game is 90 minutes and when New England couldn't build on Taylor Twellman's early goal, you had the feeling they might pay for it. And they did. At least the Revs won the Open Cup this year. They certainly deserve a trophy in Foxborough.
9. Thanks to the league office. So glad that San Jose is going to be back in MLS. I have always had the utmost respect for their fans, who always made Spartan Stadium one of the best atmospheres in the league. As much as it's sad that the Quakes faithful did not get to celebrate the back-to-back championships that "their team" just recorded, it's good news that the league is getting the Quakes back in action this quickly. And with Frank Yallop in charge, I don't think it will take long for that team to be ultra-competitive.
8. Thanks, D.C. A year ago, I was pretty critical of D.C. United. Didn't like a lot of what I saw from that club, especially when it came to tactical fouling. Well, this year, D.C. was the most exciting team to watch in MLS, game in and game out. They played some of the tightest soccer I've seen in the league in years, moving the ball well, getting multiple players involved in the attack, and running at defenses from all angles. After a shaky start, United raced to the Supporters' Shield and, in a second half I'll never forget, nearly came from 3-0 down to Chicago to tie that series. Oh yeah, and kudos for finding an electric goalscorer like Luciano Emilio without having to use a designated player slot.
7. Thanks, Chivas USA. I was thinking about Chivas USA the other day and I couldn't help but think, imagine if John O'Brien and/or Amado Guevara gave them something? It's a credit to Preki and the Chivas USA organization that they built such a strong nucleus that, for two years running, they've been able to field an excellent team despite the fact that two big-name signings produced nothing for them. As D.C. should be proud of its Supporters' Shield, Chivas USA should be proud of its Western Conference title. Having to enter the playoffs at less than full strength killed them, but they have much to be happy about. And they were a lot of fun to watch this year.
6. Thanks, Becks. I want to thank David Beckham for that one glorious night of soccer at Giants Stadium. I was there with my whole family and almost all of my two sons' teammates and they were treated to a 5-4 classic, and one of the most thrilling nights of soccer I've ever witnessed in MLS. Here's hoping for more of that in 2008.
5. Thanks, Cuau. And, much as I've despised Cuauhtemoc Blanco thought the years, watching him play for Mexico, it was a lot of fun watching him bring his 'A' game to MLS. In the spirit of another bad boy, Hristo Stoitchkov, Blanco showed that he only needed to make one or two plays a night to prove he has magical skills. Precision passing, impossible touches, Blanco has the ability to electrify at any moment. His Goal of the Year was worthy, but I think the thing I'll remember most about Blanco's first year in MLS is the way his team seemed to find him with the ball, so he could create. I look forward to watching more of Cuauhtemoc in '08, as do all Fire fans.
4. Thanks, Tony Meola. And now for the sentimental part of the column. I'll start with the best goalkeeper to ever play in MLS, even though, technically Meola's not retired (he is playing for the New Jersey Ironmen in the MISL). He was an MLS Original who authored the single-greatest goalkeeping season in the league's history in 2000, when he returned from injury to lead the Kansas City Wizards, a last-place team in 1999, to a Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup. He also played some amazing games for the MetroStars, perhaps none better than his performance against Chivas USA in the final regular season game of the 2005 season, when he helped the Metros earn the final playoff spot. Some day soon, both the Wizards and Red Bulls need to honor him. That is, unless some team in the league sees how well he's playing indoors and gives him another shot.
3. Thanks, Cobi Jones. Hard to imagine an LA Galaxy game without Cobi, but that's something we'll have to get used to beginning next year. It's odd to say about a guy who had such a signature look and style of playing, but Jones goes in my book as one of the most underrated players in MLS history. I know he's earned his share of honors, most notably two MLS Cup rings, but it never seemed like observers truly understood what a threat Cobi was in this league. I'll always remember Jones for his ability, no matter how tight a defender was on him, to make one move to get the ball to his right foot for a cross. The league, and especially the Galaxy, will have a tough time replacing him.
2. Thanks, Eddie Pope. A quiet man, a consummate professional, and the best pure defender the league has ever seen. Nothing makes a guy feel old like the thought that the kid who won the inaugural MLS Cup game with a golden goal header in the pouring rain in Foxborough, is now calling it a career. In the span of years since that 1996 goal, we've seen Pope play in three World Cups and countless World Cup qualifiers, always doing the same, steady job of shutting down the opponents top forwards. Another player the league will not easily replace.
1. Thanks, Chris Armas. And, finally, if you've read my column through the years, you know I'm a huge Chris Armas fan. For me, this is the best competitor in league history, the guy who came to play and play hard on a game by game basis more than any man who's ever worn an MLS uniform. As sad as it must have been for Armas to get the most untimely injuries, you'd never hear him complain. He must have been too busy getting himself ready to play. The thing I'll remember most about Armas is how good he was at shutting down an opponent without having to resort to fouling. I think that's the reason why Armas used to infuriate the likes of Marco Etcheverry, Carlos Valderrama, etc. Because there was nothing they could do when he was in their face and coming away with the ball clean, time after time after time. Like the players listed ahead of him, Meola, Jones and Pope, it won't be long before we're watching their Hall of Fame inductions.
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.
