three goals and two assists in 13 games -- this guy has a great left foot and a good nose for the goal. Until the Red Bulls refine their roster a bit, quite frankly, they're going to need van den Bergh to find the net. Unless of course Jozy Altidore is ready to pick up where he left off a year ago.
4. Freddy Adu, Salt Lake. If you're not interested in seeing how Freddy fares in his new role as playmaker of RSL then you're not a soccer fan. There's really not much more to say than that. There's been a lot of noise these last three years that Freddy needs more minutes and more freedom on the field. He's got it now. Let's see what it looks like.
3. Ronnie O'Brien, Toronto FC. How's this for making a mockery of mock drafts. Only two players that Mo Johnston selected in the expansion draft (Jose Cancela and Paulo Nagamura) are still on his roster. That's because Mo used his picks to wheel and deal for players like O'Brien, who will be looking to make TFC better than the most recent expansion sides we've seen in the league.
2. Herculez Gomez, Colorado. I can't figure out if Gomez is going to strike it big in Colorado, of if he will play behind the always-odd array of strikers that have been assembled in Denver. A couple of years ago, Herc looked like he was going to be one of the league's better strikers, but he fell on hard times in '06. If ever there was a coach in MLS who loved reclamation projects it's Fernando Clavijo. I'm looking for a rebound.
1. Joe Cannon, Los Angeles. OK, so maybe he won't singlehandedly lead the Galaxy to the Promised Land, but Cannon is the biggest player to change addresses this offseason and I expect, with all the Beckham hysteria, a lot of people will get a chance to see one of the more athletic and acrobatic (did I say confident?) 'keepers to ever play in the league.
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.
