except for his teammates and the coaching staff. Those people know that they can't succeed without him, and that he is usually the unsung hero of the team.
I am of course, referring to the defensive midfielder -- the player who is the most influential, yet often the least visible, on the most successful teams. A strong argument could be made that Real Madrid has never been the same since the departure of Claude Makelele. Obviously, Madrid's loss has been Chelsea's gain.
The defensive midfielder has a very good understanding of positioning, both offensively and defensively. He is the player that knows when he should attack, and knows when he needs to hold in a particular space, as the rest of his team is thinking "attack, attack!" He keeps the team's shape and allows for the most possible field coverage defensively. He can mark players while at the same time occupying passing lanes in to forwards.
He knows how and when to lay on a tough tackle (in the case of Pablo Mastroeni, usually a crunching tackle), and when he just has to occupy space and slow the opponent's attack down, allowing others to get back and defend. He is simple with the ball. To the layperson, sometimes painfully simple. To the trained eye, he is a player that doesn't lose the ball. He makes good decisions and understands that his role is to keep the flow of the play going, and he is unselfish enough to accept this role.
Make no mistake, this player is extremely unselfish. That may be the one characteristic that no matter what their style, they all share. Team comes way before self, and they're just fine with that.
It sounds, I'm sure, like only the defense benefits from this player -- nothing could be further from the truth. Again, he hardly ever loses the ball, so he keeps the flow of the attack going. Usually a good long passer, the defensive midfielder usually initiates many attacks with pinpoint long passing to switch the play. Also, good positioning usually allows him to win many clearances, and restart attacks. This is an important component of sustaining offensive pressure on the opponent.
Quite simply, this player doesn't mind doing all the dirty work, and could care less about not getting recognition for it.
It usually takes a keen eye to appreciate all the great work that this player gives a team. I hardly noticed rookie Kenny Cutler last year, when I played against him. I remember thinking, "Who is this guy?" After watching Real Salt Lake's first three games, the kid from Clemson may be the unsung hero for coach John Ellinger's team before it is all said and done. Since his insertion into the lineup, RSL has done nothing but steadily improve on both sides of the ball. Cutler's simplicity keeps the attack moving, while his defensive work rate allows the rest of the team to recover and apply pressure.
I've played with the two best to ever play this position in this league: the aforementioned Pablo Mastroeni and the original great defensive midfielder Chris Armas. While they go about their work in different ways, the end result is that they give their teams a chance to succeed. Chris is a cerebral player who relies on smarts and quickness to always be in the right place at the right time. He seems to know what his opponents are thinking before they do. Over the years, he has added more and more offensive abilities to his game as well.
Pablo is more along the lines of how that position is pictured. He's a physical presence who is a brutal tackler and reads the game well. His added bonus is how good he is with the ball. He is also a student of the game, and really gets what is takes to win. Two of their common characteristics include dogged determination, and the fact that they are both driven by team success, without regard for recognition. They are two individuals that any player would love to have the opportunity to play with. I certainly did.
People mostly pay attention to what happens directly in front of each goal, but try this: occasionally, glance toward the middle of the field and watch the movement of the player who is probably going to be nominated only for this award: The Player Most Likely to be Forgotten on the Car Ride Home.
Robin Fraser, a five-time MLS Best XI selection and two-time MLS Defender of the Year, ended his 10-year MLS career and 16-year professional career last October, and now begins his first season with RSL as the team's color television analyst. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser amassed 27 caps for the U.S. National Team and was drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the inaugural MLS draft.
Comments? E-mail Robin and the entire RSL broadcast crew at fun@RealSaltLake.com, and your e-mail could be featured in the Computech "Fan Feedback" feature on all RSL on KSL and FSN Utah broadcasts, as well as on KALL 700 AM.
