Has this been a great week or what?
Your old pal Tino started off the week by somehow sneaking into the Emmy Awards and hobnobbing with the stars out here on Planet LA. Before they found out who I was, I was able to walk the red carpet, attend the show, and then hit a bunch of swanky post-Emmy parties. The night ended with a post-2 a.m. meal at a Hollywood diner, which at one point was highlighted by the producers of Lost at one end of our table and Queen Latifah at the other. Don't ask me - I have no idea.
(Quick list of my fave sightings of the night: a ragged-looking Jose Canseco, the smart-as-a-Fire-fan Jessica Simpson, and one of the best actors of the year - the guy who played Paulie G. on the now-dead Lisa Kudrow HBO sitcom The Comeback).
But that was nothing. As the week went on, it just got better. I won't go on and on, but Tuesday brought an episode of The Tyra Banks Show that well, if you saw it or have read about it, you know what I'm talking about. Then Wednesday was a real keeper: we saw that guy land that plane safely with the landing gear all messed up. Now that is a clutch performance.
Later that night, we finally found out what was in the hatch on Lost, and then got to enjoy the Almighty Hoops clobbering the Galaxy while the Fire fell yet again. This was getting ridiculous.
But the best part of the week came when I was sifting through my e-mails and found a media ballot from Major League Soccer for the RadioShack MLS All-Time Best XI.
Talk about early Christmas. How much fun is this going to be?
First off, according to the e-mail, here is the how the list of candidates was decided: "Players on this list were either named Best XI in a particular season OR selected to play in at least three All-Star games. Select up to one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards."
OK, got it. But now the question: do you pick your players based on how they did over the course of their entire MLS career, or do you pick the one Best XI of players that when each were at their MLS prime would make up the best team. I'm going with the second plan.
I'm picking my team as if my Best XI has one game, and each player is in their MLS prime. This is key for players who have either played their best footie before or after they were in the league. For instance, Brad Friedel would be my goalkeeper if it were based on the prime of their entire career, but the former Crew keeper definitely got better after he left Columbus.
So with that, here is what I came up with for my RadioShack MLS All-Time Best XI. And remember, send all your complaints about my choices directly to my email box at cheapseats@g73.org.
Goalkeeper (one): Joe Cannon
I know Tony Meola and Kevin Hartman have done it the best for the longest, but for one game Joe Cannon is my guy. Throughout his career he has been solid, but I just can't think of a goalkeeper who I have seen keep his team in as many games as Cannon. I'll say it again - there have been better goalkeepers who have played in MLS, but I'd argue that none have played better soccer while in the league than Cannon has at a given time.
Defenders (three): Lubos Kubik, Eddie Pope, Carlos Bocanegra
None of these categories are easy, but this is a tough one. My first choice was Kubik and I didn't hesitate for a second on that one. Despite playing in Chicago and on those early teams that absolutely took joy in killing soccer matches, Lubos was a big reason that (a) they could kill matches and (b) they won a lot of them. Pope also gets the nod because he was simply rock-solid early in his career. The third spot went to Carlos Bocanegra, who edged out Robin Fraser and Marcelo Balboa on my list. Not an easy choice there.
Midfielders (five): Landon Donovan, Piotr Nowak, Marco Etcheverry, Preki, Chris Armas
Far and away the hardest category. First off, the ballot has Landon Donovan, so that is even one more midfielder to choose from. When I listed out the players I thought should be included, there were nine of them. Yikes. Can I have two teams? My four finalists that didn't make my cut: DaMarcus Beasley, Cobi Jones, Amado Guevara, and Mauricio Cienfuegos. Go ahead and e-mail in about any of these four and I don't know that I can argue with you. But for me Donovan, Nowak and Etcheverry were no-brainers. Preki was next because the guy could hurt a defense in so many ways. And in his prime, Chris Armas was the feistiest of ball winners, and while it doesn't show up in the stats, ask Nowak how important that was.
Strikers (two): Stern John and Jaime Moreno
This choice was no home game against Chivas USA either. With one swing of the axe, I had to cut off Jason Kreis, Mamadou Diallo, Raul Diaz Arce and Little Fishy - four players who can bang in goals with the best of them. But for me Stern John was as lethal a finisher as MLS has seen, and Jaime Moreno is as good an all-around striker as has played in the league. But could you imagine a front line of Big Mama and Little Fishy? Deadly.
GRAB A COLD BUD (OR AQUAFINA) AND PUT YER FEET UP:
WHAT I'LL BE WATCHING:
Friday - USA U-17's vs. IVORY COAST (4:30 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel): Set your Tivo and catch the Junior Yanks, who have already qualified for the quarters of the U-17 World Championships. This is their final match in the group phase.
Saturday - REVS vs METRO (7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel): Yeah, go ahead and top your game last week. Right.
Saturday - QUAKES vs. FC DALLAS (10 p.m. ET on Direct Kick): Ready? Dallas beats San Jose at Spartan Saturday. No Eddie? No Fishy? No problem.
FLICK-ONS:
