Diego Serna (15-15 in 2001). The next big barrier is 20-20, which would be a remarkable feat to break. Let's face it, there aren't many players who can fill the back of the net and create opportunities for teammates. They probably wouldn't last long in the league after an accomplishment like that, most likely being sold to a European team if their age was right.
Doubling their pleasure: On the surface, it doesn't seem like a big deal: teammates scoring in consecutive games. But it just hasn't happened that many times. The Chicago Fire's "Ra-Ra Boys," Damani Ralph and Ante Razov, each scored in four consecutive games in 2003. In fact, they wound up scoring in the same game a league-record seven times that season. As a reminder of how quickly players can move on from a club, both are with different teams today. Ralph signed with Russian Premier Liga team FC Rubin Kazan in March. The Fire traded Razov to the Columbus Crew after last season and the Crew dealt him to the MetroStars in June.
Taylor-made goals: Teams have staged late comebacks in regulation and stoppage time through the years. But how often has one player connected for two goals with time running out to turn defeat into victory? Twellman accomplished just that earlier this season against FC Dallas at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Arturo Alvarez and Ronnie O'Brien (in first-half stoppage time) had given the visitors a 2-1 lead on goals sandwiched between a Twellman score in the 44th minute. In the 90th minute, Twellman knocked home a Clint Dempsey header past goalkeeper Scott Garlick to equalize and then put in a Shalrie Joseph cross from 12 yards two minutes into stoppage time for a 3-2 triumph and to complete his hat trick. As it turns out, Twellman recorded his second hat trick of the season in the Revs' 3-1 win against the Columbus Crew this past Saturday. Dallas incidentally hasn't recovered from that stunning defeat. The club is winless in nine matches since then (0-7-2) and winless in 10 overall.
Fast, faster, fastest: Dwayne De Rosario gave an early preview of what was to come in the San Jose Earthquakes' 5-2 win against the Dallas Burn on Sept. 28, 2003 by scoring only 11 seconds into the match in Spartan Stadium, the fastest goal in league history. He wound up recording the Quakes' second career hat trick in that game. Given the time constraints after the opening kickoff, it will be difficult, although not exactly impossible to surpass that feat. Players have scored five seconds into a match overseas, some practically off the kickoff after noticing the goalkeeper asleep or way out of the net.
The grand slam: Scoring goals is difficult enough. Doing it in successive shots is next to impossible. Yet, Colorado Rapids forward Chris Carrieri scored four goals on four consecutive shots in two games in 2002. He connected in the 88th minute of a 1-0 victory over the MetroStars on June 26 and struck for a hat-trick in a 3-2 win against Chicago on July 4.
Armas and dangerous: Imagine taking on a superior playmaker every other game. That's what Chicago Fire midfielder Chris Armas did in 1998. Armas shut them down most of the time in the Fire's championship season. He held the top four MLS midfielders (they accumulated 35 goals and 60 assists in 110 matches) -- United's Marco Etecheverry, Tampa Bay's Carlos Valderrama, Los Angeles Galaxy's Mauricio Cienfuegos and Preki -- to two goals and four assists in 14 matches. He also shut them out nine times. It will be difficult to duplicate that accomplishment because the league doesn't have playmakers of that stature.
Michael Lewis writes about soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has covered MLS since its inception. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Lewis will only answer e-mails and letters that have names or are signed. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
