|
| |
 |
|
No need to guess who
gets the top grade...
|
Grading the players 12 games in
June 19, 2007
So, we are 12 games into the regular season, and facing a two-week gap without a game, as MLS' unbalanced schedule rears its ugly head to put the Metro fan base into 13 days of boredom. So let's look one-by-one at each player on the Metro roster (who has seen the field for more than a game) and assess their performance over the first third of the season.
Goalkeepers:
Ronald Waterreus: Terrific in his first five games, horrific in his last two. B.
Jon Conway: More than serviceable filling in for Waterreus during the middle stretch. B.
Defenders:
Todd Dunivant: Was not at his best when healthy, but the team misses him a lot since the injury. B-.
Carlos Mendes: The only ever-present on defense, has steered it through the good times and the bad. B.
Jeff Parke: Compare Metro's defensive record when he is healthy to when he is absent or injured. B+.
Hunter Freeman: Only played in four league games, but his contribution has been greatly missed since he went down. Scored the lone goal in the win at Dallas. A-.
Taylor Graham: He is just not an MLS quality defender. D.
Tim Regan: We keep wondering why the little time he's seen has been at outside back, and not in the middle, where he is if not perfect, he's better than Graham. C.
Midfielders:
Seth Stammler: The universal adapter has already started at four different positions this year. His versatility makes up for other shortcomings. B-.
Dema Kovalenko: The heart and soul of the team, filled in admirably at right back when needed, but we need him in midfield. Has chipped in with two goals. B+.
Claudio Reyna: The jury is still out on his signing... But we would like to see him contribute more to the team's offense than he has so far (two assists). B-.
Dave van den Bergh: Started the season well, has cooled off, but still serves a better cross than perhaps anyone in Metro history. B.
Dane Richards: Runs, runs, runs, and runs. Could use a better shot; better decision making will come with time. Scored a goal against Salt Lake. B-.
Markus Schopp: Started the season injured, lost his starting spot to Richards, and has since seen time at right back, where he was awful. D+.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic: A serviceable filler who has contributed more than what was expected from a third-round draft pick. C+.
Forwards:
Clint Mathis: Already matching his goal total from his last two league seasons with five, he has exceeded everyone's expectations. B+.
Jozy Altidore: His three goals are all game-winners, and even defenders' constant fouling can't always stop him. A-.
John Wolyniec: What more can you expect from Woly? A goal here, an assist there, and valuable time off the bench. B-.
Juan Pablo Angel: The grade speaks for itself. A+.
|
