Ten Best: Metro foreigners (update)
April 27, 2011
With all the talk of Metro's international lineup, it's time to revisit the of Top Ten foreigners in team history. We initially compiled the list in 2005, then updated it in 2007 and 2008.
10) Antony De Avila, Colombia, 1996-97
9) Adolfo Valencia, Colombia, 2000-01
8) Joel Lindpere, Estonia, 2010-
The unheralded Estonian won the hearts of Metro fans with his terrific first season, when he fought every single minute, scored three goals, added six assists, and visited 14 states. Lindpere won MetroFanatic Player of the Year for his efforts.
7) Dane Richards, Jamaica, 2007-
Don't look now, but the once-inconsistent Jamaican is quietly moving up the all-time charts. As of this writing, he has played in 121 games (10th all-time), tallied 22 assists (7th all-time), and scored 16 goals (11th all-time). That and arguably the most clutch performance in club history in the 2008 playoffs in Houston and he can only go up.
6) Roberto Donadoni, Italy, 1996-97
5) Youri Djorkaeff, France, 2005-06
4) Dave van den Bergh, Netherlands, 2007-08
So here is a very tough call between Djorkaeff and van den Bergh. Both played two seasons for Metro. Djorkaeff was magical in 2005 (MF Player of the Year), but his 2006 was pedestrian at best. The Walking Dutchman was very good in 2007, and excellent in 2008 (MF Player of the Year), scoring the biggest goal in club history in the MLS Cup semifinal. We're gonna go with van den Bergh.
3) Giovanni Savarese, Venezuela, 1996-98
2) Amado Guevara, Honduras, 2003-06
1) Juan Pablo Angel, Colombia, 2007-10
Who else? The Cherubic Assassin. 62 goals. Countless wonderful memories. Juan... Pablo... Angel!
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