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Throw-Ins MetroStars' Mathis deserves MVP nod over Meola
First of all, let's get one thing straight. I have to admit I may be biased when it comes to selecting the winners of Major League Soccer's end of the year awards. I have watched the MetroStars more than any other team this season. I have watched their ascension from league doormats to one of the elite sides. OK, saying that, here's one sportswriter's opinion as to who will walk away with MLS's most important hardware next week (outside of the Alan I. Rothenberg trophy, of course):
MVPWe have three qualified candidates. Tampa Bay Mutiny striker Mamadou Diallo led the league in scoring (26), finishing one off the league-record held by former Mutiny forward Roy Lassiter. While he was a mainstay of the Mutiny attack, Diallo might have lost some votes because of his physical play, in the wake of his collision with MetroStars goalkeeper Mike Ammann. Midfielder-forward Clint Mathis was the final piece of the MetroStars' puzzle, lifting the team to another level. Combined with his stats while playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Mathis finished with an impressive 16 goals and 14 assists, good for second in the league in points. He also connected for a league-record five goals against the Dallas Burn in August. If Mathis has a weakness, it's that he sometimes becomes an invisible man for a game or two. But there was little question that the MetroStars were a much better team after he arrived in May. Tony Meola, undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in the league, epitomized the Wizards' solid defensive play. He was a rock in the back, having forged a league-best 0.92 goals-against average and a record 16 shutouts. If he isn't named the top goalkeeper, then an outside investigation should be done of the league's voting practices. My pick: Mathis, by a hair over Meola. Who will win it: Meola. That's the scuttlebutt around the league. If it does happen, it will be the first time in the league's five-year history a goalkeeper is chosen as MVP. Coach of the yearYou can make a valid case for each of the three finalists. The Chicago Fire's Bob Bradley, who I consider the best coach in the league, did a marvelous job of moving players in and out of the lineup through injuries, national team call-ups and Olympic commitments. A future national team coach, Bradley has proven himself dealing with players, their egos and the tactical end as well. Kansas City coach Bob Gansler, a former U.S. national coach (he directed the Americans in the 1990 World Cup in Italy) has worked wonders transforming an 8-24 last-place team into one with the best record in the league at 16-7-9 and 57 points. Then there's Octavio Zambrano, who took over the then sad-sack MetroStars and their all-time league-worst 7-27 record last December and turned them into a viable 17-12-3 side and Eastern Division champions. That's the best turnaround in league history (but only slightly better than the Wizards'). Moreover, what Zambrano has accomplished goes beyond wins and loses. He saved the team in the mega-market of New York City. Having another losing season couldn't help the league's image in the media capital of the world. My pick: Zambrano. The Wizards had two above-.500 seasons before 2000, including a 21-11 finish in 1997. The MetroStars finally broke the .500 barrier this season. Who will win it: Gansler. That's the scuttlebutt I hear throughout the league. Rookie of the yearAgain, three solid choices, all defenders. Wizards defender Nick Garcia was the only rookie to start all 32 games, and he did so with the league's toughest defense. The Galaxy's Danny Califf worked his way into the lineup, starting 16 games. Califf missed the last week of the regular season and the bulk of the playoffs due to his Olympic team commitments. The Fire's Bocanegra proved he belonged in the league, starting in 27 games at left fullback for the Fire. Bocanegra improved and played well enough that he should have gone to the Olympics. My pick: Bocanegra, just edging out Garcia. Who will win it: Bocanegra. Goalkeeper of the yearIt should be no contest. Tampa Bay's Scott Garlick and the Galaxy's Kevin Hartman had terrific seasons, but this was Meola's year. My pick: Meola (see MVP item for the reasons). Who will win it: Meola. Defender of the yearNo field player played in more minutes (2,934) than the Mutiny's Joe Addo. Robin Fraser, last year's winner, has been a mainstay for the Galaxy. Veteran Peter Vermes, a midfielder and forward before moving to defense, helped stabilize the Wizards' backline. K.C. allowed less than a goal per match. My pick: Vermes. Who will win it: Vermes. Goal of the yearLet's see. Two bicycle kicks and a masterful 30-yard free kick. All goals were scored in April or May. Hristo Stoitchkov's long-range free kick against D.C. United was a magnificent combination of power and beauty. Miklos Molnar's eight-yard bicycle kick vs. the Mutiny also was majestic. So was Marcelo Balboa's 16-yard bicycle kick against the Columbus Crew. My pick: Balboa, who connected from the top of the penalty area. Besides, he gets my emotional vote after barely missing a bicycle kick in the 1994 World Cup vs. Colombia. Who will win it: Balboa. From hero to goat and back againThis is the reason why we follow sports so closely -- the human drama and the ability to bounce back from defeat and adversity. Take a look at the rollercoaster ride that L.A. Galaxy defender Danny Califf took over the past several weeks. For the first four games of the Olympics, Califf was the pillar of the American backline, helping the team reach the medal round. In the semifinals, a pair of mistakes led to Spain's first two goals in what turned into a 3-1 loss. In the bronze-medal match, Califf ill-advisedly tripped a Chilean player in the penalty area even though his opponent could not have reached the ball, which was going out of bounds. It resulted in a second-half penalty kick and the first goal for the South Americans en route to a 2-0 victory. But on Tuesday, Califf redeemed himself, at least for his club team, in the semifinals of the MLS playoffs. Califf, who replaced Zak Ibsen at halftime, scored the game-winning goal -- in extra time, to lift the Galaxy to a 2-1 triumph over the Kansas City Wizards. Coping with a crazy scheduleI've said it once and I'll say it again. Having a World Cup qualifier smack in the middle of the MLS playoffs is ludicrous. You take players who are preparing for the pressure-cooker of a league championship and you put them in the pressure-cooker of playing in a vital qualifier. MLS and U.S. Soccer aren't to blame for this confusing situation. The league had its schedule out well before FIFA imposed its worldwide qualifying schedule, and U.S. Soccer had to comply. At least next year, MLS will know the qualifying schedule in advance, so any conflicts should be minimized. Lothar's cornerThe German superstar had one busy week. On Saturday, Lothar Matthäus played the best game of his season in the MetroStars' 2-0 semifinal playoff win over the Chicago Fire. At MetroStars practice on Wednesday, he seemingly was bothered by his right leg. When he came off the field, Lothar ignored a reporter's questions and walked toward the locker room. It also was reported that Matthäus was interested in the vacant Inter Milan coaching job. Sackings of the weekMy, my, a busy week in the arena as well, as four coaches bit the dust. The biggest firing was of Brazilian coach Wanderley Luxemburgo who got the ax on Monday after a poor showing in the Olympics. Brazil was eliminated by eventual gold-medalist Cameroon in the quarterfinals, 2-1, despite owning a two-man advantage in the waning minutes. Candinho, Luxemburgo's assistant, will coach Brazil in its World Cup qualifying match against Venezuela on Sunday. "The result against Cameroon was very disagreeable," Brazilian soccer donfederation president Ricardo Teixeira said. "Losing with 11 against nine is unacceptable and we decided to alter our project for the future." Luxemburgo has other problems to deal with as well -- some questions the Brazilian government has about his tax payments.
For a more detailed analysis on these sackings, see CNNSI.com's Gabriele Marcotti's latest column. Gut feelingIt's the heartland vs. the coasts on Friday, which will determine the two finalists for MLS Cup. I'm going to go with the Fire (1-1, three points) over the MetroStars (1-1, three). The MetroStars are a very good team, but the Fire is the best team in the league. A healthy Peter Nowak is a must for the Fire. With the addition of Olympic standout Josh Wolff, the Fire will be difficult to overcome at Soldier Field, where they are 16-1-2 this season, which includes a 12-game unbeaten streak. The Fire, 2-0. In other semifinal, the Galaxy (1-0-1, four) needs only a tie to clinch a spot, while the Wizards face an uphill battle. Not only do they have to win the 90-minute match just to tie the series, the Wizards would have to prevail in the 20-minute mini-game and/or penalty-kick tie-breaker. It could be a long evening at Arrowhead Stadium in more ways than one. The Galaxy moves on with a 1-1 draw. Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. His third book, Soccer For Dummies, was published this spring.
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