Fans look: Columbus Crews best value players of 2011
By Christopher Cantwell, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Sources: MLSSoccer.com, TheCrew.com, MLSPlayers.org.
In a tight salary cap league, it is always important for Major League Soccer teams to find some great players at an even better value. The Columbus Crew have been no exception in 2011, getting big contributions from players nowhere near the top of the team's payroll.
Here is a look at who I feel are the Crew's best values of 2011:
5. Josh Gardner - $49,200 - Gardner has been pretty consistent in the midfield throughout 2011 for the Crew. When called upon, he has logged big minutes and started 19 times for the Crew. Since playing for the Galaxy a few years back, Gardner played in the U.S. lower divisions and most recently with the Carolina Railhawks. The Crew were able to pick him as a bargain for the 2011 campaign.
4. Tommy Heinemann - $42,000 - Heinemann has been used more in a substitute role for the Crew, but still has started 12 times while notching three goals and one assist in his first MLS season. Like Gardner, Heinemann was picked up from the lower divisions after a great 2010 with the Charleston Battery. With three goals and one of the lowest salaries on the team, Heinemann is easily one of the best values in the cost-per-goal category.
3. Julius James - $72,169 - James, picked up after D.C. United let him go, has been a huge part of the Crew's backline and has played and started in 29 matches so far in 2011. James play in 2011 has began to make him a regular call-up to his native Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors.
2. Robbie Rogers - $140,000 - Rogers' salary barely cracks the top 10 on the Crew, yet he is a U.S. international and has recorded a team-high seven assists so far in 2011. Rogers is at the end of his contract, and the Crew will likely have to pay much more in 2012 to keep him around in Columbus. His play has put him back in the USMNT picture under head coach Jόrgen Klinsmann. Rogers has also added two goals during the campaign. At the beginning of the season, Rogers seemed to possibly be out of the Crew picture. But in 2011, he has been a huge part of that picture.
1. Sebastian Miranda - $115,000 - Miranda has been great and has helped replace long-term pieces of the Crew defense during the offseason. He is the only Crew player to start and play all 32 games so far in 2011, while logging over 2,800 minutes. He has also added two assists.