First XI: A solid Gold lineup
By Jeff Bradley / Special to MLSnet.comJune 13, 2007
Trinidad & Tobago's Stern John scored 26 goals for the Columbus Crew in 1998. (Mark Lyons/Getty Images) With the CONCACAF Gold Cup as our backdrop, this week we recognize 11 of the 12 countries participating in the tournament, by naming the best player to ever represent that country in MLS. Let's also offer our apologies to Guadeloupe and hope that one of their current stars finds his way to MLS soon, and get on with our Gold Cup First XI.
11. Amado Guevara (Honduras): Shame he left the league on a bad note, but Amado Guevara is still one of the most talented central midfielders to play in MLS. Many fans seem to only remember his moments of rage and frustration, but I witnessed a number of clutch goals and jaw-dropping moves up close and personal. During his best moments, Amado was pure brilliance. Unfortunately, there ended up being too many bad moments. Who knows? Maybe we haven't seen the last of El Lobo in MLS. He's still only 31 years old. Guevara gets the nod over Ivan Guerrero, Arnold Cruz and Samuel Caballero.
10. Roy Myers (Costa Rica): Though his time in MLS was not long (1999-2001), Roy Myers gets the nod over Mauricio Wright as the top Costa Rican to ever play in MLS. Myers was a nice piece of the 1999 Galaxy and the 2000 MetroStars, a good passer and attacking player who combined well with his teammates. I always liked Myers' unpredictable running style, lots of knees and elbows making him look like he might disassemble as he ran with the ball. Also, apologies to William Sunsing. We barely knew ya.
9. Jean-Philippe Peguero (Haiti): In my eyes, Jean-Philippe Peguero will always be remembered for his six goals in 12 games for the Red Bulls a year ago. The guy really looked like he was going to emerge as a striker who would do some damage in the league. And, poof, he was gone, sold to a team in Denmark. This guy was the type of feast or famine striker that we've seen a lot in MLS. When he was on, he looked unstoppable. When he was off, everyone wanted him out. Still, when it comes to Haitians in MLS, Peguero tops the list.
8. Dwayne De Rosario (Canada): This one's easy, even though Pat Onstad has had a fabulous career in MLS. De Rosario is easily one of the most exciting attacking players in the history of the league. His ability to strike from long distance combined with his ability to run with the ball, is a breathtaking combination. De Ro is also a clutch performer as evidenced by his golden goal in the 2001 MLS Cup. Hopefully Onstad and Geoff Aunger will get over it.
7. Stern John (Trinidad and Tobago): Another no-brainer. Probably the best pure striker to ever lace up in MLS, Stern John scored 44 goals over two seasons for the Crew, before earning his way to England. I always loved Crew announcer Dwight Burgess' references to the Stern-Turn, John's unstoppable spin and fire move in the box. MLS teams have gone looking for another John among the ranks in T&T -- hello, Cornell Glen -- but no one's found him.6. Mauricio Cienfuegos (El Salvador): Tough call, but Cien gets the nod over striker Raul Diaz Arce. Always loved Cienfuegos' passing and movement, not to mention his leadership. I also have a vivid memory of him chipping Zach Thornton in the waning moments of the 2001 conference semifinal series at Soldier Field to ice the Galaxy's Game 2 victory and move the Galaxy to MLS Cup. Cienfuegos will go down as one of those fantastic first-year signings by MLS. He was a guy who became an instant fan favorite and a longtime contributor to the league.
5. Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala): Now, here's a guy I've always enjoyed watching play in MLS, but who I can't stand watching play for his country. Anyone else share my sentiment? But, let's hand it to Sigi Schmid for finding a young striker who was ready to come to the States and tear it up. In 2002, Ruiz was indeed the final piece that the Galaxy needed to become champions, scoring 24 goals (many of them late game-winners) and adding an MLS Cup golden goal, to wrap up one of the greatest individual seasons ever in the league. I picked Ruiz over Martin Machon, who was a really nice guy and a good player, but no match for El Pescadito. And, is it really possible that Ruiz is already playing his third season in Dallas?
4. Claudio Suarez (Mexico): Many weeks ago, we chronicled the history of Mexican players in MLS, and it has not always been pretty. I give the nod to Suarez over Jorge Campos by the slightest of margins, and I don't have a really good reason why. Campos, many people forget, was very, very good for the 1996 Galaxy ... right up until his nightmare final in Foxboro. After that, it was downhill fast. Suarez has been a great leader for Chivas USA, helping them become a playoff team a year ago and making them look like contenders in 2007. As for the likes of Carlos Hermosillo, Luis Hernandez, Paco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia, for me, they do not rank ahead of current Chivas USA player Panchito Mendoza.
3. Maykel Galindo (Cuba): It's an incredible story, how Galindo defected to the U.S. during the 2005 Gold Cup. Now, the man is a bonafide star-in-the-making for Chivas USA. If you have not yet seen Galindo play, he's not only lightning-fast, he's also got a very good feel for how to work with Ante Razov and Chivas' attacking midfielders. He isn't the first Cuban in MLS (Alberto Delgado also defected at the '05 Gold Cup and played for Colorado, and Rey Angel Martinez also spent time with the Rapids). Could we see more Cuban players in MLS following this year's Gold Cup? As Galindo proved, one never knows.
2. Jorge Dely Valdes (Panama): If for no other reason, Dely Valdes earns the spot over Roberto Brown because of his cell-phone goal celebration. Actually, JDV was pretty good for the 1999 Rapids before falling out of favor with coach Mooch Myernick in 2000. He was very dangerous with his head in front of the goal, not as dangerous with his feet, but a better-than-average MLS striker, to say the least. And let me say that Jorge and brother Juan put a pretty good scare into the U.S. during the last go-round in qualifying, in Panama City.
1. Landon Donovan (USA): Tough call here, honestly, with so many great U.S. players having worked the fields of MLS over the past 11-plus seasons. There's Tony Meola, Cobi Jones, Jeff Agoos, Chris Henderson, Mark Chung, Ante Razov and Jason Kreis to name a few. But the nod goes to Donovan for his three MLS Cup rings and his ongoing love affair with the U.S. game and the U.S. league. There are far too many haters out there, in my opinion. When it comes to U.S. players in MLS, Donovan's been pure, solid, gold.
