The World Cup is over and that means the United States soccer world goes back to focusing on Major League Soccer. VAVEL USA will keep you covered with Major League Soccer coverage throughout the season as well as our weekly roundtable where our crew take's a microscope to the league!
Will "World Cup Fever" Translate To The MLS?
Baxter Colburn: That is always the hope, but does it ever really happen? Yes and no, but this World Cup really did help grow MLS support. Because of all the MLS players on the United States roster, fans were able to see that the league is capable of producing quality players. Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey made the right choice by coming home and now are thriving on both the International and Domestic levels. MLS is growing and fans better make sure to jump on the train now!
Patrick Chaves: This is an interesting question because the answer is yes and no. One has to assume with how successfully the World Cup went that TV ratings and attendance numbers should be a little bit better after the World Cup for MLS. That being said, I can't imagine that there is a significant difference caused by "world cup fever". MLS definitely made some people believers because of how well many of the players did in the World Cup and in doing so it definitely attracted a few new fans I'm sure, so in that way yes, "world cup fever" has translated to MLS. However, I don't believe it has or will make a huge difference in the long run.
Matthew Evans: Honestly no, as much as I would like to see the "World Cup Fever" translate to Major League Soccer it will not happen during this cycle. The reasoning for it is because MLS is a big step-down in the caliber of play from the World Cup. The popularity of the English Premier League and La Liga will get a bump in America from the World Cup because that is where the world's best players are.
Oliver Lines: No. Well, at least not permanently. The MLS is likely to get increased viewing figures for the rest of the season, which undoubtedly will be thanks to the World Cup, but will the support die off after the MLS Cup Final in November/December? Absolutely. The only saving grace for the MLS is that World Cup hero Clint Dempsey chose to return to his homeland last year, meaning people may tune in him to look him and then get hooked on the game. However it seems unlikely people will bother to tune in on a regular basis because the difference between the World Cup and the MLS is massive. There is such a decline in quality between, for example, the Netherlands - Australia match and a match between Montreal Impact and San Jose Earthquakes, that people may start looking but turn off quickly when they realise that the standard is not the same. Quite honestly, if anything gets people to start looking more it’s the signings of marquee players like David Beckham and Thierry Henry. Television ratings have jumped immediately in the years they joined the MLS, only to fall back down not long after, which only strengthens the point that soccer is still not taken seriously by enough people.
Stockton Mair: Major League Soccer has already been using World Cup Fever to grow. After the World Cup, they are at over 1 million likes on Facebook. Now, will MLS Fans ever have "MLS Fever"? Some already have it, others don't. MLS will have to continue to expand and advertise to get "MLS Fever" to spread and become an everyday thing around the Nation.
Brandon Farris: Honestly I would love to say nothing more than yes, but let’s be honest here, talking with many people who didn’t look the World Cup before Brazil, they have little interest in the sport sadly except for when it’s time for the World Cup as it is an event that is held once every four years similar to the Olympics we will lose the interest. I will be interested in seeing how numbers for the league do overall as I believe that MLS did pick up some fans, just not anywhere near the numbers of what we saw during the World Cup Apocalypse as I will call it.
Blayne Riffle: Sadly, no. MLS may see a 5-10% increase nationwide and hopefully a 20% increase in MLS cities, but without easy access, we will not see the growth. We are now post World Cup and MLB is heading into the All-Star Break, NBA is in the midst of the most interesting costless agency period in years, and MLS is being drowned out again. They key to building soccer fever is to provide more local clubs through the buildup of USL Pro and NASL expansion into unrepresented markets.
Who Is The MLS MVP As Of Right Now?
Colburn: Dom Dwyer is the MLS MVP, if it was given out today. Yes, Bradley Wright-Phillips is doing a fantastic job for the New York Red Bulls, but the play of Dwyer is un-matchable.
Chaves: This may be a bit far fetched, but it's Clint Dempsey. There is no player who has done what Clint Dempsey has done in the amount of games they have played this season. The stats say it all. 9 goals, 3 assists in only 10 games. That is outstanding and much better than any other player in MLS. He only has 10 games played because of the World Cup, and even there he was phenomenal. Not only is Deuce the midseason MVP, he will be the MLS MVP at the end of the season too.
Evans: The current MVP for Major League Soccer at the halfway point of the season is Erick Torres of Chivas USA. People are going to say that I am crazy for giving the MVP to a player whose team is not even the playoffs right now but the MVP is the person who is the most valuable to his team. Torres is Chivas USA right now, the kid has 13 goals in 18 matches this season while his teammates have combined for 7. He is almost doubling the scoring output of the rest of his ENTIRE TEAM!!! The reason why Chivas USA is playing so well right now is because of Erick Torres, the current leader in the race for MLS MVP.
Lines: So far, maybe because of the World Cup, there hasn’t been a single real standout player in my book. Certain players have undoubtedly had good seasons so far, Dom Dwyer, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Obafemi Martins to name a few, but one player sticks out just above the rest for me: Jermain Defoe. The 31-year-old striker hit the ground running, scoring a brace on his debut for Toronto FC following a move from Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. Despite suffering an injury which caused him to miss three games early on, the veteran has still managed to score 10 goals in just 12 games, with two assists thrown in for good measure, thanks to a formidable partnership with Michael Bradley.
Mair: This is a very hard question, because I only look Real Salt Lake games. Based on what I've heard from Twitter and Facebook, it has to be Bradley Wright-Phillips.He leads the league in goals, with 15,and goals mean everything to win. Now, he plays for the Redbulls, who haven't been winning, which is not his fault. He's been producing, his team hasn't. Because his team isn't winning, his chances to win MVP at the end of the season are pretty small. Dom Dwyer is right behind him with 14 goals.
Farris: I really had to think long and hard about this, if you are all about stats then without question you would have to go with Clint Dempsey, having only played in 10 matches so far this season he has racked up 9 goals and 3 assist. That means being involved in at least one scoring play every match. If he didn’t miss the nearly two months that he did for his World Cup call up he would easily be near the top of not top goal scorer so far this season, even with 9 and missing 8 matches so far this season due to his early suspension and call up he still sits 5th in the league only behind by 6 goals.
Riffle: I'm basing this decision on not just stats and ability, but importance to the club as well. Mauro Rosales has been the lone standout playmaker for Chivas USA this season. Chivas is currently surging because of the play of Rosales and Torres as well as cleaning up the red card issues that plagued them all season. Rosales has been one of the best playmakers in the league all season and doing it without the supporting cast in the midfield that other standouts have. Erick Torres has become a standout player this season and half of that is based on the quality service he is getting from Rosales.
Who Is The MLS Goalkeeper Of The Year So Far?
Colburn: New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles is the best goalkeeper in MLS. He is one of the biggest reasons New York is doing so well this year. If the Red Bulls want to finally give Thierry Henry a MLS Cup championship, Robles will need to keep his fantastic form all season long. If he is not on the All-Star roster, fans in MLS truly do not understand just how important he is to the team.
Chaves: Without a doubt the goalkeeper of the year so far in MLS is Luis Robles. Robles has the most saves in MLS with 63, and throughout the entire season he has single handedly kept the Red Bulls in the playoff picture. There is not a better shot stopper in MLS currently, and there has not been a better keeper in MLS this season. This is why I am so mad with how MLS ALL-STAR voting is taken care of. Robles isn't even in the running for being an All-Star because the voting is more of a popularity contest than a matter of who is the best keeper. If it were up to me, Robles would be the starting keeper in the ALL-STAR game, and if he continues this form should win Goalkeeper of the Year.
Evans: It is very difficult to find a goalkeeper that fits all of the criteria to be the best goalkeeper in Major League Soccer right now. I will say that my front-runners are Eric Kronberg of Sporting Kansas City (PRO: 0.88 goals against average. CON: A 66% save percentage having only faced 58 shots) and Stefan Frei of the Seattle Sounders FC (PRO: 12 wins in 18 matches. CON: 1.33 goals against average). The favorite though by a slim margin just because I want to see his stats with more matches under his belt is Jaime Penedo of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Penedo has appeared in only 13 matches but has a goal against average of 0.92 with a save percentage of 77%.
Lines: It hasn’t exactly been the year of the ‘keepers in the MLS with an average of 2.78 goals going in per game, which will be the highest since 2008 if it stays this way come the end of the season. But the one man who deserves to be named ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ is Eric Kronberg. Taking over from Sporting Kansas City legend Jimmy Nielsen was always going to be a tough ask for the 31-year-old, but he has done a stellar job for the reigning champions. Kronberg boasts a league-high seven shutouts and has a goals against average of just 0.88, meaning the news last week that he may be out for around two months after fracturing his hand is an even bigger blow to Sporting than it seems.
Mair: Without a doubt, Nick Rimando. He has been unrightfully beaten for Keeper of the Year by Donovan Ricketts. Nick Rimando has had Save of the Week many times, and has gotten player of the week many times, but hasn't won Keeper of the year. Despite him being in Brazil for a couple of weeks, he still deserves it. In almost every single game, he is called to make a save, and he delivers. He is the best penalty kick stopping Keeper in MLS history, and he is on the verge of tying and breaking another record.
Farris: This is the easiest question of the five for this week, Erik Kronberg of Sporting Kansas, to come in and fill the shoes of long time KC goal keeper Jimmy Nielsen he has done extremely well under pressure posting 7 clean sheets in 17 matches and only allowing 15 goals through those matches. But his injury will make him fall down the list sadly near the end of the year.
Riffle: Homer warning. I'm going to give the nod to Kronberg for SKC as the general in the back of a decimated defense, But honorable mention to Robles in NY and Clint Irwin for outstanding showings so far. Honestly, I feel this award is too close to call and it's going to come down to stat lines and situational standings. Robles has been solid under duress. Irwin has been class in his second season while only being 25, he is really keeping Colorado competitive this season. But for best keeper in the worst position, it has to be Kronberg who has not had a consistent back four through most of the season and has seen all four defensive starters and several subs miss games due to injury or international duty. But if he wants to keep this title, he will need to improve his deficiencies. He is usually good for a mistake a game which is why he isn't a clear cut favorite for this spot. His decision making will need to improve. You can only blame so many mistakes on the defense before you have to adapt.
Best Young Player In MLS So Far? ( under 25)
Colburn: Dom Dwyer is the best player under 25 in MLS, no doubt about it. He is playing at an incredibly high-level right now and cannot be stopped. Dwyer currently has 14 goals during the regular season. Sporting Kansas City's hopes of a repeat MLS Cup championship really depend on the play of Dwyer.
Chaves: Is this even a question? The answer is the man who is " El Fuego", Erick Cubo Torres. Cubo has 13 goals this season in 18 games, and has single handedly won Chivas USA 3 out of their last 4. He is a massive reason for Chivas having their biggest winning streak of all time, and Chivas is now in a very good position to fight for the playoffs and surprise everyone. Not only has this kid produced the goals, but he is only 21 years old. And to top it all off, he has the nicest goal in all of MLS this season, and he does it consistently. The kid scores amazing goals and is incredibly talented.
Evans: I have got to go with Erick Torres again for this answer. The kid is having a great year. Along with the stats mentioned earlier, I didn't say that he is currently on a 5-match scoring streak. He also has scored in every Chivas victory and almost all of their draws as well except for the 1-1 draw on May 17th at FC Dallas.
Lines: There’s only one winner here. At the age of just 21, DeAndre Yedlin is already attracting interest from Europe and is threatening to be a mainstay in the USMNT. The Seattle Sounders defender has been an integral part of their rise to the top of the Western Conference with his confident attacking and solid defending, and now with World Cup experience under his belt he will only get better every day.
Mair: Cubo Torres of Chivas USA comes to my mind. He might not be the best all year round, but he delivers. The 21 year old has 13 goals total in the season. I'm sure plenty of them have come during the last couple of weeks, when Chivas is actually scoring and winning. I'm sure there are arguments for other players, but I immediately thought of Torres when I read this question.
Farris: Now being from Seattle, I could easily just say DeAndre Yedlin, especially after the World Cup performance that he just had, but that just seems too simple and biased of me being from the Emerald City. So for that reason I am actually going to go with the robot in Erick Torres. So far this season Cubo has 13 goals in 18 matches, including 5 consecutive matches. Having nearly doubled his production from last season where he only scored 7 times in 15 matches and still half a season to go. He single handily has helped Chivas slowly climb up the ladder and into contention for a spot to be a playoff spoiler.
Riffle: This is a tie between Erick Torres and Dom Dwyer. Two of the three leading goalscorers for the season are young guns showing what they can do. Torres is benefiting from great service and making the most of it, as well as being the most creative. Dwyer on the other hand is showing to be the English Bulldog style forward using high pressure and grit to win balls in great positions. It's hard to separate these two when comparing because they are both playing so well, yet very differently and both have been pure class when finishing.
Goal Of The Year So Far?
Colburn: Obafemi Martins impossible goal is by far the Goal of the Year in my opinion. Not even Manuel Neuer could have saved that shot.
Chaves: It's one thing when you score a goal that has potential to win Goal of the Year... It's another when it's a game winner in the dying seconds. Let's let the goal do the talking.
Evans: Current goal of the year is Obafemi Martins chip against the San Jose Earthquakes, seen here. A goal that speaks for itself.
Lines: Yes it might be poor defending from Seattle, but what a goal by Vancouver Whitecaps’ Erik Hurtado. He did well to first win the ball back, but then continuing his run forward and ending it by duping three Sounders defenders before smashing home is something special.
Mair: This goal by Obafemi Martins is my favorite goal. I won't understand why this goal didn't win Goal of the Year, if it doesn't win. The guy chipped from a nearly impossible angle and still scored.
Farris: While I would say Cubo’s goal from last weekend against Montreal was incredible, hands down so far the goal of 2014 that I just don’t see how it can be topped is the Obafemi Martins Wonder Goal against the San Jose Earthquakes. When you leave the goalkeeper standing there shaking his head in disbelief as to how did that go in you know you hit a pretty spectacular shot.
Riffle: This absolutely goes to Erick Torres for his self volley scissor goal. The amount of precision, timing, and control that go into a goal like this are incredible. Can't say I've seen a better goal from personal brilliance in MLS in a few seasons.