Rapids' Say Angel as Good as Becks

• Denver Post, Thursday, July 19, 2007 4 PM

If you ask Colorado Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo, New York Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel is every bit as good as David Beckham. "Beckham brings the whole package with Hollywood fame, but you take away the goals Angel has scored and [the Red Bulls] are at the bottom of the table," Clavijo says. "I really hope they give him the recognition he deserves because he is a true professional who is going to help New York and help soccer in America."

Angel is one of MLS's highly touted "designated player" quartet signed this season. (Claudio Reyna, Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco are the other three.) The Colombian forward has more than lived up to his name since his debut in May, scoring nine goals in his first seven games for the Red Bulls. "He's the kind of player who takes half-chances and scores," said Pablo Mastroeni, the only Rapids player to make the All-Star team. "You lose track of him ... and you're picking the ball out of your net."

"Anybody who comes in and scores nine goals in the first seven or eight games has proven himself to be a good player," said Houston Dynamo assistant John Spencer, who will assist all-star coach Steve Nicol. "Fantastic soccer player." MLS fans know his worth, too, as Angel received the most votes for the All Star Game.

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