No team gets very far without a solid, reliable set of centerbacks, and in many cases the abilities of the individuals are not as important as how well they work together. An increasedpopularity of three-man back lines changes the responsibilities and roles of those in that last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper, […]
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MLS Positional Rankings (Holding Midfielders): Embattled Alonso holds his place among defensive anchors
As MLS has evolved, so too has the class of midfielders labeled as “defensive” or “holding.” Typically, they are not tasked with offensive duties, other than toget the ball to a teammate once it has been secured. Yet the player who can destroy opponents’ attacks yet do little else is not nearly as valued as […]
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MLS Positional Rankings (Right Midfielders/Wingers): Houston rewards Elis for productive debut season
If this category seems a bit sparse, one reason is a few players who drive their teams’ attack primarily from the right flank have been listed as attacking midfielders (RomainAlessandrini, Nicolas Lodeiro) or forwards (Hector Villalba). There also a couple of players very productive in past seasons – such as Dominic Oduro –as right mids […]
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MLS Positional Rankings (Left Midfielders/Wingers): Piatti leads the pack in goals and presence
As more teams playing with wingers in three-forward alignments, the role of a traditional left midfielder has undergone some change. Wingers stay high and if defenders well behind themneed defensive help, a midfielder needs to pick up slack. Teams that play with two blocks of our seldom use wingers, but still the wide midfielders are […]
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MLS Positional Rankings (Attacking midfielders): Valeri's MVP season takes him to the top
The rapid expansion of MLS — it has nearly doubled in size during the past decade — has opened up more slots for attacking midfielders and produced a wider array of styles as well. Someare much like second forwards who rack up more goals than assists. Some produce nearly equal figures in those departments. And […]
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SA Positional Rankings: Strikers — Martinez lights up MLS with almost a goal per game
In common parlance, a striker is out there to do that one thing: go for goal at every opportunity. Some are also adept passers and if a player can set up goals as well as score them, theclassification is often (second) forward, winger, or attacking midfielder. The scorer devoted to that task is not hard […]
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MLS Expansion Draft: Our five picks for LAFC
Poring over the list of unprotected players for the MLS Expansion Draft to be conducted Tuesday, one element that stands out is very few of them rate as “must-have” Los Angeles FC (orother teams around the league interested in dealing with LAFC). Each team can protect 11 players and off-budget Homegrown players (or Generation adidas […]
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Dynamo swings trade to bring Alvarez home
After a dozen pro seasons with MLS clubs and several years overseas, midfielder Arturo Alvarez is back where he started out. The Houston native has been acquired by the Dynamo in a tradewith Chicago, which received a second-round 2019 SuperDraft pick. Alvarez has played in 243 career games with 148 starts (including playoffs), scoring 32 […]
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MLS Moves: Dynamo snaps up transfer option for Cabezas
Houston’s turnaround season showcased the abilities of midfielder Juan David Cabezas, and the team has displayed its appreciation by converting his loan into a transfer. “Juan David impacted the Houston Dynamo with his presence on the field throughout the season. He was a top player in the midfield for us and is a natural ball […]
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USL Moves: Seton Hall's Gerson Echeverry named Rio Grande Valley head coach
Gerson Echeverry, who has served as head coach of Seton Hall men’s program for the last five years, has been named the new head coach of the USL’s Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, whom theHouston Dynamo operate. Offseason USL coaching moves: OKC Energy FC: Out: Jimmy Nielsen Orlando City B: Out: Anthony Pulis. Pittsburgh: Out: […]