All time MLS XI

[AlexB]

442 magazine asked Steve Nicol (head coach of New England revolution & ex Liverpool/Scotland defender) for his all time MLS team: what do MLS afficionados reckon to his choice?

Formation 3-4-1-2

GK - Tim Howard
Right wing back - Steve Ralston
3x CB - Eddie Pope, Ryan Nelsen, Carlos Bocanegra
Left wing back - Hristo Stoichkov
2x Midfield - John Harkes, Peter Nowak
AMC - Carlos Valderrama
2x Striker - Landon Donovan, Mo Johnston

Subs - Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno

Coach - Bruce Arena

Not being a follower of MLS, I don't know that many players (never heard of Ralston and Nowak for example) but was suprised not to see D'Marcus Beasley, Claudio Reyna and Brian McBride get a mention - although would part of that might be that Reyna & McBride have played outside the US for the majority of their careers?

[Easy Mac]

reyna hasn't played in the mls. Mcbride always played better for the nats than for columbus. i think meola was the best mls keeper, but howard is probably the most talented that has come through.

[condors]

I think Roy Lassitor(sp) was the main man for DC United title runs. Its hard not to pick guys from that team.

Preki deserves some mention (imho), Carlos Ruiz deserves mention because it showed you can go get young talented players and not old has beens to impact your team.

Meloa probally should be the keeper.

Its hard are you looking at best season in their prime or their complete body of work?

My 4-4-2(taking each player from their best mls season)

gk-Meola
dl-Big Guy who plays for the revs can't recall his name right now blonde hair
dc-Eddie Pope
dc-Carlos Bocengra
dr-Toney Sanneh
mr-Steve Ralston
mc-Preki
mc-Carlos Valderamma
ml-Demarcus Beasley
fc-Carlos Ruiz
fc-Roy Lassitor
subs
gk-thorton
dc-ryan nelson
m-marco etchaberry
m-Ben olsen (pre injuries)
f-Brian Mcbride (come on late when you need a goal, best target man ever imho)

[General Mike]

no Alexi Lalas?

[Easy Mac]

He wasn't really that good of an MLS player, imo. I think you have throw Jason Kreis on a team.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by condors

I think Roy Lassitor(sp) was the main man for DC United title runs. Its hard not to pick guys from that team.

Preki deserves some mention (imho), Carlos Ruiz deserves mention because it showed you can go get young talented players and not old has beens to impact your team.

Meloa probally should be the keeper.

Its hard are you looking at best season in their prime or their complete body of work?

My 4-4-2(taking each player from their best mls season)

gk-Meola
dl-Big Guy who plays for the revs can't recall his name right now blonde hair
dc-Eddie Pope
dc-Carlos Bocengra
dr-Toney Sanneh
mr-Steve Ralston
mc-Preki
mc-Carlos Valderamma
ml-Demarcus Beasley
fc-Carlos Ruiz
fc-Roy Lassitor
subs
gk-thorton
dc-ryan nelson
m-marco etchaberry
m-Ben olsen (pre injuries)
f-Brian Mcbride (come on late when you need a goal, best target man ever imho)

Tony Sanneh?!?!?!

He played like one of the best right-backs in the world for two weeks, but has never had a sustained high leve of play in MLS or any league.

Carlos Ruiz has been in the league for like three seasons?

Beasley did not do much in MLS... same as McBride -- gels perfectly with the nats, but can't carry a team like expected in MLS.

I have no idea who you're thinking of at left back.

McBride is mentioned above -- never did a heck of a lot in MLS.

Ben Olsen!?!?!??!

~rpi-fan

[MrBug708]

The all time winningest franchise doesn't have a mention? Well, besides Ruiz.

Cobi Jones probably deserves to be on the list if even for the sake of longevity. Kevin Hartman has been the keeper for a while there too with a few awesome years as the keeper.

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by condors

I think Roy Lassitor(sp) was the main man for DC United title runs. Its hard not to pick guys from that team.

Preki deserves some mention (imho), Carlos Ruiz deserves mention because it showed you can go get young talented players and not old has beens to impact your team.

Meloa probally should be the keeper.

Its hard are you looking at best season in their prime or their complete body of work?

My 4-4-2(taking each player from their best mls season)

gk-Meola
dl-Big Guy who plays for the revs can't recall his name right now blonde hair
dc-Eddie Pope
dc-Carlos Bocengra
dr-Toney Sanneh
mr-Steve Ralston
mc-Preki
mc-Carlos Valderamma
ml-Demarcus Beasley
fc-Carlos Ruiz
fc-Roy Lassitor
subs
gk-thorton
dc-ryan nelson
m-marco etchaberry
m-Ben olsen (pre injuries)
f-Brian Mcbride (come on late when you need a goal, best target man ever imho)

The unnamed left back...Not sure if you mean big as in like large or jacked but the only blonde defender that i think comes close to ur description is Franchione (sp?).

[Easy Mac]

ANd I don't know if he can be confused with a good defender.

[weinstein7]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Tony Sanneh?!?!?!

He played like one of the best right-backs in the world for two weeks, but has never had a sustained high leve of play in MLS or any league.

Carlos Ruiz has been in the league for like three seasons?

Beasley did not do much in MLS... same as McBride -- gels perfectly with the nats, but can't carry a team like expected in MLS.

I have no idea who you're thinking of at left back.

McBride is mentioned above -- never did a heck of a lot in MLS.

Ben Olsen!?!?!??!

~rpi-fan

RPI,

Read his post more carefully.

My 4-4-2(taking each player from their best mls season)

[condors]

i will stick Jeff Agoos at left fullback amazing how easy it is to forget people.(I still can't recall the name of the left fullback i am thinking of but Goose in his day was better anyway)

It is a very tough call. Alot of players deserve mention.

Cobi Jones changed the pace of the game every time he touched the ball. I will still take Ralston though.

Wish more people would name thier all time 11.

[Easy Mac]

Meola
Agoos Llamosa Pope Bocanegra
Ralston Kreis Etcheverry Valderrama
Lassiter Someone else

I put someone else because the MLS has had a lot of 1-1.5 year wonders, and I think its too early to say for people like Ruiz or Twellman. Personally, its mainly a tossup between Stern John and Mamadou Diallo, but neither was really in the league long enough to merrit being put up there.

[condors]

thanks Easy Mac

don't have a problem with anyone you mentioned (i personally hated Mamadou Diallo seemed like such a me guy, but he did finish with the best of them)

Stern John, heh i thought his future was much different, i thought he had the footballing world at his feet. Now i have to go look and see what ever happened to him.(12 goals for Coventry City this season)

[MrBug708]

The problem with Agoos tho is that people still remember his WC performance.

Ralston might have a more distinguished career, but you can't really deny what Cobi Jones did early in MLS. I believe he ranks top 10 in games player and her certainly has the longest tenure for one team that anyone else has in MLS.

What about Arce? I know he hasn't been as good lately, but like Jones, his performances early on were some of the best

[AlexB]

Did Roy Wegerle do well in MLS - he had a year or two at QPR where he was on fire, and then when he went back to the US we never heard of him agin this side of the pond...

[condors]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Did Roy Wegerle do well in MLS - he had a year or two at QPR where he was on fire, and then when he went back to the US we never heard of him agin this side of the pond...

If i remember right he didn't play that badly but alot was expected of him so he was kinda dissapointing. man the years go by quick.

ps any see McBride today 2 goal today its a shame Chris Coleman didn't play the 4-4-2 all year as McBride may have had alot more than 9 goals. Wonder how longer he will be able to keep that up and if he will remain on the national team.

[Easy Mac]

I don't see McBride lasting past '06 on the Nats. Ching can pretty much replace him as a target player (since Conor Casey has never been able to step up). Thats his main competition right now. Eddie Johnson will be up front with someone. Clint Dempsey may get a shot up there too, but nothing serious before '06. The Bruce seems to favor experience over talent in big games.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Roy Lassiter was solely a product of his service. He wouldn't even make my second team.

[Critch]

Joe Max Moore was the only US player I've seen in MLS who really looked like he was too good for MLS level, I'm surprised he didn't get a mention.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Left wing back - Hristo Stoichkov

Seriously, did Stoichkov really play his last games as a left back, or did someone out there not know who Stoichkov is?

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Seriously, did Stoichkov really play his last games as a left back, or did someone out there not know who Stoichkov is?

I did think this myself, Stoichkov didn't do much running when he was young, so I can't imagine him suddenly tracking back in his late 30s in the US. I was simply transcripting Steve Nicol's team: he'd mapped it out with 3 CBs, 4 midfielders, Valderrama in the hole and two forwards, but described the wide midfielders as wing backs, so, as it was his team, I kept his descriptions...

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Seriously, did Stoichkov really play his last games as a left back, or did someone out there not know who Stoichkov is?

Wingback = wing player in a 3-5-2

Edit: Not to be confused with the three defenders, who I believe are typically all marking backs.

[MIJB#19]

The explaination makes sense a bit, but it's still pretty weird to see the term 'back' associated with a left-side striker like Hristo Stoichkov used to be in the mid-90's.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

Wingback = wing player in a 3-5-2

Edit: Not to be confused with the three defenders, who I believe are typically all marking backs.

Wing back is a halfway position between full back and midfield, generally used with three central defenders unless you're Brazil (see Cafu & Roberto Carlos - although they are called full backs they play more like wing backs, who generally raid down the touchline much more)

Basically they are more attacking than a normal full back will be, playing further up the field, than a normal full back, but as you would generally only have one wide player if you were using a system that involved wing backs, they would not have the same attacking license as a full blown attacking midfield role.

In the system Steve Nicol was using, it was never meant as a real team in a real tactical battle, and I assume it was just semantics - he should really have said Ralston and Stoichkov were wide midfielders and it was a fantasy formation for all out attack...

I