2. Cuauhetemoc Blanco - he might be 34 but Blanco never lacks the desire to win and he never really cares who he has to go through to get it; his MLS debut helped the Chicago Fire grab an elusive three points to also cap off a new era consisting a front four of Mapp, Blanco, Rolfe, and damn...Paolo Wanchope. it's only one game but, barring a horrific injury, Blanco could fit in real nice at Toyota Park
3. Yura Movsisyan - he fell asleep for a couple weeks but came back to make his presence known in the shoot-out that was Kansas City's 3-2 victory over Chivas USA; his 89th strike won the game and gave him his 5th goal of the season; the Armenian-American super-sub was on for all of 7 minutes before he found the back of the net and put Kansas City only one point behind New England at the top of the Eastern Conference; when Eddie Johnson is silent it is nice to know you have this kind of young talent to back him up
4. Calen Carr - seen him play, passed him off for 'adequately serviceable' but his performance in Chicago's revival win, 3-0, over Toronto FC told me otherwise; does it change my opinion? No, but it certainly will make me give him another look. Carr had the second goal and assisted the third (Floyd Franks); the 24-year old is known mainly for his ability to make something in the last 5 minutes and he could also be labeled 'king of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup' as he scored 3 goals in 3 appearances in last year's USOC win; with Chris Rolfe out he has seen extended playing time but look for it to wane as Wanchope is on his way
5. Brad Guzan - a great showing against the Red Bulls on Thursday in a 2-0 shutout win, but believe it or not, despite the 3-2 loss to Kansas City on Sunday, Guzan was the star of the match seeing a lot of action and reacting really well to it; it was probably the best performance by a goalkeeper who still ended up conceding 3 goals this year (haha, what a feat)
6. Jeff Larentowicz - the West Chester, PA product had his hand in both New England goals - scoring one and assisting Pat Noonan's opening strike; this is yet another example of a guy who's play day in day out goes rather unnoticed, but his effect is deserving of some attention; Larentowicz during the 2006 Preseason looked to be a career reserve midfielder at best (considering he was actually drafted as a defender); due to injuries and contract issues Larentowicz got his chance and ended up being a crucial part of New England's MLS Cup run
7. Kyle Beckerman - it was the week of the holding midfielder as Vide, Zavagnin, and Beckerman all made the cut; his effort was certainly worth mentioning in Real Salt Lake's frustrating 2-1 loss to New England; Beckerman is potentially a guy you can build around and that's exactly what Jason Kreis is looking for; unfortunately (unless you count friendlies) Beckerman's roving midfield play has not amounted to points for the Salt Lakers; RSL needs a target and they need it soon
8. Kerry Zavagnin - the defensive midfielder struck again (as he very rarely does) in the same fashion as he did before against the New York Red Bulls earlier in the year; he has two goals this year, both long blasts, both in really tight wins, and both a product of his balls-to-the-wall approach to the game; never stops running and is probably in the top 10 of fittest players
9. Joe Vide - a Kerry Zavagnin-like player, he's not flashy and not even technically sound but he fights, bites, claws and can pass a little; he barely played last year and with all the shuffling Arena has had to do with injuries to Freeman, Kovalenko, Reyna, Parke, etc. at various times; Vide is raw but in time, he could be a consistent MLS starter
10. Red Bull - yes, the owners of the New York franchise - why? because as previously reported throughout the soccer blogosphere, Red Bull deserves credit for announcing their intention to buy the remaining half of their unfinished stadium (tentatively named Red Bull Park); shows a massive commitment to soccer in America and their presence in the New York metro area, while also preserving a "soccer-specific" feel to the Harrison, NJ project - Comcast - take note - and find a way to do something Philadelphia.
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