MLS Players to Watch in '07

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Apr 4, 2007

MLS Players to Watch in '07

Claudio Reyna

Captain America is back home. Signed to big money under the new "Beckham Rule," Reyna's situation is as cushy as it gets: hometown hero, playing for his mentor in Bruce Arena, leading a team that has no where to go but up. Still, questions abound about the onetime U.S. captain. After a dozen years overseas and an equal number of injuries, is he done? Is he too fragile for the physical MLS game? Or can the former Rangers and Manchester City midfielder key Red Bull's emergence?

Amado Guevara

"El Lobo" is one of the most talented strikers MLS has ever seen. In four seasons in New York, he notched 32 goals and 36 assists. But the team consistently underachieved and the 30-year-old earned a reputation as a whiner -- he once refused to do interviews with any English media after a local beat writer criticized his effort. Now the Honduras national-team captain will mastermind the Chivas USA offense under rookie head coach Preki, another talented former striker.

Shalrie Joseph

Taylor Twellman gets all the goals and the press, but holding midfielder Joseph is the engine that runs the Revs. Tall, forceful in the tackle, steady on the ball and sporting unmistakable dreadlocks, the 28-year-old Grenadian is the best in the league at controlling the pace of the game. He was plagued by injuries last season, but still managed 26 appearances and three goals. If the Revs are to make it back to the MLS Cup final, Joseph will have to bring his A-game all year long.

Jos&#233; Cancela

Known as "Pepe" to his teammates, the former New England midfielder practically defines the mercurial South American No. 10: brilliant at times, absent at others. That inconsistency didn't fit the hard-paced British methods of Revs coach Steve Nicol, a Scot. Still, the Uruguay-born Cancela had six goals and 27 assists in four seasons in Foxboro, and enough "Wow!" moments to make Toronto coach Mo Johnston snap him up in the expansion draft. Johnston, a different breed of Scot, should embrace Cancela's mercurial talents.

Nate Jaqua

MLS and the Galaxy might reap the marketing riches of Beckhamania, but Jaqua looks to be the prime beneficiary when Mr. Posh Spice actually takes to the field -- 6-foot-4 and fearless, Jaqua is tailor-made to latch onto Beckham's much-ballyhooed balls into the box. After three seasons with the Chicago Fire, during which he scored 21 goals in 91 appearances, the 25-year-old could finally fulfill his potential as the U.S. target-man of the future.

Ramon Nu&#241;ez

Honduras-born and Dallas-raised, 21-year-old Nuñez showed glimpses of genius during his first two seasons, but he was still a boy. Then last season, he emerged as the man in the Hoops midfield with six goals, third highest on the team. He also earned his first cap for Honduras in October. Quick and small at 5-foot-7, he possesses a light touch on the ball and an attack-first attitude. If he can consistently set up strikers Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz, Dallas could make a run at the MLS Cup.

Jose Burciaga Jr.

You know you've got problems when your left back is your leading offensive threat. Which explains why the Wizards missed the playoffs last season. But what a left back Burciaga is -- the six-year veteran with a magical left foot had eight goals and eight assists last season. The 25-year-old Texas native doesn't shy away from a hard tackle now and then, either, earning 15 yellows and two reds over his career. But for K.C. to rebound into the playoffs in '07, Burciaga needs to focus more on providing for his strikers than going for goal.

Ricardo Clark

''Rico'' is riding high entering his fifth season in MLS after he and the Dynamo won the '06 MLS Cup. In the offseason, the 24-year-old Georgia native staked his claim to the holding midfielder position on the U.S. national team. Fleet and fearless in the tackle, Clark resembles Chelsea midfielder Claude Makélélé. He doesn't stop running for 90 minutes, doing the dirty work for Houston's creative players, Dwayne De Rosario and Brad Davis, and rarely gives up possession. Occasionally, he'll nab a goal, as he did twice last season.

Christian G&#243;mez

Last season's league MVP, Gómez was the best player on MLS' best team. He scored 14 goals, second in the league, and had 11 assists. But who cares? United didn't win the Cup. This year, the team has a new coach, and the 32-year-old Argentine midfielder will have to be even better, because the rest of the Eastern Conference teams have upgraded. Gómez has a talented new striker in Luciano Emilio to interplay with, and Jamie Moreno is still capable of finishing Gómez's setups. All that firepower makes United one of the Cup favorites again.

Jason Garey

At the University of Maryland, Garey was automatic, with 60 goals in 68 starts. Then somehow, the Louisiana native fell to No. 3 in the '06 SuperDraft and started the season on the Crew's bench. But by midseason, the big target man was starting and wreaking havoc on MLS defenses, especially in the air. He finished with five goals and two assists. This season, the 22-year-old is Columbus' most consistent scoring threat. If he gets 10 goals, the Crew will make the playoffs.

Justin Mapp

Mapp is the future of American soccer -- period. He is cocksure and possesses the some of the silkiest moves the U.S. has seen since Tab Ramos. He solidified his place in the center of the Chicago midfield in '06 with two goals and eight assists. In the offseason, the shaggy-haired 21-year-old earned a few caps with the national team and proved he's ready to take his game to the next level. Chicago, which has underachieved for three seasons in a row, needs Mapp to do just that if it hopes to compete for the East title.

Kyle Beckerman

He's known for his fiery temper and clever midfield creativity, not to mention his shoulder-length dreads. But since he joined the league as a promising teenager in '00, inconsistency has dogged Beckerman. Last season he put it all together, starting in 31 games and scoring seven goals. Colorado has a new stadium opening this season in Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and the 25-year-old Beckerman could become the new soccer temple's first apostle.

Freddy Adu

New town, new beginning. Boy wonder Freddy has been the marketing face of MLS for the past three seasons. He played well and scored two goals and had eight assists for D.C. United in '06, but he never really lived up to the overblown hype. Now, after an offseason trade to Salt Lake, the 17-year-old midfielder is reunited with his old U.S. Under-17 coach, John Ellinger. The big-club, big-market pressure is off. Can Adu finally fulfill his potential to become the first world-class American star? More immediately, can he get RSL into the playoffs for the first time?

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