Wednesday, October 22, 2014

All US Born MLS Team, 2014


Wrapping up my year end player ratings (right hand side of this site, web version), so here is my All US Born MLS Team of 2014.

STARTERS
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) - Hawthorne, California
Clint Dempsey (Seattle) - Nacogdoches, Texas

Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy) - Ontario, California
Davy Arnaud (DC United) - Nederland, Texas
Lee Nguyen (New England) - Richardson, Texas
Perry Kitchen (DC United) - Indianapolis, Indiana

A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy) - Bryans Road, Maryland
Bobby Boswell (DC United)  - Austin, Texas
Chad Marshall (Seattle) - Riverside, California
Dan Gargan (LA Galaxy) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Steve Clark (Columbus) - Mason, Michigan

BENCH
Nat Borchers (Salt Lake) - Tucson, Arizona
Matt Hedges (Dallas) - Rochester, New York
Bill Hamid (DC United) - Annandale, Virginia
Nick DeLeon (DC United) - Phoenix, Arizona
Lamar Neagle (Seattle) - Tacoma, Washington
Ned Grabavoy (Salt Lake) - Joliet, Illinois
Eddie Johnson (DC United) - Daytona Beach, Florida

There's plenty to nit-pick on in regards to what constitutes a US player but I tried to keep it simple with this list. Meaning: If you were brought into this world on US soil, you qualify. The older I get, the more that sort of thing starts to carry weight (meaning: your mama brung ya within US borders). Not saying that players that are born outside the country can't be part of the USMNT... just keeping it simple, I guess. Realize the world is shrinking, global community and all that. I guess, also, I can't figure the FIFA rules on what it means to be American.

Texas and California lead the pack. Most of these guys might not check the "marketable to the millennial generation" that MLS lives and dies with, but these are the guys that have dominated the 2014 MLS season - according to me, anyway.

Clark.

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Nick DeLeon's father, Leroy DeLeon, was a Trinidad and Tobago striker as well as one of the "old" NASL guys. He made a stop with the Washington Diplomats in the late 70s. His son, Nick, plays for what's basically the modern version of the Dips. 

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