Meram Still Improving

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Dropping back in on whoscored.com ratings... Justin Meram is the only player on Columbus Crew SC that has seen his median game WhoScored.com rating increase each year since 2014. That's pretty amazing considering that Columbus has been in the basement of MLS all season.

You wouldn't think it given the number of times he is subbed off. It works out to be 37 times off on 54 starts in the last two years. Regardless...

This is also a good time to remind ourselves that Meram has the ability deep inside to take over and win MLS games. He has five of the top twenty individual performances in a Crew uniform since the beginning 2013.

Game Rating: Player, Year
9.91 : Kei Kamara, 2015
9.90 : Justin Meram, 2016
9.66 : Kei Kamara, 2015
9.62 : Justin Meram, 2013
9.62 : Federico Higuaín, 2015
9.62 : Kei Kamara, 2016
9.53 : Ola Kamara, 2016
9.40 : Aaron Schoenfeld, 2014
9.28 : Ethan Finlay, 2015
9.25 : Federico Higuaín, 2013

9.14 : Federico Higuaín, 2015

9.14 : Justin Meram, 2015

9.10 : Ethan Finlay, 2015

9.09 : Kei Kamara, 2015

9.07 : Chad Marshall, 2013

9.03 : Federico Higuaín, 2013

9.00 : Gláuber, 2013

8.97 : Justin Meram, 2016

8.94 : Kei Kamara, 2015

8.93 : Justin Meram, 2014

Also, very worth noting that Meram is the highest rated Crew player of the season. 2016 Team MVP? I'll have to match up Squawka and my own ratings here in a couple months for it to be official. 

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THE SACRED COWS

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Who needs to go (and other notes on this chart...) are below:

1. Parkhurst is going. He's still got gas in the tank, but something isn't right here in Columbus. I see him returning to New England. I wrote about this recently and comments in today's paper about not being able to agree to a new deal all but seal things.

2. Ethan Finlay needs to go. For a couple reasons. One - He's going the wrong way as far a production. Blame it on a change in Kamara's or getting distracted by his USMNT call up or whatever, but good players lift teams. He hasn't done that. Right place, right time? Doesn't mean he's bad, just not working. Two - He's risen to the board of the Player's Union. Not getting into why I feel that way now, but shuffle him along if you are Columbus. Need players committed to playing. When I last looked at player performance like this I made the recommendation that he sit. Berhalter saw the same thing. It worked, he snapped back out of his funk, but there isn't enough there.

3. Steve Clark - Just needs some added pressure behind him to work. He's still a good keeper and he's going to be for a number of years. Guys like him need a spark. From a change in location, or a life change or whatever - not able to get that in Columbus now.

4. Wil Trapp - I would like to see Trapp test himself more. He's not going to get any better where he is now. Of course, Columbus can use him. They can use him for his whole career. But I don't think many want to see him becoming a Chad Marshall. There's more for him.

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Reminder on whoscored ratings: Anything above 7.00 is a good player (in that particular league). 7.20 and above means the player is performing in the top 10%. Below 6.75 or so means a player in the bottom half.

Meaningful Moves

Columbus is playing up in Toronto tonight at 7:30 pm. It's an odd time to play for creatures of Crew habit, but the MLS All-Star game on Thursday pushes most of the league games a day.

Win or lose, tonight is the start of an interesting week. Looming over the match is the closing of the transfer window on Wednesday. After last week's collapse, Gregg Berhalter threatened the players on his team that they could be on the move if things didn't improve.

It's entirely possible that we could see a player or two move this week. Maybe more if they put in a poor showing tonight. I'll make a list of just who that might be in just a second. Let's walk it back first.

MIDSEASON WINDOW, MUSICAL CHAIRS

The midseason window in MLS is a tricky one. It's really the one that doesn't line up with the rest of the comparable soccer universe and transactions sometimes occur after it's closed. On top of that, it ends too early and the better teams are just now moving into the next highest gear after a convoluted, brain-melting, summer of international tournaments / friendlies / MLS action.

What this means is that, while Berhalter's threat to players is probably real, it makes it hard to really do much about it. The majority of what happens this time of year is just what we saw with the recent signing of Adam Jahn from San Jose is pretty much what happens for a team like Columbus.

This late in the window is when you see the experienced MLS guys go on the move. Bad teams (like Houston last night, moving Giles Barnes) looking to get some extra MLS funny money and the receiving team getting a ready made performer that knows the MLS ropes (travel, intensity, culture, etc). The trick (or problem) is that good MLS teams don't generally need players. It's the bad teams.

So you see a lot of the Fabian Espindola type moves; Known MLS guy on bad team, maybe he as a tude, goes to a slightly less bad team with holes and injury problems.

The final key here to unlocking the tyrannical side of Berhalter is just play having enough players. His roster is limited right now. He doesn't even really have the option to bench under performing players, let alone cut guys for nothing in return. Options are limited. Frugality is needed.

With all that, Columbus does have desirable players that check off boxes that other teams might have. Here is a list of guys that could move.

1. Waylon Francis (51% chance of moving)

2. Hector Jimenez (49%)

3. Justin Meram (25%)

4. Ethan Finlay (20%)

Well, hmm. When I started this post I thought there might be more oomph to it. It's hard seeing Finlay as a plug and play player because he's not particularly a winger nor a mid-fielder. He's a guy that works well in a very specific role in the Crew SC system. He's on the list, though. He did break through to the USMNT and has an all-star appearance.

Ultimately, basically, I can see Francis on the move. Maybe Jimenez. Plug and play. The other two on the list have some MLS value. The rest of the roster is too blah, too new to the league and/or too expensive for other teams to bother.

NO SACRED COWS HERE

Now comes the fun part. Let's be bold. The guys I think should be on the move, be it Columbus trying to rebuild or the players themselves looking to further their careers (both MLS and beyond). Again, MLS mid-season window is mostly about spare parts moving around. But this is a team in need of meaningful moves to freshen up the roster. Can't have sacred cows here. The point of shaking up a team (in this case, threaten jobs) is to actually shake, right?

1. Wil Trapp. The most valuable MLS asset the team has and certainly up there internationally as well. He could fetch a small fortune for the team (well, the max that MLS allows). Maybe $500k to $1 million outside MLS. In MLS more than half could use him. Much TAM would be had and you might get more than one player back in return. Trapp is the face of Columbus, yes, but it's a dead end if he has any ambition. He can always come back later on.

2. Tony Tchani. He's bounced around the league already, so he knows the deal. He's a complex character but is one of the good guys. He gives the team toughness when he's out there. I think Berhalter has him locked in a role that he's grown out of. He's proven he can play with our without the team's better players. Lastly, and most importantly, I want him to get a fresh start.

3. Steve Clark. There is a crazy side to Clark that I like. He's one of those guys that plays like he's knocked back one or four beers? or... something before the game starts. Good 'keeper, no doubt, but he's becoming a cross between Tim Howard and Dan Kennedy right before our eyes. I think there would be interest outside MLS for him because of his experience. He's the kind of US player I WANT to see playing outside US borders. He would get a shot of the USMNT if he moved back abroad, I think. He knows it. Crew could get something and have a little depth now at GK.

4. Michael Parkhurst. For me, there is a sense that he's been used up by Columbus. The tank is empty. He came back into the league with the wave of US guys a few years ago with the expectation of making the USMNT for the World Cup (ie. via a connected Berhalter) and being a cornerstone of Crew SC (ie. Captain). The results? Not making the World Cup was a disappointment for him (for many, really), he climbed the MLS Cup mountain (again). Now Columbus has another young CB on the roster and he is somewhat unsure of his future. Parkhurst is a pro. It's a phrase thrown around a lot, but it fits him well. His role on this team right now is to try and limit the damage the rest of the year and, if he stays, muster up some energy in the offseason. At this point, it's hard to see that benefitting either the player or the team.

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These players would make a good core to just about any MLS team, no question. But the situation is this; Crew SC is near bottom. It's not working. It hasn't been working and doesn't look to get working in the near future.

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. 

Steve Clark, A+ Signing

Steve Clark came in to Columbus as a relative unknown here in the US but most expected good things from him. From the looks of it, he's done just that.

Before we get cooking; Not going to dig too deep into things (shot locations, expected goals, etc) but will touch on some key points. First off is basic passing. Gregg Berhalter prefers to play possession out of the back. What the table below shows is that Clark leads (as of last week) the league in passing accuracy while making the 3rd most passes per game.

All these guys have played in over 900 minutes.

Pass per GM	Pass%	Player	Club
21.3	77.2	Steve Clark	CLB
20.2	76.7	Eric Kronberg	KC
19.8	69.6	Nick Rimando	RSL
17.4	63.7	Clint Irwin	COL
20.8	62.3	Jon Busch	SJ
16.3	62.1	David Ousted	VAN
18.9	59.3	Bill Hamid	DC
15.6	56.7	Chris Seitz	DAL
16.8	56	Luis Robles	NY
14.1	56	Raúl Fernández	DAL
19.2	55.3	Zac MacMath	PHI
13.9	54.3	Stefan Frei	SEA
12	53.9	Donovan Ricketts	POR
18.4	53.1	Jaime Penedo	LA
24.1	49.8	Tally Hall	HOU
18.8	49.7	Bobby Shuttleworth	NE
14.3	49.4	Joe Bendik	TOR
22.4	48.9	Sean Johnson	CHI
16.8	46.9	Dan Kennedy	CHV
18.1	46.6	Troy Perkins	MTL

Again, because it bears repeating, the Crew like to roll the ball out or play back through Clark to switch fields. What's not available to me is how often 'keepers play it deep specifically (off foot or long throw) but a general observation tells me Clark is good when throwing long.

Up next is going to be a dump of a little bit of every thing goalkeeper. Important to note that none of these stats below include penalties taken or saved (I feel that is making poor an already misleading Save % stat).

This table is sorted by % but also includes how many shots, saves, goals against total and average per 90 minutes (through yesterday).

Sv%noPK	Player	Club	SHTS	SV	Goals Against	Goals Against Avg
78.4%	Jon Busch	SJ	88	69	15	0.79
78.0%	Bill Hamid	DC	82	64	16	0.94
77.8%	Jaime Penedo	LA	63	49	13	0.76
74.0%	Donovan Ricketts	POR	100	74	24	1.21
73.6%	Nick Rimando	RSL	53	39	14	1.00
73.1%	Raúl Fernández	DAL	52	38	12	1.18
71.9%	Stefan Frei	SEA	89	64	24	1.20
71.7%	Eric Kronberg	KC	53	38	10	0.59
71.1%	Steve Clark	CLB	90	64	26	1.18
69.7%	Luis Robles	NY	109	76	26	1.18
69.1%	Joe Bendik	TOR	55	38	18	1.38
68.3%	David Ousted	VAN	82	56	24	1.14
67.9%	Clint Irwin	COL	81	55	23	1.28
66.7%	Troy Perkins	MTL	84	56	27	1.50
65.5%	Chris Seitz	DAL	55	36	17	1.44
64.1%	Bobby Shuttleworth	NE	92	59	27	1.35
63.7%	Sean Johnson	CHI	91	58	29	1.38
63.5%	Tally Hall	HOU	96	61	32	1.60
62.6%	Zac MacMath	PHI	99	62	34	1.55
62.4%	Dan Kennedy	CHV	85	53	28	1.41

There is a lot to pull for this chart like how Eric Kronberg has only faced 53 shots (a testament to the defense in front of him). Another note is how well Bill Hamid seems to be doing.

Clark's save percentage is slightly above replacement - and that is good. He's absolutely made some amazing saves this year.

After watching Clark now for 22 league games I gotta say that his best strength is working, communicating and organizing moderately complicated back line system and working well with two Internationals (Parkhurst seems like an easy going guy but the wrong guy behind him and I'm sure we'd know). On top of that there have been some lineup changes of late.

The Crew did a risky thing by letting long term 'keeper and fan favorite Andy Gruenebaum go (Andy has played well in his 450 mins this year) but it was something that as time passes will be a good thing as far as getting new faces and attitudes heading up the franchise.

Looking up and down this MLS 'keeper list I see some pretty bad performers, that contribute to some poor results. You absolutely cannot overlook a good 'keeper.

Great distribution, plays Berhalter's system, no personality problems, acts like an adult on the pitch and plays like he wants to be out there. With thin margin for error at the GK spot, Clark is absolutely an A+ signing.