Top MLS Left Backs

Here is a snapshot of the best leftbacks in MLS. The methodology is simple - It's the average of the WhoScored.com player rank and my own Helltown rank.

Example: Daniel Lovitz

196th: WhoScored.com Rank
139th: Helltown Rank
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167.5: Average Rank

That rank is out of all players in MLS to have played this year. From there I just tease out all the left-backs in the league to see who is best. I'll post the table then add a few notes.

LEFT BACKS
26: Median age of the top twenty
$234k: Median yearly wage

	Name	BIRTHPLACE	Team	Age	Salary
1	Jordan Harvey	Mission Viejo, California	LAF	36	$165,000
2	Kai Wagner	Geislingen an der Steige, Germany	PHI	22	$360,150
3	Brad Smith	Penrith, Australia	SEA	25	$564,365
4	Ali Adnan	Baghdad, Iraq	VAN	26	$547,333
5	Justin Morrow	Cleveland, Ohio	TFC	32	$330,000
6	Ronald Matarrita	Alajuela, Costa Rica	NYC	25	$420,000
7	Daniel Lovitz	Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania	MTL	28	$97,453
8	Donny Toia	Tucson, Arizona	RSL	27	$131,254
9	Kyle Duncan	New York, New York	NYR	22	$57,225
10	Adam Lundkvist	Nykoping, Sweden	HOU	25	$303,750
11	Edgar Castillo	Los Cruces, New Mexico	NER	33	$250,000
12	Jorgen Skjelvik	Baerum, Norway	LAG	28	$1,066,667
13	Joao Moutinho	Lisbon, Portugal	ORL	22	$203,000
14	Connor Lade	Morristown, New Jersey	NYR	30	$132,750
15	Mohamed El-Munir	Tripoli, Libya	LAF	27	$202,833
16	Chase Gasper	Alexandria, Virginia	MIN	24	$56,250
17	Waylon Francis	Puerto Limon, Costa Rica	CLB	29	$199,167
18	Kemar Lawrence	Kingston, Jamaica	NYR	27	$382,750
19	Nick Lima	Castro Valley, California	SJE	25	$218,438
20	Marcos Lopez	Callao, Peru	SJE	20	$387,750

NOTES: 1. You'll notice more than one left-back on a couple teams (NYR has 3!). That's because I'm using the position they play most this season. Three on the Red Bulls or two on San Jose mean the system employed by the coach is beneficial to whatever player is slotted in there. 2. MLS does not pay for this position. Only a handful of players earn more than $500k a year. 3. I always use STATS, Inc.'s Birthplace data. Keeps it simple.  4. I round ages up, so a 35.7 year-old is 36. 17.6 is 18 and so on.

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WHO I LIKE:

Kai Wagner (22, Germany) You've got a young (by MLS standards) player performing well on a good Philly team. There seems to be a feeling among the team there that his position is "up for grabs." They should start him every time he's able. Opta has him at 4 assists, STATS at 5. Either way, best at the position.

Brad Smith (25, Australia) Liverpool academy and then to the senior team from 2008-2016. Loaned to Swindon Town in 2014. Liverpool sold eventually sold him to AFC Bournemouth who has now loaned him to Seattle. Same as with Wagner - Opta has him at 4 assists, STATS at 5.

Ali Adnan (26, Iraq) His excellent performances are being wasted on a horrible Vancouver side. 2 assists and a goal to go along with 2 man of the match awards (highest rated player of the game). Overall, he's the highest-rated left back according to WhoScored.

Kyle Duncan (22, USA) He's splitting time on the right and left, but good performances at 22 years.

Jordan Harvey (36, USA) Long-time MLS-er that you may have never heard of. He's been in the league since 2006. Colorado, Seattle, Philly, Vancouver and now LAFC. He started in the league at $11,700 p/yr and still grossly underpaid at $165k.

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Here are the same group of players sorted by WhoScored rating. Includes minutes played, which can sometimes be misleading with players who only have a few games.

Rating	Name	BIRTHPLACE	Team	Age	Mins
7.19	Ali Adnan	Baghdad, Iraq	VAN	26	1572
7.07	Kyle Duncan	New York, New York	NYR	22	784
7.05	Chase Gasper	Alexandria, Virginia	MIN	24	483
7.00	Ronald Matarrita	Alajuela, Costa Rica	NYC	25	819
6.90	Mohamed El-Munir	Tripoli, Libya	LAF	27	410
6.84	Donny Toia	Tucson, Arizona	RSL	27	1154
6.83	Connor Lade	Morristown, New Jersey	NYR	30	845
6.80	Brad Smith	Penrith, Australia	SEA	25	1552
6.80	Joao Moutinho	Lisbon, Portugal	ORL	22	1072
6.79	Kai Wagner	Geislingen an der Steige, Germany	PHI	22	1792
6.79	Edgar Castillo	Los Cruces, New Mexico	NER	33	1357
6.78	Jordan Harvey	Mission Viejo, California	LAF	36	1439
6.77	Daniel Lovitz	Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania	MTL	28	1710
6.75	Justin Morrow	Cleveland, Ohio	TFC	32	1855
6.71	Jorgen Skjelvik	Baerum, Norway	LAG	28	1168
6.69	Adam Lundkvist	Nykoping, Sweden	HOU	25	1464
6.69	Kemar Lawrence	Kingston, Jamaica	NYR	27	904
6.68	Marcos Lopez	Callao, Peru	SJE	20	802
6.67	Waylon Francis	Puerto Limon, Costa Rica	CLB	29	1383
6.60	Nick Lima	Castro Valley, California	SJE	25	1040

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS

MLS doesn't seem to want to spend on defense and at the goalkeeper position. It makes me wonder at times if MLS has a positional cap, of sorts. Regardless, there are good players here. Wagner and Adnan might give you a reason to watch two forgotten corners of MLS in Philly and Vancouver.

On the USMNT front, Daniel Lovitz shows up on this list in the top 10 (ish). It's easy to see why Gregg Berhalter picked him up in January and has included him ever since because Gregg operates like a computer.

GB: Is he the correct age?
CPU: YES.
GB: How did it play the previous season?
CPU: 1 GOAL 4 ASSISTS AS A LEFT BACK.
GB: Ohh. Where?
CPU: Hinterlands, Canada.
GB: I see he's an East Coast kid too, USMNT material.

That's basically it. Which is fine. When you look at the world through a New Jersey lens, Lovitz makes sense, but I think he's a tiny flash in the pan as far as MLS players. Duncan and Gasper might be worth a closer look. But that's it on the LB USMNT front in MLS.

Lastly, if I'm a team with any sort of ambition I'm looking to pluck away Ali Adnan. First Iraqi to play in Serie A, but a series of unfortunate events brought him to MLS. Here's his goal this year.

Kei Kamara, or Trade?

So, this yellow shirted gentleman is Kei Kamara. He is 30 years old. He was born and raised in Sierra Leone. He moved to the states when he was 16.

Mr. Kamara is a forward. He has played a number of years in Major League Soccer. He has played for Columbus (appearing in 36 games), San Jose (12 games), Houston (32 games) and Kansas City. Kansas City is the club for which Kamara played the longest period of time, 5 years.

Recently, Kei Kamara has been knocking the ball around England, first with Norwich City for 11 games, and then with Middlesbrough for 25 games. He and Middlesbrough have parted ways. With the exception of Kansas City, it seems Kei Kamara has had a difficult time staying in one place for long.

The Columbus Crew hold the first spot in Major League Soccer's allocation order. If the Crew want Kamara, and Kamara wants to play in Columbus, he is the Black and Gold's to have. But does Kei Kamara fit into what Gregg Berhalter has been building the last nine months? Would Gregg Berhalter and the Columbus Crew be better off trading the first allocation spot to another Major League Soccer team for a different sort of forward?

Rumor has it that Kamara wants to be in Kansas City or Vancouver. Rumors are often flights of fancy born on the wings of angels made out of milk chocolate and caramel. But...let's suppose the rumors are a tad bit more than sweet dreams floating heavenward.

Vancouver and Sporting KC have some interesting forwards on their rosters. Forwards that, on the surface at least, would seem to make a much more comfortable fit with the Crew's existing roster and style of play.

Take for example:

 

These young men are, in order from top to bottom: Soony Saad, 22-year-old currently playing for Kansas City; CJ Sapong, 25-year-old currently playing for Kansas City; and Darren Mattocks, 24-year-old currently playing for Vancouver.

All three of these footballers are dynamic young strikers. In Saad's case you have a player who left college, University of Michigan, at the age of 19, having scored a freshman record nineteen goals. Soony also lit up his high school senior season with 76 goals.

CJ Sapong played four years at James Madison University. His 20 goals in 103 appearances for Kansas City hint at his fearless attitude inside the opposing teams penalty area.

Darren Mattocks played at Akron University for two years. He helped lead the Zips to a national title his freshmen year. Mattocks scored 39 goals in just 47 appearances for Akron.

Each of these players brings something unique to the field. Saad is a clever striker, who frustrates defenders with quick off-the-ball movement. Sapong is a handful for any Major League Soccer defender. He is strong and disruptive. Mattocks is, perhaps, the finest athlete in MLS. All three possess above average skill on the ball and the ability to read the game well.

All three would be a better fit with Greg Berhalter's Columbus Crew than would Kei Kamara. They are young and would find many contemporaries within the Crew's roster. They each bring something to the forward position which the Crew do not currently get from their stable of strikers. With the exception of CJ Sapong, they have another year or two to develop who they are as players.

If the Black and Gold can work out a deal for one of these young players, and not lose too much of their allocation money in the process, Gregg Berhalter and his staff will still have enough wiggle room going into next season to sign two players of Frederico Higuain's stature.

Allocation money, cap room and an owner willing to add another moderately priced Designated Player in January or February would make the Columbus Crew a force in Major League Soccer.
Snatching-up one of the three young forwards above would be a coup for Gregg Berhalter as the 2014 season rushes to a close. If a trade is possible, Mr. Berhalter should make it...NOW! If the trade deadline has passed, then the Crew should make the same deal the day the season ends or as soon as the impenetrable rules of MLS allow.

*Update: The trade deadline is September 15th.

Edit: In case I wasn't clear, along with the first allocation spot the Crew would have to include some of their allocation money in order to get any of the three young players above.

Changes Not Made, Crew Drop 3rd Straight

Crew opt to put there head down and try to power through bad stretch of games with worn out lineup, come away with another loss.

1ST HALF (0-1)

Vancouver was running circles around the defensive side of the Columbus midfield and left 'keeper Steve Clark basically on his own to fend for himself. Thankfully for the home side, Clark benefited by some horrid finishing. Fans could tell one was coming though, and did it when Erik Hurtado made amends with a upper 90 shot in the 37th.

2ND HALF (0-0)

The chances for the Whitecaps never really stopped and the Crew struggled working the ball around after midfielders Hector Jimenez and Bernardo Anor were taken out again for Dominic Oduro and Justin Meram.

This one looked very similar to the Houston match in the 2nd half. Lots of intercepted passes and some easy missed chances for the opponents who, had they needed it, would have gotten another.

FINAL (0-1)

Surprising not to see some fresh legs out there this match. On top of most of the players playing a three match week (with a Sunday game, mind you) the regular group is stuck in a bad rut. Gregg Berhalter admitted making a mistake in playing his normal starters during the post game press conference but it's one of those things that you have to note in red. 

I'm sure if the Crew coaching staff could go back they would have opted for a few new faces on Wednesday to face Houston (a very winnable game) then returned to a regular, full strength lineup against an average MLS side in Vancouver at home. This isn't 20/20 hindsight stuff..

While I don't think the Crew are a top 5 type team, I do know they are much better than this seven game winless streak that they are on. A couple or three points in over the last week would have gone a long way but zero points in the last three falls on the coaches in this situation. 

Not the end of the world but at this point in the season on a bad run of form like this you have do things to get back on track very soon. This isn't Columbus 2007. There was some stability there. This group has been through a lot from the practice pitch all the way to ownership. Results need to come soon or the team risks poisoning the water supply.

Columbus travels to Portland next week to take on the Timbers in a difficult 10:30 PM match.

Crew Rd 10 Predictions, Home vs 'Caps

Crew host the Vancouver Whitecaps this evening. Raining now, more is expected. Kickoff at 7:30 PM EST, 4:30 PM PST.

 GAME NOTES 
CLB: Form 2nd to last in last 6 games (-5 GD, 3 Pts)
CLB: Trapp returning from suspension
CLB: Lineup changes expected, 3rd game in week
VAN: 1.67 Goals per Game, 4th in MLS. Only 3 in 4 Away, however
VAN: Win last week vs. San Jose
VAN: No Kenny Miller

 TEN PREDICTIONS 
Percentage on left is accuracy picking Columbus Crew matches only. Sorted best to worst.

56% WHOSCORED.COM ... VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
Graham Ruthven speaking truth when he says "The Caps have been presented with an excellent opportunity to make it two successive wins." Likes them by a 0-1 scoreline.

56% WIN DRAW WIN ... VANCOUVER WHITECAPS 
Seems to be some confidence around an Away victory today. Those wiseguys have stake on 0-1 'Caps and vote them 39% chance to win (Draw 34%, Crew 26%). Pretty tight.

44% COLUMBUS DISPATCH ... DRAW
Check today's paper for news on how the team looks to approach today's match, also looks at how this winless streak creeping up Crew record books. As far as the result, Adam Jardy believes unfamiliarity breeds draw.

33% BET365 ... COLUMBUS CREW
Odds in the favor of the home side today 11/10 (23/10 Draw, 5/2 'Caps).

33% GOAL.COM ... COLUMBUS CREW
Rudi Schuller from Goal Canada bangs out a preview today, in it saying; "Gregg Berhalter's side will be looking to re-assert its home field advantage against a Vancouver side that has historically looked average away from home."

33% HOME TEAM ... COLUMBUS CREW
Crew looking to get back on track at home. Only 5 pts over last 4 games at Crew Stadium and only 4 goals.

33% MLSSOCCER ... COLUMBUS CREW
All aboard the Crew train this week.

22% WV HOOLIGAN ... n/a
Drew Epperley has been tied up the past couple weeks.

0% MASSIVE REPORT ... n/a
Jon Szekerez of Eighty Six Forever and Pat Murphy sit down and drop knowledge on today's matchup, go check it out and be a smart Vancrewcaps person.

0% TABLE POSITION ... VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
First time this year the Crew weren't higher up than the opposition.

 MY GAME THOUGHTS 

'Caps Coach Robinson

It won't surprise anyone when the Whitecaps play for the draw. They are not a good road team partly because they are an expansion franchise, but also because they have to travel so far.

That said, it's not like they are horrible this year away from BC Place. 3 drawn and only one loss says to me that Carl Robinson is just trying to hold ground away for now before he takes some risks. Risks that I do not think he will be very temped to take today very often.

Vancouver does have a lot of speed (oh, MLS loves the speed) so they probably can catch the Crew pushing numbers forward if so inclined.

It could get very interesting if both Josh Williams and Waylon Francis are rested today. Both of them have the speed to get up and down where likely replacements, whoever they are, do not (and will not be in game shape). Actually, that just might be the key to this game.

Of course a win is important, but a draw or loss here for the Crew isn't the end of the world because of the way the league works in East / West divisions. Meaning; a loss isn't giving a East team three points over the Crew or the Crew is dropping two points in a draw with an East team. With that, I think the Crew should take some risks pushing forward to get some goals and reset some bad confidence and form.

A shootout type 2-2 or 3-2 type match is something this team needs.

Draw most likely for me, 'Caps win least likely.

We see. Man, rainy out there. Take an umbrella if you are heading out the match today. Should be a fun one!

Roster Compliance Date, Whitecaps, Cosmos

Among the many (many) interesting MLS things that came out last week, the one that might have been missed is that the league's roster compliance deadline remains March 1st.

This is an important date to Crew fans to mark on their calendars because Gregg Berhalter and team will have to have their roster at 30 by then.

Going into the start of preseason training the Crew are already at 30 players. Most MLS teams are carrying a group between 30-35 players from now, through February. I would expect the Columbus Crew to have between that many this year.

COSMOS and MLS DANCE, MENDES(?)

I was reminded of the roster deadline when I was reading about a player named Andre Lewis, who was selected 7th in the MLS college draft by the Vancouver Whitecaps.

About a day after the draft Goal.com reported that Lewis was already under contract with NASL side the NY Cosmos. It became a big US soccer story very quickly.

I'm fairly certain that none at MLS HQ knew anything about the situation with Lewis (or if they did, didn't care) - and almost 100% certain no one in Vancouver did which is why league followers are getting treated to steady stream of message controlling articles.

MLS can try and spin it anyway they want but doesn't change that it's an embarrassing oversight by a league that has more and more as it expands.

What's next? MLS is trying to save face either way. One outcome has the Whitecaps not signing him and the Cosmos will get him. MLS will say he wasn't good enough to play in the league.

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Since the NY Cosmos returned last year they have signed a few former MLS players but what most don't know is that they actually signed away one player from the Columbus Crew last year in Carlos Mendes.

Mendes was lined up to play for the Crew in 2013 after a pretty solid year in 2012. Former director Brian Bliss (now with Chicago) wanted Mendes back and were surprised when he left for NY a little over a year ago.

Mendes was one of my highest rated players in 2012 (despite a nagging injury that slowed him). He ended up being one of the cornerstones for the Cosmos this past fall.

Expect to see an increase of issues and problems like this from Major League Soccer as they continue to try to expand. Their single entity structure cannot sustain a very big league in a global market, especially in a country the size (population and money) of the US.

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Vancouver / MLS trotted Carl Robinson out to talk to the press about both the Lewis and Camilo situations, interview here. It's the Welshman's first year as a head coach. Guy just started. Welcome to the admin side of MLS, which is about 99% of it.