SBI MLS Awards: Most Valuable Player

There is still a week left in the MLS regular season but with ballots for the MLS awards due this weekend I figured it was time to reveal my choices for the main awards.

Yes, I know, I wrote a column for ESPN two weeks ago stating my choices for the awards but some things have changed in those two weeks and I have changed at least two of my choices. I will offer up MVP today, MLS Coach of the Year tomorrow, MLS goalkeeper and defender of the year on Thursday and MLS Rookie of the year on Friday.

Today, we'll start with MLS MVP.

The SBI MLS MVP is Juan Pablo Angel. My column in today's Herald News made the argument for why Angel is the MVP (please ignore the headline, it was taken out of context from the paper's package of the story).

The most telling stats, at least in my mind, involved goals scored that either tied the score or gave a team the lead and total number of game-tying or game-winning goals and assists.

Goals scored that either tied the score or gave teams the lead:

Luciano Emilio: 7. Juan Pablo Angel: 14

Game-tying or game-winning goals or assists:

Luciano Emilio: 5. Juan Pablo Angel: 10

The second stat is even more telling when you consider that D.C. United had 21 games that it either won or tied in which Emilio played in. So Emilio helped deliver points in (five) a quarter of the matches DC gained points (wins or ties). The Red Bulls had 12 games in which Angel played that they won or tied and Angel helped gain those points 10 of 12 times.

Obviously you can't calculate the impact a player has when on the field in terms of what it does for other players, such as Emilio's presence freeing up his teammates, but if you figure that both players have equal impact on their teammates, these stats put Angel well over the top.

Some who believe that Emilio is the MVP will counter with the fact that five of Juan Pablo Angel's goals came on penalty kicks. This should be considered but that doesn't mean the five goals are somehow meaningless because they came via penalty. Taking and making penalty kicks is not automatic (ask Landon Donovan). It should also be noted that only two of Angel's five penalty kicks factor into his game-winning/game-tying goals and assists tally. The first was a 90th-minute penalty that tied Kansas City, the second an 80th-minute penalty kick that helped tie Real Salt Lake. Should Angel's credentials take a hit because he has the ability to step to the spot at a crucial moment in a match like that and deliver?

Even though you cannot ignore the PKs you can still look to the rest of Angel's numbers and realize that he still had five game-winning goals that were not PKs and four other matches where he delivered the game-winning assist (two) or game-tying goal (two) that wasn't a PK. Those numbers still surpass Emilio's in these categories.

As I stated the other day, D.C. United would be a playoff team without Emilio and that second stat helps make that case to some degree. D.C. either won or tied 15 games where Emilio either didn't contribute the margin of difference, didn't play (DC won or he didn't score at all (11 wins and four ties).

Let's face it, with an attack including Christian Gomez, Fred and Jaime Moreno, a midfield with Ben Olsen and Clyde Simms (yep, my bad Clyde), and a defense led by goalkeeper Troy Perkins and defender Greg Vanney, D.C. would be in the playoffs without Emilio. Without Angel, the Red Bulls would be focusing on the MLS Draft right now.

And yes, I know I named Emilio my MVP two weeks ago in my ESPN.com awards column but I hadn't really deciphered the numbers as well as I needed to and Angel has come on strong late in the season.

Here is my MVP Ballot: 1. Angel, 2. Emilio, 3. Ante Razov, 4. Shalrie Joseph, 5. Ben Olsen, 6. Maykel Galindo. Okay, you only pick three but I figured I would give you my top six. No, there's no Cuauhtemoc Blanco. I agree he's had a great impact but he's played in just 13 matches, not enough to garner real consideration.

Now you've heard my case for Angel. I want hear your thoughts on the MVP award. Tell me who you think should win it and why (Please try to limit your responses to a reasonable length that you think people will actually read, two or three small graphs tops).

Fire away.

Comments

[Hincha Tim]

I can't believe you didn't give it to Jack Stewart.

[ag nigrin]

Ives...Do you really think Angel would pick up and leave the BUlls if some Euro club expressed interest? His family just settled into being in Jersey... and besides he is a big fish in this pond and would be a medium fish over there, no?

[A Diddy]

I agree that Angel deserves the MVP. But I'd like to point out that a strong case can be made for Landon Donovan (8 goals, 12 assists). Sure, he hasn't cracked the top 5 in goals, but he has been near the top in assists. Landon has also been utterly indispensable in the Galaxy's remarkable late season playoff drive, both in terms of play and leadership.

[Ives]

Ag, I didn't say Angel would leave, but you can't ignore the possibility. Anything is possible in professional soccer.

[Jeff]

Why should Galindo be in consideration? He has been a tremendous suprise and is a very good player but, based on stats alone, certainly shouldn't be ahead of either Twellman or Johnson.

Galindo - 12 gls - 5 assts

Johnson - 15 gls - 6 assts

Twellman - 15 gls - 3 assts

He has also played more games than either of the other two.

While the fact that Johnson's team has been awful lately should surely factor in, I am not sure how he has been any more valuable than Twellman?

[Mikemike]

Thanks Hincha Tim!

[Ryan Dees]

I'm glad you gave some love for Ben Olsen. That guy is the heart of DC and needs more recognition

[Ives]

Jeff, are you really arguing about my sixth-place choice for MVP? Seriously?

Okay, Galindo has faded in the past few weeks but he had as much to do with Chivas USA's unreal turnaround as anybody. Johnson had a great first two months but has basically disappeared since. In retrospect, maybe I could have had Twellman there instead of Galindo but who really cares? I might have had Sacha Kljestan sixth before Twellman but who knows.

If anybody wants to do some stat breakdowns comparing Eddie Johnson and Maykel Galindo please be my guest. I would love to see the in-depth analysis.

[Katatonia]

i wish mls would deviate away from the american tradition of mvps. just award footballer of the year or most oustanding player.

[Jeff]

Mostly because I thought the rest of your picks were pretty good :)

[kpugs]

I agree with this and also would put Emilio second. As much as I hate DC I don't want to take anything away from how great he's been this season.

But for the above reasons and the fact that Angel put up these numbers in fewer games I have to give him the edge.

[Super Metro]

Angel, no doubt
Second:
Emilio, Galindo, Schelotto, Twellman in that order.
Donovan? strong case? com on! Unless LA makes it, he shouldn't be considered.
MVP is fine, playoffs are fine, all these awards are just fine, conference divisions etc. These little things give MLS a distinct flavor, it's our league.

[Katatonia]

you forgot nfl lines, those are fine too!

[J.]

Before JPA joined the RedBulls , they were first overall in the league. Now they're sixth.

Food for thought.

[Hincha Tim]

Sorry, thought MVP stood for Most Virile Player. I figured a (former)RSL player could finally win something, until I found out Juan Pablo Angel was named Sexiest Man by People Magazine (in Espanol), so Juan Pablo takes it again. RSL can't catch a break.

[josh]

Clearly the award goes to David Beckham...

[Ives]

Thanks Jeff, and you're probably right about Twellman being at least as deserving. Johnson? Not so much.

[drew]

before his recent injury my vote was for Razov...clearly the most underrated stats in the league this season (11 g, 8 a)...but now I am honestly siding with ya Ives...Angel has done more than Emilio (in less games too I believe) and would be missed more than Emilio if were lost to injury or something like that at this point.

glad to see you aren't giving love to guys like Eddie Johnson or Taylor Twellman this year even though they have a lot of goals this season...also I would argue against voting for Galindo as well...I think I would put Schelotto before Galindo at this point...

[Joamiq]

Ives, Angel would be my pick but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on Razov vs. Galindo.

[Brian K]

Ives,
Excellent analysis. Close call between Angel and Emilio. I totally agree with your conclusion: where would the Red Bulls be without Angel? I was very disapointed that Ante Razov picked up an injury and finished the regular season on the bench. I thought for sure he was going to finish the season as a 10+/10+ guy and have a strong case for MVP. He had a excellent season and Galindo thrived next to him. Chivas USA made a run at the Supporters Shield in 2007 and were fun to watch. Well done Ante!

[nico]

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination." -Andrew Lang

[CentralCoaster]

Add another vote for Schelotto in the top 6, maybe 3rd. The Crew didn't make the playoffs, but he was equally or more important to his team than Angel. Without Schelotto the Crew would not have even had a fighting chance. It sucks that sometimes good players on bad teams get overlooked.

[Garret]

Please, Ives, never ever say Greg Vanney leads defense. Mentioning Ben Carroll and Greg Vanney along with Fred, Gomez, Emilio, Olsen, Moreno, and Perkins just does not make sense. Why not say Marc Burch instead of Vanney, as Burch has had a fantastic season, contending for Newcomer of the year/rookie of the year, whichever he is eligible. And Ben Carroll? He hardly even plays! Clyde Simms is far better.

[Ives]

Fair point about Simms deserving more mention than Carroll (though BRIAN does play and was a starter up until a month ag). That being said, I did change the mention to Simms.

I don't agree with your Vanney comment. Vanney has been very solid for DC and while Burch has been a good acquisition Vanney has been a big key to the D straightening things out.

[diego r.]

I don't know Ives. If you look at the beginning of the season when DC United was winless and the Red Bulls were the toast of the league, Luciano Emilio was doing absolutely nothing for DC and Angel was yet a figment of the Red Bull imagination. Emilio's emergence is responsible for DC having the best record in the league while Angel's impressive performance isn't correlated with the Red Bulls doing any better. Perhaps this could be a Thierry Henry syndrome where Angel's primacy constricts the influence of Altidore and Mathis. Just a thought