OFFSIDE REMARKS He's no ordinary Joseph: Revs defensive midfielder has earned MVP
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
Given the nature of the sport and the award, the MVP in MLS traditionally is given to a high-scoring forward or midfielder or someone who is part of the creative process.
It's happened eight times out nine already, with MetroStars goalkeeper Tony Meola breaking the attackers' hold on the trophy when he backstopped the Kansas City Wizards to the MLS Cup championship in 2000.
Perhaps this year some other player will become another exception to the rule, someone who has scored but four goals and been given credit for four assists this season.
I'm talking about one Shalrie Joseph, defensive midfielder of the Eastern Conference leaders, the New England Revolution, who visits the Metros at Giants Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
On a team that boasts Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan, Clint Dempsey and Matt Reis, among others, Joseph is the glue who holds the team together.
I have to admit. I am a little biased about Joseph.
I saw him star for St. John's in 2000 and 2001. In his junior season, the Grenadan international was a terror, whether he was creating goals or scoring them.
When St. John's coach Dave Masur noticed he needed some fortification on the defensive backline, he moved Joseph to the back four. Joseph did not complain one word and did not miss a beat, earning second team All-American honors. When St. John's needed a goal late in a tight match, Joseph was moved to either midfield or forward and more often than not, he produced under pressure.
Former Revs coach Fernando Clavijo obviously heard something about Joseph and grabbed him as the 14th overall pick -- in the second round -- of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. Clavijo was fired midway through that season and Joseph has developed under Steve Nicol.
In fact, Joseph has gotten so good that Joseph has become the heart of the Revs, the ball winner, the man who transform defense into offense. For years, I have expounded about the importance of teams -- championship teams -- having dominant defensive midfielders. Joseph fits the bill.
You can hear me wax poetic about him all day. So, I decided to ask several members of not-so-loyal opposition, the Metros, what they thought of Mr. Joseph. After all, players know who's worth it and who isn't.
Here's a sprinkling of opinion:
* Defender Chris Leitch: "I've watched a lot of films on him. He's great. He's very disciplined. He's always in the right spot. Somehow always comes away with the ball. Everything goes through him. Obviously, Dempsey's no slouch in there either. They make a great pairing in there. If you point to one guy, I think Shalrie helps this team out the most. Defensively, he does an unbelievable job being around the ball and shutting things down. Yeah, he's an invaluable asset to their team."
* Midfielder Mike Magee: "I'm a big fan of him. He's an incredible player. That's one of the big things about the team, with him holding down. Essentially, he can hold down the whole midfield by himself. He might do it sometimes, that gives the other guys freedom to make more attacking runs and to be more creative up top and not worry so much about getting back, although they do that pretty well, too. But when you have a guy like that sitting there for you, it's just disrupting everything and being able to keep the ball when he gets it is a huge, huge help for the team."
* Defender Jeff Agoos on the possibility of Joseph winning MVP: "He's been one of many players on that team who could get it. Taylor's had a good year. Reis has had a good year. (Steve) Ralston has had a good year. A number of guys on that team who have had good years and deserve to be nominated for that spot. That's what we're going up against. We're going up against a team with a number of players who certainly have been in form all year."
* Meola: "Shalrie's very Steve Ralston-like. They never kill you. They always do positive things for their team. They're real dangerous. Shalrie is the guy who allows Clint Dempsey and Ralston and all those guys to play forward because he does a pretty good job of cleaning up balls in the midfield."
And here's a comment from coach Bob Bradley:
"He's very good. Everybody knows it. He's really well respected in the league. He's a solid player, he fills holes, makes passes. He's the kind of player who makes people around him better. They know it and if people didn't know it before this year I think everybody sure know it now."
Case closed.
In a season where there are only two teams with outstanding records -- the San Jose Earthquakes and the Revs, it isn't easy to find many legitimate MVP candidates.
Ronnie O'Brien was a legitimate candidate before F.C. Dallas did one of the great collapses in league history. It's a good thing the Western Conference has two horrible expansion teams to prop up its bottom or Dallas would be spiraling toward last place.
On a team that doesn't have a player in double figures in goals, Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad has to be considered a candidate on the strength of his overall performance (1.00 goals-against average and 10 shutouts) in back of a rebuilt-defense.
Twellman is an obvious choice because his goal numbers probably will only grow, although Dempey and Reis should be considered as well.
In the early years, Dallas Burn defensive midfielder Leonel Alvarez was touted as a legitimate MVP candidate. He lost out to Tampa Bay's Carlos Valderrama in 1996 and to Preki in 1997, two fine choices.
But I hope the league -- the coaches, general managers and players -- the media have become more educated and enlightened throughout the past decade.
Barring any major surprises in the next month or so, when I get an opportunity to cast my ballot for MVP, I know where my vote is going.
Come the second week of November, we'll see how enlightened and educated everyone really is.
Michael Lewis can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. He will only answer e-mails and letters that are signed or have names.
