Right now you're thinking I'm totally gonna RSL homer this post. Read on to see if I do.......
As the Major League Soccer regular season comes to a close, there's a lot of banter going on about this year's post season awards. The award for Coach of the Year has been getting some serious heat on the MLS comment site and social media networks. Here I'll present my top 4 candidates for the award and give the best reasons that I can think of for and against before presenting my pick for the award. I'm sure that whoever I pick will be just as thrilled to get my pick as the actual award.
Caleb Porter--Portland Timbers--The turnaround of the Portland Timbers is certainly one of the major stories in MLS this year, and a large part of it is due to the attitude and system installed by Caleb Porter. Porter has been considered to be one of the bright young American soccer minds for awhile, but that rep kind of took a hit when he failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics with the USA U-23 team. That image has certainly been restored this year. Portland has been solidly in contention all season long, and here with one game to go they have a legit shot not just at first in the west, but the Supporter's Shield as well. This certainly bodes well for his chances, and he's seemed to be the odds on media favorite. A major drawback to me is the number of draws that Portland have settled for. Yes, you can call it getting results, but the Timbers have also failed to finish off teams a number of times this year, including two high profile matches at home against Real Salt Lake. This could bite them in the playoffs.
Jason Kreis--Real Salt Lake--Speaking of RSL, how about the job that Jason Kreis has done? Now, stay with me here. A lot of folks wrote RSL off this season, picking them barely into the playoffs or perhaps out of the playoffs with the loss of Will Johnson, Jamison Olave, and Fabian Espindola among others. They called it a "rebuilding year." Kreis went out and replaced these guys, and managed to up RSL's goal scoring in the process. In this "rebuilding year," RSL will finish 2nd or 1st in the west, depending on results this weekend. Kreis and this club also accomplished this while missing their number 1 keeper, their Captain, their top goal scorer, and their best fullback for a month of the season as those players were away on international duty. To me, that increases the odds. However, RSL's somewhat lackluster finish to the season and reputation for folding in big matches will hurt his candidacy.
Oscar Pareja--Colorado Rapids--While RSL has gets most of the press in the Rocky Mountain region, Pareja has very quietly reforged the 2010 MLS Cup Champions not only into a playoff team, but in my mind, a genuine contender for MLS Cup. The Rapids went through a preseason dump as large as, or maybe greater than, that of RSL. Pareja's draft picks (Deshorn Brown and Dillon Powers) are the odds on favorites for Rookie of the Year, and have both contributed significantly. The additions of Vincente Sanchez and Gaby Torres (the club's first DP) have made the Rapids all the more dangerous. Let's not forget the emergence of Clint Irwin in goal or Chris Klute on defense either. Pareja has brought these young men along in spectacular fashion. The Rapids thrashing of the Sounders was kind of a coming out party in the the MLS media, but not to me. I've been preaching Pareja and the Rapids in the Playoffs all year long. They'll be more dangerous next year too. Unfortunately for Pareja, the lack of media attention given to the Rapids could very possibly derail his chances.
Mike Petke--New York Red Bulls--Don't look now folks, but the Red Bulls are damn close to actually winning a trophy, though the Fire will try to have a say in that this weekend. I think Petke has done a phenomenal job in his first year in charge of a club that has long been the pinnacle of high salaried dysfunction in MLS. He brought in Robin Fraser to help him out, oh yeah and he is the biggest beneficiary of RSL's preseason salary dump. Petke has addressed the long standing issues in defense for the club more than adequately, and Luis Robles has finally stabilized the situation in net. Couple these things with the emergence of Tim Cahill, and the Red Bulls might finally be able to fulfill their aspirations, and I think Petke is a huge part of that. Now, some people will say that with the caliber of players at Petke's disposal, he ought to be where he is. There will also be continued skepticism of RBNY's ability to close the deal until they win MLS cup, but I think he's still a solid candidate.
So there you have the case for these four men laid out as best as I can manage. In my mind, all four are totally deserving and I wouldn't mind if any of them win it. However, in my mind, the award goes to..........
Oscar Pareja of the Colorado Rapids.
Sorry Porter, at least Oscar can beat Jason Kreis, and I'd take the Timbers in the playoffs over the Rapids in the playoffs any day of the week. Congrats to Pareja and the Rapids on a great season.
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