Monday, April 7, 2008

English weekly

David Beckham was named MLS Player of the Week but he is not the first Englishman to have picked up the award. Can you name the first England native in league history to win Player of the Week honors?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Terry Cooke...I don't know if he was the first one, but he was the first one this season.

nothingtoseehere said...

Terry Cooke?

L.B. said...

Terry Cooke is a fine player but isn't the first Englishman to win the award.

Mister Zero said...

AC, this is your site and this is perhaps not appropriate, but watching FSC tonight kind of ruffled me up.

Out of all the people and groups who seem to take pleasure in ripping on Beckham and MLS, no single group is harsher than the Brits. It is confounding; he is one their own and responsible for so many great moments on the pitch for England, you think they would give him the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, Becks' biggest critics seem to be his fellow countrymen. Is it news that MLS isn't the EPL? No, but many Brits seem to keep harping on it to "neophyte Americans" like it is. "MLS Retirement League", "Pub Team" - yeah we get it. Even Brits like the FSC crew who have made similar leaps across the pond to the US for fame and fortune, don't seem to see the irony in their own fairly snarky anti-Beckham attitude. I watched two expat Brits tag team Lalas tonight on FFF-in, culminating in their final and most important and telling question about Becks "why isn't he here on our show...??!..." These are the same people clamoring for Beckham to be off the England team. According to these "experts" the man shouldn't be in the States and shouldn't play for England. Guess Becks should just shut up and quietly retire to the ManCity Home for the Aged, huh? I'm not even a Galaxy fan but I am tired of the sanctamonious attitude of many Brits who endlessly pontificate from a perspective seemingly high above the mountaintops, handing down favors of mighty knowledge to us soccer plebs below. Here is more of the same from London:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/04/no-country-for.html

fritz said...

Andy Dorman?

Anonymous said...

Danny Dichio - TFC 2007

Anonymous said...

FC Uptown - Knee-jerk British negative attitudes toward American soccer is something I've noticed as well and been equally annoyed about. One thing that I've found interesting is to read soccer history. The Brits who first took the game to South America went on and on about how Argentines and Brazilians didn't know how to play the "right" way. While the Brits complained, the South Americans were revolutionizing the game and becoming better than the country that had taught it to them. I could easily see the same thing happen here in the US. So, I'm okay with Brits going on and on about our inferior soccer because we'll be improving the whole and I don't think it's inconceivable that we'll surpass them before too long.

Anonymous said...

john cunliffe

Anonymous said...

Ian Bishop - Miami Fusion under Ray Hudson.

Boy were they a fun team to watch - but Bishop was an absolute prick on his way out of MLS.

L.B. said...

Some good guesses but still no correct answer.

A.C. said...

fc, the blog belongs to Luis and I - (and Jaime when he feels like posting, which happens on occasion)but don't let those with TV shows get to you. It's part of their schtick, really, and I think they do it to get ratings. I remember when I met Steven Cohen. I think his bluster is just that and not much else. Lalas is a pretty decent sport to tangle with them so often, but it makes sense that David might be above that fray.

fritz said...

Paul Wright?

Pretty soon were just going to have to name every englishman to play in MLS there are only about 5 more realistic candidates.

Anonymous said...

steve guppy?

L.B. said...

Not really a trick question but you got it, Jim.

Frank Yallop, born in Watford, England, was indeed the first English-born player to win MLS Player of the Week. He picked up the honor for week 24 of the 1996 MLS season.

Mister Zero said...

Yes, sorry about taking the bait of the FFF-in crew and all these British papers and their view of soccer in North America. Probably hear much more of this in LA. Thanks, yall have a great blog.

Phillip said...

Hopefully we can get that group of people that watches Snoop Dogg's show to watch an MLS match.

*shrugs*

I'd prefer to see David on something relating to our sport.

Snoop Dogg?
Ellen DeGeneres?
60 Minutes?
Jay Leno?

Is David's crew hiding him from the actual sports media, because he's not intelligent? I wouldn't doubt it.

Anonymous said...

David Beckham is a great player and all, but how does 1 assist and 1 goal make him player of the week? The bar for player of the week is set very low in my opinion here in the MLS if that is the case!!!