Two legitimate 2014 Major League Soccer MVP candidates stepped onto the pitch when LA Galaxy hosted the New York Red Bulls on Sunday night. While the man who entered the final weekend of September as the favorite to win that award failed to convert on several clear scoring opportunities, his counterpart twice hit the back of the net, all the while building up what was already an impressive MLS MVP resume.
Robbie Keane notched a brace, and the Galaxy cruised to a comfortable 4-0 home victory over the Red Bulls in front of a national television audience on Sunday.
Keane rewarded viewers who chose Sunday Night Futbol over Sunday Night Football with an early highlight reel hit. Landon Donovan found the veteran striker inside the right portion of the penalty area seven minutes into the match, and the ageless Keane played a clever chip over the head of New York goalkeeper Luis Robles and into the far corner of the net. While Robles had been caught cheating off of his line, that doesn’t take away from what is a Goal of the Week candidate.
Keane punished a Red Bulls side guilty of some woeful defending with a second tally eight minutes from time. Robles did not do enough to attack a chipped ball delivered into the penalty area, and Keane did well to get around the ‘keeper and two RBNY defenders before coolly depositing the ball past the line.
Meanwhile, Bradley Wright-Phillips was kept off of the score sheet. The league’s leading scorer who is four goals away from setting a MLS record for most tallies buried in a single season (current mark is 28) had himself an off evening against the Galaxy. BWP twice missed the target, he was unable to beat LA goalkeeper Jaime Penedo on two occasions, and he missed a chance to create a goal when he chose to shoot rather than locate a completely unmarked Peguy Luyindula inside of the penalty area.
Sep 28, 2014; Carson, CA, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (99) yells in frustration on a missed pass in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at StubHub Center. Galaxy won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The case for Wright-Phillips
His lackluster match at LA aside, history continues to beckon Wright-Phillips. He leads MLS in scoring. Wright-Phillips will set the previously mentioned record if he averages a goal per game in October. The numbers, as they pertain to personal stats, favor Wright-Phillips.
BWP has found the back of the net 24 times off of 91 shots. Keane leads the league in total attempts with 117, and he has 17 goals. The Galaxy front man will have to have an October for the ages if he is to even flirt with catching Wright-Phillips.
The case against Wright-Phillips
The Red Bulls sit at fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference table, only one point ahead of Toronto FC. The top-five sides in each conference, for those unfamiliar with the North American top-flight, qualify for the postseason.
Apologies to Mike Magee, but true Most Valuable Players aren’t watching MLS on TV or in the stands in November. They are participating in knockout playoff games. Wright-Phillips shouldn’t get the nod if the Red Bulls can’t make the postseason despite having three home games in the final month of the campaign.
The case for Keane
Keane’s numbers speak to his brilliance in 2014. Only two players — Wright-Phillips and Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City — have more goals than Keane. Keane could realistically be on 20+ MLS goals a month from today.
Unlike with the Red Bulls, the Galaxy have no worries about making the playoffs. They’ve already qualified for the postseason tournament, and LA are tied with the Seattle Sounders at the top of the overall league table on 57 points.
Awarding MVP to the leading scorer on the side that wins Supporters’ Shield makes all kinds of sense.
The case against Keane
The BWP argument aside, Keane is part of a three-headed monster that includes teammates Donovan and Gyasi Zardes. Zardes is fourth in the league in scoring, only one goal behind Keane.
Is Keane really all that valuable, or has his stellar play been the product of being on arguably the best overall squad in MLS?
Don’t forget about…
Donovan.
Donovan is the only player showcased in this piece to have double-digit goals (10) and assists (18). The United States Men’s National Team legend retiring at the end of the season is the only sentimental choice of the bunch.
Naming Donovan MLS MVP for his final campaign is not just about emotions or scripting a story that would get the league play on ESPN. Donovan may legitimately be the most valuable player on the club that wins the Supporters’ Shield.
With only October matches left on the schedule, the possibility of Keane and Donovan sharing MLS MVP honors is far more likely than it was just a few weeks ago.
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