Ranking the Canadians

[Yohan]

See Morgan getting over looked. Which is funny considering he will be the most capped player on TFC once Frei and Eck's leave this year.

And he lost, regained, and defended his starting job. His play in the final third has gone down a bit, but his defending is miles better (how many goals did he give up compared to Henry) few if any.

And despite what the idiot MLS pundits say, he has been solid locking down good wingers all season.

Nope. Morgan had problems defending against Justin Mapp on Sat, giving him too much space to get crosses in.

[tmcmurph]

For the younger guys (2018 types) several had good seasons. Will had the breakout year. Of the older guys I only think Patrice had a good year. I'm a big Dero fan but he had an all round bad year. Anyway here are my 5. This is a MLS only list.

1. Will Johnson

2. Jonathan Osorio

3. Kyle Porter

4. Russell Teibert

5. Ashton Morgan

[The Beaver]

1. Will Johnson (but will he play for Canada again?)

2. Jonathan Osorio (fearless)

2. Russell Teibert (9 assists, and he's just 20)

3. Patrice Bernier (the Man, and knows his role)

5. Doneil Henry (Huge upside--just give him time)

[ThiKu]

Why wouldn't Johnson play for Canada gain?

[Dub Narcotic]

Speaking of de Rosario and Porter, it has to be pointed out that Own Goal was the leading scorer for DCU this yea.

[Blackdude]

Speaking of de Rosario and Porter, it has to be pointed out that Own Goal was the leading scorer for DCU this yea.

No, they scored more own goals in their own net than the top scorer, but own goal wasn't the top scorer.

[Keano]

If Doniel Henry is a better soccer player than Patrice Bernier, I might as well off myself right now. If Both Henry and Morgan are better than Bernier, I should take as many of you with me as possible on my way out.

[nolando]

If Doniel Henry is a better soccer player than Patrice Bernier, I might as well off myself right now. If Both Henry and Morgan are better than Bernier, I should take as many of you with me as possible on my way out.

Please make this your headstone inscription. Best laugh I've had all night. Bernier was so good for so long this season that I also find it hard to believe how many people have forgotten.

[shamrock]

Well he wasn't at the end. While Bernier is still capable of setting Di Vaio alone in front of the keeper, he looked terribly slow in his last match. I think his time is over, or maybe he'll have another year as a back-up for Bernardello.

It's hard to compare a leftback with a central midfielder anyway. It's not to say Henry or Morgan are better soccer players, but I think they have had a better season. But you do have a point in the fact that Bernier was important for the Impact when they flourished. He wasn't at the end of the season when it (coincidently?) got worse for the Impact.

[jonovision]

Well he wasn't at the end. While Bernier is still capable of setting Di Vaio alone in front of the keeper, he looked terribly slow in his last match. I think his time is over, or maybe he'll have another year as a back-up for Bernardello.

It's hard to compare a leftback with a central midfielder anyway. It's not to say Henry or Morgan are better soccer players, but I think they have had a better season. But you do have a point in the fact that Bernier was important for the Impact when they flourished. He wasn't at the end of the season when it (coincidently?) got worse for the Impact.

Bernier's ineffectiveness was not, in my opinion, a sign of terminal decline. He was injured. Anyone who thinks Bernardello would work as a straight swap for Bernier did not watch the matches where Patrice didn't play. Better tackler, decent skill on the ball, but very little in the way of vision and distribution.

[Grizzly]

Bernier's ineffectiveness was not, in my opinion, a sign of terminal decline. He was injured. Anyone who thinks Bernardello would work as a straight swap for Bernier did not watch the matches where Patrice didn't play. Better tackler, decent skill on the ball, but very little in the way of vision and distribution.

Bernier was one of the top players in the league for the first 2/3rds of the season and dominant game in and game out. After his injury he played less and was pretty mediocre for the last 1/3rd of the season. Hopefully that was due to the injury and not to age starting to catch up with him. Bernardello is a decent player but has not shown anything close to DP ability so far. He is a hard working physical defensive player but I am not sure why we need a South American DP to fill that role. In my mind you go to South America to get technically gifted players not physical athletic ones. Bernardello's technical skills are average at best or at least so far he has not shown they are more than that. He has had a more impressive career though than Bernier probably because on a highly skilled team he can fulfill a role very well but I would put an in-form Bernier ahead of him in the lineup as he is simply a more skilled player. Indeed I think Bernier in-form was clearly the best Canadian player in MLS this year. I would give Johnson a nod as best Canadian because he has been consistent all year but I think he is overrated on this forum. He is a strong physical player who is effective in MLS and shows good leadership and every team needs someone like that but also pretty mediocre in the skills department and more of an effective piece in the puzzle/role player than someone you build a team around.

I saw DeRo live a several times and he seems to still have his skill set and athleticism but just did not seem overly interested given the poor state of his team. Once he took a free kick and it did not go the way he hoped and man did he ever sulk for several minutes on the field. I could see him bouncing back next year because from what I saw he seemed to still have it but a very poor attitude for a high paid veteran player. Porter has a good skill set but just needs to score more often, ie. improve his finishing.

Of the young Impact players I am most hopeful for Tissot because he is the most technically skilled of the three. He has fantastic passing vision and accuracy, is good on the ball and never panics. He does however tend to lose players when tracking back and for that reason he might be better in midfield than as a defender.

[Obinna]

Based on this season:

1) Will Johnson

2) Patrice Bernier

3) Jonathan Osorio

4) Doniel Henry

5) Russel Teibert

6) Dwayne DeRosario

7) Kyle Porter

8) Dejan Jakovic

9) Ashton Morgan

10) Kofi Opare

.... next would probably be Bekker, Ouimette, and Tissot.

[ag futbol]

Top 5

Johnson – obviously Mr. Everything for Portland. Impressed with the offensive side of his game this year. Didn’t see as much of that at RSL

Bernier – good start, slow finish. Still, in terms of impact on a team he’s unquestionably number two

Osorio – impressed me with his creativity. Will make late runs into the box, take on his man, move the ball around fluidly. Adapted well to being placed out wide when he was asked.

Tiebert – covers tons of space, versatile, good crosser of the ball.

Henry – slow and painful progress for the kid, but he’s getting there.

Honorable mention:

- Opare – if he was out there for a full season he might have jumped a few people.

[jonovision]

I would give Johnson a nod as best Canadian because he has been consistent all year but I think he is overrated on this forum. He is a strong physical player who is effective in MLS and shows good leadership and every team needs someone like that but also pretty mediocre in the skills department and more of an effective piece in the puzzle/role player than someone you build a team around.

I haven't watched many Portland matches this season, but given how underwhelming he has typically been while suiting up for Canada, I'm not ready yet to believe he's suddenly an MLS star-level player. He gets the nod ahead of Bernier because of his production, but if Patrice stays healthy all year it's pretty close.

[ag futbol]

I agree with what Griz is saying there. A lot of Canadian players fall into the Will Johnson category IMO.

We produce very specialized parts that fit into a starting 11 but need to be balanced out by someone else on their team, usually as it relates to creativity or attacking gusto. If it is a midfielder, you’d bet your entire bank account he is playing next to someone who is more creative than he is at club level. If it’s a striker, you know he’s the type who is really dependent on service. They work very well as a part of balanced teams, but as a group they are unbalanced / bland.

[Wingback6]

Nope. Morgan had problems defending against Justin Mapp on Sat, giving him too much space to get crosses in.

Oooooh... crosses! vs what... getting beat inside on the dribble? Crosses are nothing, ESPECIALLY if you know that you have two very capable air defense CB's behind you in Henry and Caldwell. How many goals did those crosses result in BTW? ... zilch. Exactly.

Morgan's not perfect, but he aught to be rated above Henry at the very least.

[Ivan]

^ I would not rate Morgan above Henry.

[Yohan]

Oooooh... crosses! vs what... getting beat inside on the dribble? Crosses are nothing, ESPECIALLY if you know that you have two very capable air defense CB's behind you in Henry and Caldwell. How many goals did those crosses result in BTW? ... zilch. Exactly.

Morgan's not perfect, but he aught to be rated above Henry at the very least.

those crosses ended up on Wenger's open looks, and if Wenger had a shred of finishing, he'd have bagged at least one goal

[Keano]

In any case, not defending well against Justin Mapp doesn't really say much about his rank among MLS defenders, few of whom have great answers for an in-form Mapp. Definitely a lot of red-and-grey goggles-wearing overrating of Henry and Morgan on here though.

[Lord Bob]

those crosses ended up on Wenger's open looks, and if Wenger had a shred of finishing, he'd have bagged at least one goal

In which case the problem is with whoever was marking Wenger. Properly defended in the centre, crosses are low-percentage offense.

[BearcatSA]

Both these guys need to improve their on-the-deck forward passing. Morgan relies more on speed to beat guys to set up his cross as opposed to 1 v 1 shake-and-bake, and benefits from the attacking support of a flank player who poses a threat going inside (like when the more predominantly right footed Osorio plays wide), making a bit more space for him in the build up. Henry has clearly benefitted from Caldwell's presence and that bodes well for him in 2014 and beyond. Just hoping the rash decisions are simply because of youthful exuberance and not a learning disability that will affect his whole pro career.

The Galaxy did really well with Gonzalez eventually becoming a cornerstone of the USNT central defence, so maybe Opare can develop in a loosely similar fashion and maybe be coaxed into our program? If Edgar is going to be used by Floro as defensive holding mid, Jakovic looking to have the durability of a China doll, and Straith looking like a lower division journeyman at present, there's always room for another prospect in central D.

[ag futbol]

I don’t think the Morgan vs. Henry thing is even a contest. Henry is stronger on the ball, reads the game better, and just has a better all-around game. His major faults are occasional ball watching and being overly aggressive. Requirements of his position are a lot higher.

Morgan ... has some very large deficiencies which are readily obvious after watching him play on numerous occasions.

[Ivan]

In any case, not defending well against Justin Mapp doesn't really say much about his rank among MLS defenders, few of whom have great answers for an in-form Mapp. Definitely a lot of red-and-grey goggles-wearing overrating of Henry and Morgan on here though.

And an equal amount of TFC player bashing from Impact fans who believe, that because Montreal made the playoffs, it is a given that every player on the Impact roster is therefore better than every player on the TFC roster. Henry COULD be a great player. Yes, he has to eliminate the brutal gaffs from his game. But he is a physical brute with great speed and aerial ability. Each year the amount of mistakes lessen, and Caldwell has been huge for him as Bearcat stated.

To respond to your earlier comment, right now Bernier is a better player, but I would off myself if TFC traded 20 year old Henry for a 34 year old Bernier.

[Keano]

And an equal amount of TFC player bashing from Impact fans who believe, that because Montreal made the playoffs, it is a given that every player on the Impact roster is therefore better than every player on the TFC roster.

This is stupid, no one said that.

To respond to your earlier comment, right now Bernier is a better player, but I would off myself if TFC traded 20 year old Henry for a 34 year old Bernier.

Sorry, I had forgotten this thread was titled "Ranking of Canadian players in MLS who you wouldn't trade for better but older players". My bad.

[jonovision]

Tonight's Impact loss and the total no-show of their midfield including DP Bernardello is about as ringing an endorsement for Bernier's value as you can make.