Andrew Farrell or Deshorn Brown? That's the conundrum this week, and there's no easy answer.
In the end, the nod went to Farrell for the second straight week. Another shutout and another near flawless defensive performance was enough for the Louisville product to hold onto his top spot.
But Brown is pushing the Revolution right back, and he's also pushing Rapids head coach Oscar Pareja to carve out a permanent place in Colorado's starting XI. You really can't go wrong with either, nor with any of the players who follow the duo in this week's Rookie Rankings. It's still early, after all, and positions in the ladder remain fluid.
Who do you think has inside track for Rookie of the Year recognition? Have your say in the comments section below or make your voice heard by voting in the poll to the right!
For a more detailed look at Major League Soccer's best young talent, check out MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24 series.
Only MLS regular-season games reflected on schedule and statistics.
<strong>Rank</strong> |
<strong>Trending</strong> |
<strong>Last </strong> |
<strong>Player</strong> |
<strong>Comment</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<img alt="" height="40" src="//league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/straight-line.png" width="40"> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<br><img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/Andrew-Farrell.jpg" style="width: 55px; height: 55px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;"><strong>Andrew Farrell</strong> |
<p>If you <a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/sites/all/modules/custom/mls_matchcenter/mls-gamematrix/index.php?omi=484829&seasonId=2013&competitionId=98&language=en&tag=1&reiter=g&efltblosd=JnBsYXllcnM9NTMxMzYsMzc1OSw3NTA0NiwxMTA2MTgsNjAyNDIsMTUxMTE5LDExMzUxMyw2MDI0NCw2MTU3MCwxODUyMCwxNTc2NCw2MTk2Miw2ODU3MSw2MDI0NyZmaWx0ZXJzPTEmem9uZT01MCwwLDEwMCwxMDA=" target="_blank">dig into the Opta chalkboards from last Saturday's draw with Seattle</a>, it's clear the Sounders were happy to channel most of their attacking forays down the right side. In other words, away from Farrell. That might be a function of having Mauro Rosales and DeAndre Yedlin patrolling the right flank, or that Steve Zakuani was in a more central role. But the Louisville product has already earned some respect, and he's worth watching as the season goes on.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Drew at Seattle, 0-0 (90 min)</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at New York (7 ET, <strong><a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS LIVE</a></strong>)</li><li><strong>Season Statistics:</strong> 5 GP, 5 GS</li><li><strong><a href="http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager</a>:</strong> 31 points, $5.0 million (3.1 percent owned)</li></ul> |
<strong>2</strong> |
<img alt="" height="40" src="//league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/arrow-up-with-shadow_1.png" width="40"> |
<strong>3</strong> |
<br><img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/DeShorn-Brown.jpg" style="width: 55px; height: 55px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;"><strong>Deshorn Brown</strong> |
<p>Brown had seven shots against Chivas USA and 11 completed passes. That tells you the directions coming from the bench are simple: Get into positions to score and don't hesitate to pull the trigger once there. Now, we're still waiting for his finishing to match his knack for getting into shooting positions, but it says something that his more-experienced teammates didn't push him off the ball once he drew the penalty kick.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week:</strong> Defeated Chivas USA, 1-0 (87 min, 1 G)</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. Seattle (6 pm ET, <strong><a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/?utm_source=MLSsoccer&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=MLS%2BLive" target="_blank">MLS LIVE</a></strong>)</li><li><strong>Season Statistics:</strong> 2 G, 1 A (7 GP, 7 GS)</li><li><strong><a href="http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager</a>:</strong> 27 points, $6.2 million (15.6 percent owned)</li></ul> |
<strong>3</strong> |
<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/arrow-up-with-shadow_1.png" style="width: 40px; height: 40px;"> |
<strong>4</strong> |
<br><img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/DeAndre-Yedlin.jpg" style="width: 55px; height: 55px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;"><strong>DeAndre Yedlin</strong> |
<p>We may still be learning about Yedlin as a pure defender, but he's certainly got Farrell (who actually projects as a center back) beat as an attacking right back right now. As mentioned above, most of Seattle's attacks came down the right side, and Yedlin actually completed more passes in New England's half of the field (38) than his own (22). He also whipped in four crosses – one of which led to a shot – and had three successful dribbles in the attacking third. Impressive stuff.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week:</strong> Drew vs. New England, 0-0 (90 min)</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at Colorado (6 ET, <strong><a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS LIVE</a></strong>)</li><li><strong>Season Statistics:</strong> 1 A (5 GP, 5 GS)</li><li><strong><a href="http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager</a>:</strong> 19 points, $4.6 million (4.8 percent owned)</li></ul> |
<strong>4</strong> |
<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/arrow-up-with-shadow_1.png" style="width: 40px; height: 40px;"> |
<strong>5</strong> |
<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/Carlos-Alvarez.jpg" style="width: 55px; height: 55px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;"><strong>Carlos Alvarez</strong> |
<p>As Alvarez gets more comfortable in Chelís' system, he's got a great chance to keep climbing in these rankings, which are still very much a week-to-week affair. He uncorked three shots against Colorado, all from good angles, and completed 39 of 46 passes. Even more impressive, he managed to track down and recover nine balls, all in Chivas USA's half. He's only going to get better, and early returns are already solid.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Lost vs. Colorado, 1-0 (90 min)</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at Real Salt Lake (9 pm ET, <strong><a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/?utm_source=MLSsoccer&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=MLS%2BLive" target="_blank">MLS LIVE</a></strong>)</li><li><strong>Season Statistics:</strong> 1 G (4 GP, 3 GS)</li><li><strong><a href="http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager</a>:</strong> 16 points, $5.2 million (1.6 percent owned)</li></ul> |
<strong>5</strong> |
<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/red-arrow-down2_0.png" style="width: 40px; height: 40px;"> |
<strong>2</strong> |
<br><img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/Dillon-Powers.jpg" style="width: 55px; height: 55px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;"><strong>Dillon Powers</strong> |
<p>The drop to fifth isn't a knock on Powers, who has been solid through seven games, but he probably isn't best suited to pulling strings for Colorado as an attack-minded mid. Not yet anyway. Sure, Brown, Edson Buddle and Atiba Harris are the men responsible for driving the attack forward, but the service has to come from somewhere and <a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/sites/all/modules/custom/mls_matchcenter/mls-gamematrix/index.php?omi=484827&seasonId=2013&competitionId=98&language=en&tag=1&reiter=g&efltblosd=JnBsYXllcnM9NzgwMTUmZmlsdGVycz0xJnpvbmU9NzAsMCwxMDAsMTAw" target="_blank">Powers simply didn't connect in the final third</a> against Chivas USA. Another week, another chance to impress (and improve) vs. Seattle.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week:</strong> Defeated Chivas USA, 1-0 (90 min)</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. Seattle (6 pm ET, <strong><a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/?utm_source=MLSsoccer&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=MLS%2BLive" target="_blank">MLS LIVE</a></strong>)</li><li><strong>Season Statistics:</strong> 1 G (7 GP, 7 GS)</li><li><strong><a href="http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager</a>:</strong> 22 points, $5.5 million (1.1 percent owned)</li></ul> |
Rookies to watch: Erik Hurtado (VAN), Scott Caldwell (NE), Adam Jahn (SJ), Devon Sandoval (RSL)
