Emilio Snags MLS MVP

D.C. United's Luciano Emilio won Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player award, the league announced today. You've probably heard this by now--it was first reported by Steven Goff at Soccer Insider--but I'm on deadline at my dayjob on Thursdays and unfortunately do not have much time to tend to this blog. But the news itself is rather blah anyway, especially from a Red Bulls' perspective. Is Emilio more deserving than Juan Pablo Angel (who won the MVP vote on this Web site)? I don't know. Statistically, Emilio had (barely!) the better season--but he played in five games more than Angel.

There shouldn't be a question that Angel was more valuable to his team, though. Obviously D.C. would have been a worse team without Emilio, but I think they still could have made the playoffs. The Red Bulls without Angel? I shudder to think about it. Angel did not only anchor this team, he carried it on his back. The dude is all class, too and seems really intelligent and well-spoken (and that's in English, which is obviously not even his native language. Now compare that to a lot of U.S. and British athletes who literally sound like cavemen or worse in their mother tongues?). I hope this means Angel will win the Newcomer of the Year award on Saturday. He's leading that Soccer Source poll as well (and there's still time to vote so get on it).