Mid-Atlantic Region

[Falconer]

Messiah handles EMU, 2-0. It was a pretty game to watch--lots of motion by both teams, though the Falcons easily dominated possession, with lots of communication among the players, such that many 1-2 or 1-2-3 combinations were attempted, though none led directly to a score and 5 or 6 were offsides. David Alejos got the first goal and nearly got a second. Nick West should have taken a couple of shots he created for himself just inside the box, rather than passing to teammates for shots that might have been better ones if Nick hadn't been the man who turned down the first one. He got the second goal anyway, a brilliant blast from 25 yards while running parallel to the goal to his right. Given how dangerous he was on the wing last year and how fun to watch, it's almost astonishing that he's even more dangerous now and even more fun to watch. If there's a better attacker in D3, I can't imagine who it is. I still can't believe he wasn't named AA last year; this year he has to be in the mix for POY, regardless of whether the Falcons go deep or repeat. Be sure to see the highlights when they go up.

[4samuy]

I could argue that there are two at Chicago Koh and Lopez. Koh has 14 points and Lopez 10 and four of the six games that they have played are regionally ranked. West is a great player, but Messiah has not played near the schedule that Chicago has. I get that that West has put 10 in the net, but you also have to look at who you've played and Chicago's sos is by far more difficult than Messiah.  Chicago beat regionally ranked Macalester today and will play another tomorrow against Loras lest to say at Calvin next weekend.

[Falconer]

I could argue that there are two at Chicago Koh and Lopez. Koh has 14 points and Lopez 10 and four of the six games that they have played are regionally ranked. West is a great player, but Messiah has not played near the schedule that Chicago has. I get that that West has put 10 in the net, but you also have to look at who you've played and Chicago's sos is by far more difficult than Messiah.  Chicago beat regionally ranked Macalester today and will play another tomorrow against Loras lest to say at Calvin next weekend.

You certainly could make that argument, 4samuy, and you did. I've seen the Maroons play a few times last year and this year (just the Trinity game this year), always on video. Obviously that doesn't let me see what I want to see--a player in the context of the whole field and without any blurry images--but, it's enough for me to agree that either Koh (D3soccer.com 1AA in 2917) or Lopez (D3soccer.com forward of the year in 2017) presents the best challenge to my opinion. And, if I hadn't seen West so often these past two years, I would not be offering the opinion I offered. I entirely agree that the eye test and the stats gave both Lopez and Koh the nod over West last year, when West was being used differently and when his supporting cast up front included two D3soccer.com & USC AA's, both of them now graduated (Kirby Robbins and Colby Thomas).

Have you seen him play this year? This year is particularly important, b/c the Falcons are using him very differently than in previous years, whereas to the best of my knowledge the Maroons are using Lopez and Koh no differently than in the past. Had that change not taken place, I wouldn't have said that West is even more dangerous now than in the past. I thought he deserved at least a 3rd team AA nod last year, and he got that from d3soccer.com but not from the USC vote (where he was left out entirely), but probably not higher than that.

This year he doesn't have two AAs sharing the load up front. He's called upon to do more, and he does. I don't merely mean more in a statistical sense, of course, even though that part is evident. Indeed, comparing present numbers for West and the two-headed striker in Chicago, they are about even. 10 G and 23 SOG each, with West taking 9 fewer shots and therefore more efficient. The Maroon striker has 4 A and West 2, but the two-headed man in Chicago can feed himself. As you quite correctly note, however, context is different: Chicago's SOS is a lot higher, and that matters much. Having two great strikers is always better for a team than having one--which is why IMO the Falcons with Wood and Payne in 2013 were better than without Wood in 2014. Chicago in 2018 is probably better than Messiah in 2018, partly for this very reason (the Falcons lost 2 AA forwards from last year)--but maybe they will settle that on the field this time, having not had a chance to do it last year.

As I say, I don't mean West does more in 2018 merely in a statistical sense. I mean in his composure and versatility. I judge those with the eye test, not the numbers.  Assessing an earlier game this year, I opined that West is an even more dangerous attacker than POY David McClellan, a MF who led the team to the 2005 title.  Many regarded DMac as the most dangerous Falcon attacker in 2004-2005, and IMO he was the most dangerous all-around scorer the Falcons have had in the championship seasons. (Opinions on this will certainly differ. I regard his teammate Kasiguran as the greatest all-around attacker in Falcon history, but he was less of a scorer than DMac even though he was at least equally dangerous 1-v-1 and would get a crucial goal when needed.) DMac could initiate a scoring play from anywhere in the attacking third. He could play with his back to the goal or out on the sideline. He was very mobile, nimble, and put his shots on goal. West IMO is fully the equal of DMac in all of these respects, but West also has a weapon DMac didn't have: blazing speed, which doesn't diminish late in the game: in HS track, he ran 400, 800, and 1600 meters, and he owns the all-time Falcon record in the pre-season mile. So, West can also initiate a scoring play from anywhere on the field. And, he does.

So, the basis for my statement is now clear. I've seen Koh and Lopez play several times. (Seeing them a few more times could potentially adjust my assessments upward. Let me grant that. We all have limited opportunities to see any D3 player, either in live streaming or in person. Isolated highlights help, but nothing substitutes for the real thing.) Prior to West, the most dangerous attacker I've seen in the past five years was probably Mike Ryan of RU-Camden. (Going back another five years, I'd put Terrance Johnson of Stevens in the mix.) I think Ryan and Johnson were better than either Lopez or Koh--certainly they were faster--and I think West is even better than Ryan or Johnson. West is now an extremely dangerous threat in many situations: breakaways, free kicks,  headers, with his back to the goal, and 1-v-1 on the wings. We already knew from numerous games against the very best teams in previous years that no one can handle him when he has room on either wing (he's played both sides often).  We already knew that his top-end speed can break open a game from near mid-field against the very best defenses--but now he's finishing those plays himself, rather than passing to someone else for the coupe de gras. We would sometimes see him in previous years post a defender up in the box, but now we know he can (like DMac) create plays and score from anywhere inside or outside the box. And, now we know he's a serious threat on free kicks and that he uses his head well on corner kicks. I certainly give Lopez a big margin over West in the air, but nowhere else. And West is unexcelled by anyone I've seen for a very long time at the breakaways--which he can initiate with the ball already at his feet, or by running it down when dumped over the defense. I just don't think Lopez or Koh can do all those things as well as West.

Maybe I'm wrong about West. Maybe he isn't quite as good as I think. It's the eye test I'm using, vs opponents great and small, and he passes it with flying colors. I hope he gets the chance to show it in the Final Four, but the Falcons are re-loading this year and they might not get that far (it's hard to think that Chicago won't). Time will tell.

[PaulNewman]

I actually think Jack Thompson was one of best I've seen in terms of dangerousness.  He of course had to share the ball with Payne, Wood etc but he looked impossible to contain off the dribble.

[Flying Weasel]

When assessing All-American honors, just remember that it is a year-long award, not a NCAA tournament award.  West had an awesome tournament last year, but IMO he was not playing at that level regularly during the regular season--he was good, sometimes great, but not All-American great.  But he raised his game in the tournament, playing like a 1st Team AA throughout.

IMO, Jack Thompson never got the honors he deserved.  I thought he was the most dangerous, game-changing threat in the 2013 tournament his junior year as he was at his unstoppable best on the wing and off the dribble during that championship run.  Nick West's 2017 tournament was reminiscent of Jack Thompson in 2013, but Thompson, who didn't have the blazing speed of West, had more "trickery" in his tool bag than West and IMO was a more complete, multi-faceted player. The other thing about Jack Thompson is that he played at a level that deserved AA consideration for three full years after a decent freshman season.  IMO, West has performed at an AA level on something approaching a consistent basis only in November 2017 and now in the first half of September 2018. 

And that's not a knock on Nick West.  I'm a huge fan.  As the target/center-forward, he has exceeded my expectations as I didn't think the center would best suite him and his skill-set.  I may have underestimated what he brought to the table and/or maybe he has expanded his game.  I think Messiah has smartly adjusted their approach as well to take advantage of West's strengths.  That said, Messiah hasn't played the toughest schedule so far and against their strongest opponent, Cortland State, West wasn't as dangerous and didn't score.  Now that may be partially due to it being the season opener and being played in less than ideal conditions.  But it's against that level opponent that he will need to prove his worth. He's had an awesome run of games here in early September, but it's a little too early to try to assess how he stacks up to other top strikers around the nation.  Chicago's forward duo, for example, has played a better strength of schedule not just so far this year, but in previous years, and have earned their status. I'm looking forward to West earning his due over the course of the season as he, more importantly, helps Messiah pursue another championship.

[D3soccerwatcher]

It's just WAY TOO EARLY to basically be having the discussion about who will/should be pronounced the best forward in the country (i.e. NPOY).  There simply isn't enough data available yet for anyone to support their opinions (and I have my own).  So this is just all opinion supported by opinion.  At this early point in the season its like flipping a coin four times and heads comes up three times...and you pronounce heads the NPOY because...well...tails just didn't show up.  That's mathematically/statistically nuts. With such a small sample size you simply have no opportunity to overcome randomness.  So I think this discussion is completely and extremely premature.  I suggest we all just sit back and enjoy watching the season unfold and the numbers will speak for themselves (and I don't believe that number of goals should be THE determining factor for NPOY).  Some names will continue to perform and some will fade as new names emerge.  Sit back, watch and enjoy.  And in the meantime...just flip a coin.

[rudy]

Another player to watch is sophomore from lynchburg Abibi. He had a spectacular bicycle kick goal against Dickinson. 5 goals on 14 shots in 5 games and 2 assists. Team total is 10 goals. Team is undefeated so far. I was impressed with him but only watched half a game.

[blue_jays]

I could argue that there are two at Chicago Koh and Lopez. Koh has 14 points and Lopez 10 and four of the six games that they have played are regionally ranked. West is a great player, but Messiah has not played near the schedule that Chicago has. I get that that West has put 10 in the net, but you also have to look at who you've played and Chicago's sos is by far more difficult than Messiah.  Chicago beat regionally ranked Macalester today and will play another tomorrow against Loras lest to say at Calvin next weekend.

You certainly could make that argument, 4samuy, and you did. I've seen the Maroons play a few times last year and this year (just the Trinity game this year), always on video. Obviously that doesn't let me see what I want to see--a player in the context of the whole field and without any blurry images--but, it's enough for me to agree that either Koh (D3soccer.com 1AA in 2917) or Lopez (D3soccer.com forward of the year in 2017) presents the best challenge to my opinion. And, if I hadn't seen West so often these past two years, I would not be offering the opinion I offered. I entirely agree that the eye test and the stats gave both Lopez and Koh the nod over West last year, when West was being used differently and when his supporting cast up front included two D3soccer.com & USC AA's, both of them now graduated (Kirby Robbins and Colby Thomas).

Have you seen him play this year? This year is particularly important, b/c the Falcons are using him very differently than in previous years, whereas to the best of my knowledge the Maroons are using Lopez and Koh no differently than in the past. Had that change not taken place, I wouldn't have said that West is even more dangerous now than in the past. I thought he deserved at least a 3rd team AA nod last year, and he got that from d3soccer.com but not from the USC vote (where he was left out entirely), but probably not higher than that.

This year he doesn't have two AAs sharing the load up front. He's called upon to do more, and he does. I don't merely mean more in a statistical sense, of course, even though that part is evident. Indeed, comparing present numbers for West and the two-headed striker in Chicago, they are about even. 10 G and 23 SOG each, with West taking 9 fewer shots and therefore more efficient. The Maroon striker has 4 A and West 2, but the two-headed man in Chicago can feed himself. As you quite correctly note, however, context is different: Chicago's SOS is a lot higher, and that matters much. Having two great strikers is always better for a team than having one--which is why IMO the Falcons with Wood and Payne in 2013 were better than without Wood in 2014. Chicago in 2018 is probably better than Messiah in 2018, partly for this very reason (the Falcons lost 2 AA forwards from last year)--but maybe they will settle that on the field this time, having not had a chance to do it last year.

As I say, I don't mean West does more in 2018 merely in a statistical sense. I mean in his composure and versatility. I judge those with the eye test, not the numbers.  Assessing an earlier game this year, I opined that West is an even more dangerous attacker than POY David McClellan, a MF who led the team to the 2005 title.  Many regarded DMac as the most dangerous Falcon attacker in 2004-2005, and IMO he was the most dangerous all-around scorer the Falcons have had in the championship seasons. (Opinions on this will certainly differ. I regard his teammate Kasiguran as the greatest all-around attacker in Falcon history, but he was less of a scorer than DMac even though he was at least equally dangerous 1-v-1 and would get a crucial goal when needed.) DMac could initiate a scoring play from anywhere in the attacking third. He could play with his back to the goal or out on the sideline. He was very mobile, nimble, and put his shots on goal. West IMO is fully the equal of DMac in all of these respects, but West also has a weapon DMac didn't have: blazing speed, which doesn't diminish late in the game: in HS track, he ran 400, 800, and 1600 meters, and he owns the all-time Falcon record in the pre-season mile. So, West can also initiate a scoring play from anywhere on the field. And, he does.

So, the basis for my statement is now clear. I've seen Koh and Lopez play several times. (Seeing them a few more times could potentially adjust my assessments upward. Let me grant that. We all have limited opportunities to see any D3 player, either in live streaming or in person. Isolated highlights help, but nothing substitutes for the real thing.) Prior to West, the most dangerous attacker I've seen in the past five years was probably Mike Ryan of RU-Camden. (Going back another five years, I'd put Terrance Johnson of Stevens in the mix.) I think Ryan and Johnson were better than either Lopez or Koh--certainly they were faster--and I think West is even better than Ryan or Johnson. West is now an extremely dangerous threat in many situations: breakaways, free kicks,  headers, with his back to the goal, and 1-v-1 on the wings. We already knew from numerous games against the very best teams in previous years that no one can handle him when he has room on either wing (he's played both sides often).  We already knew that his top-end speed can break open a game from near mid-field against the very best defenses--but now he's finishing those plays himself, rather than passing to someone else for the coupe de gras. We would sometimes see him in previous years post a defender up in the box, but now we know he can (like DMac) create plays and score from anywhere inside or outside the box. And, now we know he's a serious threat on free kicks and that he uses his head well on corner kicks. I certainly give Lopez a big margin over West in the air, but nowhere else. And West is unexcelled by anyone I've seen for a very long time at the breakaways--which he can initiate with the ball already at his feet, or by running it down when dumped over the defense. I just don't think Lopez or Koh can do all those things as well as West.

Maybe I'm wrong about West. Maybe he isn't quite as good as I think. It's the eye test I'm using, vs opponents great and small, and he passes it with flying colors. I hope he gets the chance to show it in the Final Four, but the Falcons are re-loading this year and they might not get that far (it's hard to think that Chicago won't). Time will tell.

West is awesome and could very well be the nation's highest scorer this year. Problem with your comparisons are that you clearly have not seen enough of Lopez and Koh. There's no one better in the air in the nation than Lopez over last 3 years, about half his goals have been headers in that time. Anyone who has seen Koh in person knows that he's the fastest player on any pitch he's on. They timed his 40 last year and he ran about 4.3. He is uncoverable one-on-one, ask any coach who has faced him. The initial quickness burst is head shaking, fastest I've seen in 10 years. Lopez has underrated athleticism and canny touch, his backheel goal versus Loras tonight happened so fast that if you blinked, you missed it.
This is all to say that all three are amazing players. I wouldn't use one to denigrate attributes of the others. These guys are the cream of the crop and we can respect everything they bring to the table.

[paclassic89]

Cserhat from Drew will also probably be in the discussion.  AA as a freshman last season.  6 goals 3 assists so far this season

[Mr.Right]

Bluejay,

Any link to the backheel goal? I think Lopez is the nastiest striker especially in the air but West is a BEAST up top for Messiah.

[rudy]

I could argue that there are two at Chicago Koh and Lopez. Koh has 14 points and Lopez 10 and four of the six games that they have played are regionally ranked. West is a great player, but Messiah has not played near the schedule that Chicago has. I get that that West has put 10 in the net, but you also have to look at who you've played and Chicago's sos is by far more difficult than Messiah.  Chicago beat regionally ranked Macalester today and will play another tomorrow against Loras lest to say at Calvin next weekend.

You certainly could make that argument, 4samuy, and you did. I've seen the Maroons play a few times last year and this year (just the Trinity game this year), always on video. Obviously that doesn't let me see what I want to see--a player in the context of the whole field and without any blurry images--but, it's enough for me to agree that either Koh (D3soccer.com 1AA in 2917) or Lopez (D3soccer.com forward of the year in 2017) presents the best challenge to my opinion. And, if I hadn't seen West so often these past two years, I would not be offering the opinion I offered. I entirely agree that the eye test and the stats gave both Lopez and Koh the nod over West last year, when West was being used differently and when his supporting cast up front included two D3soccer.com & USC AA's, both of them now graduated (Kirby Robbins and Colby Thomas).

Have you seen him play this year? This year is particularly important, b/c the Falcons are using him very differently than in previous years, whereas to the best of my knowledge the Maroons are using Lopez and Koh no differently than in the past. Had that change not taken place, I wouldn't have said that West is even more dangerous now than in the past. I thought he deserved at least a 3rd team AA nod last year, and he got that from d3soccer.com but not from the USC vote (where he was left out entirely), but probably not higher than that.

This year he doesn't have two AAs sharing the load up front. He's called upon to do more, and he does. I don't merely mean more in a statistical sense, of course, even though that part is evident. Indeed, comparing present numbers for West and the two-headed striker in Chicago, they are about even. 10 G and 23 SOG each, with West taking 9 fewer shots and therefore more efficient. The Maroon striker has 4 A and West 2, but the two-headed man in Chicago can feed himself. As you quite correctly note, however, context is different: Chicago's SOS is a lot higher, and that matters much. Having two great strikers is always better for a team than having one--which is why IMO the Falcons with Wood and Payne in 2013 were better than without Wood in 2014. Chicago in 2018 is probably better than Messiah in 2018, partly for this very reason (the Falcons lost 2 AA forwards from last year)--but maybe they will settle that on the field this time, having not had a chance to do it last year.

As I say, I don't mean West does more in 2018 merely in a statistical sense. I mean in his composure and versatility. I judge those with the eye test, not the numbers.  Assessing an earlier game this year, I opined that West is an even more dangerous attacker than POY David McClellan, a MF who led the team to the 2005 title.  Many regarded DMac as the most dangerous Falcon attacker in 2004-2005, and IMO he was the most dangerous all-around scorer the Falcons have had in the championship seasons. (Opinions on this will certainly differ. I regard his teammate Kasiguran as the greatest all-around attacker in Falcon history, but he was less of a scorer than DMac even though he was at least equally dangerous 1-v-1 and would get a crucial goal when needed.) DMac could initiate a scoring play from anywhere in the attacking third. He could play with his back to the goal or out on the sideline. He was very mobile, nimble, and put his shots on goal. West IMO is fully the equal of DMac in all of these respects, but West also has a weapon DMac didn't have: blazing speed, which doesn't diminish late in the game: in HS track, he ran 400, 800, and 1600 meters, and he owns the all-time Falcon record in the pre-season mile. So, West can also initiate a scoring play from anywhere on the field. And, he does.

So, the basis for my statement is now clear. I've seen Koh and Lopez play several times. (Seeing them a few more times could potentially adjust my assessments upward. Let me grant that. We all have limited opportunities to see any D3 player, either in live streaming or in person. Isolated highlights help, but nothing substitutes for the real thing.) Prior to West, the most dangerous attacker I've seen in the past five years was probably Mike Ryan of RU-Camden. (Going back another five years, I'd put Terrance Johnson of Stevens in the mix.) I think Ryan and Johnson were better than either Lopez or Koh--certainly they were faster--and I think West is even better than Ryan or Johnson. West is now an extremely dangerous threat in many situations: breakaways, free kicks,  headers, with his back to the goal, and 1-v-1 on the wings. We already knew from numerous games against the very best teams in previous years that no one can handle him when he has room on either wing (he's played both sides often).  We already knew that his top-end speed can break open a game from near mid-field against the very best defenses--but now he's finishing those plays himself, rather than passing to someone else for the coupe de gras. We would sometimes see him in previous years post a defender up in the box, but now we know he can (like DMac) create plays and score from anywhere inside or outside the box. And, now we know he's a serious threat on free kicks and that he uses his head well on corner kicks. I certainly give Lopez a big margin over West in the air, but nowhere else. And West is unexcelled by anyone I've seen for a very long time at the breakaways--which he can initiate with the ball already at his feet, or by running it down when dumped over the defense. I just don't think Lopez or Koh can do all those things as well as West.

Maybe I'm wrong about West. Maybe he isn't quite as good as I think. It's the eye test I'm using, vs opponents great and small, and he passes it with flying colors. I hope he gets the chance to show it in the Final Four, but the Falcons are re-loading this year and they might not get that far (it's hard to think that Chicago won't). Time will tell.

West is awesome and could very well be the nation's highest scorer this year. Problem with your comparisons are that you clearly have not seen enough of Lopez and Koh. There's no one better in the air in the nation than Lopez over last 3 years, about half his goals have been headers in that time. Anyone who has seen Koh in person knows that he's the fastest player on any pitch he's on. They timed his 40 last year and he ran about 4.3. He is uncoverable one-on-one, ask any coach who has faced him. The initial quickness burst is head shaking, fastest I've seen in 10 years. Lopez has underrated athleticism and canny touch, his backheel goal versus Loras tonight happened so fast that if you blinked, you missed it.
This is all to say that all three are amazing players. I wouldn't use one to denigrate attributes of the others. These guys are the cream of the crop and we can respect everything they bring to the table.

I find a 4.3 40 hard to believe. That's up there with the fastest NFL players. 4.5 maybe plausible. Track star and running back on my sons high school football team ran 4.45 and he was nasty fast.  Not knocking his speed but I doubt 4.3 speed

[Falconer]

Video of West's goal vs EMU is now up: https://gomessiah.com/index.aspx?path=msoc&tab=soccer

This type of goal--running parallel to the goal, outside the box, hitting a rocket dead on target--is one of the types of goals that West is now showcasing, given the new ways in which he's being used. I dare say he scores that particular goal vs any team, whether EMU (who has an excellent keeper) or Tufts or Chicago. The opponent doesn't matter. Images of the same thing from DMac are burned in my brain. This is one of the reasons I compared West to DMac. Just want to clarify what I meant, when I said that West is like DMac PLUS top end speed and what that brings. He can do everything DMac could do, and more. And, IMO DMac was the best all-around striker Messiah has had in the championship years.

(I might also say that Matt Bills was the best target Messiah has had in the same period. He was probably stronger than any of the others, except perhaps Josh Wood; he was fast enough, but nothing like West; and, he shot the ball consistently harder than any other Falcon I've seen. He was a classic target--stay in or near the box, even though he also could and did attack from further out. Whereas DMac was really a MF, not a F. I'm using "target" here to mean a box-based forward who loves to play with his back to the goal and receive the ball in or near the box rather than to go get the ball somewhere else and initiate a scoring play from there.)

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Video of West's goal vs EMU is now up: https://gomessiah.com/index.aspx?path=msoc&tab=soccer

This type of goal--running parallel to the goal, outside the box, hitting a rocket dead on target--is one of the types of goals that West is now showcasing, given the new ways in which he's being used. I dare say he scores that particular goal vs any team, whether EMU (who has an excellent keeper) or Tufts or Chicago. The opponent doesn't matter. Images of the same thing from DMac are burned in my brain. This is one of the reasons I compared West to DMac. Just want to clarify what I meant, when I said that West is like DMac PLUS top end speed and what that brings. He can do everything DMac could do, and more. And, IMO DMac was the best all-around striker Messiah has had in the championship years.

(I might also say that Matt Bills was the best target Messiah has had in the same period. He was probably stronger than any of the others, except perhaps Josh Wood; he was fast enough, but nothing like West; and, he shot the ball consistently harder than any other Falcon I've seen. He was a classic target--stay in or near the box, even though he also could and did attack from further out. Whereas DMac was really a MF, not a F. I'm using "target" here to mean a box-based forward who loves to play with his back to the goal and receive the ball in or near the box rather than to go get the ball somewhere else and initiate a scoring play from there.)

But I didn't play soccer for Messiah. I played for Goucher. I appreciate your compliments on my abilities, though I mainly played goalie, I just didn't realize you were paying attention to DIII soccer during my playing days.

Thank you again .. but Goucher, not Messiah.

[Falconer]

Video of West's goal vs EMU is now up: https://gomessiah.com/index.aspx?path=msoc&tab=soccer

This type of goal--running parallel to the goal, outside the box, hitting a rocket dead on target--is one of the types of goals that West is now showcasing, given the new ways in which he's being used. I dare say he scores that particular goal vs any team, whether EMU (who has an excellent keeper) or Tufts or Chicago. The opponent doesn't matter. Images of the same thing from DMac are burned in my brain. This is one of the reasons I compared West to DMac. Just want to clarify what I meant, when I said that West is like DMac PLUS top end speed and what that brings. He can do everything DMac could do, and more. And, IMO DMac was the best all-around striker Messiah has had in the championship years.

(I might also say that Matt Bills was the best target Messiah has had in the same period. He was probably stronger than any of the others, except perhaps Josh Wood; he was fast enough, but nothing like West; and, he shot the ball consistently harder than any other Falcon I've seen. He was a classic target--stay in or near the box, even though he also could and did attack from further out. Whereas DMac was really a MF, not a F. I'm using "target" here to mean a box-based forward who loves to play with his back to the goal and receive the ball in or near the box rather than to go get the ball somewhere else and initiate a scoring play from there.)

But I didn't play soccer for Messiah. I played for Goucher. I appreciate your compliments on my abilities, though I mainly played goalie, I just didn't realize you were paying attention to DIII soccer during my playing days.

Thank you again .. but Goucher, not Messiah.

My bad, DMac, my bad. A big one, too. Thanks for catching it. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

LOL All good ... just wanted a good chuckle on this Monday morning.