Wynalda: Stewart Is No Flop

By Eric Wynalda
MLSnet.com

(Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003) - D.C. United travel to Giants Stadium on Thursday night to battle the MetroStars in the first of three battles in the next days (ESPN2 - tape delayed at 1:00AM ET), kicking off a crucial stretch in the race for Eastern Conference playoff seeding. Leading the charge for United will be experienced midfielder / forward Earnie Stewart, who with one goal and two assists in 16 matches, has not been the goal-scoring machine some may have expected the U.S. National Team veteran to be in his first year in MLS.

ESPN2 analyst Eric Wynalda says that the critics who judge players by statistics alone should especially lay off Stewart, who he believes does more on the field than the untrained eye can see:

Over the years MLS has had its fair share of "flops" when it comes to big name signings. This year many people have put D.C. United's Earnie Stewart on that long list of guys that just didn't work out. Well, I'd like to take him off.

Anybody who can't see that Stewart is and will continue to be a huge part of D.C United's success just doesn't know what they are talking about. I too thought that he would have better stats by now, but I also know that this League is far more difficult than people make it out to be. I've been watching Earnie really closely and I was a little concerned by Game 8. He hadn't scored. I watched him and he was trying to do way too much. He was sold as a forward but he's done all the work that has nothing to do with the forward position. I've talked to him about it and he doesn't care if his name makes the paper. That's not Earnie Stewart. He's the kind of guy you know you can rely on at all times. He is a star for all the right reasons.

He should never have been billed as an all-out goal scorer because once the game starts he's not going to play in a confined position on the field. He's going to do anything necessary to help the team. In past games he's been forced to do a lot of work on both sides of the ball because the team was not in good form. He's had to track back to his own 18-yard box and that's not a forward's job. A lot of people have a misconception about his position on the field. The fact is that he's capable of so much that it's difficult to attach a strict definition for him.

But having said that, I think we'll see more production out of him now that he's paired up with an experienced forward like Ronald Cerritos and that's why I think he will score on Thursday. In the first half of the season he was trying to do too much because the team was struggling. But things have changed. Now with Ronald you'll see these two play a lot more exciting, attacking soccer. Cerritos' ability to hold the ball and bring other people into the game is the key here. I played with both these guys and knowing both of them and the way that they like to play, when they figure each other out they're going to make a great combination.

What was happening too many times early in the season when D.C. United struggled is that the team did not always have a planned attack especially with Marco (Etcheverry) not being fit (which still hasn't happened by the way). The team turned the ball over a lot and before he was ever going forward, Stewart was already running back because the team lost the ball. But Cerritos knows how to take care of the ball and bring people into the attack. It's a smoother attack now and not a run-and-gun deal. They will begin to find each other more often.

D.C. United forward/midfielder Earnie Stewart leads his team in a match against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium on Thursday (ESPN2 - tape delayed at 1:00AM ET).

Sometimes, to the untrained eye, you don't see how much some players put into a game. Because it doesn't show up on the scoresheet doesn't mean that he has had or is having a bad season. Obviously I played with Earnie so I know a little more than most. One of the more unselfish players that I have ever played with, Earnie could care less about how many goals he has or how many half assists he has registered. He is worried about the team, United's success and their confidence going into a difficult stretch.

Don't believe everything you read. Start watching games and stop judging players on points. Earnie Stewart is one of the only veterans out there that make guys like me still believe that the younger players in MLS are learning the right way to play this game on a daily basis.

GENTLEMANLY CONDUCT

Just a quick note to those of you who thought that I was a little harsh on Alex Prus, who was the official for last week's Thursday night game on ESPN2. I made the statement that "players win games, coaches lose games and referees ruin them". Under the circumstances that was the case. That does not mean that I think that they are bad all the time.

Alex Prus has his good days and his bad days just like everybody else. On this occasion I wasn't going to pretend that he was making all the right decisions. Keep in mind that being a referee is the hardest job in the world. Even so I stand by my comments. I felt that the red cards were harsh, especially (Brian) Kamler's challenge. It was Alex Prus' way of evening things up and it was not the right decision. He will be running the middle on Thursday night in New Jersey (D.C. United vs. MetroStars), so I'm sure he and I will have words before the game and most likely after.

In regards to MLS, refereeing has seemingly always been a topic of criticism. But it is no different elsewhere. As hard as we are on the referees I think they know it comes with the territory and we should too. For those of you who caught the Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen match this past Saturday you know exactly what I am talking about. It is part of the game. More so than any other sport, the interpretation of the referee is vital. That is why we scutinize their every decision.

I will add that the players are also very much to blame for the unstable relationship which exists between players and officials. Some of their outbursts are unwarranted and sometimes just as bad, if not worse, than a poor call. To that end I propose the following:

Referee Alex Prus will officiate the match between D.C. United and the MetrStars on Thursday night (ESPN2 - tape delayed at 1:00AM ET).

When a bad foul occurs referees should do the following: pull players aside. Separate them from the group and explain to them why they are about to get carded. Do not throw that thing in their face and force a reaction. Reactions are bad on the soccer field. When you pull a player aside to talk to him, he will try to calm himself down in order to plead his case.

Sometimes they might even convince the ref not to do it, but at least it will be a conversation and not a shouting match. When we just allow players to go nuts everytime somebody gets carded it sets a bad example to the rest of the players who now feel that they have license to be verbally abusive every time they don't agree with the call.

It's about respect and right now there is none from either side. This is not meant to be a criticism but simply a suggestion. Most referees in MLS have done a phenomenal job of watching games and learning players' tendencies. However, some of those players who appear so brash might clean up their act a little if they are dealt with in a different way.

Besides, if refs would start actually doing this it would give the guys in the TV truck enough time to pull back the replay so I can review it before I say something stupid. Just a thought.

Do you have feedback on Wynalda's editorial? Please send your comments to Wynalda by clicking here. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.