2000 Season Review

Rookies

Overall, the rookies had a decent year in 2000. Rusty Pierce clearly led the group, while William Sunsing added pace to the front line. Shaker Asad struggled to recieve any time during the year, while Fabio Zuniga showed promise but was lost to a severe knee injury. Adam Eyre had a slow start, but came on strong at the end of the season.

Rusty Pierce emerged as a high quality, impact player for the Revs in 2000. He has already established himself as the best draft choice in Revolution history. While that isn't a great honor, being bantered around by US fans as a future possibility for the US National team shows the impact he had on MLS this season.

Pierce quickly adjusted to the physical nature of MLS. He soon was entrusted with the role of primary marking back, taking on stars like Diallo and Hernandez. For the most part, Pierce held his man in check. Pierce did show signs of immaturity at various times during the season, but his play showed that he will be a key member of the Revs in the upcoming years.

This grade seems like it should be higher, but most forget that Sunsing had only one goal on the year. Like Pierce, Sunsing has shown enough to keep him around. He has also started to feature in the full Costa Rican National Team, and let's face the fact that the Revolution do not have many international/TFC caliber stars. Sunsing is quickly establishing himself as a possible add to that category.

The most encouraging sign in Sunsing's play this year was his tireless workrate. Sunsing ran after the ball all day, forcing errant passes from opposing defenses. His raw speed unnerved many lead-footed defenders around the league, and he consistently beat his man one on one. However, Sunsing needs to work on his striking. He took 38 shots, and only scored once. On numerous times during the season, William missed the net on clear scoring opportunites. Sunsing will be a key factor in 2001 if he can improve his striking enough to be a reliable strike partner for Wolde Harris.

Adam Eyre stepped into the void created by the poor play of Brian Dunseth. Eyre stabilised a slightly shaky central defense during the latter part of the 2000 season. He did not feature early in the season, but his path was cleared by the departure of Dan Calichman and Mike "Blooter" Burns.

Adam Eyre has good marking abilities. In a perfect world, he would be the first defensive substitute off the bench. He is not very fleet of foot. His decision making this year was questionable at times, and he seems to have attended the John Harkes school of passing. To his credit, Eyre stepped up and filled the void when it was needed. The Revs need more bench players like him.

Shaker Asad featured sparingly during the season, as he was far down the midfield depth chart. Asad looked alright while he was in there, and he looks like a promising prospect for the future. Asad was a key member of the Pro-40 trip to Argentina, netting 4 goals in 4 goals. Look for him to be a key member of the squad off the bench next year.

Zuniga showed promise in his 33 minutes this year. Unfortunately for Zuniga, he suffered a season ending knee injury during his only start against LA. Zuniga should push for a role off the bench in 2001 if he fully recovers from his injury. If not, he could be the next Paulo Dos Santos.

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