Gonzalo Segares, former Williamsburg Legacy player, featured in Soccer America Article

MLS CONFIDENTIAL: Rookie Reset

By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
Soccer America Magazine

The Confidential overlooked a most deserving first-year player recently when it cited that not since the 2000 Wizards had a team won the title with a rookie defender in the starting lineup.

First-year Fire man Gonzalo Segares started about three-quarters of the games this season in the Chicago back line after beginning the season with the reserves. After missing a couple of games with an injury and aside from playing one game mostly in midfield, he's been a regular in the defense.

Segares and left midfielder Ivan Guerrero often interchange positions, which has at times has befuddled opponents yet occasionally leaves the Fire short on cover on that side.

Of the main contenders for the MLS title, two have starters at defender who are also candidates for Rookie of the Year, and the rookie winner will probably be either Michael Parkhurst of the Revs or D.C. United's Bobby Boswell if it's not Kansas City attacker Scott Sealy, who scored nine goals, the second-most in MLS history by a rookie.

Damani Ralph set the rookie record of 11 goals in 2003; last year's winner Clint Dempsey had seven. Chris Rolfe led the Fire in scoring with eight goals and five assists but is probably going to be overlooked in the rookie voting.

In Colorado, rookies Hunter Freeman and Dan Gargan have both been seeing time at right back as Coach Fernando Clavijo fine tunes his squad for the playoffs. After not playing at all under former Coach Bob Bradley, Jason Hernandez has started the last three games for the Metros.