SOCCER MATTERS
MLS All-Star match far from “meaningless” for Dynamo’s Elis
Aug 1, 2018, 8:56 am
Alberth Elis has nine goals and eight assists in 21 league appearances with the Houston Dynamo this season. Houston Dynamo
Alberth Elis has made no secret of his ambitions to play in Europe and Wednesday night could provide him the one-way ticket he needs to get there. The 22-year-old Houston Dynamo goal scorer will team up with other top players in Major League Soccer to face European giant Juventus in front of 70,000 plus at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and millions around the world.
As it is any league, the MLS All-Star game is an exhibition match that serves more as a marketing event than a contributor to the on-field product. A few of the league’s coaches – including the coach of this year’s All-Star team – have expressed their discontent with where it falls in the schedule and some of the league’s biggest stars, like 19-year veteran Zlatan Ibrahimović, have chosen to forego appearing in the match.
For a young player like Elis, however, this platform could be his best opportunity to make the jump across the pond to play among the world’s elite. An opportunity he cannot afford to waste.
Working towards the spotlight
Getting to this stage has been anything but easy for the Dynamo’s Honduran playmaker – but there’s no doubt he’s earned it. Arriving in 2017 as a loan player, Elis made an immediate impact by scoring 10 goals to help the Dynamo to their best offensive year and scored the game-winner to give the club its first playoff win since 2013.
This year he has doubled down on the work ethic, resembling a younger version of fellow Houston resident J.J. Watt. Elis is all but assured to be named the team’s MVP, with 13 games still left on the schedule, and could end up on the short list for league MVP if the Dynamo make the playoffs.
Given that the All-Star roster is announced in June, Elis had to make his case in the first half of the season. He opened the season by being a driving force in every Dynamo goal in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United – the same club who is hosting the All-Star game on Wednesday.
Atlanta Head Coach Gerardo Martino, known worldwide for his time as the manager of FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team, selected Elis to his first All-Star appearance as part of his coach’s picks. Surely the first impression helped but “La Panterita” (the little panther) made his case with his consistency, notching either a goal or assist in 10 of Houston’s first 12 games.
He is second in goals and assists for the team, with a good game or two separating him from the lead. He is also third in shots on target in MLS, a category he led for much of the season - all indicators that he is worthy of being amongst the league’s best.
“When I came to this league, it was one of the goals that I set, to try to always be among the best and thank God things are going well for me.”
- Alberth Elis on his selection to the All-Star team
Dynamo not happy – but there’s a bigger picture
“As a coach, I do not want Alberth Elis to go to the All-Star game or it does not benefit me. Not because I don’t want Alberth Elis to shine. Alberth Elis is very happy, he should go and any player would want to go but the reality is that for Alberth Elis, it’s not beneficial to go. For the Houston Dynamo, it’s not good that he goes because our calendar – whoever made it wasn’t interested in the Houston Dynamo. So it’s a heavy schedule, we’re in plain summer and Elis would be playing eight matches in 25 days. That’s not good for Alberth Elis.
- Dynamo Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera
If it were up to the Houston Dynamo, Elis wouldn’t be playing on Wednesday night. To be fair, that can be said of virtually any team around the league but MLS has made it a point to make sure their marquee players show up - or face a suspension for the following league game.
The Dynamo simply can’t afford to have their best player miss out a game during the playoff race, and that’s understandable, but there’s a bigger picture to see here. Having a player on this stage brings an added media attention to the club and helps increase the brand in order to recruit future players.
Cabrera focuses heavily on the here-and-now but the Dynamo, under his tenure, have shown their limitations and are doomed to to be no more than a playoff participant without a larger budget. Given that the team is still playing catchup in the development department and the ownership group have yet to show the pocketbook to compete with the league’s big spenders, the biggest influx of cash short-term will have to come from profiting off the assets they currently have.
A move to Europe for Elis would benefit both the future of the player and the team. Unfortunately, there’s a short window for the team to profit on their reported $2.5 million investment in the Honduran – so time’s ticking.
Why it’s a can’t miss opportunity
“One as a forward always wants to score goals, this match is not going to be the exception… I hope to do well and represent my team and my country well.”
- Alberth Elis on the 2018 MLS All-Star Game
The harsh truth is, the spotlight in MLS lies in markets like Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle, to name a few, because of what clubs in those cities have done to garner mainstream attention. The Dynamo have failed to draw the attention within their city – never mind, nationwide - despite being located in the country’s fourth largest city and a top ten media market.
Elis’ nationality also bears him a similar struggle on the international stage. Honduras was unsuccessful in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia after being eliminated in a playoff against Australia. The World Cup would have put him in the eye of the storm this past summer with an opportunity to shine in front of major European scouts.
So after grief in missing out on a childhood dream, Elis put Russia in the backburner and focused all his energy on the 2018 MLS season. If he impresses against Juventus, who have the eyes of the world on them after signing Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, I’d say Elis is as good as gone next year.
Given the Dynamo’s uncertainty in making the playoffs in 2018, this may be the biggest stage Elis gets until next summer and by then he’ll be a year older.
The 2018 MLS All-Star Game will air nationally tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN (English) and UniMás (Spanish).
Follow on Twitter: @victoraraiza
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Capsules of American League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:
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Houston Astros
2024: 88-73, first place, lost to Detroit in Wild Card Series.
Manager: Joe Espada (second season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. New York Mets.
He’s Here: 1B Christian Walker, 3B Isaac Paredes, INF Luis Guillorme, RHP Hayden Wesneski.
He’s Outta Here: 3B Alex Bregman, RF Kyle Tucker, RHP Ryan Pressly.
Top Hitters: DH Yordan Alvarez (.308, 35 HRs, 86 RBIs, .959 OPS), C Yainer Diaz (.299, 16, 84, 29 2Bs), LF Jose Altuve (.295, 20, 65, 31 2Bs, 94 runs), 1B Christian Walker (.251, 26, 84, .803 OPS with Arizona), SS Jeremy Pena (.266, 15, 70, 28 2Bs).
Projected Rotation: LH Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA), RH Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49), RH Ronel Blanco (13-6, 2.80), RH Spencer Arrighetti (7-13, 4.53), RH Hayden Wesneski (3-6, 3.86).
Key Relievers: LH Josh Hader (8-8, 3.80 ERA, 34 saves), RH Bryan Abreu (3-3, 3.10, 1 save), RH Tayler Scott (7-3, 2.23), LH Bennett Sousa (0-0, 4.00 in 2023), RH Kaleb Ort (1-1, 2.55, 1 save).
Outlook: The Astros should contend for a fifth straight AL West title despite trading outfielder Tucker and losing longtime third baseman Bregman in free agency. They made a major upgrade at first base with the addition of Walker after failing to find consistency there last season after the release of José Abreu. It will be interesting to see how Paredes fares in replacing Bregman and how Altuve’s move to left field will go after the veteran superstar played second base exclusively for his first 14 seasons. Valdez returns to lead a rotation that will start the season with several young arms but that could get a boost in the summer with the expected returns of Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia after both players had Tommy John surgery last year. General manager Dana Brown is confident that this team can have a bounce-back year and make another deep playoff run after losing to Detroit in the Wild Card round last season.
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Seattle Mariners
2024: 85-77, second place.
Manager: Dan Wilson (first full season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. Athletics.
He’s Here: INF Donovan Solano, INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Yimi García, 3B Josh Rojas, 3B Luis Urías, 1B Justin Turner.
Top Hitters: CF Julio Rodríguez (.273, 20 HRs, 68 RBIs, .734 OPS, all career lows), C Cal Raleigh (.220, career-high 34, career-high 100). SS J.P. Crawford (career-low .202, 9, 37 in 105 games), DH Mitch Garver (.172, 15, 51), 2B Jorge Polanco (.212, 16, 45).
Projected Rotation: RH Luis Castillo (11-12, 3.64 ERA, 175 Ks in 175 1/3 IP), RH Logan Gilbert (9-12, 3.23, 220 Ks in major league-high 208 2/3 IP, major league-best 0.887 WHIP), RH Bryce Miller (12-8, 2.94), RH Bryan Woo (9-3, 2.89 in 22 starts), RH Emerson Hancock (4-4, 4.75 in 12 starts).
Key Relievers: RH Andrés Muñoz (3-7, 2.12 ERA, 22/27 saves, 77 Ks in 59 1/3 IP), RH Trent Thornton (4-3, 3.61), RH Colin Snider (3-4, 1.94), RH Troy Taylor (0-0, 3.72), LH Taylor Saucedo (2-0, 3.49, 3 saves).
Outlook: Seattle has finished with winning records in four straight seasons for the first time but has made the playoffs just once in that span, in 2022, when it was swept by Houston in the Division Series. The Mariners went 21-13 last year after Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager on Aug. 22. The manager swap is likely the biggest change heading into opening day from 2024. Seattle’s most notable offseason additions included signing Solano and acquiring Mastrobuoni from the Chicago Cubs. The Mariners hope for a rebound by Rodríguez, who had just four homers and 21 RBIs through June. The lack of offense was a team-wide problem: Seattle hit .224, 29th among the 30 teams, ahead only the 121-loss Chicago White Sox. Right-hander George Kirby (13-10, 3.35, 172 Ks, 19 walks, MLB-low 1.084 walks per 9 innings) is likely to open the season on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation, leading to an opening for Hancock to join the rotation.
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Texas Rangers
2024: 78-84, third place.
Manager: Bruce Bochy (third season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. Boston.
Here’s Here: 1B Jake Burger, C Kyle Higashioka, RHP Chris Martin, LHP Hoby Milner, DH Joc Pederson, RHP Jacob Webb.
He’s Outta Here: C Carson Kelly, OF Travis Jankowski, LHP Andrew Heaney, RHP José Leclerc, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, RHP David Robertson, RHP Kirby Yates.
Top Hitters: SS Corey Seager (.278, 30 HRs, 74 RBIs, .864 OPS), RF Adolis García (.224, 25, 85, 177 Ks), 2B Marcus Semien (.237, 23, 74), 1B Jake Burger (.250, 29, 76 with Marlins), DH Joc Pederson (.275, 23, 64 with Diamondbacks), OF Wyatt Langford (.253, 16, 74, 19 SBs).
Projected Rotation: RH Nathan Eovaldi (12-8, 3.80 ERA, 166 Ks in 170 2/3 IP), RH Jon Gray (5-6, 4.47), LH Cody Bradford (6-3, 3.54), RH Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.69 in three starts), RH Tyler Mahle (0-1, 4.97).
Key Relievers: RH Chris Martin (3-1, 3.45 ERA, 2 saves in 45 appearances with Boston), RH Luke Jackson (4-3, 5.09 in 52 games with Giants and Braves), RH Jacob Webb (2-5, 3.02 in 60 appearances for Orioles), LH Hoby Milner (5-1, 4.73 in 61 appearances for Brewers), LH Robert Garcia (3-6, 4.22 in 72 appearances for Nationals), RH Dane Dunning (5-7, 5.31 in 26 games, 15 starts).
Outlook: The starting rotation is in good shape with Eovaldi re-signed, and two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom and Mahle both making late-season debuts last year after recovering from elbow surgery. There is no defined closer after Yates left in free agency and with Josh Sborz rehabbing from shoulder surgery, but Martin joins his hometown team for a prominent role at the back end of a restructured bullpen. Burger and Pederson add pop to an offense that last year hit 57 fewer homers and scored one run less per game than when winning the franchise's first World Series title with Bochy in 2023. These Rangers may not be far off from at least having a shot at repeating a unique pattern for Bochy, who won three World Series crowns with San Francisco from 2010-14. After each of those first two titles, the Giants missed the playoffs the following year before coming back to win another one. Texas still has Semien, Seager and Jung on the infield. García seeks a bounce-back season in the outfield, likely joined out there by young standouts Langford and Evan Carter.
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Athletics
2024: 69-93, fourth place.
Manager: Mark Kotsay (fourth season).
Opening Day: March 27 at Seattle.
He’s Here: RHP Luis Severino, 3B Gio Urshela, LHP Jeffrey Springs, RH Jose Leclerc, INF Luis Urias, LHP Jacob Lopez.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Ross Stripling, 3B Abraham Toro, LHP Alex Wood, LHP Scott Alexander, RHP Austin Adams, OF Daz Cameron, 3B J.D. Davis, SS Nick Allen, 1B Ryan Noda.
Top Hitters: DH Brent Rooker (.293, 39 HRs, 112 RBI, .927 OPS), C Shea Langeliers (.224, 29, 80, .739 OPS), OF Lawrence Butler (.262, 22, 57, .807 OPS), OF JJ Bleday (.243, 20, 60, .762 OPS), 2B Zack Gelof (.211, 17, 49, 25 SBs).
Projected Rotation: RH Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA with the New York Mets), LH JP Sears (11-13, 4.38), LH Jeffrey Springs (2-2, 3.27 with Tampa Bay), RH Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41), RH Joey Estes (7-9, 5.01) OR RH Mitch Spence (8-10, 4.58).
Key Relievers: RH Mason Miller (2-2, 2.49, 28/31 saves, 14.4 Ks/9 IP), RH Jose Leclerc (6-5, 4.32, 1 save with Texas), LH T.J. McFarland (2-4, 3.81), RH Tyler Ferguson (4-2, 3.68, 2 saves).
Outlook: The A’s begin a temporary stay in the Sacramento area this season. They will play at least the next three seasons at a Triple-A stadium as they wait for their new home to be built in Las Vegas. Their final season in Oakland was emotional and showed some signs of progress with a 19-win improvement. The A’s increased their spending this offseason as they needed a higher payroll in order to get a full share in revenue sharing. Severino, Butler and Rooker all got deals worth at least $60 million after the franchise had handed out one deal that rich ever before this season. They should be competitive but still likely lack the depth of talent to compete for the postseason.
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Los Angeles Angels
2024: 63-99, fifth place.
Manager: Ron Washington (second season).
Opening day: March 27 at Chicago White Sox.
He’s Here: LHP Yusei Kikuchi, DH Jorge Soler, RHP Kenley Jansen, RHP Kyle Hendricks, C Travis d’Arnaud, 3B Yoán Moncada, INF Kevin Newman, SS Tim Anderson.
He’s Outta Here: 2B Brandon Drury, C Matt Thaiss, RHP Griffin Canning, LHP Patrick Sandoval, RHP Carson Fulmer, RHP Hunter Strickland, LHP Matt Moore.
Top Hitters: RF Mike Trout (.220, 10 HRs, 14 RBIs in 29 games), OF Taylor Ward (.246, 25, 75, .748 OPS), C Logan O’Hoppe (.244, 20, 56), SS Zach Neto (.249, 23 , 77, .761 OPS, 5.1 WAR), DH Jorge Soler (.241, 21, 64 with Giants and Braves).
Projected Rotation: LH Yusei Kikuchi (9-10, 4.05 ERA, 206 Ks with Blue Jays and Astros), LH Tyler Anderson (10-15, 3.81, 1.29 WHIP, 3.1 WAR), RH Jose Soriano (6-7, 3.42, 97 Ks in 113 innings), LH Reid Detmers (4-9, 6.70, spent three months at Triple-A Salt Lake), RH Kyle Hendricks (4-12, 5.92 for Cubs).
Key Relievers: RH Kenley Jansen (4-2, 3.29, 27/31 saves with Red Sox), RH Ben Joyce (2-0, 2.08, 33 Ks in 34 2/3 innings), RH Ryan Zeferjahn (0-0, 2.12, 18 Ks in 17 innings), RH Chase Silseth (0-1, 6.75 in two appearances).
Outlook: The Angels finished 2024 at rock bottom, losing a club-record 99 games and extending the majors’ longest streaks to nine consecutive losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons. The sole sign for optimism was solid play from youngsters O’Hoppe, Neto, Soriano, Joyce and Nolan Schanuel. They’re all back to keep building, although Neto will start on the injured list after right shoulder surgery. Trout is healthy again after four consecutive injury-plagued seasons, and the three-time AL MVP is moving from center to right field to preserve his health. Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell should be the primary center fielders. Anthony Rendon is already guaranteed to miss extended playing time for the fourth straight season after the $245 million third baseman announced he needs hip surgery. The rotation is headlined by newcomer Kikuchi, and longtime Dodgers closer Jansen could form a potent late-game combination with the fireballing Joyce.