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ASN 100 Analysis: Jared DuBois Discusses His Picks

The always-colorful co-host of the Best Soccer Show talks about his ASN 100 picks, Clarence Goodson's nerdy charms, and a diminutive right back who might fit perfectly with the U.S. national team.
BY John Godfrey Posted
November 11, 2012
5:46 AM
1) Name one player you think should be ranked higher. Why?
Clarence Goodson. Whether you like it or not, Goodson is a top two or three center back in the pool. I have him ranked 15th, way ahead of ASN's 28th. Ranking Omar Gonzalez or Michael Parkhurst ahead of him is wishful thinking based on limited data. Goodson has played as a starter in this team and done well as a whole. He's like the high school nerd. He's not going to win a girl on sex appeal, but will keep her in his bed with his eagerness to please.

2) Who do you think should be ranked lower. Why?
Alan Gordon. Currently at No. 48, I had him in the mid-60 range—the same tier as Will Bruin. Gordon is a boutique player, with a very exact, if not limited, skill set. He has heart, work rate, and 17 minutes with the national team, but I don't see how that separates him from Bruin by 20 spots.

3) Name a player who you had in your 100 that didn't make the list, and argue for his inclusion.
Connor Lade. I know I'm going to take crap for this, but there are two things the USMNT severely lacks: “speed” and “right back." Lade is far closer to a spot in this team than many others on this list just because of the characteristics he brings to the table.

4) Clint Dempsey beat out Michael Bradley by one point. Who ya got? And why?
I went with Bradley at No. 1. Because the term “best” is so arbitrary and at times even personal, I find myself when doing a tie breaker for the ASN 100 asking instead, “Who is the most essential?” In that light I find what Bradley does for the team worthy of No. 1 status. The U.S. just doesn't function right with anyone else running the middle of the field. In that respect even Dempsey cannot rise to being “best” without the very service Bradley provides.

Check out the ASN 100, and be sure to click on the tabs to sort the players by position, goals, caps, birthplace, age, height, weight, etc. And when you're done doing that, follow Jared DuBois on Twitter. He's funny.

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