So Close
The 10 American Players Who Just Missed the Cut
By its very nature, the ASN 100 must leave out a few hardy and talented souls. We take a look at the players who were oh so close, but just not quite good enough. But hey, there's always next month.
The new ASN 100 is out, and there are plenty of movers and shakers on it.
But I care about the guys who just missed.
The biggest surprise among the men ranked 101-110 is probably Andy Gruenebaum, who played well for the Columbus Crew down the stretch but fell from 92nd to 102nd in our November rankings. Overall, it was a tough month for netminders, as nearly every one lost ground, including Marcus Hahnemann, who had been 95th but dropped out of the top 110 completely despite making his first start for the Seattle Sounders.
New England Revolution centerback A.J. Soares also fell a long way, moving from 93rd to 101st.
In better news, John Anthony Brooks, Michael Farfan, and Bryan Gerzicich, who both just missed last month, broke into the top 100.
My prediction for the player who makes his ASN 100 debut next month: Will Packwood. The 19-year-old Massachusetts native is making an impact with Birmingham City.
Here's the full ranking:
101. A.J. Soares (October rank: 93)
102. Andy Gruenebaum (92)
103. Steve Clark
104. Luis Silva
105. Will Packwood
106. Michael Stephens
107. Drew Moor
108. Charlie Davies (99)
109. Ike Opara
110. Dilly Duka
