By Michael Lewis - NEW YORK, NY (Nov 3, 2011) US Soccer Players -- When he took over the coaching reins of the MetroStars prior to the 2003 season, coach Bob Bradley decided to implement an extensive rebuilding process from top to bottom. That included positioning the club in the MLS SuperDraft, where they grabbed midfielder Ricardo Clark as the second overall pick, Mike Magee was the fourth choice, and Eddie Gaven became the the 12th selection.
Unlike the disaster stories we have heard about draft picks not working out, this trio has forged pretty decent careers. Clark, who plays in Germany's 2.Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, was part of the USA's 2010 World Cup squad. Gaven has become a regular with the Columbus Crew, and Magee has enjoyed a nice long career with the MetroStars/New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy.
Magee might not have lived up to his initial hype and promise as a big-time goal-scorer, but he has become a quite useable and valuable player. On Sunday, he became arguably the LA Galaxy's most valuable player for those 90 minutes, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 first-leg win over his former club, the Red Bulls.
The Galaxy needs a tie or victory on Thursday night (ESPN2 - 11pm ET) to book a spot in Sunday's Western Conference final against Real Salt Lake. LA would host that encounter at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California which also happens to be the site of the November 20th MLS Cup final. Talk about the motivation of home-field advantage.
Magee has some added motivation to return to the championship game. He was member of the Red Bulls side that lost to the Columbus Crew in the 2008 MLS Cup at the HDC. He scored the Galaxy's lone goal in their shootout loss to RSL in the 2009 final in Seattle. And as Supporters' Shield winners last year, the wheels fell off in the conference final, losing to FC Dallas at home, 3-0.
"It's a huge part," Magee said during a Wednesday conference call. "This team for the most part, has been together for three years. Obviously, we came up short [in 2009]. We lost in penalties. Last year, letting our guard down and getting crushed at home by Dallas, three-nil all that kind of plays into how badly we want this."
But he is not about to put any proverbial cart in front of the horse. There are two games to win at home, where the Galaxy is a near invincible 12-0-5 in MLS matches this season.
"We're not going to overlook anyone," he said. "We're not looking to MLS Cup, we're looking at New York tomorrow… taking it one game at a time."
When he began his pro career, Magee started with a bang, scoring the lone goal in Bradley's first win as MetroStars coach in 2003, 1-0 at home over the Crew. At the time, Magee became the youngest MetroStar/Red Bull (18 years, 236 days) to score a goal.
Magee replaced Jaime Moreno, who left the game with a hamstring injury and he had to be taken out early so he could catch a plane to Chicago to attend his girlfriend's senior prom. Now, some 195 games and 30 goals later, the 27-year-old Chicago native deals with new pressures in LA, which is fine with him.
“I’ve had a good career. A good career in LA, a good career in New York. I’ve got no regrets,” Magee said.
Magee was dealt away by the Red Bulls in January, 2009 for a second round pick in the 2010 draft. The Red Bulls eventually traded away that selection with a third-round choice to the new England Revolution for right fullback Chris Albright. That third-round pick turned out to be University of South Florida forward Zag Boggs.
Just to update the rest of that Metrostars draft class, they traded Clark to the Houston Dynamo for allocation money in 2005 to acquire former French international Youri Djorkaeff, who has since retired. Gaven was traded to the Crew in 2006 for Edson Buddle, who eventually was traded to LA before joining 2.Bundesliga club Ingolstadt. These are far from the only examples of NY/NJ's MLS club trading away players that would have started or starred for them had they been allowed to stick around.
When he was dealt to the Galaxy, Magee welcomed the new challenge.
"It was definitely time for a new beginning," he said at the time. "To spend six years in one place in one place is pretty much hard for anyone. With all of the circumstances, with all the new coaches, so much turnaround, being the longest tenured player there, not kind of settling in, it was pretty clear that I could use a fresh start."
Magee said he has thrived in LA.
"Here in LA things are amazing," Magee said. "When I was in New York things are different than they are now. There were ownership changes, coaching changes, a lot of roster upheaval. In LA it's more like family."
It the Galaxy is a family, then coach Bruce Arena is the father, or perhaps the grand father, given his coaching background and resume. And he's a fan of Magee, in part because he can literally play him anywhere.
"He is intelligent, technically good and just has a real good feel for the game," Arena said. "He is a real good player. I would have to say the majority of his career has been as a forward. He has always been a player that I felt was very good in the penalty area. As he has matured as a person; physically and tactically with the game, he has been able to accept a variety of roles. He has played now, first a goalkeeper this year, a defender, midfielder and forward. He is a very versatile and smart player."
Ah, the goalkeeping story. Earlier this season Magee found himself in a most unusual spot when both Galaxy goalkeepers -- Josh Saunders and Donovan Ricketts -- were sidelined in a game at the San Jose Earthquakes on June 25th. Ricketts broke his arm in the 24th minute and Saunders was slapped with a red card in the 43rd minute. No team uses two reserve goalkeeper on its bench, so Arena looked for volunteers.
“He was the closest to me,” Arena said. “He made the suggestion.”
Magee made four saves, including three in the final 10 minutes to help preserve a scoreless draw and was named MLS player of the week for his unlikely heroics.
On Thursday night, however, Mike Magee is expected to be in a much more familiar spot, either at forward or midfield for the Galaxy. Just like in the opening leg, he's expected to make life miserable for the Red Bulls. The hope od this is the first of a three-game home win streak for the Galaxy, one that finishes with them lifting the Philip F. Anschutz trophy.
Michael Lewis, the editor of BigAppleSoccer.com and TropiGol.com, can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com.
