Red, White and Green: Obafemi Martins is MLS MVP Dark Horse Candidate
Author’s note: Red, White and Green is Playing for 90′s column aimed at focusing on the Cascadian (Pacific Northwest) teams. In MLS, three teams – Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver – battle for the Cascadia Cup each year. Red, White, and Green will give a critical eye to Cascadia teams. The column is named Red, White, and Green based on the team colors. Red for the Portland Timbers as they are known as “Rose City”, white for the Vancouver Whitecaps as it is their primary color when they play, and lastly green for the Seattle Sounders as they wear “Rave Green” for most matches, home or away.
When most people think of the Seattle Sounders, they think about Rave Green, Xbox, Drew Carey and Clint Dempsey for the most part. Something else or someone else I should say, people should think about is Sounders forward and designated player Obafemi Martins.
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Why should they think about Martins you might ask yourself?
Let me tell you why. Martins is an integral part of what the Sounders do day in a day out on the pitch. He is the hamster that makes the wheel go if you must. He also should be considered an MLS MVP dark horse candidate.
Martins has played in 27 of the Sounders 30 matches, starting 25 so far this season. In those 27 appearances he has scored 15 goals to go along with ten assists. He is the team leader on the season in both categories as well as the single season record holder in goals scored with four matches to go.
Going into the season I felt that if anyone would be considered for MLS MVP it would be Dempsey. I also knew Dempsey would miss time with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Martins was the glue that held the team together with the absence of Dempsey. Yes, other players helped contribute as well, but Martins was the constant scoring threat on the field.
I’ve talked to numerous people among my social circles and they all agree that Martins is a huge asset for the Sounders. I didn’t just converse with Sounders fans. I also talked to many Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps fans and they agree as well as to how important Martins is to the Sounders. Maybe even a little more important than Dempsey.
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With that being said, I believe Martins should be considered for MLS MVP at the end of the season. When he is on the pitch he creates a threat even if he doesn’t have the ball at his feet. He creates so many opportunities for his teammates as defenders have to decide if they should double team him and leave someone open or go one on one with him.
At the end of the season when the awards are handed out, Martins most likely will not be MLS MVP of the season. There are other players in the league that are just as deserving as he is such as players like Bradley Wright-Phillips, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan.
I have a strange feeling that when it’s all said and done, that Donovan will be the one walking away with the award. It is his last season in MLS and he has done so much for the league and will leave as the career leader in goals scored and most likely have the most assists in league history as well.
If I had a vote, which I don’t, I’d put Martins name at the top of the list because of what he has done for the Sounders. With a month left in the season, the MLS MVP is still wide open and no one is guaranteed to win MVP right now.