Seattle Sounders FC has been better without Freddie Ljungberg. The 22 points accrued in the opening 18 matches of their season and the 26 obtained in the final 12 after the Swede was dealt on July 30 attests to their improvement.
Similarly, the fall of the Fire since Ljungberg’s acquisition has tarnished his reputation – fans discarding him into the receptacle labeled “DP busts”.
Despite this criticism, Ljungberg has quietly put together a productive 2010. Three goals and 10 assists – a trio tallied while in the Emerald City – leaves the 33-year-old tied for fifth in the league in helpers as the MLS regular season concludes.
Saturday night against Chivas USA, Ljungberg electrified the Home Depot Center, scoring on a left-footed finish and setting up the goals of Brian McBride and Calen Carr.
The majestic performance commenced in the 40th minute when Ljungberg assisted on McBride’s final career goal. Receiving a throw-in, Ljungberg turned on his defender, dashed to the byline, and softly nutmegged a pass through Ante Jazic’s legs. Charging to the near post, McBride deftly flicked behind his left leg to finish.
“Freddie just has this uncanny ability of finding people,” McBride said in Fox Soccer Channel’s post-game interview. “I made a run near post and he found me. Thankfully, I put it in.”
It would only take Ljungberg two minutes in the second half to find his own goal.
Constantly tip-toeing across the field, Ljungberg contributes – like all great playmakers – in ways that aren’t instantly apparent in a scoreline. Over the course of the year, 73 fouls, the third most in MLS, have been committed against Ljungberg. Discussion over his incessant complaints to MLS officials has overshadowed the grueling beating he has taken while in the U.S.
In a team that has lacked a central creator since Cuauhtémoc Blanco’s return to Mexico, Ljungberg has been the outlet through which most of Chicago’s attacks have started – a difficult request for someone arriving midseason. Since the inception of the DP mechanism, 12 of these stars have landed somewhere towards or past the middle of an MLS season: David Beckham, Julian de Guzman, Blaise Nkufo, Branko Boskovic, Mista, Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Nery Castillo, Alvaro Fernandez, Geovanni, Blanco, and Luis Angel Landin.
Reread that list. How many were outward successes in their first half-years with their clubs? Blanco, Nkufo, and Marquez, certainly. Henry, Geo, and Fernandez have all shown their quality, but also indicate the time needed to become acclimated with the rigors of MLS and gel with their teammates.
Now, Ljungberg is a unique case as he was already playing for a team within the league. He’s already become accustomed with the . . . let’s call them 'interesting' decisions of MLS officials. But that doesn’t solve the period that the Swede still requires to gel with his Chicago teammates. Thrown into a difficult situation where he was expected to deliver a playoff birth with a first-year MLS manager, Ljungberg has managed to adjust himself as best as could be expected.
A lot of turnover is expected this off-season in Chicago with McBride and C.J. Brown retiring and the less than certain futures of Nery Castillo, Wilman Conde, and manager Carlos de los Cobos. If Ljungberg remains in the Windy City, anticipate a season in which he builds upon his assist-every-two matches ratio.
Even if the Chicago front office wants Ljungberg to stay, it’s out of their hands as he holds a player option for 2011. And as the past off-season with Seattle illustrated, the wants of Ljungberg can be difficult to predict.
So, what's the consensus? Do you think Freddie will be with the Fire in the upcoming months?
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