OTFATT 2011: Update #2

Previous Updates #1 4/11 66 players remaining In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game in the regular season. That feat has been accomplished only 42 times in 15 seasons. Click here for the complete list. This month, three more teams have exhausted their supply of remaining OTFATT players. They are DC, Vancouver, and KC. As it stands now, there are 26 players left spread across 13 MLS teams. Eight keepers remain, along with 18 field players. One player who will certainly be dropping off the list is Chicago's Marco Pappa, who was called up by Guatemala for next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Houston's Lovel Palmer, however, was not named in Jamaica's squad. It's likely that Andrew Hainault will join Canada, while there's an outside chance for several Americans to be named in Bob Bradley's squad (to be announced later today). My picks for last remaining keeper (Nielsen) and field player (J.Hernandez) are already out. On average, about three players survive each season, but this year it seems like it could be fewer with the combination of the international callups and the longer schedule. Will there be a sole survivor, or even none like in 1998? Remaining Candidates (26) 1 CHI Pappa 1 CHV Pearce 3 CLB Hesmer, James, Marshall 4 COL Kimura, Larentowicz, Moor, Pickens 3 DAL Hartman, Hernandez, John 3 HOU Hainault, Hall, Palmer 1 LA Dunivant 1 NY Solli 3 PHI Le Toux, Mondragon, Valdes 2 POR Brunner, Jewsbury 2 SEA Alonso, Keller 1 SJ Busch 1 TOR Frei Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2011, with last surviving player: 1. RSL - Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, Javier Morales, Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert (4/9) 2. NE - Pat Phelan (4/9) 3. DC - Marc Burch (5/4) 4. VAN - Alain Rochat (5/14) 5. KC - Jimmy Nielsen (5/14)

OTFATT 2011: Update #1

In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game in the regular season. That feat has been accomplished only 42 times in 15 seasons. Click here for the complete list. This year, we started with 198 eligible players (18 teams times 11 starters). A month into the season, and the total now stands at exactly one-third of that: 66. More interestingly, two teams have both been wiped out already, and they just played each other on Saturday. RSL rested most of their starters (thank god MLS won't fine them like the EPL), while New England simply have been hit with injuries and needless ejections. They were down to two players going into the match: Shalrie Joseph and Pat Phelan, and you know what happened next. The Revs were also the second team out last year. For rookies, there's Anibaba, Balchan, and Sapong left. Of the three players who survived last year (Hesmer, Moor, Ream), two of the three remain in 2011. Ream was called up for the USMNT games. Six teams have changed their goalkeeper so far. Of the survivors, I like Jimmy Nielsen of Kansas City to have the best chance to survive the whole year. He would've last year if not for being rested in the final weekend. From the field players, looking at the defenders obviously, I like Jason Hernandez. He lasted until July 31st a year ago, and seems less likely to be carded than several of the others. Remaining Candidates (66) 5 CHI Anibaba, Gibbs, Johnson, Pappa, Pause 3 CHV LaBrocca, Pearce, Zemanski 5 CLB Balchan, Hesmer, James, Marshall, Miranda 6 COL Kimura, Larentowicz, Moor, Pickens, Smith, Wynne 4 DAL Ferreira, Hartman, Hernandez, John 1 DC Burch 5 HOU Boswell, Cameron, Hainault, Hall, Palmer 4 KC Besler, Espinoza, Nielsen, Sapong 4 LA Dunivant, Franklin, Juninho, Leonardo 4 NY Lindpere, Miller, Solli, Tainio 5 PHI Califf, Le Toux, Miglioranzi, Mondragon, Valdes 4 POR Brunner, Cooper, Jewsbury, Purdy 4 SEA Alonso, Gonzalez, Keller, Parke 7 SJ Busch, Convey, Cronin, Hernandez, Johnson, McDonald, Wondolowski 3 TOR Cann, Frei, Harden 2 VAN Leathers, Rochat Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2011, with last surviving player: 1. RSL - Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, Javier Morales, Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert (4/9) 2. NE - Pat Phelan (4/9)

OTFATT 2010: Will Hesmer played every minute, after all

It turns out that Hesmer is considered to have played all 2,700 minutes, it's just that he's listed with only 2,695 on the MLSsoccer.com statistics since they only include minutes played as a goalkeeper. Upon reviewing the game guides (which are a much better source of info - for example, MLSsoccer.com match reports may not be updated to reflect goals/assists that are changed), Hesmer has two listings - one showing all minutes, and one for GK minutes. I thought they wouldn't give him that since he was injured, but they did and that means that he is included on the all time list of players who have played every minute in a regular season.

OTFATT 2010: Final Update

Previous Updates #1 4/21 66 players remaining #2 5/24 27 players remaining #3 7/7 18 players remaining #4 8/13 9 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I've kept track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has now been accomplished 42 times in 15 seasons by 32 different players. EDIT 11/8: It turns out that Hesmer is considered to have played all 2,700 minutes, it's just that he's listed with only 2,695 on the MLSsoccer.com statistics since they only include minutes played as a goalkeeper. Upon reviewing the game guides (which are a much better source of info - for example, MLSsoccer.com match reports may not be updated to reflect goals/assists that are changed), Hesmer has two listings - one showing all minutes, and one for GK minutes. I thought they wouldn't give him that since he was injured, but they did and that means that he is included on the list below. ORIGINAL POST: What a cruel finish for William Hesmer. With 5 minutes left in a meaningless regular season finale and his team leading 3-0, he got himself injured and had to come out of the match. Even though he wasn't subbed off, MLS doesn't count that 5 minutes in his total, so that means that he ended the season with 2,695 minutes played - 5 short. Oh, and he's out for the playoffs too. Jimmy Nielsen of Kansas City was also in the running going into the final weekend. He would've made it if his team was still in contention, but he was rested for in favor of Eric Kronberg. So that left us with only two players this season who played every minute, and they're both field players: Drew Moor & Tim Ream. Congratulations are in order, and their teams certainly will need them on the field for the playoffs as well. Field players now have retaken the all time OTFATT lead over tied goalkeepers for the most number of times, 21-21. I really didn't think that would happen. 1996-2010: Played Every Minute (players in bold played every minute of every game in all competitions, goalkeepers in italics) 1996 Preki (KC), Steve Trittschuh (COL) 1997 Mike Burns (NE) 1998 (none) 1999 Peter Vermes (COL) 2000 Joseph Addo (TB), Nick Garcia (KC), Scott Garlick (TB), Peter Vermes (KC) 2001 Scott Garlick (TB/COL), Tim Howard (NY), Steve Jolley (NY), Zach Thornton (CHI), Kerry Zavagnin (KC) 2002 Nick Rimando (DC) 2003 Tony Meola (KC) 2004 Joe Cannon (COL), Jim Curtin (CHI), Richard Mulrooney (SJ), Steve Ralston (NE) 2005 Todd Dunivant (LA), Simon Elliott (CLB), Pat Onstad (SJ), Bo Oshoniyi (KC), Michael Parkhurst (NE) 2006 Pat Onstad (HOU), Matt Reis (NE) 2007 Kevin Hartman (KC), Chris Klein (RSL/LA), Matt Reis (NE) 2008 Jon Busch (CHI), Joe Cannon (SJ), Jimmy Conrad (KC), Kevin Hartman (KC), Jay Heaps (NE), Nick Rimando (RSL) 2009 Darrius Barnes (NE), Jon Busch (CHI), Kevin Hartman (KC), Pat Onstad (HOU) 2010 Will Hesmer (CLB), Drew Moor (COL), Tim Ream (NY) Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2010, with last surviving player: 1. SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (5/8) 2. NE - Preston Burpo (5/29) 3. HOU - Mike Chabala (5/29) 4. DC - Rodney Wallace (6/5) 5. LA - Todd Dunivant (7/22) 6. CHV - Mariano Trujillo (7/31) 7. SJ - Jason Hernandez (7/31) 8. PHI - Chris Seitz (8/8) 9. RSL - Nick Rimando (8/11) 10. DAL - Daniel Hernandez (9/4) 11. CHI - C.J. Brown (9/11) 12. TOR - Stefan Frei (10/16) 13. KC - Jimmy Nielsen (10/23) All Time OTFATT by Team KC 10.0 NE 7.0 COL 4.5 CHI 4.0 NY 3.0 SJ 3.0 TB 2.5 CLB 2.0 HOU 2.0 LA 1.5 RSL 1.5 DC 1.0 CHV 0.0 MIA 0.0 PHI 0.0 TOR 0.0

September 16, 2010 Notes - Araujo, Talley, OTFATT, and More

1) Paulo Araujo Jr. is player 1,494. Last night, the Brazilian came on for RSL in their CCL match, and scored on his debut. He follows Sheanon Williams, the Philadelphia Union right back, who made his debut on Saturday and was player 1,493. We're now only 6 players away from 1,500 all time for MLS teams in all competitions. With the MLS roster roster freeze having come and gone, there were a few new signings who could be that milestone player. Among them are Junior Carreiro (DC), Carlos Varela (DC), Bratislav Ristic (CHI), and Josh Williams (CLB). 2) From the what goes up, must comes down department: Four teams in MLS currently have streaks of four years or longer for finishing in the top or bottom half of the overall league table. They are Chivas USA (top - 4 years), Colorado (bottom - 5 years), Houston (top - 4 years), and New England (top - 5 years). All of those teams are likely to end those streaks this season. In addition, Chicago has been in the top half for four of the last five years, with a "middle" finish in 2007 (7th of 13 teams). If that counts as a top half streak, then they also are likely to end it. While I'm on the subject of the Fire, I just want to point out that right after I posted on their dominance of expansion teams, they went out and lost to Philly. Of course. 3) OTFATT 2010: Since the last update on 8/13, we're down to 5 players who've played every minute of the regular season. C.J. Brown was rested last week, Daniel Hernandez was suspended on 9/4, and Rapids Matt Pickens and Marvell Wynne both missed time with injuries. 4) Talley traded: With the trade to New York, Carey Talley will join an elite group that contains only three other members. When he steps onto the field, he'll become only the fourth MLS player to play for six teams. The first three are Andy Williams, Brian Dunseth, and Ezra Hendrickson.

OTFATT 2010 - Update #4

Previous Updates #1 4/21 66 players remaining #2 5/24 27 players remaining #3 7/7 18 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 39 times in 14 seasons by 29 different players. Click here for the complete list. Only 9 remain. Several goalkeepers were left out for various reasons recently (Coundoul/Dykstra/Rimando/Seitz), which helped reduce the number. Whether it was due to a benching, national team callup, or simply a rest, it all counts the same. Only 4/9 remaining players keepers, and the last time we finished a year with fewer keepers than field players was 2005. All time, GK's have a 20-19 edge (they just took over the lead for the first time after 2009). Of the remaining keepers, Pickens/Nielsen may be better bets than Hesmer/Frei simply due to the extra CONCACAF Champions League games the Crew and TFC will play. I wish I could easily tell you how many yellows each player is away from suspension, but that's not easy to find on the new MLS web site. It's 5 yellows to a suspension, but a player can have one taken away one they get 3 or 4 (I believe) due to good behavior (not getting a yellow in 3 straight games). So you can't just go by the total number of yellows because it can be misleading. Having said that, Daniel Hernandez is listed with 4 yellows and is the only player with more than two. Probably the single least likely player left to make it the rest of the year. Remaining Candidates (9) 1 CHI Brown 1 CLB Hesmer 3 COL Moor, Pickens, Wynne 1 DAL Hernandez 1 KC Nielsen 1 NY Ream 1 TOR Frei Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2010, with last surviving player: 1. SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (5/8) 2. NE - Preston Burpo (5/29) 3. HOU - Mike Chabala (5/29) 4. DC - Rodney Wallace (6/5) 5. LA - Todd Dunivant (7/22) 6. CHV - Mariano Trujillo (7/31) 7. SJ - Jason Hernandez (7/31) 8. PHI - Chris Seitz (8/8) 9. RSL - Nick Rimando (8/11)

OTFATT 2010 - Update #3

Previous Updates #1 4/21 66 players remaining #2 5/24 27 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 39 times in 14 seasons by 29 different players. Click here for the complete list. Nine players have dropped off since the last update, and three more teams have joined the Sounders in being totally eliminated. That includes the Revs, who left the list when Preston Burpo had his horrific injury. The other keeper to leave was Joe Cannon, who was benched in favor of Jon Busch. Also of note, with the Dallas pair of David Ferreira and Atiba Harris getting subbed out, we're down to the usual group of defensive players. Of the 18 left, 8 are keepers and 10 are field players. Remaining Candidates (18) 2 CHI Brown, Dykstra 1 CHV Trujillo 1 CLB Hesmer 3 COL Moor, Pickens, Wynne 2 DAL Hernandez, John 1 KC Nielsen 2 LA Dunivant, Gonzalez 2 NY Coundoul, Ream 1 PHI Seitz 1 RSL Rimando 1 SJ Hernandez 1 TOR Frei Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2010, with last surviving player: 1. SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (5/8) 2. NE - Preston Burpo (5/29) 3. HOU - Mike Chabala (5/29) 4. DC - Rodney Wallace (6/5)

OTFATT 2010: Update #2

Previous Updates #1 4/21 66 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 39 times in 14 seasons by 29 different players. Click here for the complete list. Over the past month, we've dropped from 66 to 27 players remaining. The list includes 10 goalkeepers and 17 field players. Seattle became the first team to be eliminated. With Ike Opara off the list, Tim Ream is now the last rookie left. In the five years, the last rookies were Darrius Barnes, Luke Sassano, Ty Harden, Jonathan Bornstein, and Michael Parkhurst. International callups have certainly had an impact. Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan dropped off due to being called up to the US World Cup camp, while Pat Onstad missed the Dynamo's victory with Canada, who are preparing to play Argentina (was it really necessary to have him there?). And on a sad note, it's now two months into the season and mlssoccer.com's team stats pages are still missing players. Sigh. Remaining Candidates (27) 2 CHI Brown, Dykstra 1 CHV Trujillo 1 CLB Hesmer 3 COL Moor, Pickens, Wynne 4 DAL Ferreira, Harris, Hernandez, John 1 DC Wallace 1 HOU Chabala 1 KC Nielsen 2 LA Dunivant, Gonzalez 2 NE Burpo, Gibbs 3 NY Coundoul, Petke, Ream 2 PHI Orozco, Seitz 1 RSL Rimando 2 SJ Cannon, Hernandez 1 TOR Frei Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2010, with last surviving player: 1. SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (5/8)

OTFATT 2010: Update #1

OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 39 times in 14 seasons by 29 different players. Click here for the complete list. A month into the season, and out of the 176 opening day starters, 66 remain. It's interesting that only two teams have had to use a second goalkeeper so far. Last year at this time, 8/14 teams had already used multiple keepers, as they seemed to be dropping like flies. For 2010, we're probably going to see a more normal number of them on the list as the weeks go on. Two rookies remain, both center backs: Ike Opara and Tim Ream. An article suggests that Opara could miss this week's match due to conflicts with finishing his degree, we'll see. At least that's a more valid reason than attending prom (Jozy Altidore) or your sister's wedding (Mark Lisi). The only players left who've played every minute before are Joe Cannon, Todd Dunivant, Nick Rimando, and Pat Onstad. I also should mention that due to Kevin Hartman's new status as a backup, his three season record streak of playing every regular season minute ended. That may take a really long time to break. Who do I like the most to survive this year? Among field players, given the past New England players to make it, Cory Gibbs seems to have a decent shot. Others that stand out are Nana Attakora, Omar Gonzalez, Drew Moor, and Ream. BTW, mlssoccer.com's stats are still ridiculously messed up - notice any players missing on the KC stats page, for example? They're not the only team, either. The site is still a joke. Remaining Candidates (66) 2 CHI Brown, Dykstra 4 CHV Bornstein, Kljestan, Trujillo, Umana 6 CLB Barros Schelotto, Carroll, Hesmer, Iro, Moffat, O'Rourke 6 COL Casey, Cummings, Larentowicz, Moor, Pickens, Wynne 5 DAL Cunningham, Ferreira, Harris, Hernandez, John 4 DC Morsink, Perkins, Quaranta, Wallace 3 HOU Chabala, Hainault, Onstad 4 KC Arnaud, Auvray, Harrington, Nielsen 4 LA Donovan, Dunivant, Gonzalez, Ricketts 3 NE Burpo, Gibbs, Niouky 6 NY Angel, Coundoul, Hall, Lindpere, Petke, Ream 4 PHI Harvey, Le Toux, Orozco, Seitz 4 RSL Beckerman, Olave, Rimando, Russell 4 SEA Alonso, Hurtado, Keller, Marshall 4 SJ Cannon, Corrales, Hernandez, Opara 3 TOR Attakora, De Rosario, Frei

OTFATT 2009: Final Update

Previous Updates #1 4/12 68 players remaining #2 5/25 34 players remaining #3 6/25 23 players remaining #4 7/19 11 players remaining #5 8/17 5 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I've kept track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). The season is over, and we have four survivors: three you could've guessed in March (Busch, Hartman, Onstad) and one that shocked everyone (Barnes). The only player to drop off in the past two months was Joe Cannon, who was rested by San Jose in a couple of their meaningless final games. Darrius Barnes benefited from the injury to Gabrielle Badilla in preseason and never looked back. Kind of like Michael Parkhurst's story, who replaced the worn out Carlos Llamosa in 2005. The two NE center backs from ACC colleges are the last two rookies to accomplish the feat. Nick Garcia in 2000 is the only other rookie on the list below. Some stats: Playing every minute is still a rare feat, it's only happened 39 times over the past 14 seasons (by 29 different players). Goalkeepers have taken the all time edge over field players: 20-19. That's actually the first time they've held the edge in league history, and I'd be shocked to see it swing back the other way. KC players have accomplished OTFATT 10 times, leading the league. Runners up are NE with 7. 5 teams have not had a player play every minute: CHV, DAL, MIA, SEA, and TOR. Kevin Hartman has played every minute for three straight season; that's unprecedented. He holds the league record for consecutive minutes played. Jon Busch is back on the list for a second straight year. He's the sixth player to repeat after Peter Vermes (1999-00), Scott Garlick (2000-01), Pat Onstad (2005-06), Matt Reis (2006-07), and Kevin Hartman (2007-09). A total of 8 players have multiple appearances: the six mentioned in the last bullet point, and also Joe Cannon and Nick Rimando. Pat Onstad didn't repeat, but he's still standing for a third time. That's a record now shared by him and Hartman. All this while becoming the league's second oldest player ever. 1996-2009: Played Every Minute (players in bold played every minute of every game in all competitions, goalkeepers in italics) 1996 Preki (KC), Steve Trittschuh (COL) 1997 Mike Burns (NE) 1998 (none) 1999 Peter Vermes (COL) 2000 Joseph Addo (TB), Nick Garcia (KC), Scott Garlick (TB), Peter Vermes (KC) 2001 Scott Garlick (TB/COL), Tim Howard (NY), Steve Jolley (NY), Zach Thornton (CHI), Kerry Zavagnin (KC) 2002 Nick Rimando (DC) 2003 Tony Meola (KC) 2004 Joe Cannon (COL), Jim Curtin (CHI), Richard Mulrooney (SJ), Steve Ralston (NE) 2005 Todd Dunivant (LA), Simon Elliott (CLB), Pat Onstad (SJ), Bo Oshoniyi (KC), Michael Parkhurst (NE) 2006 Pat Onstad (HOU), Matt Reis (NE) 2007 Kevin Hartman (KC), Chris Klein (RSL/LA), Matt Reis (NE) 2008 Jon Busch (CHI), Joe Cannon (SJ), Jimmy Conrad (KC), Kevin Hartman (KC), Jay Heaps (NE), Nick Rimando (RSL) 2009 Darrius Barnes (NE), Jon Busch (CHI), Kevin Hartman (KC), Pat Onstad (HOU) Order of teams being totally wiped out for 2009, with last surviving player: 1. NY - Dane Richards (4/18) 2. CLB - Brian Carroll (5/27) 3. SEA - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (6/14) 4. RSL - Will Johnson (6/27) 5. LA - Omar Gonzalez (6/28) 6. TOR - Adrian Serioux (7/18) 7. COL - Jordan Harvey (7/18) 8. DAL - David Ferreira (8/1) 9. CHV - Carey Talley & Zach Thornton (8/8) 10. DC - Bryan Namoff (8/15) 11. SJ - Joe Cannon (9/27) *Toronto's Nick Garcia was eliminated on 8/15. However, he was traded mid-season and had played every minute he was available for two teams - SJ & TOR. Toronto themselves had no players left after Adrian Serioux.

MLS: Post-Week 28 Notes

1) Shalrie Joseph for MVP? It seems like all the forces are converging and settling on him after his player of the week performance. Today alone, there were three articles touting his candidacy from Ives Galarcep (Soccer By Ives), Ridge Mahoney (Soccer America), and Kyle McCarthy (Goal.com). He has a lot of things going for him. The Revs were supposed to take a step backwards this year, and yet they look like a good bet for the playoffs. Then there's the injuries to Albright, Twellman, and now Ralston. He's unquestionably been the team's leader in the absence of their other stars, playing well no matter where he lines up on the field. Finally, there's the sense that Joseph should've won this award already in a previous year (perhaps 2005). Much like the Grammys have done in recent years, the voters may feel that it's simply time to honor him for his entire career. 2) You may have noticed Joe Cannon was nowhere to be found for San Jose on Sunday. Turns out he was simply rested by Frank Yallop; there's no injury or anything. That's newsworthy because he had played every single minute of the regular season going into the weekend (see the most recent OTFATT update). Now, we're down to only four such remaining players: Barnes, Busch, Hartman, and Onstad. 3) Shouldn't it be about time for Forbes to release their MLS team valuations for 2009? They put out their list last year on September 9th, the first time ever for the league. It's the only ranking of its kind, and I'm looking forward to it again. Are the Galaxy really going to be listed at $100 million again? I just hope that there isn't any real reason for the delay, and that they're actually going to do them on an annual basis. 4) Sporcle, the quiz site which has quickly become one of my favorite places to waste time on the internet, is now letting users design their own quizzes. I've taken the opportunity to create a couple of soccer related ones, so check it out: Can you name the members of every MLS Best XI (1996-2008)? Can you name the FIFA members that aren't countries? Plus, there's already some good ones in their sports category.

OTFATT 2009: Update #5

Previous Updates #1 4/12 68 players remaining #2 5/25 34 players remaining #3 6/25 23 players remaining #4 7/19 11 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 35 times in 13 season by 28 different players. Click here for that list. The list has dwindled from 11 to 5 over the past month, and we won't see a repeat of the record six survivors from last season (although three of those players could still repeat). What happened to the guys who fell off? Drew Moor was red carded against RSL, down by two in the 95th minute. In FCD's next game, David Ferreira got subbed out with his team leading by the score of 5-0. Coming on for him was Eric Avila, who's still challenging for the "most sub appearances without a start" record. Both Chivas USA players were missing from last week's loss to the Rapids: Zach Thornton was injured and Carey Talley had accumulated five yellows. Finally, on Saturday two more fell in the afternoon game between Toronto and DC United. Nick Garcia was hurt and wasn't dressed. Now he won't become the third man to play every minute after being traded in the middle of the season. Previously, Scott Garlick and Chris Klein had pulled that off in 2001 and 2007 respectively. During the match, Bryan Namoff was subbed out to give Julius James his DC debut. So now we're at five, and an unheralded rookie is the last field player remaining. Darrius Barnes has to be the last guy you'd expect to be in this position. Although, maybe we shouldn't be surprised after Steve Nicol drafted Michael Parkhurst and played him every minute in 2005. The goalkeepers left aren't causing any second takes. All of them have made this list before, and what's more, none of their backups have ever played a regular season game. Busch and Cannon are going for two years in a row, while Hartman could play a third straight season without missing a minute. No one's ever done that. Discipline update. With four goalkeepers, you wouldn't think it would be an issue. However, Busch already has three yellows and is only two away from suspension. Barnes only has two. I don't think any MLS keepers have gotten a yellow card suspension IIRC. Busch definitely is more fiery than most, so if it's going to happen, he may be the guy. Remaining Candidates (5) CHI Busch HOU Onstad KC Hartman NE Barnes SJ Cannon Order of teams being totally wiped out, with last surviving player: 1. NY - Dane Richards (4/18) 2. CLB - Brian Carroll (5/27) 3. SEA - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (6/14) 4. RSL - Will Johnson (6/27) 5. LA - Omar Gonzalez (6/28) 6. TOR - Adrian Serioux (7/18) 7. COL - Jordan Harvey (7/18) 8. DAL - David Ferreira (8/1) 9. CHV - Carey Talley & Zach Thornton (8/8) 10. DC - Bryan Namoff (8/15) *Toronto's Nick Garcia was eliminated on 8/15. He had played every minute he was available for two teams - SJ & TOR. Toronto themselves had no remaining players left who had played every minute for them after Adrian Serioux.

OTFATT 2009: Update #4

Previous Updates #1 4/12 68 players remaining #2 5/25 37 players remaining #3 6/25 23 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 35 times in 13 season by 28 different players. Click here for that list. Fewer than half of the players from the last update have survived. They've dropped off mostly due to Gold Cup callups, with the occasional injury (McBride) or suspension (Boswell/Cameron) or tactical decision (Harvey). Of the remaining 11 players, all of the goalkeepers have played every minute in a previous season. Garcia is the only field player remaining who can also say that. The discipline situation currently is only affecting Talley, who is one yellow away from suspension. Remaining Candidates (11) CHI Busch CHV Talley, Thornton DAL Ferreira, Moor DC Namoff HOU Onstad KC Hartman NE Barnes SJ Cannon TOR *Garcia *Toronto's Garcia has played every minute he's been available for two teams - SJ & TOR. Toronto themselves have no remaining players left. Order of teams being totally wiped out, with last surviving player: 1. NY - Dane Richards (4/18) 2. CLB - Brian Carroll (5/27) 3. SEA - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (6/14) 4. RSL - Will Johnson (6/27) 5. LA - Omar Gonzalez (6/28) 6. TOR - Adrian Serioux (7/18) 7. COL - Jordan Harvey (7/18)

OTFATT 2009: Update #3

Previous Updates #1 4/12 68 players remaining #2 5/25 37 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 35 times in 13 season by 28 different players. Click here for that list. 14 players have been eliminated since the last update, while two more teams have been wiped out completely. The CONCACAF Gold Cup should knock a few players off. Stuart Holden, Will Johnson, and Sharlie Joseph are supposed to be called up. Nick Garcia deserves special mention. He's listed under Toronto below, but in reality Adrian Serioux is their last player to play every minute for the club. Garcia was traded from San Jose to Toronto and has played every minute he's been available for both teams. He could follow in the footsteps of Scott Garlick (TB/COL) in 2000 and Chris Klein (RSL/LA) in 2007 by making it the whole year despite being traded. However, unlike Klein, he won't play more than the actual number of games in the regular season. Garcia could play only 29 in total, whereas Klein played 32 in a 30 game season. Garcia's actually a pretty good bet to last the year. I would put him and Jimmy Conrad as favorites among field players, with Jordan Harvey as a longshot pick. Among goalkeepers, you need to look for the guys with no-name backups. So Jon Busch, Joe Cannon, and Kevin Hartman stand out. EDIT: USA Gold Cup roster has been announced. Busch/Conrad/Heaps/Clark/Holden will all miss games. As always, keep an eye on the discipline situation, which will become a big factor as the season goes on. It hasn't been an issue yet though, but it will. There's no way that somebody like Bobby Boswell will get through the year without a couple more yellows and a suspension. Remaining Candidates (23) 2 CHI Busch, McBride 2 CHV Talley, Thornton 2 COL Clark, Harvey 2 DAL Ferreira, Moor 1 DC Namoff 4 HOU Boswell, Cameron, Holden, Onstad 2 KC Conrad, Hartman 1 LA Gonzalez 3 NE Barnes, Heaps, Joseph 1 RSL Johnson 1 SJ Cannon 2 TOR Serioux, Garcia Order of teams being totally wiped out, with last surviving player: 1. NY-Dane Richards (4/18) 2. CLB-Brian Carroll (5/27) 2. SEA-Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (6/14)

OTFATT 2009: Update #2

Previous Updates #1 4/12 68 players remaining OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 35 times in 13 season by 28 different players. Click here for that list. We're down to 34 players overall, which is exactly half of what we had in the first update. Houston still has five players, while New York is the first team to go to zero. Surprisingly, only 5/15 keepers are left while two rookies remain: Darrius Barnes and Omar Gonzalez. As usual, there are very few non-keepers, defenders, or DMs remaining. Brian McBride is the last remaining forward. Pretty soon the discipline situations will come into play. Already, a couple of guys on the list (Beckerman, Brennan) are one yellow away from suspension. Remaining Candidates (37) 4 CHI Busch, McBride, Pause, Ward 4 CHV Bornstein, Marsch, Talley, Thornton 2 CLB Carroll, O'Rourke 2 COL Clark, Harvey 2 DAL Ferreira, Moor 1 DC Namoff 5 HOU Boswell, Cameron, Clark, Holden, Onstad 2 KC Conrad, Hartman 2 LA Donovan, Gonzalez 4 NE Barnes, Heaps, Joseph 2 RSL Beckerman, Johnson 2 SEA Hurtado, Marshall 3 SJ Cannon, Garcia 2 TOR Brennan, Serioux Order of teams being totally wiped out, with last surviving player: 1. NY-Dane Richards (4/18)

OTFATT 2009: Update #1

OTFATT is short for "On the field, all the time." In these updates throughout the season, I'll be keeping track of which MLS players have played every minute of every game (regular season only). That feat has been accomplished 35 times in 13 season by 28 different players. Click here for that list. We started out with 165 players this year (15 x 11), and four weeks in already we've lost over half. The intriguing thing about this season's "contest" is that goalkeepers are dropping like flies. I don't know if I've ever seen so many hurt in such a short period of time. Already, eight teams have used more than one keeper. One keeper who's still standing tall is Kevin Hartman. Last year he became the 5th player to play every minute for two consecutive seasons. No one's done it three straight years, so doing it again this year would be a remarkable feat. The other five survivors from last season are still alive as well. There are three rookies remaining: Darrius Barnes, Omar Gonzalez, and Chris Pontius. Other than them, I would say the most surprising players left are Tim Ward and Josh Tudela. Remaining Candidates (68) 4 CHI Busch, McBride, Pause, Ward 5 CHV Bornstein, Marsch, Talley, Thomas, Thornton 3 CLB Carroll, Hesmer, O'Rourke 4 COL Clark, Cummings, Harvey, Ihemelu 3 DAL Ferreira, Moor, van den Bergh 5 DC Emilio, Jakovic, Namoff, Pontius, Simms 7 HOU Boswell, Cameron, Clark, Davis, Holden, Mulrooney, Onstad 3 KC Conrad, Hartman, Jewsbury 4 LA Donovan, Franklin, Gonzalez, Tudela 7 NE Barnes, Dube, Heaps, Joseph, Larentowicz, Mansally, Thompson 2 NY Angel, Richards 7 RSL Beckerman, Borchers, Johnson, Movsisyan, Olave, Rimando, Wingert 5 SEA Alonso, Evans, Hurtado, Marshall, Riley 5 SJ Cannon, Convey, Corrales, Garcia, Leitch 4 TOR Brennan, Harmse, Serioux, Wynne