Juan Pablo Angel - Best Ever Age 34 Goal Haul

I've updated the Top Goalscorers by Season Age post to include 2010. That's the page where I look at the top 10 single season goalscorers for each age, based on the age each player is on July 1st of that year (basically the mid-point). This year, we have one new leader: Juan Pablo Angel's 13 goals were the most ever for an age 34 season, replacing Preki's 12 goals in 1997 for first place. Angel already shares the top spot for age 31 based on his 2007 exploits, and he's 4th for age 32 and 2nd for age 33. I'm sure New York won't miss him at all. The only other players to be first in more than one age are Roy Lassiter (27, 29, 30) and Preki (33, 38, 39, 40, 42). The following players all entered the top ten for their age: 17-McInerney/Najar, 18-Mwanga, 19-Bowen, 20-Bunbury/Shea, 22-Montero/Zakuani, 25-Kamara, 26-Le Toux/Wondolowski, 27-Cummings, 28-Casey, 29-Buddle, 32-De Rosario, 33-Cunningham, 34-Angel, 35-Nkufo, 37-Barros Schelotto, 38-McBride.

MLS 2010 - Week 7 Notes

1) As I'd mentioned, Pat Onstad became the oldest player in league history Saturday. After 2,018 days, Preki has been surpassed and Onstad is the 9th person to hold that title (10th reign). The top 25 oldest MLS players list has been updated as well. The record breaking only received about 5 or 6 mentions, according to Google News. 2) In other age-related news, Juan Agudelo became the 13th youngest player ever in all competitions when he debuted for NY against Philadelphia in the Open Cup qualifier. 3) The LA Galaxy's fantastic start continued with a 4-0 away win against Seattle. Not only was the style of victory remarkable, but so was the record that they set. The 2010 Galaxy broke the record for most consecutive minutes to start a season without trailing, which is currently at 720 and counting. The previous record was held by the 1999 Dallas Burn at 710 minutes. 4) Barring injury, at least two foreign players will represent MLS in the 2010 World Cup: Andrew Boyens (New Zealand) and Roger Espinoza (Kansas City). Here's a list of previous MLS players to make World Cup rosters. Previously, MLS has had 5-0-4 foreign players at the last three World Cups.

Pat Onstad to Become Oldest MLS Player of All Time Saturday

May 8th, Houston Dynamo @ Chivas USA. As the match kicks off, goalkeeper Pat Onstad will become the league's oldest player of all time. Preki is the current record holder. He played his last game on October 10th, 2005 (DAL 2:2 KC), coming on as a sub in the 68th minute for Nick Garcia. Preki's age in his final game: 42.311 years. Pat Onstad's age on Saturday: 42.316 years. Congratulations are in order to the new title holder. Here's a timeline of the previous men who have held this record. I remember when Joe Cannon left San Jose after the 2002 season, and people weren't expecting much from a 35 year old A-League keeper (by the way, Cannon himself is 35 this season). Some people expected Jon Conway to take the starting job, and who knows what would've happened if Conway hadn't injured himself that preseason. Then, there was the horrible own goal to start his MLS career. But by the end of the year, he had won an MLS title, the Goalkeeper of the Year award, and saved a penalty in the MLS Cup. It's been smooth sailing ever since.

Mark Your Calendar - May 8th, 2010

What's so special about that date? It's a Saturday night, and the Houston Dynamo play at Chivas USA. More importantly, if Pat Onstad plays, he'll pass Preki to become the league's oldest player of all time (it's too bad he's no longer coaching Chivas, that would've been something). Preki played his last game on October 10th, 2005, coming on as a sub in the 68th minute for Nick Garcia. Kansas City took on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, and the game finished 2:2 after Preki scored in the 90th minute. Their playoff hopes would die the next day (when the Metrostars defeated Chivas USA 2:0), and Preki retired afterwards. Age in his final game: 42.311 years. Onstad will be 42.316 years old if he plays on May 8th. Mark your calendar. Note: I've updated the MLS age-related all time lists through last night's opener. Check them out below: Top 25 Youngest MLS Players Top 25 Oldest MLS Players Top 25 Oldest MLS Debuts

Oldest MLS Player Timeline

One of the very first posts I ever made on this blog was the Youngest MLS Player Timeline. Now, it's time to look at the other side of the equation. Who has held the record for the oldest MLS player of all time at each point in the league's history, and when has it been broken? This is not the same as the lists of the Oldest MLS Players or the Oldest MLS Debuts. Only regular season games are counted. MLS Oldest Player Record Holders Date Set Age Days 1 Thor Lee 1996-04-06 30.84 7 2 Carlos Valderrama 1996-04-13 34.61 28 3 Chris Woods 1996-05-11 36.49 7 4 Hugo Sanchez 1996-05-18 37.85 672 5 Thomas Ravelli 1998-03-21 38.60 452 6 Walter Zenga 1999-06-16 39.13 423 7 Lothar Matthaus 2000-08-12 39.39 238 8 Carlos Valderrama 2001-04-07 39.59 1,229 9 Preki 2004-08-18 41.15 2,018 10 Pat Onstad 2010-05-08 42.32 ??? The age is only for the date that it was set. Days refers to the number of days the player held the record. 1) Thor Lee, DC United - 30.84 years old Ex-indoor player famously waived after only two games in the inaugural season. Also the only American-born player to hold this record. Michael Emenalo of the San Jose Clash was the only other over-30 player in the opening game. Victor Mella was the youngest player that day. 2) Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay Mutiny - 34.61 No explanation necessary. Who would've thought he would play until 2002? Anyway, one week after the debut of MLS, he stepped onto the field and took the record. He would only hold it for a month, however... 3) Chris Woods, Colorado Rapids - 36.49 The former England goalkeeper who was the backup to Peter Shilton at the 1990 World Cup, and part of a disastrous opening season for the Colorado Rapids who finished dead last in the standings. I guess you could say they were the first record holders of the 'worst team ever' title. 4) Hugo Sanchez, Dallas Burn - 37.85 The Mexican legend took the field a week after Woods, scoring on his debut. It's still the fourth oldest debut in league history, and he held the title of oldest player until 1998. 5) Thomas Ravelli, Tampa Bay Mutiny - 38.60 The legendary Swedish goalkeeper and third oldest MLS debut. 6) Walter Zenga, New England Revolution - 39.13 On June 13th, 1999, he tied Ravelli exactly at 14,290 days before passing him a week later. It's also the first time on this list that the new record wasn't set with a debut. Zenga played in 1997, then came back as a player coach in 1999 and set the record midway through the year. 7) Lothar Matthaus, Metrostars - 39.39 He set the record on the first game back from his little summer vacation. I hate to see his name mentioned in any MLS record discussion, but I will admit I'm enjoying the way his coaching career has fallen apart everywhere he's gone. 8) Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay Mutiny - 39.59 This was the first game of the 2001 season. Five years later, El Pibe reclaims the record. This time, he held it for over three years. 9) Preki, Kansas City Wizards - 41.15 This was his first game of the 2004 season after missing the first half with an injury. He would only play one more regular season game before being shut down. It was all downhill for his playing career after the second MVP season in 2003, as his final season in 2005 was pretty uneventful. We're coming up on the five year anniversary of this record being set. Currently, Preki holds the record for oldest MLS player at 42.31 years. As of this past weekend, Pat Onstad was 41.57 years old. If Onstad is still playing next year, he'll break the record sometime next May. Likely date? Saturday, May 8th, 2010. 10) Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo - 42.32 It turns out that date was right on target. Unless Kasey Keller keeps playing, then this reign could last as long as Preki's or even longer.

MLS: Top Ten American Goalscorers by Year

Somebody posted a comment to the Age of MLS Golden Boot Winners post which inspired this post. Man, 2001 was really pathetic wasn't it? Moreso if you look at the full leaderboard. Wynalda was the only American in the top ten. Jeff Cunningham was counted from 2002 on, as he received his citizenship after the 2001 season. In 14 seasons, only 57 different players have made one of these top tens. How many of those guys have never played for the USMNT? A total of ten: Burciaga, Carrieri, Elliott, Magee, Marino, Paule, Rammel, Rhine, Rooney, Wood. 2009 1 Jeff Cunningham 17 2 Conor Casey 16 3 Landon Donovan 12 4 Robbie Findley 12 5 Josh Wolff 11 6 Nate Jaqua 9 7 Brian Ching 8 8 Kenny Cooper 7 9 Steve Ralston 7 10 Chris Rolfe 6 10 Eddie Gaven 6 10 Stuart Holden 6 2008 1 Landon Donovan 20 2 Kenny Cooper 18 3 Edson Buddle 15 4 Brian Ching 13 5 Conor Casey 11 6 Chad Barrett 9 6 Chris Rolfe 9 8 Jeff Cunningham 8 8 Steve Ralston 8 8 Taylor Twellman 8 2007 1 Taylor Twellman 16 2 Eddie Johnson 15 3 Ante Razov 11 4 Jozy Altidore 9 5 Landon Donovan 8 5 Robbie Findley 8 7 Chad Barrett 7 7 Brian Ching 7 7 Nate Jaqua 7 7 Pat Noonan 7 7 Ben Olsen 7 2006 1 Jeff Cunningham 16 2 Ante Razov 14 3 Landon Donovan 12 4 Brian Ching 11 4 Kenny Cooper 11 4 Taylor Twellman 11 7 Jose Burciaga 8 7 Clint Dempsey 8 7 Nate Jaqua 8 7 Jason Kreis 8 2005 1 Taylor Twellman 17 2 Jeff Cunningham 12 2 Landon Donovan 12 4 Herculez Gomez 11 5 Clint Dempsey 10 5 Josh Wolff 10 7 Edson Buddle 9 7 Jason Kreis 9 9 Eddie Gaven 8 9 Pat Noonan 8 9 Chris Rolfe 8 2004 1 Brian Ching 12 2 Eddie Johnson 12 3 Edson Buddle 11 4 Pat Noonan 11 5 Alecko Eskandarian 10 6 Josh Wolff 10 7 John Wolyniec 10 8 Davy Arnaud 9 9 Jeff Cunningham 9 10 Taylor Twellman 9 2003 1 Taylor Twellman 15 2 Ante Razov 14 3 Landon Donovan 12 3 Brian McBride 12 3 Preki 12 6 Mark Chung 11 7 Edson Buddle 10 7 Pat Noonan 10 9 Clint Mathis 9 10 DaMarcus Beasley 7 10 Jason Kreis 7 10 Mike Magee 7 2002 1 Taylor Twellman 23 2 Jeff Cunningham 16 3 Ante Razov 14 4 Jason Kreis 13 5 Chris Carrieri 11 5 Mark Chung 11 5 Chris Henderson 11 8 Edson Buddle 9 9 Landon Donovan 7 9 Chris Klein 7 9 Preki 7 9 Bobby Rhine 7 2001 1 Eric Wynalda 10 2 Preki 8 2 Brian Maisonneuve 8 2 Manny Lagos 8 5 Clint Mathis 7 5 Dante Washington 7 5 Landon Donovan 7 5 Roy Lassiter 7 5 Sasha Victorine 7 5 Steve Ralston 7 5 Jason Kreis 7 2000 1 Ante Razov 18 2 Clint Mathis 16 3 Dante Washington 15 4 Jason Kreis 11 5 Imad Baba 9 5 Chris Henderson 9 7 Roy Lassiter 8 7 Manny Lagos 8 9 Paul Bravo 7 9 Cobi Jones 7 9 Josh Wolff 7 1999 1 Jason Kreis 18 1 Roy Lassiter 18 3 Joe-Max Moore 15 4 Ante Razov 14 5 Josh Wolff 10 6 Cobi Jones 8 6 A.J. Wood 8 8 Paul Bravo 7 8 Clint Mathis 7 8 Preki 7 1998 1 Cobi Jones 19 2 Roy Lassiter 18 3 Paul Bravo 11 4 Brian McBride 10 4 Ross Paule 10 4 Preki 10 4 Ante Razov 10 8 Jason Kreis 9 9 Jim Rooney 8 9 Josh Wolff 8 1997 1 Preki 12 2 Dante Washington 12 3 Jeff Baicher 10 3 Mark Chung 10 3 Roy Lassiter 10 3 Lawrence Lozzano 10 7 Paul Bravo 8 7 Jason Kreis 8 7 Pete Marino 8 10 Imad Baba 7 10 Gerell Elliott 7 10 Chris Henderson 7 10 Cobi Jones 7 10 Alan Prampin 7 1996 1 Roy Lassiter 27 2 Preki 18 3 Brian McBride 17 4 Steve Rammel 14 5 Paul Bravo 13 5 Jason Kreis 13 7 Jean Harbor 11 7 Pete Marino 11 7 Joe-Max Moore 11 10 Eric Wynalda 10