Angel or Villan?

Every so often, a player comes along whose ability to defy expectation raises the level of those around him. Often possessing a deft touch, crunching tackle and/or weird signature hairstyle, this individual’s contribution comes as much in the dressing room as on the field and independent of individual form.

So valuable is such as player that their name is interwoven in to the history of the club– becomes the stuff of celebratory song and jibes for club supporters. While names like Ramos, Meola, and Donadoni are quietly uttered by old Metros supporters, we have still yet to unearth that player who can inspire a team to victory.

As New Yorkers, we long for a good show and short of a strange haircut (paging mark Semioli) this is most likely to come in the form of goals. After being linked to a host of aging head cases, it seems we have finally settled on Aston Villa’s Juan Pablo Angel. To his credit, Angel has performed for Villa and is proven at the highest level. But if he is so good, how did we manage to snap him up from a relegation threatened side in need of goals?

While I must admit to my reservations about the move for an aging striker, I know nothing about the player, so I turned to the experts to answer this question—the fans themselves:

Angel has one of the best football brains I have ever seen, he is a footballers footballer, the thing that lets him down in the Premiership is his pace – he has every other asset in abundance. Writes one Villa Talk member. “He is also a very likeable man and will no doubts become a fan favorite for his commitment and loyalty to the cause.

A technically gifted player who in his prime, at a club with players who were on the same wavelength, could have been truly world class… reads a similar posting, which invites me to check out the dozens of Angel threads created on the message board.”

In a post appropriately titled “Hero or Flop”, the general fan consensus seems to be that Angel continues to possess excellent vision and touch while his lack of speed- rather than lack of desire or form—has confined him to the bench.

So to retract my earlier statement, I am totally on board for this move. On this evidence, Angel is a committed player looking for a fresh start after a change of managers. With that said, his admitted lack of pace may also bode well for physical attributes of Altidore, who would play the role of provider—dropping back to draw away defenders and carry the ball from midfield while learning to finish from a pro.

With Wolynic backing up Alti, the odd man out in this equation looks to be Clint Mathis, who now faces down the prospect of battling two designated players for time on the field.

My prediction: If Angel can put together the goals, Clint will selling hotdogs by midseason.

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