When I started thinking about who I would name my "Player of the Playoffs" for 2011, I ran into a bit of a stumbling block. We had, after all, only one match that was really, well, good, one that was terrifying, and one that was heartbreaking. All three matches required different contributions from different players.
While it really took a team effort in the first match to make our mark, there were a few standout players who made the match their own. Of those — Javier Morales, Ned Grabavoy, Alvaro Saborio, and others — one player well and truly stood out. That same player made his mark against the Galaxy as well, and by saying that, I've made it all too obvious.
Alvaro Saborio, for his dazzling goal against Seattle, his never-ending work rate, and his ability to make something out of nothing, is my Player of the Playoffs. In a close second is Javier Morales, who grabbed assists in the two matches in which we scored.
Sometimes, this season, it's been awfully easy to slag off Saborio for his seemingly bad attitude. There were many calling for his head after he stormed into the locker room after being substituted, and on the pitch, he wasn't doing anything of interest. But form, as they say, is temporary, and we now see a Saborio capable of again scoring magical goals, of working for the team — perhaps a mysterious entity for our side, but one that we need.
He came to play Champions League football, and that's what he's going to get — and we have, in part, him to thank for helping us get back there. That, on its own, is reason enough to keep him safe and sound in our side.
Sure, we pay him a pretty penny, and when a player like Saborio is not at his best, it becomes easy to think, "Why, we should simply spend our money elsewhere, I say!" But the problems we experienced this season are well-known, and certainly we can see that a few core problems branched out into bigger problems around the board. (Or, on the pitch, perhaps. I do sometimes mix my metaphors, as you've likely noticed.)
More tomorrow on our season, but for today, let's all bask in the rays of goalscoring gold that is Alvaro Saborio.
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