Joseph puts himself on map
FOXBOROUGH -- Five Revolution players are with national teams this week, greatly weakening the lineup for Saturday's visit to Real Salt Lake. Clint Dempsey, Steve Ralston, goalkeeper Matt Reis, and Taylor Twellman trained yesterday in Columbus, Ohio, in preparation for the US-Mexico game, and Avery John joined Trinidad and Tobago for a game against Guatemala.
But the Revolution's losses could have been worse if not for an impetuous decision made by Shalrie Joseph four years ago. Joseph opted to perform for Grenada's national team in the Windward Islands tournament, despite the fact his family had settled in Brooklyn. The Grenadans won the event, Joseph scoring the first goal in a 2-0 victory over St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the spectators including the Grenada prime minister.
When Joseph emerged as a starter for the Revolution in 2003, US coach Bruce Arena was starting to rebuild the team for World Cup qualifying. Inquiries were made about Joseph's international background, but any attempt at recruitment was halted by the fact he had performed for his native country.
Now, Joseph is among the outstanding performers on the leading team in Major League Soccer.
''Shalrie is a dominant player in the league," Kraft Soccer president Sunil Gulati said after the Revolution's 2-1 win over D.C. United Saturday night. ''His passing has improved and he has become a leader on the field, as well."
Joseph moved to Crown Heights at age 14, never quite absorbing into the mainstream soccer culture until he enrolled at St. John's University. Before that, Joseph received few encouraging signs, and had no contact with the US Soccer Federation. Bryant & Stratton College in Syracuse, N.Y., where Joseph began his collegiate career, is not a priority stop on the soccer scouts' map. Joseph went to a MetroStars tryout but was not called back.
Joseph was getting the message. If a player has not been invited to a US camp by the time he is in his 20s, the odds are astronomically against him ever playing for the full national team.
''I support the US team and my heart is with them," Joseph said yesterday. ''I always back the team and pray for them to win every game. I feel I am part of the team because they have so many of my [Revolution] teammates.
''Some days I regret my decision, but my roots are in Grenada and I decided to play for them. If I thought it through I might have done it differently. I should have had bigger expectations for myself. But when I was a kid in Brooklyn, I did not think the opportunity was going to come along. I did not have the spotlight shining on me."
Last week, Joseph played the entire match for an MLS Select team in a 5-0 loss to Real Madrid at Estadio Bernabeu. Joseph provided a good test for the ''Galacticos" in the center of midfield, an especially complex position against top-level players from a mental and physical standpoint. To be in that position would hardly have been a realistic hope for anyone from a small Caribbean island and for few growing up in Crown Heights.
The most striking thing about Joseph is that he has become a player who can defend and transition into offense, then compose and dictate the offensive flow. There have been very few midfielders with those qualities in this country. Additionally, Joseph has performed at a high level in central defense, using power and size combined with excellent ball distribution, and he has recently displayed goal-scoring ability.
Joseph, 27, has a refined sense of the game and also a fearlessness that appears almost irrational. Joseph has played in several games with a broken nose, this year continuing to perform despite the risk of aggravating a cheekbone break which could have affected his eye socket.
''It is a difficult position," Joseph said of the holding midfield spot. ''You are not just winning balls but also distributing. Some guys can win balls but can't distribute and others can distribute but are not so good at winning balls. My strength is that I can win the ball, I can organize the midfield, and I can convert to attack.
''But there is not a lot of reward to playing in that position. Personally, I love winning the ball and getting it to the forwards."
Joseph credits his development to playing in the US. The Windward Islands produce few top-notch players, especially in Joseph's position. The top European clubs usually recruit Caribbean players to provide a physical presence in defense or as strikers, seldom to organize the team.
''He should be the league's most valuable player," said Joseph's agent, Ron Waxman. ''He is the MVP on the best team in the league. How many two-way players are there in the league? He shuts down the best player on the other team, he is the best defensive midfielder and one of the best attacking midfielders in the league."
Khano Smith scored five goals as the Revolution took a 7-0 victory over the University of Massachusetts in a scrimmage at Wrentham State School yesterday. Jason Moore, who performed in 16 games for the Revolution during the 2003 season, played 90 minutes on the left wing.
