[nas] Nice Buddle piece

Buddle emerges after rededicating himself 
Crew forward credits McBride for helping him become scoring threat 

By Craig Merz
Columbus Dispatch - Saturday, September 20, 2003

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was a time when the Crew coaching staff
wondered if Edson Buddle was fit enough to go 90 minutes. Nowadays, it's
tough to get him off the field. 

The transformation from a young, bucking colt into a thoroughbred has
been
one of the Crew's best success stories: Buddle has gone from the 27 th
overall pick in the 2001 draft to one of the most dangerous forwards in
Major League Soccer. 

His seven-game point streak (seven goals and one assist) is the longest
active streak in the league and has moved him into an 11 th-place tie in
points with teammate Brian McBride. Both have eight goals and two assists
despite missing multiple games because of injuries. 

The Crew is 5-0-2 this season when the pair starts, as they will tonight
against the MetroStars. 

Buddle has done his damage despite starting 10 games while recovering
from a
hip flexor tear. Then again, he is known for doing a lot with little. He
is
averaging 1.58 points per 90 minutes throughout his career to rank sixth
all
time in MLS. He is also fifth all time with .46 goals per game. 

Much of Buddle's success is credited to McBride. 

"The way he conducts himself, he's a person I look up to," Buddle said.
"McBride's a person who, when he walks through a room, I still get a
little
twitch. He's done so much for soccer in this country and I learn a lot
from
him. We could go on all day about McBride. We can sit here and write a
book.
He's talking to me constantly on the field and we're clicking right now." 

Having a U.S. team standout such as McBride has been beneficial, but a
player has to help himself. Buddle decided early last season that he
wasn't
fit enough to compete at the MLS level. He worked with a nutritionist and
lost nearly 20 pounds. He also spent more time after practice honing his
skills. 

"As with any player, there's a certain time in his career when he looks
at
the big picture," coach Greg Andrulis said. "There was a time last year
when
he wanted to change his approach to the game." 

Another motivating factor was having longtime friend Kyle Martino on the
team. Neither wanted to be outworked by the other. 

"There were times last year when Edson didn't necessarily take the game
more
seriously," Martino said. "He took it upon himself to get to the next
level." 

Buddle, 22, returned from a tour of England with the Under-23 team in
August
2002 with a different outlook. He scored four goals and had two assists
in
four Crew games. 

He finished the regular season with nine goals and five assists for 23
points - all career bests - while playing 21 games and starting 13. 

His sterling play continued in the playoffs. He scored once and assisted
on
the winner in a 2-1 win over San Jose, then assisted on the deciding goal
the next game to clinch the series. 

However, his season was cut short in the first game of the semifinals
when
he broke his right foot. 

McBride said Buddle's day will come. 

"He has enough talent, for sure," he said. "Edson is beginning to find
out
how much it helps to move off the ball. He's got great control, he's
strong
in the air and he's a great finisher. He's had the right attitude, too." 


-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - mmm... Fastmail...

---
See all of today's Soccer News Links at:  http://www.sams-army.com/
NAS is hosted by America Kicks (http://www.americakicks.com)
To subscribe or unsubscribe: http://nas.americakicks.com
To post, send an email to nas@americakicks.com