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Player of the Week: Michael Farfan

Photo: Earl Gardner

Michael Farfan is nasty.

No, not his demeanor. (Although James Riley might argue otherwise about his brother.)

It’s what he does with the ball. The way he threads through defenders like the ball’s attached to his foot. The way he makes them look like fools.

The way he turned Heath Pearce into a human turnstile, juked so bad that an attempted spin to locate Farfan was all Pearce could do to try to stop a cross in front of goal.

That Marfan bit of beauty produced the only goal Saturday night when Freddy Adu corralled Riley’s misplay and backheeled the rebound off the post and into the net.

Major League Soccer may not have been impressed enough to consider this for its Goal of the Week, but we certainly were. So Michael Farfan is our Player of the Week.

Farfan has been pushed more often to the center of the field, asked to create more of the attack. So far, it remains a work in progress, but it’s easy to argue that’s more due to the lack of production from striker than any misstep by Farfan. He completed 79 percent of his passes in Saturday’s match, despite having very little outlet ahead of him provided by striker Lionard Pajoy. If the Union can get some production up top, Farfan’s creativity may produce some more gems like the one he handed out Saturday.

Honorable mention: Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath for his continued solid play during his scoreless sheet, and Charleston Battery midfielder Ryan Richter, who scored and assisted on another goal against Charlotte last week and was named USL PRO player of the week.

3 Comments

  1. He’s like 23 right? The best possible case career trajectory I have for him is that he continues to improve and establishes himself as one of the best attacking mids in the MLS by the time he is 25. At that point he could become a decent bubble player for NT callups.
    I mean if career MLS bums like Wondowloski or Beckerman can continue to get NT respect than you have to think that players like Marfan or Williams could get to that point, assuming the continued development and eventual establishment as best in the MLS at their position.

    • Well, I think Wondolowski and Beckermann are more late bloomers than bums, particularly Wondo. Beckermann more needed to find his place on the field (now a holding mid, was an attacker). Wondo finds space in the attacking third as well as any US player. Neither of those guys has the kind of talent ceiling Marfan has. With Marfan, I think anything is possible, including what Clint Dempsey is doing now.

  2. Let’s call Wondo a bum AFTER we play them this week. If he hangs a brace on us we will be less inclined yes?

    Anyway, I think Marfan can be ultra good, last week should give him a little more confidence to do that kind of thing MORE often. He and Freddy need to be taking people on every time they touch it in the final third, has led to both our wins in the last two weeks.

    Any word on if Pajoy will be replaced in the lineup? I need him out, he is making me crazy. He is a running joke amongst my U buddies now.

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