Dorman: That Doozy of a Next Step

By: Jeff | February 20th, 2007

While the Soccer New England article on the expectations surrounding Andy Dorman’s 2007 hits all the key highlights - his growth as a player last year, as proved by his numbers as well as the absent shoes he’s expected to fill - but I’d argue that it also somewhat understates the magnitude of the step up required.

In Dorman’s defense, he’s really only needed to fill one set of shoes: Clint “Deuce” Dempsey’s. After all, Steve Nicol so rarely let Jose Cancela into a game that he was effectively, if puzzlingly, not a factor in the New England Revolution’s comparative success. And with Dempsey missing so much of 2006 through either injury or World Cup duty - and with his offensive production reflecting as much (go here and scroll down…whoops, um, please) Dorman’s immediate challenge gets shrinks a bit closer to a comfort zone.

For all that, though, Dorman has yet to show he’s a big enough player to assume this role. The thing is, even when Dempsey’s numbers didn’t reflect it, he was the kind of player who always could break open the game and, as such, he had to be watched and managed. Cancela, rarely as he was on, had that killer pass in his repertoire - which, again, made him something to watch. Now, as much as I admire Dorman’s determination, taking on that role - e.g. becoming a “go-to” kind of player - requires more than effort and energy. Maybe that’s not required. Even assuming no player in the 2007 rookie class can step up and take that role, a player or two on the current roster might be able to share the weight of expectation from Dorman; a healthy and tuned in Daniel Hernandez may be able to lift it entirely. But the assumption should be that Dorman wants the role and will fight for it.

Whatever happens, this constitutes an experiment every New England fan will observe in a spirit of either suffering or celebration. I’m not saying Dorman doesn’t have it in him. But I also have to confess to being nervous about the experiment.