Marshall surprised at defensive honor
Crew veteran named Visa Defender of Year for second straight season
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"It's a great honor, obviously," the Columbus Crew defender said. "If the team does well you'll get recognized."
Marshall, the second overall pick of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft behind Freddy Adu, helped the Crew repeat as Supporters' Shield winner while anchoring the third-best defense in the league.
However, unlike last season when he was a clear favorite, Marshall felt his prolonged absences from the Crew might hinder his chances to win this season. He started all 18 games he appeared in but missed 12 because of U.S. national team duty, injuries and suspensions.
He sat the final six games of the regular season because of a left knee sprain. Marshall returned for the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series on Saturday at Real Salt Lake and was in the lineup again Thursday for the return match in Crew Stadium.
"He's makes a huge difference," goalkeeper William Hesmer said. "He impacts the way teams play. He impacts their whole game plan in my opinion. It makes it tough for the opposing forwards to even get a touch on the ball.
"Our set pieces, they have to play our forwards differently now because they're worried about fouling around the box and the dangerous services into Chad. He's a huge addition. We did well with him gone but we're certainly glad to have him back."
The 6-foot-4 Marshall is a tower of strength at both ends. He forces attacks to play on the ground or to the flanks to avoid his presence at center back.
He's also deadly on set the Crew's set pieces. He scored four goals in the 2008 regular season off restarts from Guillermo Barros Schelotto and added a goal in the Eastern Conference Championship vs. Chicago and the winner in the MLS Cup against New York in similar fashion.
Marshall scored four goals this season as well, including a free kick at Colorado for one of his three winners. He was the MLS Player of the Month for August after leading the Crew to a 4-1-0 record during the month, which included four shutouts.
"Absolutely he has had a very good year for us," Columbus coach Robert Warzycha said. "Chad was paired with some very young players like Andy (Iro) and Eric Brunner. We asked him to do a lot."
The Crew often used the first-year Brunner and Iro, in his second season, in the middle with Marshall.
"I hope I've been a help to them. I had good advice from some veterans when I first came into the league," Marshall said.
Ironically, one of those tutors his rookie season -- Robin Fraser -- is now a coach for Real Salt Lake. Fraser was the first Crew backliner to be named Defender of the Year in 2004.
Marshall has made steady progress over the years but his development was stunted in 2007 when he sat the final two months because of post-concussion syndrome.
He made a strong recovery last season and was named to the MLS Best XI. He added a selection this year's All-Star Game to his resume.
"When you can't play you really how much you miss the game," he said. "That's why I really wanted to get back into the lineup as soon as possible. I missed enough games two years ago and never want to go through that again."
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com
