Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley was voted MLS’s second-most overrated player in a recent player poll conducted by ESPN, while Montreal Impact midfielder Ignacio Piatti was voted as the most underrated.
Bradley received 10 per cent of the vote from the 104 current players polled by ESPN in the pre-season, finishing just behind LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos, voted most-overrated with 11 per cent.
Bradley’s TFC teammate and countryman Jozy Altidore was voted most-overrated by seven per cent of respondees, tied with Columbus Crew winger and fellow American Gyasi Zardes for third. Four per cent of players voted Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Brek Shea as most-overrated.
According to ESPN, the United States’ failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup figured prominently in the standing of Bradley and Altidore in the poll. The higher-than-average salaries of both players — Bradley makes $6.5 million, Altidore $4.875 million — were also likely factors in the results.
Piatti, who edged Chicago Fire midfielder Dax McCarty as most underrated, scored 17 goals for Montreal last season while making just $425,000, though he did receive a significant raise in his new contract. One of the players polled called the Argentine “a top-five player in the league.”
TFC star forward Sebastian Giovinco also featured in the poll, tying with NYCFC’s David Villa as the toughest individual opponent. Both received 10 per cent of the vote.
[relatedlinks]
