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ASN 100 Analysis

Can Sebastian Lletget Play His Way into the ASN 100?

ASN 100 panelist Jason Davis certainly thinks so. (And who are we to disagree?) Davis also offers some thoughts on Bradley v. Dempsey, the curious case of Stu Holden, and the unsexiness of Rico Clark.
BY Noah Davis Posted
December 11, 2012
7:09 AM
1. Michael Bradley moved past Clint Dempsey for the No. 1 spot in the ASN 100. Do you agree with that change at the top?
Absolutely. Clint's the more accomplished player, and he's got the flashier game, but it's Bradley that's shown in the recent past why he's so integral to the success of his team, both club and country. Bradley won't score the goals to get the headlines, but there should be no question that he's the number one American player at the moment.

2. Who is the most overrated American player in terms of their current ASN ranking? Why?
Stuart Holden. The announcement that Stu is going to back to full training with Bolton is exciting, even if it is for only half of the sessions, but Holden is clearly still months away from a first team return. Considering the amount of time he's missed—Holden has played exactly 90 minutes of first team soccer in 633 days—I can't in good conscious rate him so highly. It's astounding to me that his previous reputation still has him in the top 50.

3. And the most underrated player? How come?
Ricardo Clark. I know, I know, it's like the unsexiest pick ever. But Rico was really, really good for Houston down the stretch of the MLS season. If he was being judged in a vacuum, without the specter of South Africa 2010 hanging over his head, I'm positive he'd be ranked much higher. On the merits of his play, he should be.

4. Which player outside the top 100 most deserves to make the list?
Sebastian Lletget. It's easy to forget about the 20-year old, but he's making steady progress through the ranks at West Ham and could be in line for his senior team debut sometime this season. I try to be careful not to overvalue potential, but a spot just on the edge of the top 100 doesn't seem too much for Lletget. Meanwhile, several players cling to the spots in the rankings despite neither potential nor strong recent performance.

5. Who should be off it?
Edson Buddle. It's just time.

Who do you think is ranked too high? Too low? Check out the ASN 100 here, leave your comments below the interactive list, and be sure to click the tabs up top so you can reassemble the players by different categories.

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