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Taylor Twellman's goal Saturday night was nothing short of breath-taking. (Photo credit: Joyce Furia) |
And Twellman's tally struck me as having all the components of a singularly great goal: athleticism, technique and inspiration.
First, he beat a taller defender to a head ball, sending the ball high over his own head. Then, in the instant it took to land on two feet and glance skyward, he had the inspiration to throw the bicycle. Finally, he had the technique to spring up and strike the ball perfectly into the corner of the goal while being sandwiched by two defenders. This goal required every bit of skill, power and finesse in Twellman's body executed with absolute precision.
This holy trinity of soccer magic seldom visits the field of play, and yet this is the type of goal we are all waiting for, all the time, at every game we watch. It was a magical goal. And like Maradona's, one I will never forget.
Another thing I will never forget is sitting in the stands thinking: Here it is, the final test of the Nicol Doctrine, that doctrine by which it makes sense to have no Designated Player on the roster, to develop talent rather than buy it. By the Nicol Doctrine, leaving two roster spots open and developing virtually no bench depth is not an obstacle to winning, it is a method by which to gain cohesion in the starting squad.
Chicago came to town with Wilman Conde and Paulo Wanchope and Cuatemhoc Blanco, all relatively big name foreign additions who seemed to transform the Fire's season from futile to successful.
I wondered: Will Blanco prove Nicol wrong?
But he didn't. All the ranting and raving I've been doing all season about depth and impact players and scouting problems and the profligacy of the management team was for naught. They've proven me wrong.
Sure, you could argue that until they win the MLS Cup, the Nicol Doctrine will be a hypothesis more than a proof, but you don't get this far, you don't win this many games without being right. The MLS Cup will be a good match, but it will tell you as much about Nicol's philosophy asthe opening coin toss will. Thirty-three games and a berth in the Cup Final are all the data points I need to tell you.
Basically, he was right, and I was wrong.
I still hope the Revolution will go out in the offseason and upgrade their roster, spend a little money and add some depth. But in the meantime, I'll be snacking on crow while watching the MLS Cup, and hoping against hope that the club will finally bring home the big one.
Emlyn Lewis can be reached at
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