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Carlos Bocanegra

Marshall again named top MLS defender

Fri, 11/06/2009 - 12:40 by shalini.bahadur

Columbus, Ohio -- Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew has been named Major League Soccer Defender of the Year for the second straight season, the league announced Thursday.

The 6-foot-4 defender from Riverside, Calif., started in each of the 18 matches he played in the regular season.

Marshall, 25, is the second player in MLS history to win consecutive top-defender awards. The Chicago Fire's Carlos Bocanegra won in 2002 and 2003.

The Crew's defense, anchored by Marshall, allowed just 31 goals during the regular season.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.

Gooch: The gentle football giant of the US defence

Fri, 06/26/2009 - 19:50 by Inderjit Singh

Johannesburg, June 26 -- After holding the vaunted Spanish frontline scoreless in the semifinal, the United States defence is looking to shut down the equally high-powered Brazilian attack in the final of the Confederations Cup Sunday.

The rock at the back for the United States in the tournament so far has been Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu, who has played in every minute of the their first four matches and picked up slack for injured captain Carlos Bocanegra.

And though Bocanegra returned against Spain, it was Gooch who drew attention with a string of last-ditch tackles and dramatic saves.

As early as the first minute against the Spanish, his no-nonsense clearance of a dangerous corner showed it would be the big man's night.