SECOND TO ONLY ONE
Soccer America ranks McCarty 2nd among central mids

Dax McCarty was the second best central midfielder in MLS, only to the LA Galaxy's Juninho, accoring to Soccer America. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images

He might not have made Major League Soccer's Best XI, which was released on Monday, but Soccer America gave Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty some love.

SA on Tuesday named McCarty as the second best central midfielder in the league, trailing only the LA Galaxy's Juninho.

The magazine did not state any reasons for McCarty's inclusion and high ranking, but many Red Bulls fans and media realize his worth.

McCarty was a hard-working, box-to-box midfielder who did a lot of the dirty work for the team, which finished third in the Eastern Conference before it was eliminated in the conference semifinals.

Sporting Kansas City's Roger Espinoza was third, followed by the San Jose Earthquakes' Rafael Baca and the Montreal Impact's Patrice Bernier.

"Central mids can be of different shapes and sizes, and though few have the exact same set of skills, teams can’t win consistently without good ones," Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney wrote.

Mahoney wrote that central midfielders are "players often burdened by both offensive and defensive duties. While they may not be box-to-box players, per se, they are expected to move and keep the ball when their team is in possession and to cut off passing lanes and win tackles to stifle the opposition. They are often paired with another similar type but could also be used to complement an attacking or holding mid."