The Paunovic Factor
- by JonMarks
- August 25th, 2011
- Opinion
- 5 Comments
As the Union’s season grinds on, the playoff picture remains blurry. It makes me nostalgic for the old days when life was much simpler. Remember when we had a little fish and we “Harveyed” all the time? The postseason seemed to be a lock, and it was only a matter of time before Seba opened his scoring account on the inevitable path to an MVP season. Mondragon and Valdez were a new sensation in Philly and we just couldn’t get seem to get enough of……..
Veljko Paunovic. Who? Veljko Paunovic. On June 13th the Union signed the Serbian MF/F who spent most of his career in Spain’s la liga. Many wondered why the Union would sign a 34 year old mostly retired player. Even Paunovic’s twitter account strongly suggested that his focus was on coaching at this point in life. The Serb was inserted into the starting XI, and it took 3 games before he struck with a goal and assist against Chivas USA.
Was Paunovic signed because of the increasingly inevitable departure of Ruiz? Possibly. Coach Nowak likes to have experience on the field, but the compliment to Ruiz has become his replacement.
Are 3 goals and an assist in 9 games enough to put you on the Paunovic bandwagon? He has experience and poise which have shown up in key moments. As for whether he’s better as an attacking midfielder or a forward, with his level of experience it shouldn’t matter. He should be able to put his game on the field and fit well with the younger players around him.
Can his output spark the Union’s drive to the playoffs? Is the attacking trio now to be made up of Adu, Paunovic, and Le Toux? Adu is a big signing, no question about that. But it still seems that Paunovic will be a key player if the Union are to be successful in the playoffs. His experience and ability to pop up at key moments could be just what we need. I for one hope to see “Old Serby Bastard” continue to have a strong “impact” on the team and tweet about it in three, yes three languages. So, who’s down with OSB?
Looking at the goals he has scored, Paunovic is the most professional-looking excuse for a striker on the squad. The fiery youthful exuberance of Mwanga and JackMac is too unrefined, Adu is still finding himself, and Seba…well, isn’t in a good place right now. Veljko could be the key, especially in the absence of a goal-poaching Ruiz blocking the path to the net.
August 25, 2011 @ 11:59 pm