Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. And sometimes the best offense comes from a defender with a big left foot. José Luis Burciaga Jr. netted game-winning goals in back-to-back games for the Wizards and led the team in scoring for much of the season. At one point in the season, the 24-year-old scored in three straight games, an impressive feat considering that no Major League Soccer defender had scored in consecutive games since 2002. Not averse to flattening attackers, Burciaga brought much-needed toughness as well as scoring. (The Wizards were among the least penalized teams in MLS last season. Coupled with a losing record, this fact suggests daintiness rather than sportsmanship.) An all-state competitor in high school in Texas, Burciaga has played on Under-20 and Under-23 U.S. teams. His name began to appear on lists of future national teams soon after the United States bowed out of the 2006 World Cup.
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