CARSON, Calif. -- With Guillermo Barros Schelotto scheming his way to the MLS Most Valuable Player award and Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven flying down the wings, Columbus Crew striker Alejandro Moreno sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.
All the flashy options seem to obscure the seven-year veteran who shows up to work game after game and toils through the nitty gritty to help fuel the Crew offense.
"Everybody forgets about Alejandro Moreno, who is really the best back to goal forward in the league," Crew head coach Sigi Schmid. "He has that ability to hold up the ball and allow his team to join into the attack, which is very important."
Playing as the prototypical target forward, Moreno spends most of his time with his back to goal. Often times that means holding the ball up for as long as possible with defensive pressure closing in, buying time for his attacking teammates to join him.
Moreno serves both as a safety valve for his defense any time it needs to get the ball out of its end quickly and as a conduit to help bring others into the attack.
The work isn't always glamorous or eye-catching, but Moreno said he does what he has to do to help the Crew succeed.
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"It's my job," Moreno said. "I don't really think much of it. People make a big deal out of it but it's what I've done over seven years in this league. It hasn't changed. It hasn't gotten any prettier and it probably won't get any prettier. It is what it is."
The punishing role also means Moreno suffers a lot of fouls. Turning away from defenders means giving them a chance to kick him at every opportunity as he tries to buy time and space for his fellow attackers. Defenders take advantage by fouling him frequently. Only Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Rogers drew more whistles than Moreno's 69 fouls suffered this season.
The only surprise in that statistic was that Moreno didn't lead the league. Falling to third place snapped a three-year streak of leading the league in fouls suffered, including a career-high 112 fouls in 2006 with Houston.
Drawing all those fouls helps generate offense. Stopping play allows everyone to get forward when Moreno is isolated on a island. It also allows Schelotto the chance to deliver a swerving set piece into the penalty area.
"It's important for us because we're so dangerous on set pieces," Moreno said. "Hopefully, we can get a few of them on Sunday so he can serve a few of them and the big guys can come in and finish them off."
Focusing on Moreno's abilities as a target man might not give him enough credit for his ability to finish moves. Moreno scored a career-high nine goals this season after tallying seven last season, many of those goals coming from predatory strikes inside the penalty area. That goalscoring form earned him a recall to the Venezuelan national team for recent World Cup qualifiers.
New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio said Moreno's ability to beat players on the turn helps him finish the moves he starts.
"Moreno is a good target man with a low center of gravity," Osorio said. "He likes to turn and take people on."
Even after nearly breaking the 10-goal barrier this season, Moreno didn't receive the widespread recognition his work likely deserved. His name rarely comes up amongst the league's best forwards and he didn't receive any postseason honors.
External recognition doesn't matter to Moreno, who says he receives all the plaudits he needs inside his own locker room.
"I do what I do and I do it to the best of my abilities," Moreno said. "I think the team appreciates it and I think Sigi appreciates it. That's really all that matters."
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