1. Brian McBride
The 31-year-old ex-Buffalo Grove High School star has been to the World Cup, played in the English Premier League and holds Columbus Crew all-time records for points (142) and goals (50) through an eight-year pro career. He’s good-looking, too. McBride posed in the 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue with his wife, Dina.
2. Jesse Marsch
A Racine, Wis., native, the durable Fire midfielder is in his eighth pro season. He has logged 143 pro starts and appeared in 167 MLS games.
3. Mike Magee
Just a rookie, the 18-year-old MetroStars forward from Barrington Hills is making a big splash in the Big Apple. He already has six goals, second highest on the team, and is only one of two MetroStars players to appear in all 16 games.
4. Up-and-comers
– Tim Regan: The MetroStars’ rookie midfielder/defender was a high school All-American at Sandburg and earned all-Missouri Valley honors four years at Bradley.
– Johanes Maliza: San Jose midfielder was a record-setter with Chicago Latin (79 goals, 44 assists) and starred at Stanford, where he was first-team all-Pac-10 in 2002.
– Doug Warren: The D.C. United backup goalie is a Palatine High School graduate who saw his first pro action in last month’s U.S. Open Cup against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
