The Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco says he doesn’t see the similarities between him and the Columbus Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto, whom he will face in Thursday’s Eastern Conference final. As for Schelotto, he says of Blanco, “We play the same position, but we each have our own style.” While there are differences between the two 35-year-old creative playmakers, it’s hard to ignore the similarities.
Here is a closer look at the two stars:
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO
BIRTHPLACE
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO Mexico City
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO Buenos Aires
SALARY
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO $2.67M per season
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO $375,000 per season
2008 STATS
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO 7 goals, 11 assists in 27 games
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO 7 goals, 19 assists in 27 games
HONORS
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO Fire MVP and finalist for league MVP in his first MLS season in 2007. This year, Blanco won the MLS All-Star game MVP and is again a finalist for league MVP.
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO Crew MVP and a MLS Best XI selection in 2007. Schelotto won the Crew MVP award again in 2008 and is the favorite to win this season’s league MVP award.
HE SAID, HE SAID
CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO “[Schelotto] is a good player, but I think that whole team did well this year. We need to be ready.”
GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO “With one touch, [Blanco] can change the game. You have to pay close attention to him.”
