Ready Eddie?

2008 has been a huge year for the Crew (some might use the word "Massive"). 5-1 start to the season. The emergence of Adam Moffat and Chad Marshall. The re-emergence of Alejandro Moreno and Gino Padula. The steadiness we expect from Guille and Frankie. And let's not forget, the fortifying of one soccer-specific Crew Stadium, where the Crew are 4-0.

But quietly going about his business is the humble Eddie Gaven. Once known as the MLS wunderkind who was destined to be a perennial MLS All Star, Gaven has been quietly having a nice season. It's not been one full of goals, mind you, but his presence in the midfield, especially on defense, is one of the reasons players like Moffat, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and Robbie Rogers have been so effective. Someone has to stay home and cover those offensive forays, especially when Moffat or Gino Padula go forward, and Gaven drinks that milkshake.

Unfortunately, "DP Eddie", as his teammates call him, is getting paid a helluva a lot of money to be a utility midfielder. Right or wrong, many fans expect that one of the highest-paid players on the team is going to develop into either a leader, a goal-scorer, or an ass-kicker. And while it's not Eddie Gaven's fault that someone in the Metrobulls front office decided he was worth $156,000 per year and then traded him to Columbus for Edson Buddle, Gaven is none of those three. In all honesty, his demeanor can best be described as "mopey".

Please understand, the word "mopey" is being used here in the most polite way possible. It's not moping like a little kid who doesn't get the big fancy toy he wanted for Christmas; it's more like the guy who just found out the girl he wanted to ask to prom already said yes to the backup quarterback. It's not that he's malcontent. He's just quiet. A little toooo quiet...

To be clear, I have been one of Eddie Gaven's most staunch defenders. Many have said that they would rather not see number 12 on the pitch, that he needs a break, give someone else a shot, blah blah blah. But on the heels of the news that Adam Moffat is out for the next few weeks due to knee surgery, I know this Crew fan was thrilled that we have someone of Gaven's ability to step into that midfield role. While he's not yet developed into the goal-scoring machine we'd all hoped he would be, Eddie Gaven is good with the ball at his feet, he can defend, and he can bring the ball into the offensive third. His big issue has been not turning chances into goals, something a winger must do for Sigi's system to be successful (see: Robbie Rogers).

(And by the way, if Sigi insists on putting Gaven out on the wing this weekend with either Ekpo or Migs in the middle, I will be gouging my eyes out with a bar of Zest that has been fashioned into a shiv...)

But even the most grizzled defender of E-Money has to admit that it's soon going to be time for him to start making a name for himself on this team. For too long, Gaven has been known as "the kid who could be great" or "that guy who had a couple good years with the Metrostars." He's been given a set of expectations, but those were all based on things he did in the past. Now is the time for Gaven to carve out a new niche for himself on this team, and it doesn't necesarily have to be on offense. We've already got Fearless Leader (Guillermo), Heart and Soul (Frankie), Brick Wall (Chad Marshall), Tenacious Scorer (Moreno), and Guy Who Looks Like He Might Be On A Wanted Poster In Rest Stops (Gino Padula).

But who is Eddie Gaven? Can he be "Second Scoring Threat"? Maybe not. But wouldn't we all welcome another "Hard-nosed Midfielder Who Can Get Forward" player?

The thing is, Gaven is better served playing in the middle of the pitch, where his creativity and sharp passing will suit him fine. Yet, Sigi insists on keeping the kid out wide, much in the way Coach 101 (and counting) kept Andy Herron out wide last season when his preferred position was in the middle. Fortunately for him, Gaven should be given a chance to see what he can do this week in the middle against a weak team in San Jose. With Moffat out of the lineup, and with such weak competition on the other side, Sigi would be crazy not to start Ekpo out wide and see what he can do, and let Eddie slide over to fill-in for the injured Scot.

Wherever he lines up, Gaven will be going against some old teammates in Ned Grabavoy and Kei Kamara. Those two are no longer in Columbus because they were left unprotected in the expansion draft for San Jose. And with more expansion teams on the way, Eddie Gaven is at a crossroads. Either he looks himself in the mirror and decides journeyman midfielder/forward is good enough, or he realizes that if he wanted to, he could assume the roles of some of the older guys on the team like Hejduk and Oughton when they leave. Eddie Gaven COULD be a steady presence in our midfield for years to come; he COULD be an 8-10 goal scorer. There is no doubt that he has the physical tools. But if he doesn't take his game to that next level, and if he doesn't start leaving a mark on the field (even if it's the defensive third), Gaven could be staring down a long career bouncing from team to team in the MLS.

It's go time, Eddie. One way or the other.