SPORTS
Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
March 7, 2016
Asians in American sports w Asian Americans in world sports
Asian talent aids major-league
soccer teams now and in the future
By Mike Street
Special to The Asian Reporter
U
nlike some sports, Major League Soccer (MLS)
does not have Asian talent in great numbers, but
what it lacks in quantity, it makes up with
quality. Current Asian players are among the best in the
league, and two recent acquisitions should keep their
ranks strong in the future.
The most exciting Asian MLS player is the New
England Revolution’s Lee Nguyen, a dynamic attacking
midfielder. Nguyen, a Vietnamese American, played in
Holland, Denmark, and Vietnam before coming to New
England in 2012.
Nguyen scored five goals and assisted in two more that
season, earning the fan MVP award. Nguyen made good
on that title in 2013 by helping the team reach the playoffs
for the first time since 2009. Then, Nguyen exploded in
2014, scoring 18 goals, a Revolution record and an MLS
record for a player who played largely as a midfielder. He
scored 12 of those goals in the final 14 games and the Revs
again reached the playoffs, only to fall to the L.A. Galaxy
in the final.
In 2015, Nguyen scored seven goals and notched a
career-best 10 assists, becoming the first New England
player to register three assists in a game. For the third
straight season, the Revolution reached the playoffs, but
they lost in the first round. Nguyen’s continuing
development will be crucial to the team’s success.
Playing alongside Nguyen in the midfield is Japan’s
Daigo Kobayashi, who has been equally instrumental in
the success of the Revs. Known for his slick passing skills,
Kobayashi played professionally in Japan, Norway, and
Greece then signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Kobayashi scored two goals and assisted on four more
with the Whitecaps in 2013 before being traded to New
England.
Kobayashi appeared in all 34 of the Revolution’s games
in 2014, the second New England player ever to achieve
that feat. Though he tallied just four assists, half of them
were on game-winning goals — one of them by Nguyen.
In 2015, Kobayashi missed eight games due to injury,
starting in 11 of his 21 appearances. He had an impact
nonetheless, assisting on two goals, including another
game-winner by Nguyen. Now 33 years old, Kobayashi
should see a further decline in playing time, but his
veteran presence will be important for a team that has
only three players over the age of 30.
Another star Asian player, goalkeeper Luis Robles of
the New York Red Bulls, will do his best to shut down the
Revolution’s scorers. Robles, a Korean American and a
NEW SEASON STARTS. The New England Revolution’s Lee Nguyen (left photo, #24) joined the club in March of 2012. Luis Robles of the New
York Bulls (right photo, outstretched in air) signed with his squad in August of 2012. Both players have been integral to their team’s success in Major
League Soccer (MLS). The 2016 MLS season kicked off this past weekend. (AR Photos/Jan Landis)
University of Portland graduate, played in Germany’s knows how to advance in the playoffs. He joined the L.A.
Bundesliga for five years before the New York Red Bulls Galaxy in 2005, the year they won the MLS Cup.
Since then, Nagamura played for Toronto and Chivas
signed him.
Since becoming the team’s full-time keeper in 2013, USA before joining Kansas City in 2012. One year after he
Robles has played every minute of New York’s matches. donned their kit, Sporting KC won the MLS Cup,
He saved 111 shots in 2014 and won 18 games in 2015, Nagamura’s second. Kansas City has signed the 12-year
both among the top in the league. Last season, Robles was veteran for another season in 2016 and they will look
voted MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and was a member of forward to his championship presence as they seek
the Best XI squad.
another MLS Cup win.
Despite Robles’s excellence, New York has yet to win
The most exciting Asian additions in 2016 come to
the MLS Cup. They’ve made the playoffs every season Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps via the
since Robles joined the team, but they haven’t been able to amateur draft and an international signing. Toronto has
escape the conference playoffs. Having the stalwart only reached double digits in wins three times in its
Robles in the net will make the Red Bulls a favorite to nine-year history, peaking last season with 15 wins, when
they reached the playoffs for the first time.
reach the playoffs again — and perhaps reach the top.
Toronto FC did not advance, but the club still secured
Midfielder Paulo Nagamura and Sporting Kansas City
also departed the playoffs too soon in 2015, losing in the the ninth overall pick in this year’s SuperDraft, which
opening round to eventual champion Portland. they used to obtain Tsubasa Endoh. Endoh, a Tokyo-born
Nagamura, who is of Brazilian and Japanese descent,
Continued on page 13
NBA player Jeremy Lin addresses Asian stereotypes at Oscars
By Steve Reed
AP Sports Writer
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HARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets guard
Jeremy Lin expressed disappointment about the
way Asians were stereotyped during an onstage
skit at the Oscars and said more racial awareness is
needed.
“I just feel like sometimes the way people perceive
Asians or Asian Americans today can be disappointing in
the way they view them,” Lin said after a practice with the
Hornets. “Even Asian-American masculinity or whatever
you want to talk about, just a lot of the ways that Asians
are perceived, I don’t always agree with.”
Lin was born in California, but his parents immigrated
to the U.S. from Taiwan in the mid-1970s.
At the awards show, host Chris Rock introduced three
Asian children dressed in tuxedos as Pricewater-
houseCoopers accountants and joked: “They sent us their
most dedicated, accurate, and hardworking representa-
tives. I want you to please welcome Ming Zhu, Bao Ling,
and David Moskowitz.”
He later joked, “If anybody’s upset about that joke, just
tweet about it on your phone that was probably also made
by these kids.”
Lin took to social media the next day by tweeting:
“Seriously though, when is this going to change?!? Tired of
it being “cool” and “ok” to bash Asians smh #Oscars.”
Lin wasn’t the only one upset.
Mee Moua, president and executive director of the
Washington-based Asian Americans Advancing Justice,
called the show a setback for diversity.
The “night’s ceremony, and particularly the ‘joke’
involving Asian children, which played off more than one
damaging stereotype of Asians and Asian Americans,
exposed one of the failings of how we talk about race in
America: race relations are not a black-white binary,”
Moua said. “It is to all of our detriment to look at race
narrowly. We need to work together to dismantle the
systems that devalue the experiences of minority groups
so we can see the tales of the diversity that have shaped
our nation reflected accurately.”
Lin said he’s never met Rock and has “no issues” with
the comedian, calling him a “funny guy.”
He understands that Rock probably didn’t write the skit
by himself, but couldn’t let the perceived slight slip by
without making a stand.
“I thought it was a chance for me to stand up for Asians,”
Lin said.
Lin, who earned national attention for his scoring
prowess while playing for the New York Knicks during the
“Linsanity” era, said too often Asians are depicted with
certain stereotypes in Hollywood.
“In acting, you look at Asian roles, they always seem to
be in similar roles,” Lin said. “I feel like we are just so
much more broad than that. What you see on TV, that is so
influential. Perception is reality and that’s the truth in
today’s day and age — and we’re in such a technological
and digital age.
“So if we can start branching out a little bit or at least
showing that we are different than what other people
think we are, maybe we can start to break down some of
those walls.”
Lin said his comments on Twitter aren’t meant to bash
Rock.
He said he actually enjoyed Rock’s opening monologue
when he talked about the lack of diversity in the Oscar
award nominations.
“I think the whole push was he talking about
opportunities and diversity and things that I totally agree
with,” Lin said. “I thought his monologue was well done.
He walked a fine line and did it pretty well.”
AP National writer Hillel Italie in New York contributed to this report.