By Michael Lewis - NEW YORK, NY (Oct 28, 2011) US Soccer Players -- As his career dwindles own to a precious few games, Los Angeles Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter is savoring every minute and making sure every minute counts on the field.
"I'm putting every last drop of energy in and the effort in these last games," Berhalter said. "There are four games left in my soccer career. It is something I have been doing for 18 years. And it's just going to be gone. I'm never going to have that feeling again on the field. It's strange. It's definitely not easy to grasp. I'm going to give everything and hopefully it will be enough."
For the 38-year-old Berhalter and his teammates, the road to MLS Cup begins at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, when the Galaxy take on the New York Red Bulls in first game of the Western Conference semifinals, total goals series.
Berhalter is one of those players you want on your team. He might not be the most elegant or fastest defender around, but his grittiness can be infectious. So, it should not be surprising that the Galaxy cutting its goals allowed total in half - from 62 to 31 from 2008 to 2009 - coincided with Berhalter joining the club.
As Supporters' Shield champions, the Galaxy are favorites to reach the MLS Cup final at its own ground -- The Home Depot Center in Carson, California on November 20th. Berhalter, however, said the Galaxy did not feel it had a right to win the championship after recording a sterling 19-5-10 mark and 67 points, that the team had to earn it.
"It's a lot easier said than done. We know that," he said in a telephone interview on Thursday. "That season's over. Right now we're focusing on basically four games. We have to put all our energy into those games. No one has the right… you have to earn that right. We're well aware of that. But we feel we have a great squad. We have talented players."
LA will be fighting history. Only five Supporters Shield champions have managed to raise the MLS Cup trophy over their heads - DC (1997 and 1999), Kansas City (2000), LA (2002), and the Columbus Crew (2008).
"I can understand why," Berhalter said. "My theory would be that teams are satisfied. You play 34 games and you come in first, you feel like you've won. That's the way it is in the rest of the world in soccer. Part of it is, just putting it all away and realizing that the season is a way to get to the playoffs…. You have to take every game as it comes."
It has been a long, grueling season for the Galaxy, which also has played six games in the CONCACAF Champions League, traveling to Costa Rica, Mexico and Honduras. Berhalter wouldn't use that as an excuse. In fact, he felt that helped the Galaxy.
"Obviously, we're well supporter by our owners and that makes a huge difference," he said. "We've been able to fly charter to every one of these Champions League games. Recovery and preparation - that's the key right there. It makes a big difference. The other thing is, we have a pretty big squad and we've been able to play a whole bunch of different players. it keeps guys fresh and we've been able to rest guys at the right time. Overall, it wasn't much of a disruption. in fact, it probably helps a lot of keep 18 guys game fit."
Berhalter knows all about keeping fit and game fit. He has played in only 10 MLS matches this season due to injuries. His most recent was a right foot injury in a Champions League game at home against Alajuelense on August 25th, but he has returned to play since then.
At one time or another in his career, Berhalter has endured torn ankle ligaments, a broken ankle, a back injury, a broken jaw, and broken fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. When asked if any other ailments were missing, Berhalter added a sports hernia, a broken eye socket, broken nose, toes, and fingers several times.
"It's something that the game is a very physical game," he said. "You pick up these injuries along the way. It unfortunate, but it happens to everybody."
He's shaken them off through the years.
"A lot of those things, I was able to play through it," he said. "You talk about broken fingers. the bone came to the skin, I was operated on and I was able to play a week later. When I was in Holland I broke my fifth metatarsal three times in two years. I started questioning things. Can I be able to make it? Can I be a professional soccer player. Part of it, once you're fit, once you're at full strength, you can shake off a lot of injuries. If you're injured, it's really hard. You keep working. you play until you get that fitness back."
Whether it is after this series, the Conference final or one last victory lap around the HDC next month, Berhalter decided to call it a career after 18 years as a professional soccer player, mostly in Europe.
A teammate of Claudio Reyna at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey, the 6-1, 175-lb Berhalter has survived 18 yeas as a pro after deciding to forgo his final year at the University of North Carolina. He wound up playing for FC Zwolle (Netherlands), Sparta Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Cambuur Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Crystal Palace (England), Energie Cottbus (Germany) and 1860 Munich (Germany).
Berhalter admitted that he never realized that he was involved in two of the strangest and most controversial handball calls in American soccer history. And, they happened less than two years apart.
"Sometimes things can go wrong and some times things can go right or you," he said.
On July 23, 2000, things went wrong for Berhalter and the U.S. National Team when referee Peter Prendergast of Jamaica called a phantom hand ball in the penalty area on Berhalter two minutes into stoppage time of a 1-1 deadlock. Berhalter, who was defending with both his hands behind him, headed the ball out of bounds. According to television replays, it appeared the ball accidentally hit Berhalter in the upper arm area after he had headed the ball. Many game officials usually won’t make the call unless it was intentional.
Hernan Medford converted the ensuing penalty kick past goalkeeper Kasey Keller and several minutes later Costa Rica walked off with a controversial 2-1 victory.
"It was early on in my National Team career," he said. "It was something that was an eye opener. Some decisions go your way and some decisions don't go your way. That was an eye opener because it was a reality of what could happen in that environment. That's just part of the game. Getting over that, not reacting the way we did, putting it in the past. It's unfortunate that the ref called it. I remember, after heading it, then all of a sudden the ref pointed to the penalty spot."
On June 21, 2002, things went wrong again for Berhalter and his American teammates when Torsten Frings saved a Berhalter shot off the goal line with his hand to preserve Germany's 1-0 quarterfinal victory.
"That was one of the most special teams that I have been a part of,' Berhalter said. "Everyone had the same goal in point. Again, very disappointing. An experienced referee, you would think he wouldn't get something like that wrong. That hurt. You also think how different it could have been for American soccer if that would have been a goal. We could have gone to the semifinals. It could have been a lot greater. It still was an amazing experience."
Berhalter said he has spoken to Frings, now a member of Toronto FC, many times through the years.
"Every time we talked, I never brought it up," he said. "He's a professional and he did what he had to do at the time… I don't like to well on the past. As far as I'm concerned, he did what he had to do. They got to the final of the World Cup. If I was there, probably would have done the same thing."
Those two incidents were just a slice of Berhalter's incredible career.
Asked what his most memorable moment or game was, he replied, "That's a very hard question. there are so many moments to look back on. I remember my first game ever as a professional in Holland. I remember so many details of that game because it was very special. There have been a lot of big games. The 2002 World Cup. My club team getting promoted on the last day. Games where we didn't get relegated on the last day. There are so many different memories, It's hard to say my favorite memory. It really is."
Regardless what transpires in the MLS playoffs, Berhalter had control over one thing: His decision to hang up his boots.
"I wanted to go out when I wanted to go out," he said. "I didn't want to hear, you're too old to play soccer. it was something that I felt the time was right. Bruce [Arena, Galaxy coach] gave me an opportunity to move into coaching side of it. i said OK. It's my decision. I felt comfortable. The timing was right. It's not easy to go through with that because it is very emotional. It's easy but I feel its the right decision at the right time."
Michael Lewis, the editor of BigAppleSoccer.com and TropiGol.com, can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com.
