US Soccer Players

What Ever Happened To... Teofilo Cubillas

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 14, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Before Designated Players began flocking to our shores in an effort to bolster Major League Soccer’s star power, there was a time when it was common - even stylish - for international players to move to the United States.  One of those players was Peru’s Teofilo Cubillas. 

“Who wouldn’t want to come play with all the greats such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best?  I thought Fort Lauderdale was a very interesting market, not to mention a great opportunity for me,” Cubillas said about his decision to move to the US in 1979.

Cubillas, who earned the nickname “Nene” – the Spanish word for baby – because of his boyish looks, still looks like a young man at the age of 62.  In a career that spanned some 20 years, Cubillas is remembered most by American fans as a former member of the Strikers during the days of the North American Soccer League.

What Is With New York?

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 7, 2012) US Soccer Players -- The MetroStars/Red Bulls are the most futile Major League Soccer club since the League's inception in 1996.  There is little argument to the contrary.  Nevertheless, the franchise has had a staggering track record when it comes to producing talented players who have gone on to succeed at other clubs and the US National Team.  Some of those players include goalkeeper Tim Howard, defender Tim Ream, midfielder Michael Bradley, and strikers Jozy Altidore and Juan Agudelo.

When Ream recently secured a transfer to English club Bolton, it was the latest big move by a New York player.  It isn’t that the franchise has a special elixir when it comes to nurturing such talent.  However, the question of why so many Americans who come up through the system in New York and later excelling with other teams is a curious one. 

Here are four theories for why the MetroStars/Red Bulls have been so important to the growth of the American game since 1996:

Scouting Report: Panama - USA

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jan 25, 2012) US Soccer Players -- The United States takes to the road for the second game of 2012.  The match at Panama City's Estadio Rommel Fernandez is aimed at simulating the atmosphere players will experience during World Cup Qualifying.  The dress rehearsal serves the younger players called up by coach Jurgen Klinsmann for January camp as well as the coach himself, giving them a firsthand look at what it's like to play away in CONCACAF. 

Four days after downing Venezuela 1-0 following a Ricardo Clark stoppage time goal in Glendale, AZ, the National Team will take on a Panamanian side composed primarily of Under-23 players.  Panama coach Julio Dely Valdes called up 18 players for the game, including defender Carlos Rodriguez and veteran striker Blas Perez, who signed with FC Dallas during the offseason, and defensive midfielder Gabriel Gomez, who recently agreed to join the Philadelphia Union.

“The most important thing for us against the United States is to use this game to give players experience,” Valdes told reporters Sunday after announcing the squad.

What Ever Happened To... Arnie Mausser

What Ever Happened To . . . is a new monthly feature on US Soccer Players that attempts to update readers on what has happened to players. coaches and officials of the past who helped shape the game in this country. In our first installment, we catch up with NASL legend and former National Team goalkeeper Arnie Mausser.

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jan 9, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Before there was Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and even Tony Meola, the US produced a world-class goalkeeper.  The keeper in questions was Arnie Mausser.  A National Team regular throughout the 1980s, Mausser earned 35 caps for the USA – a number that irks him to this day.

“Probably would have played many more times, but we did not play as many internationals as the team does now,” he explained.  “I would say that I would have had at least one hundred appearances or caps considering today’s National Team schedule.  Unfortunately, I never had the chance to participate in the World Cup, which I always dreamed of doing since I was a kid playing soccer.”

Stories To Watch For In 2012

By Clemente Lisi – MONTREAL, CA (Jan 4, 2012) US Soccer Players – There is nothing like the start of a new year to fill one with hope and anticipation.  For USA soccer fans, there's a lot to look forward to from the National Teams and Major League Soccer.  The senior side starts their road to Brazil with World Cup Qualifying.  This is an Olympic summer, with the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament hosted in the United States in March.  Major League Soccer gets an early start with multiple teams in the CONCACAF Champions League, and MLS welcomes a new team in Montreal.

Former Chivas USA midfielder and National Team assistant coach Jesse Marsch is calling the shots as the coach in Montreal, putting an American at the forefront of the Impact’s expansion season.

“I am anxious about the job, but in a good way,” he said.  “We’re starting fresh and I’m excited about that prospect.”

After all, a new year is all about a fresh start.  With 2012 just a few days old, here's a look at 12 questions related to MLS and the National Team that I’ll be looking for the answers to over the next 12 months:

Americans In 2011

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 30, 2011) US Soccer Players – If 2010 was considered a great year for the National Team because of its performance at the World Cup, then 2011 will go down as the year where American players shined individually.  Just ask Jozy Altidore.  The 22-year-old striker turned things around this fall after signing with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, proving that he can be a deadly offensive weapon following a series of loan spells that saw Altidore get limited playing time with clubs in Spain, England and Turkey.

“It’s always tough to join a new team.  For me, AZ has been a great place to learn and continue to play,” he said.  “I think the Dutch league suits my style.”

The RSL Academy System

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 21, 2011) US Soccer Players – Arizona will be the epicenter of American soccer over the next two months. The United States will play at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on January 21st against Venezuela to open their 2012 schedule. A month later, on February 22nd, four MLS teams – the Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake – will begin play in the preseason Desert Diamond Cup at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson.

The Copper State isn’t just a place for the traveling soccer circus to temporarily setup shop.  It's also home to the Grande Sports World facility in Casa Grande, located 50 miles south of Phoenix.  While baseball teams have traditionally used Arizona for spring training with its aptly-named Cactus League, soccer has also gravitated there because of the cold weather that sweeps the nation during the first few months of the year. Real Salt Lake was the first to set down roots in Arizona, using Grande Sports to establish a world-class residency academy, the first of its kind in this country.

The Ball

By Clemente Lisi - BROOKLYN, NY (Dec 14, 2011) US Soccer Players -- There have been very few Christmas presents I received as a child that I can recall now as an adult.  Growing up in the 1980's, I do remember the many Star Wars action figures and Atari videogame cartridges that were stuffed into my stocking – the sort of toys that nowadays would be on display at the Smithsonian.

The gift I do remember fondly, above all, was a soccer ball – the “adidas Tango España” – that I got from Santa Claus in 1982. I was almost 8. My memory is a bit fuzzy about that day, but I do recall leaping out of bed Christmas morning and seeing the gift-wrapped box sitting at the foot of our artificial tree with silver tinsel drooping from it.  I ripped open the wrapping paper and there was the start of a love affair with a game that remains with me to this day.  Although I didn’t know it at the time, that ball would be my best friend.

The Galaxy's Next Step

By Clemente Lisi - LOS ANGELES, CA (Dec 5, 2011) US Soccer Players -- The stench of beer filled the air in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s locker room after the players had spent a good chunk of its MLS Cup postgame party spraying one another with bottles of Bud.  After the game, the players left the Home Depot Center and partied the night away at the Staples Center in downtown LA.  The celebration was the culmination of a fantastic season that has led many to brand this team the best Major League Soccer has ever seen.

The Galaxy hope the celebrating continues in 2012, and they've planned accordingly. 

The team embarked on a rebuilding effort after Bruce Arena signed on as coach three years ago.  It took three seasons, but the Galaxy went undefeated at home this past season on its way to winning the Cup.  Now it hopes to add more titles to its trophy case as the franchise tries to become the best-known US club in the world since the original New York Cosmos.

MLS 2011 Review Part 2: What We Should Learn

By Clemente Lisi – Carson, CA (Nov 20, 2011) US Soccer Players – The joke in the press box at the Home Depot Center on Sunday night was that it had been the fault of the large contingent of English journalists credentialed for MLS Cup (there to see David Beckham) who brought the rain with them to Southern California.  The weather was once again the protagonist after last year’s freezing finale in Toronto, as a record sellout crowd of 30,281 at the HDC witnessed the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on a field that had been drenched by a daylong storm.

Hollywood loves fairytale endings, and that is what MLS got this year.  The team coached by Bruce Arena won the title in a year where they captured the Supporters Shield and got their best season out of Beckham. 

Scouting Report: Slovenia

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 2011) US Soccer Players -- In their last game of 2011, the United States takes on Slovenia in Ljubljana on Tuesday in a rematch of the thrilling 2010 World Cup opening-round contest that ended 2-2. The game comes at a time when Slovenia, failing to reach the 2012 European Championship, is in the midst of rebuilding after the firing last month of coach Matjaz Kek.

Don’t let the fact that this game is a friendly fool anyone into thinking the Slovenes won’t be taking it seriously.  For starters, posters and web advertisements promoting the game feature the Statue of Liberty kicking a ball while donning a Slovenia jersey. If that good-natured ribbing wasn’t enough, new Slovenia coach Slavisa Stojanovic will be motivated to do well before the home crowd in his debut.

Scouting Report: France

By Clemente Lisi – Harrison, NJ (Nov 10, 2011) US Soccer Players -- The USA gets their first game with France since the Carter administration, Friday in the famed Stade de France in suburban Paris.  The contest, arguably the toughest game thus far for the USA under coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will allow the Americans to put into practice all they have learned from their new coach since August.

If you think the United States has endured a makeover under Klinsmann, it is nothing compared to what has happened to France since the 2010 World Cup finals.  After crashing out of the tournament in the first round, France is still in the midst of repairing its tattered image as a dysfunctional team.  France, one of the strongest sides since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1998 (at the same Stade de France in Saint Denis), dropped to a low of 19th in the FIFA rankings this past May.

Rise & Shine Hits Theaters

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 31, 2011) US Soccer Players -- The journey of how Jay DeMerit rose from a pub player to starting at the last World Cup is coming to a theater near you. After spending the year successfully raising money to secure the rights to use footage of DeMerit playing in England and at the World Cup, the documentary “Rise & Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story” will be shown on movie screens across the country starting this Thursday.

The indie film recently scored a distribution deal, meaning the story of DeMerit’s meteoric rise will be seen by a mainstream audience after filmmakers Nick Lewis and Ranko Tutulugdzija screened it to small crowds of mostly soccer fans during their fundraising efforts over the past year. The ambitious project to recount how DeMerit left his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 2003 with just $1,800 and a dream of playing in England’s Premier League took on a life of its own.

MLS And Local Television

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 24, 2011) US Soccer Players – When it comes to national television ratings, American soccer fans already know that Major League Soccer lags far behind this country’s established sports leagues.  MLS has long talked about a broader footprint, but even with 19 teams next season there are areas of the USA and Canada where the League has no presence. 

Yet there's no doubt MLS is growing locally.  Expansion teams have set a new standard, with the average attendance pushing up League-wide.  How that translates into local television ratings isn't just a more flattering way to look at MLS, it's also arguably more accurate.  After all, we know MLS has no teams south of Washington, DC and east of Dallas so why would we expect high ratings for MLS games? 

The Back-Pass

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 19, 2011) US Soccer Players -- What would soccer be like today without the back-pass rule? Though we'll never really know, in all likelihood there would feature fewer goals and a lot more goalkeeper possession.  Since 1992, the back-pass rule forbids goalkeepers from handling the ball when a teammate intentionally kicks it to him or puts it in his direction from a throw-in. In both cases, the keeper is only allowed to use his feet.

The rule was introduced to discourage time wasting after the 1990 World Cup in Italy when the tournament averaged a pathetic 2.2 goals per game. The rule change showed results at the subsequent World Cup two years later when USA '94 averaged 2.7 goals.

Scouting Report: Ecuador

By Clemente Lisi – Harrison, NJ (Oct 10, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Ecuador comes to the New York area to play the United States on Tuesday night at Red Bull Arena four days after embarking on their two-year quest to reach the 2014 World Cup finals. Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-0 on Friday in their opening game in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.  

Playing at home, the Ecuador victory was highlighted by the altitude of Quito (almost 10,000 feet above sea level) that favors the home team each time they host a match.  The Ecuadorians will have no such luck playing 20 minutes outside of Manhattan.  Although there should be plenty of Ecuadorian fans in what is expected to be a sellout (Red Bull Arena only seats 25,000), the USA will certainly give them a tough time.

Scouting Report: Honduras

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 7, 2011) US Soccer Players -- The story of Saturday's USA - Honduras friendly will be as much about who isn't there as who is.  The absenteeism applies to both teams, with regulars missing the trip to Miami. 

Honduras will be without several of their starters as well as DC United striker Andy Najar, but will feature three other MLS-based players.  Coach Luis Suarez, who instead tapped several budding players to the squad, did not call up stalwarts like goalkeeper Noel Valladares and midfielder Hendry Thomas.

Bradley In Italy

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sept 12, 2011) US Soccer Players – The opening weekend of Italy’s Serie A brought with it the familiar sights and sounds. The sight of loud fans tossing flares onto the field and the sound of coaches whining about referees. In the middle of it all was one American among the nearly 500 players spread out across 20 clubs.

Michael Bradley is that sole American in Serie A after signing with Chievo Verona last month from German club Borussia Monchengladbach. Compare that to the eight who currently play in Germany’s Bundesliga, seven in England’s Premiership, and four in Scotland’s Premier League, and while Italy is a popular destination for American tourists, it’s not so much so for American soccer players.

Remembering Firefighter Sergio Villanueva

By Clemente Lisi – HEMPSTEAD, NY (Sept 9, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Ten years after nearly 3,000 people where killed at the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the worst terror attack on American soil, Americans will spend Sunday commemorating the bravery of those who died on September 11th, 2001.  Among those who will be remembered is Sergio Villanueva, a New York City firefighter who died while rescuing people from the burning towers that day.

“Every anniversary has become a time of introspection for myself.  It obviously is one of the defining moments in my life,” said Jonathan Kanovsky, a friend of Villanueva’s and former New York City police detective who helped sift through the pile of rubble during the recovery efforts at Ground Zero.  “I can remember almost every single second of that day along with the days following 9/11.  Images of that time are seared in my memory and I can only imagine the grief and pain of those who lost loved ones on that day go through each and every year.”

Scouting Report: Belgium

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sept 5, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Following a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, the United States takes on up-and-coming Belgium on Tuesday in Jurgen Klinsmann’s first test on European soil as US National Team coach. Belgium - 37th in the FIFA World Rankings and 22nd among European teams - has something to prove in front of a home crowd in Brussels.

“They’ve got some good individual players,” US defender Carlos Bocanegra said.  “It’s going to be a tough game and another challenge for us.  They are a quality team in Europe and it’s good for some of our younger guys to get that opportunity. It will be a good test for us.”