This Ambassador Never Puts His Foot in His Mouth

If this is the spring and summer that the soccer ball lands in America and stays here, it will be because of people like Eric Wynalda. . . .

He plays a great game and talks one too. . . .

Call him the goodwill ambassador of Major League Soccer, the new circuit that promises to popularize the sport in the United States during a non-World Cup year. . . .

Two years ago, Wynalda scored the first goal for the surprising U.S. national team in the World Cup during a tie with Switzerland at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. . . .

Three weeks ago, he scored the first Major League Soccer goal ever, the game winner for the San Jose Clash against Washington D.C. United. . . .

On Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Wynalda and the Clash will be at the Rose Bowl to face the Los Angeles Galaxy. . . .

As many as 55,000 fans are expected, including more than 50 of Wynalda’s friends and relatives. . . .

His sister Heather will sing the national anthem. . . .

Among his friends, but a rival on this particular day, will be Cobi Jones, one of the stars of the Galaxy and Wynalda’s teammate at Westlake High and several youth teams in Westlake Village before that. . . .

“I started playing organized soccer at seven,” Wynalda said. “My older brother Brandt was my hero and he played. My dad has a Dutch background, but his sport at Princeton was football.” . . .

Wynalda also participated in baseball and track, but quickly discovered that he was best at soccer. . . .

“As I got older, I fell in love with it,” he said. “It became not just a sport, but a way of life for me. My dad likes to call it a thinking man’s game. What turned me on was that the same thing never happens twice. There’s no way to hide out there. When you get the ball, you have an opportunity to do something with it.” . . .

What the former San Diego State striker has done with the ball 22 times in international competition is score. He holds the American record for goals. . . .

His performance in the World Cup was so impressive that he earned a contract in the first division in Germany. . . .

For now, though, Wynalda, 26, is delighted to be playing closer to home. . . .

“There are some teams in the German first division that we could beat,” he said. “When I say that, people in Europe freak out. But that’s just the truth. If this league doesn’t work, it won’t be because of the level of play.”

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NBA first-round playoff predictions: Lakers over Houston in five games, San Antonio over Phoenix in four, Utah over Portland in five, Seattle over Sacramento in three, Chicago over Miami in three, Atlanta over Indiana in four, Cleveland over New York in four, Orlando over Detroit in three. . . .

The NBA has a slightly better idea, making the first series best-of-five rather than the NHL’s best-of-seven. . . .

A baseball highlights video shown on TBS during one of the rain delays at Atlanta on Tuesday reminded me that Roger Maris’ record 61st home run was seen by only 23,154 fans at Yankee Stadium in 1961. . . .

Of course, there are millions now who claim they saw Maris connect off Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox. . . .

The Dodgers will be honored by the L.A. Sports Council and Chamber of Commerce at a noon luncheon Wednesday at the Westin Bonaventure hotel. Tickets are $60. . . .

One of college baseball’s best rivalries will be renewed Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon at Blair Field in Long Beach between co-Big West Conference leaders Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State. . . .

Latest quarterback controversy in the Southland is on the Anaheim Piranhas, who have Scooter Molander, Troy Kopp and Danny O’Neil. . . .

The crowd of 15,107 that saw the Piranhas beat the St. Louis Stampede, 51-37, last week at the Pond of Anaheim was a record for an Arena Football exhibition game. . . .

Unbeaten super-bantamweight Marco Antonio Barrera has signed a multiyear promotional contract with Forum Boxing Inc. . . .

Among the participants in Saturday night’s Olympic torch relay rally at the Huntington Beach mall will be former Olympians Anne O’Brien, 90; Evelyn Furtsch Ojeda, 82; and Louie Zamperini, 78. . . .

It’s nice to see Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, who is neglected too often, get a Kentucky Derby mount this year, even if it is on longshot E.C.’s Dream. . . .

Bo Derek is still being typecast. The Bo Derek Stakes on Friday night at Hollywood Park will be contested at 10 furlongs.