A Talent Search Through Cyberspace
It’s amazing what you can find on the World Wide Web these days. Staggering, in fact.
Steve Sampson, casting his net far and wide in an effort to strengthen the U.S. soccer team in the wake of a disastrous U.S. Cup ’97 and so-so tour of China, can’t believe his electronic luck.
Needing players that will help the U.S. qualify for next year’s World Cup in France, Sampson discovered Michael Mason.
On-line.
In Germany.
Playing in the Bundesliga, one of the world’s toughest leagues.
As a potential American.
As a potential World Cup ’98 player.
Unbelievable.
“Someone e-mailed me and suggested I look at this guy and, lo and behold, it’s absolutely true,” Sampson said. “He was born to a U.S. serviceman and has lived in Germany his whole life. He’s very excited about the prospect of playing [for the United States]. Very excited. So I’m hoping we can expedite the paperwork.”
Mason plays for Hamburg, one of Germany’s premier clubs.
“He’s 24 or 25 years old,” Sampson said. “He’s plays the right side of midfield and could play as a right back.”
And if Mason is as good as Sampson has been led to believe, he could be playing for the United States once World Cup ’98 qualifying resumes next month, assuming the paperwork is handled.
“Prior to the age of 21, if you show your documentation overseas that your father or your mother are U.S. citizens and that you were [therefore] born a U.S. citizen, they will easily give you a [U.S.] passport,” Sampson said. “After the age of 21, it’s much more difficult, there’s a lot more red tape involved. So we’re going through that process now.”
Germany has been a fertile field for finding American players in recent years. Thomas Dooley was discovered there before World Cup ’94 and is now a mainstay of the U.S. defense. Midfielder David Wagner was discovered there last year and is about to return to the U.S. team after an injury-enforced absence.
“He’s not out of the picture,” Sampson said. “I would have brought him in for the U.S. Cup, but he had a plate removed from his leg.
“He broke his leg quite severely [early last year], but he’s recovered completely, to the point that he needed to have the plate taken out. The only time he could do that was during the [Bundesliga’s] winter break. So that precluded him from playing in the U.S. Cup.”
Dooley, Wagner and perhaps Mason are only three names on what is likely to be a radically different U.S. roster when the national team regroups Feb. 20 to begin preparing for its March 2 World Cup qualifier against Jamaica in Kingston.
That is the first of 10 qualifying games this year for the Americans, who, in order to go to France, need to finish in the top three from a six-nation group that also includes Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.
Sampson, who experimented widely while losing three U.S. Cup games and on the China tour (a loss and a tie), is recalling all of his veterans, with the exception of midfielder Tab Ramos, who is recovering from surgery.
“I’m not expecting him [Ramos] back until June,” Sampson said, “but there are those out there who feel he will be back in April. I don’t expect that. I think that would be pushing him too quickly.”
But Sampson will have such experienced players as John Harkes, Marcelo Balboa, Eric Wynalda, Kasey Keller and Ernie Stewart back, and also has discovered two or three potentially useful newcomers to the national team.
One is Eddie Pope, who played well in the previous qualifying round. Another is Pope’s Washington D.C. United teammate, Tony Sanneh.
“I’m bringing in Sanneh for the Jamaica trip,” Sampson said. “Tony is great find, I think. He’s got a great physical presence on the field, decent speed, and he’s very good in the air. I think he’s a player we could use wide in midfield or even in the back if necessary.
“He showed a lot more poise [in his national team debut against China last week] than I thought he had with D.C. United.”
Another is the San Jose Clash’s U.S. under-20 national team midfielder/defender Ramiro Corrales, who also made his full national team debut in China.
“I thought he did extremely well,” Sampson said. “I played him at left back. He played with a lot of poise, and came forward from that position.
“For a 19-year-old, I think he did exceptionally well. I’m bringing him in for the training camp [in Florida starting Feb. 20]. Whether he makes the [final roster of] 18 or not will be determined by how well he does in the week.”
Sampson’s spirits have been buoyed by the return of Balboa, the team’s most experienced defender. Sidelined since last summer because of a foot injury, Balboa played well in China and will be called up for the Jamaica game.
“That was a very pleasant surprise for me,” Sampson said. “I felt that not having played for six months that it was practically an impossibility for him to play in a qualifier, but he convinced me otherwise.
“I think he will definitely be on our 18 who go to Jamaica. Whether he makes our starting lineup remains to be seen.”
The U.S. coach, who lives in Westlake Village, leaves for England and Germany later this week, intending to improve relationships with the coaches of club teams whose American players he will be calling up.
Already, a sticky situation exists in the Netherlands, where Stewart’s club, NAC Breda, is playing hardball over the U.S. winger’s release.
“They [European club coaches] can be absolute sticklers about the issue and, as a matter of fact, Ernie’s club is [being difficult],” Sampson said. “They will not release him any sooner than [the FIFA-mandated minimum] five days prior [to a World Cup game.]
Also balking at freeing his American star is Martin O’Neill, coach of Leicester City in the English Premier League. O’Neill is not about to part willingly with Keller, the U.S. starting goalkeeper, and said as much in a recent interview with USA Today.
“When I signed Kasey last summer, yes, I was aware of the United States’ World Cup involvement,” he said. “But we’re staggered by the number of games.
” . . . I’m very perturbed. I have to say that, in that crucial March-April period, I would need Kasey a lot more than America would.”
Sampson knows his rights but is trying to work out an arrangement that will suit both club and country.
“His [O’Neill’s] statement that Leicester needs him more than we do is absolutely untrue,” he said. “We need him equally as much if not more.
“I have the right to call him in. The problem is, after he returns to Leicester, how he is treated?”
Playing with what was essentially a ‘B’ team in its previous five games, the U.S. struggled, showing lack of experience, lack of leadership and the wrong attitude.
“We have solutions for every single one of those concerns,” Sampson said. “We have all of the solutions for us to think going into the second phase [of qualifying] that we will succeed. And I have every confidence in the world that we will do just that.”
Still, Mexico, which won the U.S. Cup in 1996 and 1997, remains the group favorite.
“I think they are a better team than us,” Sampson said. “Mexico brought their veteran team here because they wanted to make a statement--that they continue to be the leader in CONCACAF.
“We, on the other hand, want to make that statement in World Cup qualifying.”
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Qualifying Schedule
U.S. soccer team’s World Cup ’98 qualifying games. Home team is listed first:
* March 2--Jamaica vs. U.S. at Kingston, Jamaica.
* March 16--U.S. vs. Canada at Palo Alto, Calif.
* March 23--Costa Rica vs. U.S. at San Jose, Costa Rica.
* April 20--U.S. vs. Mexico at Foxboro , Mass.
* June 29--El Salvador vs. U.S. at San Salvador, El Salvador.
* Sept. 7--U.S. vs. Costa Rica, site TBA.
* Oct. 3--U.S. vs. Jamaica, site TBA.
* Nov. 2--Mexico vs. U.S. at Mexico City.
* Nov. 9--Canada vs. U.S. at Vancouver, B.C.
* Nov. 16--U.S. vs. El Salvador, site TBA.
