Dooley a Foreign Sympathizer
Thomas Dooley knows exactly what David Regis is going through.
In fact, Dooley, who officially was named captain of the U.S. World Cup team on Thursday, believes his soccer travails of 1992 pale by comparison to those Regis is experiencing.
Six years ago, Dooley, the German-born son of an American serviceman, was drafted onto the U.S. team to give it some defensive backbone for World Cup ’94. He spoke virtually no English and knew little about the United States.
Today, he is fluent in English, has made 74 appearances for the national team and is a logical and popular choice as captain.
Regis, French-born but married to an American, is the latest foreign conscript for Coach Steve Sampson’s squad. Like Dooley in ‘92, he is meant to add defensive depth. Like Dooley back then, he speaks almost no English and does not know much about the U.S.
“For me, it wasn’t that difficult,” Dooley said Thursday. “First of all, I had [Galaxy and former UCLA and U.S. defender] Paul Caligiuri. He helped me unbelievably. If we had a meeting, he translated for me. On the field if the coach said something, he translated for me. With the media, he could translate everything. He spoke very good German, so it was easy for me.
“But for David, it’s much, much worse. I think we have nobody on our whole staff who speaks [fluent] French. I’ve tried to talk German a little bit with him, but he speaks only as much German as I spoke English when I came, so it’s impossible to have a conversation with him.
“It makes it very difficult for him. Now we have figured out that Brad Friedel [the former UCLA and current U.S. goalkeeper] speaks a little French, so the best thing would be that he is Regis’ roommate so that he feels a little bit at home.”
Regis, 29, is unlikely to obtain his U.S. citizenship before next week, meaning he will miss Saturday’s game against Macedonia at San Jose but could make his debut against Kuwait in Portland on May 24.
Dooley, who turned 37 Tuesday and who served as captain when the U.S. shut out Austria in Vienna last month, said he feels perfectly comfortable in the role.
“I think it doesn’t change a lot [because] I have the captain’s armband on,” he said. “Because when I’m in a game I try to organize a little bit, I try to talk to the players, I try to be calm on the field. I don’t think there are more responsibilities on the field.”
Off the field, of course, his role will increase, but the man from Bechhofen, Germany, who now calls Mission Viejo home even though he plays for Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, relishes the challenge.
“I’m very proud about it,” he said. “It’s a big honor for me. I was captain a couple of times before. I think my teammates respect me as captain. They know that I didn’t change, that I’d be the same as before, trying to help everybody.”
His first duty as captain might be to have Regis teach the team French. It could come in handy next month.
Soccer Notes
Four U.S. starters probably will miss Saturday’s game against Macedonia because of injury. Midfielder Claudio Reyna (calf), winger Frankie Hejduk (hamstring), forward Eric Wynalda (knee) and midfielder/forward Ernie Stewart (ankle) are sidelined.
