U.S. Veterans Aim to Refill Cup
The countdown to the 2002 World Cup has begun.
The clock is ticking, but ignore those who might mistakenly believe that time is reversing itself.
Marcelo Balboa back on the U.S. national team? John Harkes also recalled? Alexi Lalas revealing that he has been contacted by Coach Bruce Arena? Preki saying that Arena knows where to find him?
Saturday’s Major League Soccer All-Star game at Qualcomm Stadium often seemed less a celebration of the league than a chance for some of the best-known American players to start positioning themselves for a trip to Japan and South Korea in three years.
Today, the U.S. team leaves for Mexico to play in the FIFA Confederations Cup. It is the first of several significant tournaments for the Americans before World Cup qualifying next year.
And Arena has turned to some of the veterans of 1990, 1994 and 1998 to see how much each has left to offer.
Preki, judging by his two-goal, one-assist effort in the Western Conference’s 6-4 victory over the Eastern Conference in front of a crowd of 23,277, still has a lot to contribute.
But he’s 35 and he’s not going to Mexico.
“That’s not up to me,” the Kansas City Wizard midfielder said of a possible national team return. “If he [Arena] wants me, he knows where I am.”
Arena knew where Harkes, the New England Revolution midfielder, was and called him into the team on Friday. Harkes has not played for the United Stated since February 1998, having been banished by former coach Steve Sampson.
“It’s always good news when you get called back to the national team and get an opportunity to represent your country and wear the uniform again,” Harkes said.
“I don’t know what part I am going to play, but it’s just great. It’s a new beginning. I’ll just try to keep my head down and play hard. I’m happy about it.”
Harkes, 32, was only half-joking when he talked of midfielder Tab Ramos and striker Eric Wynalda also coming back into the fold.
“Who knows?” he said. “Anything’s possible in this game. I’m sure Bruce is taking every opportunity to experiment with as many players as he can and give experience [to as many as possible]. Which is a good thing because we’re rebuilding right now after ’98.
“Obviously, I would like to be there in 2002. When you see players like [Germany’s] Lothar Matthaeus play in five World Cups, he’s 38 years old and he’s still doing it. You’ve just got to take care of yourself.”
Lalas, 29, said Saturday that the lessons of France ’98 have to be learned.
“The most important thing after World Cup ’98 is that we don’t repeat those mistakes,” he said, “and that we learn from the good and the bad.”
Lalas, a teammate of Preki’s at Kansas City, said Arena contacted him before the U.S. team’s 3-0 victory over Germany this spring.
“The day that I got traded to Kansas City, Bruce called me and invited me to camp,” he said. “We talked about it a little bit, but obviously being traded changes your life completely--although I’m getting used to it now--and I was really caught by surprise. I was coming off an off-season.”
Not being fully fit, Lalas declined the invitation.
“I wouldn’t want to come into the national team, not fit or not mentally or physically prepared to do the job, because that’s not going to serve me or the team,” he said.
“I was real happy that he called. Bruce understands what I can give them. It’s no secret. I hope I get a chance in the future. If he calls, I’m ready to go.”
Under Arena, the U.S. has beaten Germany and Argentina, but Lalas cautions against reading too much into those games.
“As important as these results are, and they’re wonderful experience for some of the players who haven’t played [teams of that caliber], nobody’s going to care,” he said. “Qualifying is the most important thing, and everybody knows that, especially the players who have been there.”
The U.S. plays New Zealand on Saturday, Brazil on July 28 and Germany on July 30, all in Guadalajara.
” We’re playing three games in seven days,” Galaxy and U.S. winger Cobi Jones said. “It’s about getting a team that has a lot of depth because we’re going to have to use pretty much everybody.”
The All-Star game saw Roy Lassiter give the East a lead after 40 seconds, but two goals by Preki and one apiece by Roman Kosecki and Jones gave the West a 4-1 lead by halftime.
The East tied the score in the second half as Joe-Max Moore, Carlos Valderrama and Stern John scored. But Mauricio Wright and Ronaldo Cerritos clinched the victory for the West in the final five minutes.
In the exhibition that followed, Chivas of Mexico edged Universidad Catolica of Chile, 2-1.
* BAD TIMING: Mike Penner says the MLS All-Star game was hurt by factors it had no control over. Page 5
