Midfielder Reyna Wins Vote as the U.S. Player of the Year
Claudio Reyna finally managed to do something to Tony Meola on Tuesday that Meola has been doing to others all year long: He shut him out.
Reyna, the Glasgow Rangers’ midfielder who orchestrates the U.S. national soccer team’s attack, was selected the Honda soccer player of the year in the U.S. for 2000, edging Meola by a handful of votes in the annual balloting organized by Futbol de Primera.
A losing finalist in 1997 and 1999, Reyna, 27, became the ninth winner of the award in its 10-year existence, receiving 226 points in a poll of 233 U.S soccer writers and broadcasters.
Meola, goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer champion Kansas City Wizards, already had won four awards this season, among them MLS player of the year. This time, though, he finished second with 210 points.
Joe-Max Moore, a former UCLA star from Irvine who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, finished third with 134 points.
Meola was at the awards luncheon in Beverly Hills, but Moore and Reyna were not allowed to attend by their coaches in Britain. They were linked to the ceremony via a satellite feed from a Scottish TV studio, however, and saw Reyna’s brother accept the award on his behalf.
Also honored was Eric Wynalda, the U.S. national team’s all-time goal-scoring leader.
Wynalda, the Honda player of the year in 1992 and 1996, was chosen U.S. player of the decade in a vote by the other winners: Hugo Perez, 1991; Thomas Dooley, 1993; Marcelo Balboa, 1994; Alexi Lalas, 1995; Eddie Pope, 1997; Cobi Jones, 1998; and Kasey Keller, 1999.
“I’ve shared a lot of experiences with the likes of Cobi and Alexi and the others,” Wynalda said. “For them to say that I’ve been the most important player of the decade is incredible. I’m at a loss for words. I owe the award to my teammates, really. I couldn’t have accomplished this without them. No way.”
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Could Wynalda, 31, be trading a New England Revolution uniform for a Galaxy uniform soon? He already is training with the team.
“It’s no mystery that Sigi [Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid] and I have known each other a long time and he knows how to get the best out of me,” Wynalda said. “He and Ralph [assistant coach Ralph Perez] are a good combination.
“[Southern California] is my home. I’ve lived here most of my life and I miss it.”
A move to L.A. could reunite Wynalda and Jones. They played together at Westlake High, before Jones went to UCLA and Wynalda to San Diego State.
“That would be fantastic,” Wynalda said. “That would be absolutely ideal.”
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Los Angeles and Miami will probably be selected to stage the first U.S. Under-14 Open Cup, a new tournament that will be launched next year, according to Alan Rothenberg, immediate past president of U.S. Soccer.
Rothenberg said the event will be open to all under-14 teams in the country. One of the aims of the tournament is to help national team coaches spot talent at an earlier age.
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The women’s team, held to a 1-1 tie by Japan in Phoenix on Sunday in its final game of 2000, will open 2001 with a two-game tour of China, playing the 1999 Women’s World Cup runner-up on Jan. 11 at Pangyu and Jan. 14 at Hangzhou.
Coach April Heinrichs said none of the U.S. veteran players from the first women’s world championship in China in 1991 would be included on the U.S. squad, which will feature younger players. China will host the Women’s World Cup in 2003.
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Tim Hankinson, fired by the Tampa Bay Mutiny two months ago, is expected to be named coach of MLS’ Colorado Rapids today. Hankinson, 45, succeeds the fired Glenn Myernick.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
