The names change each season, but those young players who crack the pro ranks face the same challenges that their predecessors did.
When Jim Curtin plowed into Jaime Moreno to earn a red card in only his second MLS appearance, he tasted what most MLS rookies must swallow in heavy doses.
Embarrassment. Humility. Guilt.
ôI thought I could get to it,ö said the 6-foot-4 Villanova product of the collision at RFK. ôI was reaching for the ball, but he was a lot faster to it than me. I kind of laid him out. IÆm a little more cautious now.ö
The Fire lost the game, 2-1, yet Curtin has started in most of the FireÆs games since that transgression and could be line to help Chicago reach the final.
Two of CurtinÆs Fire teammates have already started in MLS Cups as rookies.
Carlos Bocanegra did it last year, when he edged Wizards defender Nick Garcia by two points in the Rookie of the Year voting. Kansas City won the championship.
Ante Razov, who recently rejoined the Fire, was one of three Los Angeles rookies who played in the first final against D.C. United.
They watched as another rookie, Eddie Pope, stunned the Galaxy with a sudden-death goal to complete a remarkable United comeback.
The 2001 United team has no real hope of reaching the final because itÆs starting so many rookies.
Five have been starting regularly: Bryan Namoff, Ryan Nelsen, Mark Lisi, Santino Quaranta and Craig Ziadie.
ôWeÆve all messed up somewhere along the road,ö said Lisi, the leader of UnitedÆs rookies in minutes. ôFor all of us rookies, weÆve all been supportive of each other. ItÆs been rough. A lot of ups and downs. WeÆre all trying to stay together and take it one game at a time.ö
Most rookies would be thrilled just to win a starting spot in their first year. Even then, in some cases, the struggles are just beginning.
ADAPTING TO ENVIRONMENT. Of the five players to win Rookie of the Year honors, two have been traded. Mike Duhaney, the 1997 winner, has been traded twice.
ôI had something to prove because I had just come off knee surgery and missed the Olympics,ö said Duhaney of his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 1997. ôThere was a lot of skepticism about me coming back.ö
The strength and speed Duhaney showed that year was a sharp contrast to the skill and touch of Tampa Bay teammate Steve Ralston, who won the award the previous season. Their careers are contrasts as well.
Ralston has stayed with Tampa Bay and played more minutes than any other MLS player. Duhaney has since moved to the MetroStars and the Crew.
ôI took being traded pretty hard,ö Duhaney said of his move to the Metro-Stars in 1999. ôBut thatÆs the nature of the business. It was a big mental transition for me, learning the business and adapting to the environment.ö
Another trade and another injury came in 2000. Duhaney suffered torn cartilage in his thigh, and months after the initial surgery, a second operation was needed to remove a piece of loose cartilage that would sometimes stick in his knee and send pain shooting up his leg.
ôI came back too fast from the injury,ö he said. ôThat was a turning point, again.ö
An offseason of running in the snow to build up his leg and training in Germany prepared him for the 2001 season in Columbus.
ôYou canÆt worry about what happened in the past,ö he said. ôItÆs gone, and you canÆt change it. The quicker you realize that, the better off you are.ö
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES. If Lisi needs evidence of what can happen to rookies, he need only glance at the sidelines during training and gaze upon 1998 Rookie of the Year Ben Olsen, who has been waylaid by injuries the past two seasons. He played only 13 games last year and hasnÆt played at all in 2001.
ôItÆs what I expected in terms of pace and stuff like that,ö said Lisi, who played attacking midfielder in college but has spent more time on the wing with United. ôItÆs taken some time to adjust, but day by day IÆm getting it. I knew I wasnÆt going to beat out [Marco] Etcheverry. IÆve learned a lot from making errors. ThatÆs how I learn, by making mistakes.ö
In an early-season game, Lisi lost his mark on a corner kick and watched his man score the winning goal. But heÆs also enjoyed the thrill of notching three assists in a game.
ôI feel like when IÆm out there, IÆm helping out,ö he said. ôIÆve had an up-and-down season, but most of the time I feel IÆve contributed.ö
SINK OR SWIM. Unlike Duhaney and Olsen, 1999 Rookie of the Year Jay Heaps has stayed healthy. But he wasnÆt able to stay in Miami.
The Fusion traded him earlier this season to New England. Leaving the top team in the league is counterbalanced by family matters, for Heaps grew up in Longmeadow, Mass.
ôIt was more of a balance in my life and what I needed to do off the field with my family,ö said Heaps, whose playing time had dwindled after Coach Ivo Wortmann was replaced by Ray Hudson. ôIvo put me right into the dogs, sink or swim, so I got a lot of important games in. With Ray, I didnÆt get much feedback. I didnÆt know what my role was anymore.ö
The ups and downs of a pro athlete hit Heaps in his first two MLS games. He debuted with an equalizer against the MetroStars, then in the next game against New England deflected a ball that led to a RevsÆ goal.
ôThat was an important lesson,ö he said. ôI think in that first season I experienced the most ups and downs as a player. You can be on cloud nine and have it taken away from you in the very next game.ö
SECOND OPPORTUNITY. The Rapids will finish the season with the last three No. 1 overall draft picks ù all by other teams ù Jason Moore (1999), Steve Shak (2000) and Chris Carrieri (2001). ThatÆs part of rookie life, too.
ôSometimes for a young player, itÆs that second opportunity that works out better than the first one,ö said Colorado coach Tim Hankinson. ôA lot goes into how a young player performs: The coaching philosophy, the system, the opportunities and, of course, the results.ö
Curtin, who was the No. 29 pick in the 2001 SuperDraft, got the opportunity, and the Fire has gotten the results.
Still, he plays down his impact on the Fire.
ôYou can stay a lot calmer out there,ö he said, ôwhen you have players like Carlos and Diego [Gutierrez] and C.J. [Brown] in the back with you and Chris Armas in front of you doing all the dirty work.ö
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney