Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney talked with U.S. national team defender Steve Cherundolo at the U.S. training camp in Florida. Cherundolo talks about his comeback from a knee injury that kept him out of the Olympics, life in Germany and his impressions on the U.S. national training. SOCCER AMERICA: You were injured right after the Olympic qualifying tournament last April and missed the Games in Sydney. How did the injury occur? STEVE CHERUNDOLO: We had a game right after I got back to Germany. I played about a half hour, and the next day at training somebody caught me from behind with a bad tackle while we were playing 4 v. 4. I was planted on my left leg and it ripped my knee up. SA: Was that your first serious injury? SC: Yes, and it was hard. It’s frustrating, because you don’t see improvement on a day-to-day basis. It takes a while, and I’m kind of impatient. It gets frustrating and you kind of get down on yourself. But it’s all part of the process. SA: When did you resume playing? SC: I came back in late November, just before the winter break. But it takes a lot more time to get back that game fitness, that sharpness. You’re a little bit slower than everybody else. I didn’t get that back until I had gone through the winter break, our preseason and the first few games of the second half [of the season]. SA: Are you all the way back to that level? SC: It’s hard to tell. Physically, I feel fine. I came here thinking I should be okay. But it’s pretty hard.

“The Bundesliga 2 is a war, a battle zone”

SA: How has the season gone at Hannover? SC: The Bundesliga 2 is a war, a battle zone. It’s not pretty soccer at all. For a typical player, first comes fighting, then running and heading, then football. We had a great first half of the season. But during the winter break, we were going to go to Portugal, but instead, our coach decided the cold, frozen fields of Hannover would be good for us. Our coach is like a general, he likes it his way. He’s very, very German. The guys with families were happy, but the majority of the players were pretty pissed. The reason you go away is to concentrate on your team and create that sort of cohesiveness. We didn’t have that and still don’t. I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but we’ve been struggling in the second half. If we didn’t have so many points in the first half, we’d be fighting relegation right now. SA: Where does Bruce Arena believe you can play in the national team? SC: In Germany, I play on the right side of midfield. We usually play 3-4-3. He thinks my natural spot is right back. He’s also mentioned outside midfield or defensive midfield. In college [Portland], I played center back in a 4-4-2 for two seasons. SA: What prompted you to leave college after your sophomore year? SC: It was sort of a gut feeling. I looked at the other players who went there and look where they are now. They’re in the national team, they’re making more money and I think they’re better players. There has to be some reason for that. When I was with the U-20s, we played Borussia Dortmund reserves. The manager of Hannover Hans Gerber, was scouting Dortmund players and asked me if I wanted to come over for a 10-day tryout. I went over, things worked out and we made a deal. If it didn’t work out, I could always go back. That’s the luxury of being an American in Europe. SA: Are there any other luxuries? SC: There are, but not for me. It has its perks. But it’s not like I’m a big star. I’d rather not be. My teammates from the U-20s — DaMarcus Beasley, Nick Garcia, Carlos Bocanegra, Nick Downing — all ask me what it’s like. If I had a choice to live in America or Germany, I’d choose America. But football and what I’m learning are more important right now than lifestyle.

“They don’t respect American soccer, not one bit”

SA: What’s the perception of American soccer in Germany? SC: When the U.S. beat Germany twice in 1999, they said, “It was our B team, you guys were lucky, it was just a friendly, we weren’t ready.” They were making excuses. They don’t respect American soccer, not one bit. They say, “You’re getting better, as a whole. but you’re not up to our level.” But for individual players, it’s different. If you do your business and show you can play, they respect you. It’s that simple. SA: A few months ago, D.C. United made inquiries about you, but you signed a new deal with Hannover. SC: Hannover came in with a more-than-fair offer. I’m under contract until 2003. I’m always open to suggestions or offers.

“This is a good team. It has a lot of potential”

SA: How good is this U.S. team? SC: You go up against everybody every day in training. I’m learning. You have to adjust. This team got a result against Mexico and any team that can get a result, regardless of style, that’s a good sign. The first day of training, I was a little surprised. This is a good team. It has a lot of potential. But every team has good players. AC Milan goes out and buys all those brilliant players but if you don’t have that team feeling, it’s not going to work.