Ernie Stewart underscored his importance to the U.S. against Uruguay.
Ernie Stewart shunned sleep when he was a boy and lately he’s avoided rest and relaxation.
“I drove my parents crazy,” Stewart said. “I never wanted to go to bed. I wanted to stay up and watch TV or play games. And I’d always get up early. I still get up early, and I’m smiling and ready to go.”
Stewart’s high energy level is evident on the field, whether it’s during a game or at practice. He glides across the grass, never stopping, whether it’s with the ball or hounding defenders. That’s especially useful with the U.S. national team, which uses him as its only forward.
At the World Cup, he scored the winner in the crucial 2-1 victory over Colombia after running on to a Tab Ramos pass.
Since then he’s scored eight goals for his Dutch First Division club, Willem II, which plays with three forwards. He plays right wing.
But he has no problem adjusting to the U.S. system, in which he must cope with two central defenders.
“That’s the good thing about soccer,” Stewart said. “You have to adjust to every situation. Every situation is different. Otherwise, soccer becomes a drag and that’s not the meaning of soccer.”
In a March 25 tie with Uruguay, Stewart gave the U.S. a 2-0 lead with a right-footed shot from 12 yards. The game ended at 2-2, but proved to be a U.S. performance far more impressive than its usual friendly game efforts.
That success had much to do with Stewart’s presence, which has in the past been restricted to summer games. Otherwise he’s busy in the Dutch First Division, where he’s played since 1990.
Since 1992, he’s spent every summer with the U.S. team.
“I’ve been playing four straight years without a rest,” Stewart said. “I’ve been having a good year, but in February my body started telling me it’s a little too much. The club was good. They understood. My body was starting to ache everywhere. So they let me take practices off.”
Stewart had 10 days of rest after the World Cup ended. Then it was back to the Netherlands to help Willem’s quest for a coveted UEFA Cup spot.
Willem II needs to finish in the top three — or top four if Feyenoord wins the Dutch Cup — to play in Europe. It was in fifth place when Stewart came to Dallas. But in the game he missed, Willem II lost 3-0 to last place team Dordrecht ’90
“I called my girlfriend,” Stewart said after the Uruguay game, “and she told me we lost 3-0. Then I called a friend of mine who’s on the team and I heard that our coach [Jan Reeker] got fired.
“He had said he was going to leave after this season and everything went from there. He started not showing up all the time and not doing enough stuff. I guess that’s why they fired him. Not only because we lost.”
Stewart’s disappointment in the loss was easier to swallow because of his goal against Uruguay. And the trip to Dallas gave him a chance to visit relatives in Houston, his father’s hometown.
He has a year left on his contract with Willem II. He’d like to play in Major League Soccer one day, but he recently purchased a house in his hometown of Uden. “It has four bedrooms,” he says, “but one is my workroom. I saw the way the way the previous owners set up the work room, with a desk and a computer, and I said I want it just like that. I don’t work, but I just wanted a work room.”
Stewart also acquired a dog. It’s a breed from the Saint Bernard family.
“I wanted a big dog,” he said. “My parents had a small dog. A Yorkshire terrier. Small dogs are difficult to walk with.”
And Stewart must go swiftly.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Mike Woitalla