By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor, Soccer America Magazine
A veteran of the past two World Cups, Eddie Pope has endured injuries and some rough times to regain his status as the dean of U.S. defenders.
It comes with the territory of being a central defender, those resilient performances that few except coaches and teammates applaud, and the seemingly minor errors that become catastrophes if a goal is conceded. Anonymity is a job well done.
Outside backs can gamble, overlap and charge up the flanks to whip in crosses or hit searing shots at goal. The middle men might venture forward on a set play but for the most part they are pillars of stability, not purveyors of pirouettes.
On his best days, Eddie Pope is both: a dependable tackler, tough in the air, and not a complete klutz with a shot or pass. The past two years those bright days had ebbed fewer and fainter, but if the first two months of 2006 can be believed, a strong and confident Eddie Pope will lead the U.S. back line at the World Cup.
''He made up his mind in the offseason, he was going to prepare himself physically to come into camp,'' says U.S. coach Bruce Arena, who coached Pope at D.C. United and surprised many by taking him with the second overall pick in the 1996 MLS college draft. ''He has been absolutely superb from the first day of camp. In training each and every day, heÆs been one of our best players. He looks like heÆs got his fitness back and his confidence, and I think heÆs positioning himself to be part of our World Cup roster.''
FIT TO FIGHT
Pope trained zealously in the offseason to get his body right. His list of injuries is frightening: pelvic and ankle injuries last year, his first with Real Salt Lake; a fractured kneecap in 2003, his last season with D.C. United; surgery to repair a sprained MCL in 2000 and more knee problems in 2002; a broken cuneiform bone in his right foot in 1999.
Fitness trainer Pierre Barrieu set up a program to toughen his body and correct some mechanics in his running style caused by back pain and other problems.
''I had a conversation with Bruce before this camp about this, and this is probably the fittest IÆve been coming into a camp in January,'' says Pope, an exceptional athlete who starred in football as well as soccer in high school. ''I did a lot of work in the offseason to try and stay strong and avoid injuries throughout this camp. ItÆs helped so far. I feel very strong, which is obviously a good thing.
''Pierre gave us a program to follow during the offseason and I followed that strictly. ItÆs really paid off for me. There was a running program, and a lifting program. I knew it would be important for me to follow that so I wouldnÆt be out of shape and come in and pull something.
''For me, as an older player, itÆs important to stay on top of things and not get out of shape in the offseason. It takes too long to get back in shape. There wasnÆt any time to get used to things. It was jump right in and if you canÆt swim, youÆre in trouble.''
Pope, 32, has had during his career other ailments that have dogged him as well, spells of dizziness and acute fatigue whose causes were difficult to trace. The most alarming case occurred two years ago, just before the U.S. was to play the Netherlands in Amsterdam. The team bus was waiting for the players to board for the trip to Amsterdam Arena, when word came down from his hotel room that Pope had fallen and struck his head. The cause was even more worrying; the survivor of a thousand tackles and goalmouth tussles hadnÆt tripped or slipped. HeÆd fainted, cause unknown.
Pope was diagnosed with high blood pressure, for which he takes medication. His condition exacerbated a difficult 2004 season adjusting to playing on turf in the Meadowlands for a madly inconsistent Metros team. Traded to Real Salt Lake, he endured another rough season on and off the FieldTurf: just five wins in MLS, and a few nightmare games with the U.S.
''Last year against England might have been his worst performance for the national team,'' says Arena of a 2-1 defeat in which many players were outfought and outthought by an English team lacking many of its stars. ''He really struggled, he lacked confidence, he was coming off of injuries. He wasnÆt in good form.''
His games against Costa Rica and Panama last June were adequate but nothing special. He played just an hour in the Gold Cup. Forty seconds into the semifinal against Honduras, PopeÆs slip gave the ball to Wilmer Velasquez and only a sharp reaction by Kasey Keller prevented a goal. After 15 minutes, a crunching tackle by Ashtor Henriquez knocked Pope out of the game and the tournament, which the U.S. went on to win. He also missed the qualifying victories over Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico that clinched a World Cup spot.
No player escapes injuries or patches of poor play. Yet PopeÆs history of physical breakdowns had concerned Arena since their D.C. days, and the situation appeared to be worsening. Several younger, stronger center backs were emerging ù Cory Gibbs, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Oneywu, Jimmy Conrad ù but none has PopeÆs blend of experience, skill and poise. Pope also commands considerable respect from everyone in the national team program.
''HeÆs a great player, a great leader,'' says striker Eddie Johnson, whose own battle with injuries has given him a firm frame of reference to what Pope has endured. ''HeÆs a guy IÆve looked up to growing up playing soccer. ItÆs good that heÆs still around, still healthy.
''EddieÆs not a vocal leader, itÆs just the way he plays. HeÆs not as fast as he used to be, but heÆs still smart with the ball. He always knows where his next pass is going to be before the ball gets to him. When you see him on the field, heÆs always calm, heÆs never rushed. He makes good decisions. I see the smart decisions he makes and try to add that to my game.''
GOING FOR GOALS
Pope has also been scoring goals since Johnson first dreamed of doing so. PopeÆs darting overtime header that decided the inaugural MLS Cup may be the most replayed highlight in MLS history, yet he can connect with his feet as well as his head. He pounced on a rebound in stoppage time to beat Mexico, 1-0, two years ago, and more recently nailed first-time, right-footed shots into the net against Norway and Japan.
Another younger teammate ù midfielder Clint Dempsey, who also scored against Japan ù is learning first-hand from a player he watched and admired for years on television.
''He has a silent confidence about him and you kind of feed off of that,'' says Dempsey. ''You know that a back line with him in it and running it, you know itÆs in good hands. HeÆs a classic pro. You can look at him and see what you need to do to be successful in the future. ItÆs great playing with him.
''Personally for me itÆs been great for me to see the players I grew up watching on TV. He eats right, he takes care of his body, he doesnÆt go out all the time and go crazy. He rests when he needs to rest and has a good head on his shoulders. You come into camp and you canÆt help but notice it and try to apply yourself so you can be successful as well.''
Those matches early in 2006 werenÆt perfect. A slip against Canada provided Dwayne DeRosario with a one-v-one, but Matt Reis came up with a big save. In the first half against Japan, Pope glaringly gave a ball away in the defensive third but no goal resulted, and in the second half he was in the ruck of defenders who failed to prevent Yuji Nakazawa from scoring JapanÆs second goal in stoppage time.
But also present were the soaring leaps to win aerial balls, scything tackles, clever passes played short, and well-flighted balls over distance. And goals.
PopeÆs wife, Corina, delivered a baby girl, their second child, on Dec. 17, a week before his birthday on Christmas Eve, and he brought his family with him to the national team training camp. After uprooting his family twice in the past three years to change teams and spending a lot of time away, he tried a different method.
Pope hopes heÆs rewarded for all his hard work by going to his third World Cup.
''After everything that happens, stuff thrown at you,'' he says, ''you really, really want to make this team.''
(This article originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of Soccer America Magazine.)