Though not easily pleased himself, midfielder garners lavish praise for his U.S. efforts

Ernie Stewart is realistic about his place in soccer history. “I’m not,” he says, “a player that’s going to be remembered.” He does his best, works hard, gives everything he has to his team: He’s the consummate professional. But a special player? You’ve got to be kidding. “It’s just one of those things,” says the 30-year-old midfielder, an integral part of the United States’ World Cup teams in 1994 and 1998 and an increasingly crucial component of the team Bruce Arena is building for the next Cup. “In the end, if I feel good about [what I’ve done], about myself, that’s probably the most important thing.” He’s not seeking acclaim, nor stardom, nor anything like it. Despite his humble aspirations, and modest estimation of his abilities, Stewart ù born and raised in the Netherlands by an American GI and his Dutch bride ù has played a prominent role in America’s rise as a soccer power of sorts. What he has to offer, not just on the field but off as well, could serve the Yanks well as they work toward 2002. “We had him in camp for the Argentina game [in June] ù the first time since Bruce [Arena, the U.S. head coach] took over that we had him in camp,” said George Gelnovatch, one of Arena’s assistants. “What we noticed about him was what a good effect attitude-wise he had on the team. “He’s respectful, has a good sense of humor, he works his butt off, and he’s a very gifted player. Those things add up to really help us.” His speed can wreak havoc on opposing defenses, and he’s a dangerous threat in front of the goal. In 11 seasons with three Dutch clubs ù VVV Venlo, Willem II and NAC Breda, his current team ù he’s scored 78 goals; he has another six in 53 appearances with the U.S. squad, including the decisive tally in the victory over Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.

‘A great attitude’

How good is he? Don’t bother asking. “I’m never too positive over myself,” he says. “It’s better to ask other people. I tend to get down on myself.” “He’s a very good player, and he has a very great attitude,” says Arena, who employed him to fine effect in the victory over Argentina and again a month later against Derby County. (Stewart struggled in the Confederations Cup-opening win over New Zealand.) “He does a lot of things well: Obviously, he’s got experience, and speed, the ability to get behind players. … “Another thing: If you play him a little out of position, he doesn’t complain. He does whatever is right for the team. He’s just got a great attitude, a great way of handling himself that is appreciated greatly not just by me but also by his teammates.” Confirmation is easy to find. Cobi Jones, his roommate for the Confederations Cup, calls Stewart “an up and happy guy.” Brian McBride appreciates how he “always lightens things up.” Says fellow winger Eddie Lewis: “Ernie, No. 1, is a phenomenal guy.” Stewart, no surprise, is more critical of his style, especially when things aren’t going well. As he suffered through a horrid last season with NAC ù he twice underwent surgery, and the club finished last in the Dutch Honor Division and was relegated to the Second Division ù he wasn’t easy to live with, he says. “I’m not an easy person,” he admits. “I get down on myself. … I come home and I’m not particularly the nicest person. I tend to forget things and think only about soccer.” His wife, Yvonne, keeps him on an even keel, he says, and the birth of a daughter, Quilty, in the spring has mellowed him to some extent. But his intensity on the field remains distinct ù he often can be heard screaming at teammates ù and he rarely finds satisfaction with his play. “Sometimes, it works out to be good, and sometimes it works out to be bad,” he says of his penchant for self-loathing. “When I play very bad, oh, I’m sick of that; I can be sick of that a long time. I go in the next game and I’m like, ‘Dammit, I’m playing bad.’ That can get down on you. “On the other hand, when I play well, I still can get pissed at losing two or three simple balls.”

Pleased with Arena’s ways

He’s been on the U.S. radar screen since late 1990, soon after discovery of his American heritage ù his father, Ernie, is from Houston, although he remained in the Netherlands after his military duty was over. He enjoyed a fine World Cup in ’94, and expected something similar last summer in France. Instead, internal problems wracked the Yanks, who lost all three of their matches and finished last, heading home amid public sniping about Coach Steve Sampson, his tactics and player decisions. At one point, Sampson apparently was prepared to ax Stewart, among other players, from the team. “There’s not too much to say,” Stewart says now. “Very bluntly, we all screwed up. … We qualified fairly easily with a group of players, and all of a sudden the World Cup comes along and that group no longer exists. I understand that injuries and things can contribute to [roster changes], but I think if you qualify with one group, you shouldn’t change one month before the World Cup and go in a different direction.” He says he didn’t play “what I can play like” in France and would love the chance to make up for it in Japan and South Korea in three years. “It’s in the very back of my mind,” he says. “Of course, I’d love to be there, but there’s a lot of factors that contribute to being there. You never know what’s going to come up. Three years is long way to look forward to.” He’s enjoyed his brief time playing for Arena, praising the coach for his honesty and communication skills, something for which Arena’s predecessors ù Bora Milutinovic and Sampson ù were blasted by players. “He’s a coach who wants full concentration on the field and in meetings, and outside that he lets us be,” Stewart says. “We can be grown-ups, do what we want to do. He knows we won’t do any stupid things; we want to win as badly as he does. “On the field, he really emphasizes on certain things, and he keeps repeating them. That’s good. You go in one direction, and the best thing for a soccer player is to have something to grasp. When you play bad, you always want to be able to fall back on something. You grab at those things when you’re playing bad, and if you do the small things well, the extra stuff will come, too. “That’s what he brings to the team, and it’s one of the things we didn’t have in ’98.” Arena says Stewart has “a lot more years in his international career. … I can see no reason why he doesn’t have a good future here.” When that future is over, Stewart doesn’t expect to be celebrated. He’s amazed anyone would think otherwise. “I got a letter from some Who’s Who, that I was going to be in a book, and that makes me proud,” he said. “Mostly for my father, he really loves that, to be able to say his son is in some kind of book. I have no clue what it is. “But my dad, he’s very, very, very proud. In ’94, when we played [the World Cup opener against Switzerland] at the Silverdome, he didn’t see a lick of the game. He was too busy going all over the stadium telling everybody that I was playing. … He was so proud, and just hearing that makes me feel good. … “If I am remembered, I hope it’s for scoring maybe an important goal in ’94,” he says. “But I’m not a person who’s going to be remembered for much.” We’ll see. by Soccer America Senior Editor Scott French