For all the benefit Brian McBride may have missed by not playing against Italy Feb. 13, perhaps there were greater forces at work.
Fate hasn't been kind to McBride, so perhaps the first two months of 2002 have been Fate's way of balancing the scales.
In the Gold Cup won by the U.S. McBride finished as top scorer with four goals and was chosen MVP after playing all but 28 of a possible 480 minutes.
"That hasn't always been the case," McBride says of his healthy streak. "Knock on wood."
Twice he's been sidelined by blood clots, which are not among the normal hazards associated with playing striker. The second occurrence kept him out of action from August until the Gold Cup. His rapid recovery surprised many, himself included, which is why he played in the Gold Cup but missed the trip to Italy.
He and Dina Barnett had already scheduled their wedding for Feb. 16.
"At the time I was supposed to be injured until the beginning of March," says McBride. "Dina and I wanted to get married earlier rather than later. We knew about the Italy game, but I really didn't think I'd be back in time.
"In mid-October, I really started getting the push, the itch. I was doing fitness two times a day. My arm didn't swell up when I was pushing, and that was a good sign."
FRACTURES AND SHINERS. More in line with his robust, scrapping persona are the broken cheekbones he's suffered and the superb shiner that knocked him out of a Hexagonal qualifier against Mexico a year ago in Columbus.
That black eye opened the door for Josh Wolff to score a goal and set up another in a 2-0 win. Wolff and Clint Mathis were the catalysts for the fast U.S. start in the Hexagonal.
Among cynics was the view that being conked in the face was McBride's major contribution to the national team.
The stats say differently. Since Arena took charge in November 1998, McBride has scored 12 goals in 32 games. No one has scored more goals in the Arena era.
With the World Cup three months away, it is Wolff and Mathis who are recovering from injuries and McBride atop the forward heap.
His survival instinct is something of a marvel to his teammates on both the Crew and the national team.
One of them, midfielder Brian Maisonneuve, knows of rehab and agonizing hard work. He had four ankle surgeries in 2000, but got his spot with the Crew back in 2001.
"It's a testament to him about how hard he works and what kind of player he is," says Maisonneuve of McBride.
"He has it all. He's great in the air. He works his tail off, he gives 110 percent every time he's on the field. He's got a great touch, he holds the ball well and he finishes. What else is there?"
PERFECT PARTNERSHIP. Staying healthy and finding the right partner up front are what the next three months are about for McBride and Arena, respectively.
The coach knows he cannot rely on the incredible goalscoring run of midfielder Earnie Stewart, who scored eight times in 15 qualifiers.
There are pretty goals and deft passes on McBride's resume, yet his is not a game of finesse. One of the players he became acquainted with at the Gold Cup is Josh Wolff, who has a natural affinity with Mathis, having played college ball with him at South Carolina.
McBride, says Wolff, is a much different player.
"He can flick balls on so for me to get positioning and be able to hold the next one or run off the next one is very important," says Wolff. "He's very direct. He doesn't make any myths about what he's trying to do. He likes to get the ball and get in the box. His game is deliberate and honest. Mine is a little more to get behind guys and dribble at guys, but still rely on him to get some balls and push me through.
"We've been together for a month [during the Gold Cup] but I haven't had that many chances to play with him up top. To get two or three chances to play together will help us out a lot."
At the Gold Cup, Arena paired McBride primarily with Wolff or Ante Razov. In the absence of Claudio Reyna, Arena deployed Landon Donovan in midfield.
The McBride-Donovan combination clicked immediately in January 2001 when Donovan flicked a brilliant first-time chip into the path of McBride, who drilled it home for the first goal in a 2-1 win over China.
The scything skills of Donovan could mesh well with McBride's rugged presence. Yet Arena fears Donovan cannot withstand what a forward must endure at the international level.
McBride scored the only U.S. goal at France '98 by throwing his body into a goalmouth melee and forcing the ball over the line.
He scored just before an opponent's fierce slide tackle broke his shinguard in the vital 1-0 win over Guatemala in September 2000.
He can strike the ball cleanly and solidly, but it's his physical, battling ways that most impress Arena.
"I think he's the one striker we have that's very reliable for 90 minutes," says Arena. "Game in and game out, you know what you're going to get out of him.
"He's a solid forward who is very good with his back to the goal and good in the air. He also does an excellent job of holding the ball and he scores goals.
"The average fan and maybe the average reporter, they only may see somebody doing something fancy on the ball or going by a guy. They don't see other things that Brian brings to your team.
"One of the issues in the game is when you don't have possession of the ball. He's one of the guys that helps you when you don't have possession and when you do have possession."
Pressuring defenders and working defensively does not come naturally for most forwards. Not until he left Buffalo Grove (Ill.) High School for Saint Louis University did he learn of the added duties.
"When I was growing up, we'd practice shooting for 45 minutes and then we'd play a game," says McBride. "When I got to college, I couldn't believe the emphasis that was put on defending. I kept asking, 'When do we get to shoot?'"
THE POSSIBILITIES. Joe-Max Moore, Jovan Kirovski and Jeff Cunningham join McBride, Wolff, Mathis, Razov and Donovan in the chase for forward spots.
McBride's role isn't likely to change regardless of what system or which partner Arena chooses.
"He's told me to make sure I do the things I do very well and not try to do too much," says McBride. "If I can get a chance, go to goal. He wants me in the box as much as possible and rightly so.
"You try and find that good rhythm. You look for those one or two extra things in addition to each individual's own abilities, whether it's knowing how to run off each other's shoulders, whether it's knowing the tendencies of players.
"I also need to adapt. It's nice to be thought of as one of the strikers on this team but for us to do well we definitely need a good partnership."
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney
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