Q&A with the SA Editors: Jan. 9, 1998

Keith Bundy

Battle Ground, Wash.

As I was reading over the U.S. World Cup training camp roster, I noticed that all of the European-based players except Brad Friedel and Gregg Berhalter were left off. Is this really a World Cup training camp or is it a training camp for the Gold Cup?

Duncan Irving: The Gold Cup is being viewed as part of the World Cup prep as a whole, but also as a tournament in its own right. Regarding the foreign-based players, U.S. Soccer cut deals with the players’ clubs during qualifying that they would not be called up for the Gold Cup in exchange for their uninterrupted availability during the Hexagonal. As for Friedel, the roster was made prior to his move to Liverpool. He needs to appear in 75 percent of Liverpool’s remaining games this season — a number that is rapidly dwindling, so he’ll likely stay in England, too. Berhalter is injury-prone, but he needs at least one look-see in camp to determine whether he has a chance of making the 22, and with the Dutch league on break until early February, this is a good time to do that.

Manalapan, N.J.

Who do you think will be selected in the MLS Collegiate Draft?

Mike Woitalla: Some of the most interesting MLS signings out of college may be underclassmen who go into Project-40. But as for seniors, I would expect the No. 1 pick to be Johnny Torres of Creighton, Daniel Hernandez of SMU or Leo Cullen of Maryland. Keep in mind that the draft is hard to predict, because teams may be looking to fill specific roles. Also, foreign talent such as Andrew Williams of Rhode Island and Nick Bone of Boston University are among the best, but teams may resist because they wish to keep their five foreigner spots open for veterans.

Stanford, Calif.

What happened to the MLS video game that Waldo, Lalas, Preki, et. al. were off being videotaped for? Wouldn’t this have made a nice holiday gift for the kiddies? And does MLS have any plans to put together a highlight film from the first two seasons? What’s going on with their marketing?

Ridge Mahoney: I contacted the MLS offices, and what I’ve been told is this: A deal with SONY is about to be finalized for a video game, to be released in mid-season, 1998. I’m not sure if it will use the same material you referred to, or incorporate new footage. There are no plans for an MLS highlight film/video, although a D.C. United production is being discussed. ESPN did air an MLS Year in Review show, and the network’s switchboard did not light up with requests for copies. A D.C. video was produced last year, but it was a 30-minute tape that didn’t set anyone’s pulse racing, and I’m told it was only sold in the D.C. area. The league office believes, and for the most part I agree, that the highlight video market for MLS is rather limited right now, and the high production costs preclude a significant investment in this type of product. As you can tell, it’s taking MLS quite a while to gear up its marketing in several areas. However, its new TV deal with ESPN and ABC assuming production costs for game broadcasts may spur the marketing of highlight videos, and a topnotch video game backed by SONY could do quite well, although releasing it in a World Cup year will harm sales.

Alexandria, Va.

Dean Caparaz’s 28 November Q&A survey of the best college women players was excellent! Given your deserved praise for Cindy Parlow and Anne Makinen, I wonder how you react to the alleged statement by Tony DiCicco that Sara Whalen is the only college player who could move directly to the National Team. I have heard this remark quoted at least three times in the past few weeks. Not to denigrate Whalen’s skills or potential in any way, but it is hard to reconcile DiCicco’s statement with his selection of Parlow, Roberts, and Wilson for the Olympic team, which, after all, was effectively the National Team’s short list. Your thoughts?

Dean Caparaz: I don’t agree that Sara Whalen is the only college player that could move into the national team. Perhaps Tony was referring to cracking the actual starting lineup in a World Cup or Olympics as opposed to being called in for training camps or for non-World Cup or Olympic games. Whalen was the only active college player who the national team took on its trip to Brazil in December. (Danielle Fotopoulos, who plays for the University of Florida, was also on the Brazil roster but red-shirted this college season). I believe that several college players can move into the U.S. team right now, though that’s taking into account the fact that the U.S. plays nothing but friendlies until the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Those players include Whalen; North Carolina’s Lorrie Fair, Cindy Parlow, Laurie Schwoy, Tiffany Roberts and Staci Wilson; Notre Dame’s Jen Grubb, Jenny Streiffer, Holly Manthei and probably Kate Sobrero; Portland’s Justi Baumgardt; and Texas A&M’s Bryn Blalack. My list of college players who could actually start and do a decent job for the national team right now is shorter. I would include (in no particular order) Whalen, Fair, Roberts, Parlow and Baumgardt on that list. The players I omitted either don’t have enough playing experience at the international level to start or haven’t been with the national team of late. Tony DiCicco HAS called a number of these players in for the training camp in preparation for the Guangzhou tourney in China, including Baumgardt, Fair, Parlow, Roberts, Sobrero and Whalen, as well as UNC’s Robin Confer and Rebekah McDowell and Notre Dame’s LaKeysia Beene. Schwoy was called in, but replaced by McDowell because of a hamstring injury.

Tustin, Calif.

Why did Mexico fire Bora? I know that the ties with the U.S. and Jamaica were a bit embarrassing, but he guided an undefeated team to France. Also, whatever happened to Miguel Mejia-Baron who led them to USA ’94?

Mike Woitalla: SA covered the demise of Bora in great depth in December, but in a nutshell, Bora was a victim of: Mexican fans’ extreme expectations; a feud between Mexican soccer powers (pro-Bora Televisa and anti-Bora TV Azteca); and a vehement group of Bora critics within the Mexican coaching community. Bora has landed on his feet though, and is now coaching Nigeria (see our story in the Jan. 19, 1998 issue of SA). Mejia-Baron is currently the coach of Mexican First Division club Atlante.

Arlington, Va.

In addition to being a regular at D.C. United games, I’m also a huge Washington Redskins fan. The ‘Skins have myriad problems, one of which is a poor kicking game and as I shivered through a recent loss at the Big Jack — which will not be a good soccer venue, by the way — I found myself pondering the irony that the gridiron team that plays in the same city as the best soccer team in the country has a poor kicking game. Which got me thinking as follows. I’ve seen Tom Presthus warm-up; he’s as big and as strong an ox and has a cannon for a leg. I know he could consistently send kick-offs into the end zone and I bet he would be pretty accurate at field goals as well. Has MLS put any thought into lending some of it’s more strong-legged players to NFL teams. Granted, it would take some coordination between the two clubs, but if they were in the same market, it could be done. Aside from the obvious raise in salary for the MLS player, it would be great publicity for MLS if a kicker/soccer player had to make a Deion-like effort to make himself available for both teams in the same day. Aside from getting a strong leg, the NFL team would save some cap-room because it could pay the kicker the league minimum and it would likey still be a huge raise from his MLS salary. Plus as a two-sport athlete, he’d be a logical candidate for lucrative endorsement deals (which again would be good pub for MLS) so he’d still make good money. I’m not saying Tom Presthus is the one, but I find it hard to believe that among the 12 MLS teams there aren’t a few guys wou could kick in the NFL. Or did Tony Meola set the cause back that far? Also, didn’t Matt and Chris Bahr, who kicked in the NFL for what seemed like forever — and are the sons of US soccer hall-of-famer Walter Bahr — also play in the NASL?

Ridge Mahoney: Every year, dozens of good college kickers try to make the jump to NFL teams, and at least five or six are cut every year for missing a vital field goal, to be replaced by another unemployed kicker, who lost his most recent job by missing a vital field goal, etc. I doubt if any NFL coach would bother with co-employing a soccer player as a kicker, unless he came with a glittering college football kicking background. How can you resolve the conflicts if D.C. is on the road on a Sunday and the Skins are at the Jack? Who gets Presthus? Do the Skins drag Gus Frerotte out with a neck brace and hope for the best? The NFL players’ union would never go for it, either. Deion and Bo Jackson had plenty of people pulling strings so they could play baseball/football. Pete Stojanovic played soccer and kicked for the football team at Indiana, and he’s made a nice career with the Dolphins, and now, the Chiefs. But I couldn’t see Jimmy Johnson sharing him with the Fusion, or Marty S. giving him the day off to play the Galaxy. Millions of dollars ride on a kicker’s shoulder at times, and he’s far too valuable to risk trying to dribble around Danny Pena or Cle Kooiman, or diving into the feet of Dante Washington. Is Pete S. dying to play for the Wizards? If so, he’s not telling. That’s the irony. An NFL kicker would see a lot more contact in the MLS. I don’t think an NFL team would waste a roster spot on a guy to just kick off and run off the field in terror. Hey, I’d love to see it, and there’s surely more than a bit of cooperation between MLS and the NFL. The Bahrs did indeed play in the NASL, yet in each case, they had to quit soccer to keep their NFL jobs. The relationship between the NFL and NASL was a hostile one, complete with lawsuits. And look at the stink in the Meadowlands, grass vs. turf. The Giants/Jets/MetroStars can’t agree on a field; how could two of them share a player?