At the grand old age of 27, Marcelo Balboa joins the 100 club. Only 25 players have ever attained 100 caps in their careers, and Balboa is the first American to join the illustrious group, celebrating his 100th appearance with the tying goal against Nigeria.
100 caps
‘I was surprised to be the first one’
“After I left for Leon, I knew my chances of coming back were slim and none, so I knew I’d probably have to wait for U.S. Cup.
“I really didn’t look back on my career. The closer the game came, the more excited I’ve been getting. I was surprised to be the first one to 100.
“My first cap was against Guatemala in 1988. It was the first trip I was invited to, under Lothar [Osiander] as the coach. We lost. 2-1.
“I don’t think I was that nervous, it was kind of like a new team, he was trying new players. The first time I got nervous was when he called me in for one of the Marlboro Cups, and everybody came into camp. I finally met all the guys I had heard about, and that’s when I got nervous. I was just a young kid: I knew who they were, but they didn’t know who I was.
“I was the ball boy, the water boy. I got abused back then. Now, I have it easy.
“One hundred caps never crossed my mind. I always thought Bruce Murray would get there first. I never thought I’d beat him. I thought he’d be around forever. Plus, when I got hurt, I thought for sure someone would get there before me.”
The two World Cups
‘I had something to prove in ’94’
“In ’90, I was very happy to be on the national team and playing in the World Cup, because I came off an injury with my MCL [Medial Collateral Ligament].
“The difference between ’90 and ’94 was I had a lot more confidence. In ’90, I didn’t know what was going to happen. In ’94, it was a dream come true to play in the World Cup in the United States. And I was coming off another injury.
“’90 was a shock, I played in all three games, and I was so nervous the games went by very quick. ’94 was a different feeling — I had a lot to prove in ’94.
“We all had something to prove after losing all three games in ’90, but I think I had more to prove than anybody because leading up to the World Cup, I had been hurt and nobody knew what was going to happen with my injury. Nobody knew how I was going to react, mentally and physically. That’s what motivated me to play harder.
“The big issue was the defense, and a lot of people said I shouldn’t be playing. They were giving me a hard time. That was the thing that turned my mind around.”
Opposing strikers
‘Batistuta was the toughest’
“We played against so many teams, but probably the toughest were when we played Juventus and Fiorentina: [Argentine Gabriel Batistuta] — he’s so strong and big. And then we tried to mark Roberto Baggio. I don’t think any of us had much success there.
“At the World Cup, you had [Faustino] Asprilla of Colombia, and I had to mark [Swiss striker Stephane] Chapuisat, and [Florin] Raducioiu of Romania.
“Maybe, Batistuta was the toughest. He’s so strong, he’s almost bigger than I am and lot thicker than I am. He’s very quick, very skillful.”
Leon
‘Hold your ground’
“We did a lot better in the second half, we got 19 points from 13 games. The first half they had 13 points and were bottom of the table in the overall picture.
“I’m not saying we did better because of me. We just started playing better and began to win and started getting close to the playoffs. We let go with one or two games to go, but we were still one or two points out of the playoffs.
“We played 4-4-2, sometimes five in the back, and pushed two outside guys forward a lot. I was sweeping and then rotated around to wherever the guy was. Basically, the same [way] Bora played.
“I got there Monday, signed my contract and started training Tuesday, and played that Saturday against Club America in Azteca. I’ll never do that again.
“I wasn’t eating because the food is so different. I wasn’t used to the altitude and I wasn’t used to all the running. I lost a lot of weight — I was down to 160 from 175. It took me about a month to get adjusted to the style of play and to the players.”
“I had a problem with one or two of the players, because I was playing in their position. One guy studded me and stepped on my foot and ripped my shoe open. Then he tried to take my knee out — he came in knee-high from the side. This was the first week.
“You’ve got to hold your own ground and hit them back.”
MLS
‘I’ve proven everything in the States’
“Next year, I know for sure I want to play for Leon or another team in Mexico. “MLS is definitely in my future plans. But I’ve played in the States in every league possible, from the WSL to the APSL. I’ve proven myself in the States. Now it’s time to take the next challenge.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney