Former U.S. coach Myernick never feared straight talk

	Glenn Myernick served as an assistant coach for the U.S. at the past two World Cups. AP
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If you want to know about Glenn Myernick's integrity, all you have to do is recall a story from the Olympic soccer qualifying tournament in 2004.

Myernick was the head coach of the U.S., and he faced a bizarre situation: His team had an incentive to lose against Honduras in its final group game, to better avoid playing powerful Mexico, the host team, with a winner-take-all Olympic berth on the line.

Losing to Honduras would have brought a less-imposing matchup against Costa Rica for an Olympic berth. Myernick, however, couldn't fathom the idea of lying down on purpose, even to your own benefit. And so the U.S. beat Honduras ... and then lost to Mexico, missing out on an Olympic bid for the first time since 1976.

Some people called it a failure, faulting Myernick for being naive. But it was a victory for fair play, a triumph for the spirit of the game.

"The only way we could have avoided Mexico was to lose the game against Honduras on purpose, and we don't know how to play like that," Myernick said afterward. "Yes, I'm disappointed that we lost the [Mexico] game, but I'm not frustrated at all that we beat Honduras to face Mexico."

That's just one of the stories that comes to mind following the awful news that Myernick, an assistant coach for the U.S. at the past two World Cups, passed away Monday morning at a Denver-area hospital, four days after suffering a heart attack that put him in a coma.

"Mooch," as nearly everyone called him, was only 51. He leaves behind his wife, Nancy, their daughter, Kelly, and son, Travis, and a tight-knit U.S. soccer community that is grieving over the sudden loss of one of its own.

Few American soccer coaches had earned as much respect as Mooch had over the years, from players and colleagues alike. In a world that's increasingly dominated by spin, Myernick was as honest and forthright as they come.

As the consigliere to former U.S. manager Bruce Arena, Myernick seldom failed to talk straight to the guy in charge. Before the U.S.' 2002 World Cup quarterfinal against Germany, it was Mooch who gave Arena the pep talk he needed to make the final call on the starting lineup.

"I knew he was agonizing, so I called him and we met at the hotel lounge level and had a glass of wine," Myernick recalled earlier this year. "I said, 'Look, I think it's great that you respect the advice of your staff and knock around ideas, but your track record clearly demonstrates your ability going back to college and MLS to win big games. It doesn't get any bigger than this, so don't start questioning yourself now. Follow your gut instinct, make a decision and go with it.'"

Mooch's blunt delivery couldn't help but bring a smile to your face. "Soccer can be the most gracious lady," he said one day at the '02 World Cup, "and it can also be the biggest bitch."

Once, after Mooch had spent 15 minutes extolling the virtues of Arena as the U.S. manager, I asked him if there was anything else he'd like to add. "Yeah, he can be a moody bastard, too," Myernick said, betraying the faintest of grins. "Is that plain English?"

Mooch knew his soccer, too. He guided the Colorado Rapids to the playoffs in all four of his seasons there, including to the 1997 MLS title game, and he was the guy responsible for putting together the scouting report for the U.S.' stunning 3-2 win over Portugal in the '02 World Cup.

One of my favorite Mooch stories came from a scouting trip he made earlier this year to watch the Czech Republic play Turkey. The teams were playing "A" and "B" games that night, and during the early match Myernick spotted the Czechs' first-team players standing 50 yards away from him in the stadium. And so, without announcing his presence as a spy, "I just went down and started walking among them so I could make mental notes about their size and stuff like that," he explained. Mooch Myernick, supersleuth.

Dozens of U.S. soccer fans have told me stories of how Myernick was the kind of ordinary guy who would chat them up in a hotel bar after a big World Cup qualifying win.

That's the thing about most American soccer people, players and coaches alike: They're pleasant folks. It's a small community, and partly for that reason coaches feel a stronger kinship than in other sports. Of course, that also explains why so many American soccer coaches, coaches who knew Mooch well, are hurting today.

It's hitting the rest of us hard, too. Godspeed, Mooch. We'll miss you.

• Those wishing to send their thoughts to the Myernick family can direct any items to the attention of the Colorado Rapids, or e-mail rapidsfanmail@pepsicenter.com. The club will collect items and forward them on to the family. Fans can address their items to:

Colorado Rapids Community Relations Dept.
Attention: Mooch Myernick
1000 Chopper Circle
Denver, CO 80204