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 Tough lessons United, Fire must learn from Champions Cup elimination
Posted: Friday October 08, 1999 01:58 PM
Just about everything is relative and based on expectations. FIFA president Sepp Blatter did not have great expectations of the two Major League Soccer teams that participated at the CONCACAF Champions Cup last week. But he came away impressed, particularly with defending champion D.C. United after its 3-1 semifinal loss to Mexican power Necaxa. "I must say the progression realized by MLS," he said. "I had seen Necaxa, the Mexican champion play. I hadn't seen D.C. United. If you witnessed this game, you must say they played the better football. They kept the ball on the field." Ivan Gazidis, MLS executive vice president of player relations and operations, had great expectations, and like most of the league he walked away disappointed after United and Chicago Fire were eliminated from the competition in Las Vegas. "Obviously we are disappointed in the results," he said. "I think it is a sign of the progression that we have made as a league that we are so incredibly disappointed. We expect to win these tournaments these days and it's heartbreaking when we don't. "It was an opportunity to play in games that matter against the world's best teams in Brazil. We hope that we will have that opportunity in the future and that we will be able to take hold of it with both hands the next time around." Hmmm. Taking hold of it with both hands might be some advice for United, which we'll get to in a minute. Losing wasn't the end of the world. Necaxa of Mexico certainly was the deserving champion. But with the ultimate carrot being the very first FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil in January, MLS must see this as a great opportunity lost. Imagine our United taking on the No. 1 United in the world, Manchester United, in a real-for-goodness confrontation, not one of those friendlies you see when a European team comes to the United States for a pre-season warmup. Or imagaine the Fire trying to shut down Real Madrid or Vasco da Gama. We'll have to wait at least a year for that to become reality. Unless United and the Fire learn something about themselves, the losses and eliminations will be in vain. United, the Fire or any other MLS team that qualifies for next year's competition as MLS champion must remember that the CONCACAF Champions Cup, while it will never be confused with the European Champions League, offers better competition and challenges teams won't necessarily find at home. "The teams they are playing against are the champions in their respective leagues," Gazidis said. "[We're] not even playing average Mexican or Costa Rican opposition, but the very best. They have already proved they can do it. The question is how to make ourselves better." Gazidis felt it comes with young player development, which he said doesn't "happen overnight. We have come an incredibly long way in four years. Our young talent pool is much deeper than it was four years ago. This translates into an increased level of performance at the national team level. "We can measure ourselves in international club competition. The only way to do that is through competitions, and we have limited opportunities to do that. The CONCACAF tournament is one of them. This year we didn't prove it. Last year we did, and next year we hope to prove it." United coach Thomas Rongen agreed. "Mistakes are punished at this level, and sometimes we are a little naive," he said. "We need more of those games. I'd like to make the season shorter and have more matches against foreign clubs. We're not playing enough quality games." Beyond Blatter's praise, United didn't seem to be hitting on all cylinders. While Carey Talley opened some eyes, playmaking midfielder Marco Etcheverry had a mediocre tournament -- he wasn't even voted to the tournament all-star team, which included a starting 11 and five substitutes.
Moreover, United, which at 23-8 is head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in MLS, was rudely reminded that its ultimate weak point is in goal. While the team can and probably will win in the league with the best field players and a deep bench, with Tom Presthus in the nets, there are serious concerns about their ability to play at a higher level. Two games bore this out. The first mistake -- no make that blunder -- came in the dying seconds of United's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Olimpia (Honduras). Some three minutes into injury time, Presthus decided to go after a loose ball in the penalty area, upending Wilmer Velasquez in the process. A penalty kick rightfully was called, and Presthus saved his and his teammates' hides by smothering the shot by former United player Arnold Cruz. In the 3-1 semifinal loss to Necaxa, Presthus's decision-making process was questionable at best on a pair of corner kicks that led to goals for the Mexican team. Presthus also was shaky in United's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Mutiny on Wednesday. Whether or not it was a carry-over from the cup, Presthus must avoid those type of performances and get his act together for the playoffs. At his press conference the day after United's elimination, Blatter was at his diplomatic best when he assessed United's situation. "What they are missing internationally... is to have a No. 1 goalkeeper who is a lucky man," he said. "If you don't have a goalkeeper who is a lucky man, he is a lucky loser. And a lucky loser in football does not mean a lot." Of course, getting a better goalkeeper is easier said than done for United, which had to jettison all-stars Raul Diaz Arce and John Harkes the last two years to get under the MLS salary cap. Fire needs fresh legsChicago's situation is much more subtle. The team needs some fresh legs for the new millenium, not just after the CONCACAF performance, but after a disappointing regular season. The Fire is 18-13 entering the final weekend of this season after winning the title in its first year. It still can happen, but the Fire has shown too many lapses for a championship team, particularly on attack. With the teams focused on the upcoming MLS playoffs, it would be unfair for the coaches to talk about player movement for next season. But sometime in the next few weeks, coach Bob Bradley, if he is back (remember, there are strong rumors in the soccer community that he will leave the Fire to become full-time assistant to national coach Bruce Arena and the coach of the under-23 -- the Olympic team) will have to make a decision concerning his Eastern European contingent. Given their ages, at least one player probably will be replaced. Who will he keep? Will it be midfield general Peter Nowak (he turns 36 next July 5), who has failed to play up to his 1998 performance, in which he arguably was the league's MVP? Will it be Lubos Kubik (he will be 36), the 1998 MLS defender of the year who has fallen short of expectations and who was the only player to miss a penalty kick in the Fire's tie-breaker elimination by Alajuelense of Costa Rica? (He has missed three of his last four this year after converting seven of seven last season.) Or will it be attacking players Roman Kosecki (34) or Jerzy Podbronzy (he will be 34)? These players aren't getting any younger, and playing the bulk of the season in the summer makes MLS more and more a young man's league. One thing is for certain -- no MLS team, including the Fire, can afford to have any key performers return to Europe to take care of personal business matters in the middle of the season. They should be focused on the game at hand. And, they will be a year older in a league that will see its schedule shortened by several weeks to accommodate the kickoff of World Cup qualifying. Those are some hard, tough questions to answer. Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of Soccer Magazine. To submit a question or comment to Michael Lewis, click here.
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