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Va-Va-Voom Vagenas, Vanney demonstrate art of the penalty kick
Updated: Friday January 26, 2001 8:09 AM
They make it look so simple. Place the ball down 12 yards from the goal, then fire a shot into the lower right or upper left corner -- anywhere the goalkeeper isn't. Greg Vanney and Peter Vagenas -- both former UCLA players, incidentally -- have become masters of converting penalty kicks, and thanks to them, the Los Angeles Galaxy is planning to play at the FIFA Club World Championship in Spain this summer. Converting PKs can mean the difference between life and death in a competition. The U.S. men used penalties to reach the semifinals of Copa America in 1995 and the gold-medal round of last year's Olympics, while the women converted their attempts against China to capture the Women's World Cup in 1999. The U.S. also has tasted death by penalty kicks. Last year the U.S. was eliminated from the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals by Colombia via penalties. That denied the U.S. an opportunity to play at least one more time in the semifinals and perhaps an opportunity to play at the FIFA Confederations Cup later this year against the likes of France.
"You have to step up and make it 90 percent of the time or you're giving away goals," Vanney said. "If you're giving away goals, it all comes around. If you make your kicks, it gives your team confidence and it drains the other team, too." Last week the Galaxy tasted life several times in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and penalties helped them prevail in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. So, how did these two start as penalty kick takers? Vanney remembers converting them for his under-12 youth team. "When I was little, I used to fancy myself as a goalscorer," he said. "I played midfield and forward. I had always taken them for any team I've been on. I've had a lot of success. Even the pressure doesn't seem as great because I've done it so much." The same goes for Vagenas, who has been taking them "since I remember. I took them all through high school and college. I took a couple as a freshman. Once you succeed in them, it's easier to take the next one. It's easy to draw on success." Vanney, 27, became the Galaxy's regular penalty taker in 1999 after Mauricio Cienfuegos (nine of 13 lifetime) missed three out of four attempts during a nightmare stretch. Vanney has taken them since, converting one in '99 and five of six last season. He's three for three in the playoffs. Without giving away too many of his secrets, Vanney explained his strategy. "They key is having multiple shots and keeping an eye on the goalkeeper," he said. "Usually, if its a goalkeeper I've never seen, I usually go with my best shot. Maybe I'll change it a bit and drive it down the middle." Last week, Vanney mixed it up a bit. Against CD Real Espana (Honduras) in the semifinals, he placed his shot in the tiebreaker to the lower left corner. The Galaxy prevailed in PKs 5-3 after a scoreless tie. Against D.C. United, he put it to the opposite side of the net past goalkeeper Mark Simpson in regular time. And during the tiebreaker, he drove it down the middle as the Galaxy survived 4-2 in PKs after a 1-1 regulation. "Obviously, knowing the keeper was going to do something helped," Vanney said. "They have to make a move. If you hit it well enough, they shouldn't stop it." Vagenas, who turns 23 on Feb. 6, found himself in the spotlight during the Olympics when he fired home three penalty kicks in regulation and another during a tiebreaker with Japan that vaulted the Americans into the medal round for the first time ever. He wanted the responsibility of taking PKs. "I said, 'Why not. If anyone is going to miss, it's going to be me,'" he said. Even in the 90th minute against Japan in the quarterfinals, with the U.S. trailing 1-0. "Of all the ones I took in Australia, that was the most nervous I've been," Vagenas said. "The game was directly on the line." He converted his chance, firing a shot down the center of the goal as goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki dived to his left. During the tiebreaker, Vagenas was scheduled to shoot fifth, but he had a talk with coach U.S. coach Clive Charles. "Clive had me down as the last shooter," Vagenas said. "In penalty kicks, sometimes the fifth shooter doesn't even shoot. I knew if I went first and scored again I'd crush their keeper's confidence." Vagenas converted his attempt, leaving the heroics to Galaxy teammate Sasha Victorine, who nailed his try for a 5-4 PK win. "I'm under the impression that if you strike it well and hit the side, the keeper doesn't have a chance," Vagenas said. "The worst thing you can do is change your way. Usually I'm set on where I'm going." Shooting third in the Galaxy tiebreaker lineup, Vagenas converted both his chances last week. "Sigi [Schmid, the Galaxy coach] always has had confidence in me taking them," he said. "On the Galaxy we have a lot of guys who have confidence taking them." And yes, Vanney and Vagenas are both mortals. Once in a while they actually do miss. "I don't recall many times," Vanney said. "Once in college and once last year. I'm sure I'll miss again. If you think about it, you'll miss. The key is having confidence. I've seen guys go up there questioning their shot. That's the one you don't want to hit." Vagenas flubbed one against the University of Washington in his final year at UCLA. "A lot was at stake," he said. "If we would have won, we would have gotten the first game [of the NCAA Division I tournament] at home. It was difficult at the moment. It was a devastating thing. More often than not, I'm pretty confident I'll score. The most difficult thing is waiting for the next one." So, who is the best at PKs on the Galaxy? "I actually joke with him and tell him that his aren't as good as mine," Vagenas said. "I told him I'll go eight for eight." Then Vagenas got serious. "I don't foresee him missing any in the future." That's not good news for opponents, whether it is in MLS or the FIFA Club World Championship. Spot kicks
Coach Eddie Firmani was prepared for Vermes to take the kick. Instead, up stepped Tab Ramos ("I didn't want him to take the penalty," Firmani said. "I wanted Peter"), who fired a shot that goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi dived to his right to knock away. "I felt I was going to put it in," Ramos said. "I took four penalties with UNL Tigres [in Mexico]. I hadn't missed in the past several years... I thought the goalkeeper was going for the other side. I tried to fake him out. I faked myself out." Ramos never took another kick, and by the way, Vermes missed the MetorStars' second attempt in a 2-1 loss to D.C. United on May 30, 1996. For the record, among the well-known names who have missed: Roberto Donadoni (twice), Diego Sonora (twice), Paul Dougherty, Mike Sorber, Giovanni Savarese, Braeden Cloutier and Eduarto Hurtado missed their attempts. The MetroStars hit nine in a row last season before Clint Mathis, of all people, missed.
"I got about maybe three feet from the ball," he said. "I actually had planted my left foot already. That drives coaches crazy and my teammates nuts to know that I did that... To change your mind you have to have the confidence and instinct."
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. On Friday, he was honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in the college division of its writing contest for Life is Beautiful, a column on University of San Francisco coach Steve Negoesco.
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