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Carrying two flags Blamed for France 98, MLS basking in Olympic glory
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Only 5 years old, Major League Soccer has been derided by Americans and foreigners alike. The former U.S. national team coach even blamed the league for the United States' last-place finish at the 1998 World Cup. Two years later, it's the most significant reason the American men are one victory away from a shot at an Olympic gold medal. "It has so much to do with where we're at, not only getting us here but with us winning here," said midfielder Ben Olsen, whose is in his third season with D.C. United. Having brought essentially a college select team since FIFA made the Olympics an under-23 event in 1992, and never having advanced past the first round, the United States takes on Spain Tuesday night in the men's semifinals, with a victory assuring it of a medal. Of the 18 on the roster, 13 play in MLS, and nine of them have come through its youth development program known as Project, or, Pro 40. Olsen is probably Pro 40's most celebrated graduate, having won the MLS' Rookie of the Year award in 1998 and earning 17 caps with the senior U.S. national team. But key members of the American team in Sydney also have been developed by MLS: defender Chad McCarty (Tampa Bay), midfielders Danny Califf and Peter Vagenas (both Los Angeles), and forwards Josh Wolff (Chicago) and Chris Albright (D.C. United). Six months after the United States finished last in the 32-team field at France 98, manager Steve Sampson blamed MLS, saying that American players based abroad who returned were eager to help start the league, but that it eroded their skills and allowed them to become "soft." American and foreign media have criticized the level of play in the U.S. league, and many foreign players, coaches and administrators, politely at least, dismiss the MLS and American soccer out of hand. "We definitely get into arguments," German-based midfielder Landon Donovan said, characterizing his conversations with his Bayer Leverkusen teammates. "They're always trying to keep American down as much as they can." Donovan said the level of under-23 players in Germany is no better than his American teammates. "I'm there. I can see it. Germany is not here, and we're in the semifinals. I don't want that to sound mean, but... . "You have to give all the credit to [MLS]. A college team would be totally different." MLS officials, having suffered the slings and arrows of their critics, are trying to restrain their pride so as to not sound like gloating. "The league has to be given a lot credit for the development of these players," MLS commissioner Don Garber said from the league's headquarters in New York. "It's one of the biggest stories of the Olympics. "It's clearly, a long, hard process and no one event is going to give us the kind of breathing room we hope to have. But there are a lot of different events occurring over the next couple of years to push us where we need to go." Yet the United States hasn't won a medal yet, and the American players realize they still have respect to earn. "I think we made a statement that the U.S. can play," Califf said. "But I don't think they believe the U.S. can win anything. If we can beat Spain, then I think people will take notice. "We're carrying two flags here. The U.S. flag is more special, it evokes more pride. But as far as players in MLS, we also carry their reputation."
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