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Busy day Friday's time divided between practice, interviews
Goalkeeper Tony Meola leads the Kansas City Wizards into the MLS Cup on Sunday against the Chicago Fire. A veteran of the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, Meola was named MLS goalkeeper of the year for 2000 after setting an MLS record with 16 regular-season shutouts. Check back on CNNSI.com for more installments of Tony Meola's MLS Cup Diary. Friday, October 13 What a great and busy day it's been here in our Nation's Capitol. We had a good practice this morning at George Mason University. Our first team looked sharp today, especially in the latter scrimmage, a 6-1 win. I had breakfast with Jack Edwards, television commentator for ABC and ESPN. I hope all of you soccer fans watch the game on Sunday, 1:30 ET on ABC, because they have some wonderful highlights, interviews, and features. As you might know, I am a big fan of the New York Yankees and hope they get to the World Series. My goalkeeper coach Tim Mulqueen is a huge Mets fan, so we are in a battle right now. There are so many sports going on at present: football, baseball playoffs, the start of the hockey season, and basketball pre-season, but there is a ton of media coverage and countless soccer fans down here. I want to thank all of you who support the greatest sport in the world. After practice we had to quickly shower and get to the MLS Press Conference and luncheon downtown. The bus drive was long and the team watched a video of all of the goals scored in the 1998 World Cup. Everyone was going crazy, but not me or fellow 'keeper Bo Oshoniyi. We wondered where the tape of all the saves from the World Cup were. We arrived at the Capitol Hilton and it was a madhouse. Cameras, reporters, fans, staff. We arrived before the Chicago Fire. When they arrive you kind of have to put your game face on. You are friends with everyone, but the situation calls for a quick head nod or a wink when they walked past us. After the game we can chat. The MLS put together a quality event. They played a highlight video from the first four MLS Cup finals. It was well done and fired me up for the game, only 48 hours away. Commissioner Don Garber unveiled the new soccer ball by Kappa for next season. It is the same one used at this year's MLS All-Star game, but let's hope, for goalkeeper's sake, that it doesn't produce all the goals it did that day. Next, owner Lamar Hunt was acknowledged for coming. This Sunday will mark only the 13th Kansas City Chiefs game Mr. Hunt has missed in 41 years -- 816 games in all including pre-season. On top of that, Mr. Hunt has never missed a Chiefs versus Oakland Raiders game, which is quite a rivalry. It showed all of my teammates and I the commitment he has for the sport and it got pretty emotional. Commissioner Garber then announced the 2000 Honda MVP Award. When he called my name 1,000 things raced through my head. I was honored and touched to receive such an accolade. I really wanted the chance to thank my family, coaches, and teammates. It is such a team award and all of us should feel good. My real focus though, is on Sunday's game. After eating one small piece of chicken and one small piece of salmon and some ice, I was hustled over to CNN to do a live interview. I just got back to the team hotel and am looking forward to resting and collecting my thoughts. It has been such a roller-coaster week so far with the draining Game 3 win over the LA Galaxy, traveling to Columbus for the US and Costa Rica game, and coming to D.C. Now is the time to prepare for the MLS Cup, although it's something that has been on my mind since the first day of spring training with the Wizards in January. The Wizards are confident, but not arrogant. In professional sports it is not always bad to have a little swagger, but this team definitely prides itself on being the underdog. All season we have been surprising everyone but us. You don't finish the season first with all luck. We have skill and look forward to stepping on the field at RFK Stadium to prove how much we deserve the MLS Cup trophy. Tonight I will probably grab a bite to eat with some of the guys, watch a little TV, play with the computer and talk about the game with my teammates. Tomorrow is the last practice of the year, and with our team being so competitive, we want to play well. You are only as good as your last practice and tomorrow is the last one, so we'll go out, prepare, play well, and gear up for Sunday. It will be a battle, Chicago is a great offensive team, but let's see if the old adage is true and defense wins championships. Until tomorrow, be safe, have fun, and get ready to cheer for Kansas City. -Tony Meola
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