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Leaving a legacy L.A.'s Caligiuri retires from 'true American sport'
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- When Paul Caligiuri's booming, left-footed volley from 30 yards out sailed into the net on a balmy afternoon in Trinidad 12 years ago, it started the soccer ball rolling in the United States. Since Caligiuri's goal in that 1-0 victory propelled the American men into their first World Cup in four decades, the quality -- and recognition -- of the sport in this country has bounced to new highs. "At least half of the things that have happened in U.S. soccer since would never have occurred if Paul hadn't scored that goal," said Tab Ramos, whose throw-in set up the score against Trinidad and Tobago. On Saturday, Caliguri plays in a competitive match for the last time. The legacy of his play will keep going. Now there are pro leagues in America for both men and women. Most high schools field boys' and girls' teams, and there are many college soccer scholarships available. Millions of kids play in recreation leagues. After not qualifying for the World Cup for 40 years, the U.S. men have played in the last three -- including an automatic entry in the 1994 Cup in America -- and recently qualified for next summer's tournament in Japan and South Korea. More and more Americans are playing in top European leagues. The U.S. women also gave the sport a huge boost in 1999 by defeating China before a sellout crowd of 90,185 at the Rose Bowl in a Women's World Cup championship that drew an estimated 40 million U.S. television viewers. Caligiuri seems a bit amazed at the events triggered by his first-half goal in Port of Spain 12 years ago. "It was a time and a moment," he said. "There has been such a chain of events that have occurred in building soccer in America that many attribute to that particular victory. That chain of events include playing in the World Cup in Italy in 1990, and solidifying our opportunity for hosting the World Cup in 1994. "Then having the 1994 World Cup here is the real reason we have Major League Soccer today, and that we've seen successful leagues launched for both men and women." Ramos credits Caligiuri's historic goal with opening new avenues for American players. "I signed in Spain because somebody saw me play in the World Cup," Ramos said. "If we didn't go to Italy, who knows how prepared our team would have been in the 1994 World Cup? And the impact that our team made in 1994 provided the push to get MLS started." The lightly regarded Americans made the second round of the 1994 World Cup before losing 1-0 to eventual champion Brazil. Caligiuri is a veteran of 110 matches with the U.S. team -- 8,272 minutes in a red-white-and-blue uniform. Used mainly as a defender, his historic goal was one of only five he got for the national team. One of the first Americans to play in Europe, he spent six seasons in Germany and also played six MLS seasons. The Los Angeles Galaxy defender is scheduled to play his final competitive match Saturday, against the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup final at Cal State Fullerton. In December, he begins his coaching career, heading the men's and women's soccer programs at Cal Poly-Pomona. Although the U.S. pro leagues and the entry of players into European leagues are obvious signs of the growth of American soccer, Caligiuri considers that merely the tip of the iceberg. "More importantly, on a bigger scale, there is the opportunity to play on junior national teams, Olympic teams and teams going to the World Cup," he said. "And every weekend, everywhere, you see boys and girls playing soccer. "It's really turned out to be the true American sport in my view, given that both boys and girls play the game and moms and dads spend the weekend committed to their kids' soccer games." Caligiuri realizes soccer has a long way to go as far as building a large fan base in the United States. "I think the vehicle that could drive the sport there is the World Cup team," he said. "The women's winning the world championship in 1999, that elevated women's sports, not just women's soccer. Those opportunities are there for us." Then, there is television, with soccer so far unable to capture the attention of most American viewers. "The game is constant movement and the field is large, but the TV screen is small," Caligiuri said. "When I played in Germany, there were more cameras on the field, and you saw the grass coming off the cleats, the sweat dripping from the hair, the expressions on the faces. I think that really captured the intensity, the passion and the glory of the game." A victory on Saturday afternoon would send Caligiuri out with two titles and one second place this year. The Galaxy won the CONCACAF Champions Cup, pitted against top clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean. Then last weekend, Los Angeles lost 2-1 in overtime to San Jose in the MLS title game. "It's been an honor to play with him, and a problem to play against him," said Tony Meola, the goalkeeper who earned the shutout in the 1989 win in Trinidad. "If all of us in this game could have half the career and be half as professional as Paul Caligiuri, this game will go a long way."
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