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South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 36

Location:
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Issue Date:
Page:
36
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

"TT" 1C Sun-Sentinel, Sunday, March 15, 1998 PB 1HV1 tTTI SOCCER: FUSION OPENER 1 1 Mighty D.C. United 12 Matt Kmosko 1 Jeff Cassar is the class of ML 5 Fusion vs. D.C. United Whr: Lockhart Stadium, 5301 N.W. 1 2th Fort Lauderdale.

Whn: Game time, 4 p.m. today; gates open 1 p.m. Tkkats: Advance $30, $25, 1 8, 1 Same day tickets are $2 more. Parking: $5 in designated areas. Mora info: No umbrellas, flags on poles or horns are allowed in stadium.

Drums are allowed. POSITION: Defender. HEIGHT: 6-1. WEIGHT: 173. LAST CLUB: Colorado Rapids.

COMMENT: Started 62 games for the Rapids in two seasons. Had three assists in five playoff games in 1997. Has three appearances for the U.S. National Team. Spent 1995 in the USISL.

POSITION: Goalkeeper. HEIGHT: 6-2. WEIGHT: 190. LAST CLUB: Dallas Bum. COMMENT: Played two games for the Burn in 1 996.

Injuries kept him off the field in 1997. FIU graduate was a member of U.S. Under-23 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams. 14 Kris Kelderman 2 Leo Cullen cypress Creek Rd fun Uuderdate i it POSITION: Defender.

HEIGHT: 6-1. Futive Airport D.C. WEIGHT: 185. LAST CLUB: United. COMMENT: a 8 Ap- POSITION: Defender.

HEIGHT: 5-10. WEIGHT: 184. LAST CLUB: University of Maryland. COMMENT: Fusion's first round pick in the college draft 1997 National Player of the Year candidate. 1997 ACC Player of the Year.

A skillfull player with good view of the field. 4 Commercial Blvd. i p. 1 ''''J Fort "spectD Laufleraaie peared in 25 games in 1997 for D.C. United, recording 2 goals and 4 assists Has 3 goals and 7 assists in MLS career.

Played indoors with St. Louis and Tampa Bay in '96. 3 Wade Webber 15 Brian Taylor POSITION: Defender. HEIGHT: 6-3. WEIGHT: 195.

LAST CLUB: Dallas Burn. COMMENT: Started 22 games for the Burn in 1997, notching 2 goals and an assist for Seattle Sounders of the APSL from 1994-96, helping the team to two POSITION: Forward. HEIGHT: 6-0. WEIGHT: 170. LAST CLUB: Los Angeles Galaxy.

COMMENT: Appeared in 11 games for Galaxy in 1997. Played in USISL with Central Coast Roadrunners in 1 996 after playing college soccer for Fresno State in 1994 and 1995. By JEFF RUSNAK Special to the Sun-Sentinel Major League Soccer probably thought it was doing the Fusion a favor when it scheduled D.C. United for today's opener at Lock-hart Stadium. In an area that thrives on big events, the third-year league gave the expansion Fusion the biggest send-off possible a match against two-time champion D.C.

United, played in a brightly reconfigured stadium, on national television no less. Some favor. While the Fusion is struggling to break from the gate, D.C. United has already lapped the MLS field. From the front office on down, United has set the standard for the other 11 MLS franchises, particularly on the field.

"I like the challenge of playing D.C. United in the first game," Fusion coach Cacho Cordoba said. "That's what we need in order to grow up as a team, a big challenge." The Fusion will get a good measure of how good they are after a two-month-long preseason that was limited mostly to scrimmages against local college teams. Cordoba is still searching for a forward who would complete the Fusion's five-foreigner allotment. D.C.

coach Bruce Arena meanwhile will march out a lineup that includes at least five players who start for their respective national teams. A sixth, central defender Eddie Pope (U.S.), is questionable after having a cyst removed from his ankle two weeks ago. Still, D.C.'s assemblage of skillful attackers is better than any in MLS. Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno scored 16 goals in 20 games in 1997, and may be the best player in the league. Country-mate Marco 'El Diablo' Etcheverry prompts the United mid-field, with U.S.

National teamers John Harkes and Roy Wegerle offering fulsome support. Harkes, Wegerle, Pope and defender Jeff Agoos didn't join until 10 days ago after spending much of this year with the U.S. National team. Neither a lack of practice time nor the emotion the Fusion figures to play with should rattle a veteran team like United. "We're playing a team that's playing together for the first time," Harkes said.

"We've got to exploit that and get them off their rhythm. I think we need to come out and impose our game on them and make them chase us." If ever there was a day for United to be a bit out of sorts, today would be it. Arena lost three players midfielders David Vaudreuil, John Maessner and Kris Kelder-man in the MLS expansion draft, all to 16 Ramiro Corrales 4 Cle Kooiman 0 M'LE 12 i Staff graphic TICKETS: 15,000 (Capacity, 20,266) sold for opener against D.C. United. Sellout expected.

FIELD SIZE: 75 yards by 116 yards. LARGEST SOCCER CROWD AT LOCKHART: 19,850 (Two Strikers' games, July 1979). SOME RULES OF THE GAME PLAYERS: Forwards move the ball toward the goal or shoot to the goal. Midfielders control the ball in the middle of the field. Defenders help the goalkeeper prevent opponents' goals and launch counterattacks.

FOULS AND MISCONDUCT: A direct kick is awarded to opposing team if a player commits any of the following offenses in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force. Kicks, trips, jumps at, charges violently, strikes, pushes, holds, spits, intentionally handles ball and tackles the opponent before touching the ball. OFFSIDES: A player is when he is nearer to his opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second to last opponent. TIME KEEPING: There is 45 minutes per half. Referee also keeps note of any extra time used due to injury or other stoppages.

GOAL KICK: If the attacking team kicks the ball over the goal line of the opposing team, a goal kick is awarded. The kick must be taken on the side the ball went out of play by either the keeper or a defender. PENALTY KICK: Penalty kicks are direct kicks toward the goal awared usually when an offense is committed near or within the penalty box. POSITION: Defender. HEIGHT: 6-0.

WEIGHT: 160. LAST CLUB: San Jose Clash. COMMENT: Started 16 games in two seasons for the Clash. Was the youngest player in the MLS's inaugural season. Spent the 1995 season with Monterrey Bay Jaguars.

POSITION: Defender. HEIGHT: 6-1. WEIGHT: 190. LAST CLUB: Tampa Bay. COMMENT: Eastern Conference All-Star in 1996.

Started for U.S. against Switzerland in 1994 World Cup. Played for Crus Azul's First Division in 1993. Brings leadership and experience. (- -i ft AP photoDOUG MILLS Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno scored 16 goals in 20 games for D.C.

United in 1997. the Fusion. All-time leading goalscorer Raul Diaz Arce (38 goals over two seasons) was moved to New England by MLS for salary cap reasons. The Diaz Arce deal broke up the "Magic which included Moreno and Etcheverry. With Wegerle as a replacement, the Fusion isn't expecting any drop off.

"They're like a well working clock, like the German teams of the 1980s," Fusion defender Cle Kooinian said. "If one of the pieces is taken away, they have someone who can do exactly the same job and fit into the puzzle. We're playing a powerful and potent team." There's little to suggest D.C. won't dominate MLS in 1998 as it has since the midway part of the '96 season. When he coached at Virginia, Arena won five NCAA titles, including four consecutive at one point.

Arena proved he can get a college program running at full speed and keep it there. Can he do it in D.C, make United MLS's first dynasty? Harkes thinks he can. "I definitely believe we can," said Harkes. "There's nothing negative in terms of our thinking. The potential is there to go out and win another championship.

We've created that tradition already, but we want to go to the next level again and again." 17 Diego Serna 5 Jerry Tamashiro POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-10. WEIGHT: 175. LAST CLUB: Deportivo Independiete Medellin. COMMENT: Scored 8 goals in two seasons for Colombian First Division powerhouse Medellin.

Played in 1 995 for Deportivo Tulua, also in Colombian First Division, scoring 6 goals. POSITION: Forward. HEIGHT: 5-7. WEIGHT: 158. LAST CLUB: Alianza Lima.

COMMENT: Played for Peruvian First Division champion Alianza Lima in 1997 and Peru's Deportivo Municipal 1994-96. A skillful player with good technique. Likes to keep ball on the ground. -K. 18 Scott Budnick 6 Nelson Vargas VALDERRAMA POSITION: Midfielder.

HEIGHT: 5-7. WEIGHT: 150. ft LAST CLUB: Tampa I Bay Mutiny. COMMENT: Played POSITION: Goalkeeper. HEIGHT: 6-2.

WEIGHT: 195. LAST CLUB: Tampa Bay Mutiny. COMMENT: Played 1 3 games for the Mutiny in two seasons with 53 saves and 1 .56 GAA Earned a start with Mutiny in 1996 Eastern Conference finals against D.C. United. 22 games for the Mutiny, scoring three goals with two assists.

Reserve on U.S. Olympic Team in 1996. Earned four caps with U.S. National Team, his first in '91 at age 17. 7 David Vaudreuil 19 Dan Stebbins POSITION: Forward.

HEIGHT: 5-11. WEIGHT: 170. LAST CLUB: Milwaukee Rampage (A-League). COMMENT: Taken by the Burn in 1st round of the 1997 Supplemental Played only one game before sustaining injury to right knee. Graduated from Notre Dame in 1991.

POSITION: Defender HEIGHT: 5-7. WEIGHT: 158. LAST CLUB: D.C. United. COMMENT: Played two seasons with two-time MLS champions D.C.

United. Voted by Soccer America as top MLS right back in 1997. Has nine years of professional soccer experience. 8 Marcelo Herrera 20 Henry Gutierrez rv I POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-7.

WEIGHT: 150. LAST CLUB: San Jose Clash. COMMENT: Played for Clash in 1996, recording a goal and an assist. Played indoors for 1996-97 NPSL's Cleveland Crunch. Began pro career in French Third Division in 1991.

POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-10. WEIGHT: 167. LAST CLUB: Gimna-sia Jujuy. COMMENT: Played for Velez Sarsfield of Argentina's First Division, winning the 1997 Recopa Cup Championship.

Scored 54 career goals. Began career with Gimna-sia Jujuy in 1987. benched by then-Mutiny coach Rongen in a game against D.C. United. Rongen didn't like the way Valderrama was singling out teammate Ivan McKinley for what he considered mistakes.

As his sub came on, Valderrama left the field, walked past the bench and stormed to the locker room. He and McKinley got into a fight after the game, and both received fines. Valderrama's showy exit and the subsequent fight with McKinley didn't do the P.R. staff at Tampa Bay or MLS any favors. But, Rongen said the incident showed how committed Valderrama was to giving his team and the league its money's worth.

"I've played with some big-name players in the NASL who didn't care," Rongen said. "They came in, took their millions and left. Carlos really does care. He sets a very high standard for himself and he expects those around him to strive for excellence. "I've played with people like Johan Cruyff and Nene Cubillas, and coached Ossie Ardilles and Walter Zenga, and what amazes me about all of them is that when they step on the field, they become warriors.

Valderrama has that same competitive streak that allows him to survive at the highest level." For all the fire and brimstone he exhibits on the field, Valderrama keeps a quiet profile off it. In his free time, he likes to dance the salsa, play pool (nickname: Minnesota Valderrama), and go to the beach with his wife Claribeth and their three sons. But his time isn't always that free. Between playing for the Fusion and Colombia, and leading the MLS publicity parade, Valderrama's chances for sitdown family dinners are few. He accepts his position as one of MLS's key ambassadors, dutifully signing autographs and getting his picture taken, smile included, with most anyone who asks.

"I always want to make the fans happy," Valderrama said in a Tampa Tribune story last year. "Soccer is very important lin the United States. The main thing I want to do is put my little bit of sand to make a mountain of soccer here." At age 36, Valderrama is Hearing the end of a career that lias spanned 17 years, eight clubs, four countries, more than 100 international matches for Colombia and two World Cups. He'll finish his international career with a third World Cup this summer in France. Afterwards, he'll be free to play for the Fusion full time until he retires.

"I've lived a good 36 years," Valderrama Raid. "I'm very happy. Futbol has M' very well. I still love it, that's why I dm FROM PAGE '1 From head to toe, Fusion's Valderrama creates attention When asked recently if he's bothered that sometimes his game is overshadowed by the hair, Valderrama replied simply, in Spanish, through an interpreter: "I'm used to it. But the fans know me for both things." The other thing, of course, is his talent for creating goal scoring opportunities with his incredible array of passes.

During MLS's two year existence no player has had a bigger impact than Valderrama. He gave the league instant credibility the day he signed with Tampa Bay, and he has lived up to the hype that comes with his stardom. The league's first MVP in 1996, and the MVP in both MLS All-Star games, Valderrama, 36, has already provided a highlight reel that takes others a lifetime to create. When Valderrama receives the ball in the attack, the field suddenly seems larger, teammates suddenly seem more alive, and the chance for breaking down a defense more likely. "It's almost like he's playing a giant video game where he's directing and making things happen," said Fusion defender Cle Kooiman, a teammate of Val-derrama's in Tampa.

"In layman's terms he's an awesome quarterback in the game of soccer. He can be marked by two or three people and still thread a ball through the eye of a needle." Fusion midfielder David Vaudreuil said Valderrama's composure on the ball, even in tight spaces, has a calming, liberating effect on teammates. "He gives players the freedom to be more ambitious going forward, because you know he can hold the ball and get it to you in the best place possible," Vaudreuil said. "It's an amazing experience when the ball comes to you right in stride even though the play has been developing for a while." For all his artistry, Valderrama is sometimes criticized for his apparent lack of gusto defensively and a penchant for letting his frustrations show when things aren't going right. El Pibe's leisurely pace when the other team has the ball isn't keeping Fusion coach Cacho Cordoba from sleeping at night however.

"I know where Carlos feels comfortable and I'm going to give him the freedom to express himself," Cordoba said. "When people say Carlos doesn't defend at all, I think people are talking sometimes without knowing what it means to ft 1 0 Carlos Valderrama 24 Joey Martinez a POSITION: Defender. HEIGHT: 6-0. WEIGHT: 160. LAST CLUB: Dallas Burn.

COMMENT: Started 19 games for the Burn last season. Played for Milwaukee Rampage of the USISL in 1995-96 Named USISL's Midwest Division Rookie of Year in 1995. POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-9. WEIGHT: 157.

LAST CLUB: Tampa Bay Mutiny. COMMENT: Played two seasons with the Mutiny, tallying 7 goals and 39 assists. Two time MLS All-Star. On Colombian World Cup team in 1990 and 1994. Nicknamed El Pibe (The Kid).

Fusion photo Carlos Valderrama gave MLS instant credibility when lie joined Tampa Bay in 1996. defend. Valderrama is very smart to defend at the right time. Sure, he is not going to chase down some young kid. But I have Carlos to do other things." As for venting his unhappiness with teammates during a match, Kooiman said Valderrama's yelling is more constructive than critical.

The bilingual Kooinian is often used as a messenger for Valderrama's Spanish-language missives. "What happens is he'd look at me or Martin Vasquez because we spoke Spanish, so we could tell the rest of the players what's going on," Kooiman said. "It looks like he's going off on us, but he's just giving directions about what we need to do. "He may say things in a tone we're not accustomed to, but he gets his point across. He wants to win and he's very competitive.

You'll see that on Sunday." In his first season at Tampa, where the Mutiny finished a league best 21-11 regular season mark, Valderrama was 11 John Maessner 25 Pablo Mastroeni POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-9. WEIGHT: 150. LAST CLUB: North Carolina State. COMMENT: Played 16 games for N.C.

State In 1997, recording 3 goals and 8 assists. Was first team AII-ACC and All-Region last season. Second-team AII-ACC and team co-MVP in 1995. POSITION: Midfielder. HEIGHT: 5-10.

WEIGHT: 162. LAST CLUB: D.C. United. COMMENT: Spent two seasons with D.C. United, scoring 3 goals with 17 assists.

Played 1995-96 for FC Saarbruck-en of the German Third Division. Played In World All-Star game in '93. -I.

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