![]() ![]() ![]() It was always important for me that I didn't face the same hard life that they lived. "My mother and father only finished third and fourth grade. "I quickly turned it down because I wanted to go to college," Cirovski There was appalled that Cirovski had turned down the offer, which included room and board, and decent pay. When he returned to Windsor, the immigrant-rich soccer community The tryout had been set up by Cirovski's high school coach, a Scotsman who wasįriends of Aberdeen coach Alex Ferguson - now Sir Alex of Manchester United.Īfter training with players such as Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan, Ferguson offered Cirovski a two-yearĬontract to join the reserve squad of the club that would soon win two league titles and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Having immigrated to Canada from Macedonia when he was 8 - when he went on trial with Scottish club Aberdeen in 1981. It usually never comes when you want it to come, or when you anticipate it will come.Like many of the players he now coaches at the University of Maryland, Sasho Cirovski faced the choice of when to go pro.Ĭirovski was a 17-year-old growing up in Windsor, Ont. More often than not the decision is made for you on the national team because it's so elite and you just don't get called in, or when you do get called in, you're now not starting and you figure it out very very quickly. He knows how hard it is for an aging player, who was once the best option at his position, to start to see the writing on the wall for the next World Cup cycle. There are six months increments that completely change the way a player is, either in reality or the perception the coach has of them."Īs with any player who plays a long time at a world-class level, Lalas was in a similar position to Bocanegra and Cherundolo. I don't think it's necessarily in terms of years. You see guys who play a big part in qualifying who don't play in the World Cup. If you say 'this player is not going to make it three years from now, but I can get something out of him in the next year,' you string him along. national team star Alexi Lalas, who told me that it's not as black and white as I make it sound. At what point is it smart for Klinsmann to cut bait on the older players in an effort to let the younger crop of defenders develop together? That is the goal, right? Compete in the World Cup? That brings up the next question on defense: How long will the likes of Bocanegra and Cherundolo be able to hold down the fort in front of Howard? Of the seven players with 10 or more caps on defense in front of Howard, only Spector will be under the age of 30 for the next World Cup. When does Klinsmann stop fact-finding and start team-building? It doesn't have to be just yet, and this set of friendly matches is certainly helping him get a sense of the players' commitment to the national side and their ability to help the United States qualify for and compete in the World Cup. The key for the entire roster, not just the defense, is what the date to have that foundation set actually is. Steve Cherundolo Drew Hallowell/Getty Images Consistency is a relative term.Ĭarlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Bornstein, Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Eric Lichaj, Heath Pearce, Tim Ream, Frankie Hejduk, Timmy Chandler, Edgar Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal, DeMarcus Beasley, Omar Gonzalez, Chad Marshall and Marvell Wynne have all started games in front of Howard in the last three years. That said, Howard has seen 18 different players line up on defense. Since September 6, 2008, only seven players have more than double-digit caps on defense, so there is some consistency. This is just what Howard had to work with. Keep in mind, this number does not include matches that Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan or Troy Perkins started in net for the USMNT, some of which were important matches in World Cup qualifying. In total, Howard has played behind nearly 30 different variations at some point in his last 36 games for the Red, White and Blue. Fun fact: In the last 36 matches that Tim Howard has started in goal for United States Men's National Soccer Team, he has seen 22 different back lines start in front of him. ![]()
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