namely, Bruce Arena.
If the past year has taught us anything, it's this: MLS has made some rather astounding leaps forward recently in terms of creating players that can hold their own at the next level.
Here's what I'm driving at. The squad that King Bruce fielded against Colombia and Honduras comprised nearly exclusively MLS players (only Bobby Convey's 30-minute spree against Honduras screwed things up). And they ... Tore. It. Up. Impressive newcomers like Clint Dempsey and Chad Marshall, resurrected vets like Steve Ralston and Ben Olsen, and, of course, the six-million-dollar man, FC Dallas's Eddie Johnson. What's really great is that they all looked cohesive, composed, and like they belonged out there. And that's what a national domestic league is supposed to do, create a player pool of like-minded, like-styled parts for the national team machine.
"Those were friendly games," you protest. I know, but methinks the naysayers doth protest too much. And methinks they should consider other recent developments:
First, a series of big-time overseas transfers that have actually stuck. Read that last part again -- actually stuck. That's key, because these short stint Joe-Max things weren't really helping the MLS cause very much. For a while, U.S. players were kind of one-hit wonders, couple of goals on arrival, gone by June.
But not Carlos Bocanegra, Brian McBride, DaMarcus Beasley, and Bobby Convey. They've all held their own over there. MLS made these guys. They paid their dues during brutal offseasons in Ecuador and Wednesday night matches in Kansas City. And even though I'm sure the guys sometimes wanted to bash their brains in with their own metal studs, these experiences taught the "Americans" -- yes, it's still an epithet over there; just ask Tim Howard -- what it means to be a pro and how to slog through the day in, day out grind.
Second, two words: Cory Gibbs. Does anyone remember where Cory Gibbs was a year and a half ago, just before he joined Dallas? He was with FC St. Pauli in Germany's Regionalliga Nord playing alongside amateur teams from the big clubs -- which is like a Saturday afternoon men's league except that the players don't go to the bar in their shinguards after the games.
Gibbs was battling his own psyche. He had always dreamed of playing in Europe, but playing for the national team was an even bigger dream. Gibbs had joined St. Pauli when the team was in the Bundesliga, and had been selected for several U.S. games in 2003, but by then St. Pauli had been relegated, and then was relegated again, and Gibbs realized that drudging away on the muddy fields of northern Germany in front of 150 people wasn't going to make him a better player or, more important, impress Arena.
So Gibbs came home and joined Dallas, where Arena could sit back on his couch with a Bud long-neck and watch Gibbs strut his stuff week in, week out. Now, of course, Gibbs is the starting center back for Dutch giants Feyenoord and he's poised to be the foundation of the U.S. defense for years to come. Thank you for coming, drive home safely ... "I love it when a plan comes together," as Hannibal used to say.
Cory Gibbs is now the poster child for the MLS career-rehabilitation program. It's the Cory Gibbs Treatment Plan. He might not like to admit that, but I hope he throws a little "Thank you, MLS" into his pregame concentration this weekend in Mexico City.
And I hope it keeps working out for Colorado 'keeper Joe Cannon, who wasted a couple of years in France and finally saw the error in his ways ..."Come back to us, Joe," the gods whispered.
And I hope it keeps working out for Tony Sanneh, whose career in Germany was foundering after his devastating injury. And I hope it works out for all those guys I mentioned at the beginning.
But today, I hope Greg Vanney's resurrection works. I haven't always been a fan of his, but every national coach would love to have a natural left back of Vanney's caliber to slide into the lineup. And besides, he's got that left-foot artillery gun that can fire the ball through walls. Vanney's left foot is like Jeff Agoos's left foot on drugs. It's crazy. And now that Vanney will be playing on a regular basis again, Arena will see that left foot again and maybe -- only maybe, because, honestly, Vanney has been left behind riding pine these last few years -- so just maybe Arena will ask that left foot to come back.
And the Cory Gibbs Treatment Plan can claim another success.
Greg Lalas played for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New England Revolution in 1996 and 1997. Send e-mail to Greg at cheapseats@g73.org. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
