"Center Circle" (October 2001, Inaugural Issue)

In this Inaugural Issue of U.S. Soccer's new monthly fan newsletter / e-zine, you'll find the items listed below. Some will return next month, others will be entirely fresh for November.

1) Armchair Midfielder (MLS Playoffs)
2) Word Association (w/ MNT defender Jeff Agoos)
3) At the Movies (w/ U-17 MNT defenders Chris Lancos and Gray Griffin)
4) Queries and Anecdotes (w/ WNT midfielder Julie Foudy)
5) Big Woman on Campus (w/ WNT/U-21 WNT midfielder Aleisha Cramer)
6) Superstar!!! (w/ WNT forward Tiffeny Milbrett)
7) Mark That Calendar (2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
8) Point-Counterpoint (w/ journalists Jere Longman and Steve Davis)
9) From the Bleachers (w/ PHILIPS chant contest winner Randal Bird)
10) "You Don't Know Jack (Marshall)" (U.S. Open Cup history)

1) ARMCHAIR MIDFIELDER
A monthly column about the State of Soccer, from the world game to Team America to pro soccer in the good &#8216;ole U-S-of-A, all with a healthy dose of cynicism.

This month, the Armchair Midfielder will handicap the second round of the MLS playoffs and go on record with a pick for MLS Cup 2001 champion.

So the defending champs are gone, and with them went their blase brand of defensive-minded soccer. MLS Cup will not be "Goin' to Kansas City" this year.  And let's face it, we as soccer fans are all better off with the Wizards watching the final from an Irish pub in downtown K.C.

Instead, we get a classic (okay, the word is a bit of a leap considering MLS is just a toddler) match-up between the Galaxy and the Fire. Here are two teams that have been good every year that they've been in MLS. Sure, they've each had their ups and downs, but you can always count on them to play attractive soccer.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2462

"BEHIND CLOSED DOORS"
A section that will let you get to know the real personalities of your favorite Men's, Women's and Youth National team players through various funny and unique first-person accounts. In this issue, you'll find:

2)  "WORD ASSOCIATION" (w/ Jeff Agoos)
Jeff Agoos may or may not need some sort of therapy. Regardless, with 25 prompts on topics both easy and tough, we play psychiatrist to get a candid look inside the mind of San Jose Earthquakes star Jeff Agoos, one of the most accomplished defenders and one of the most enduring personalities in U.S. Soccer history.

"Goose" has been a member of the U.S. Men's National Team program since 1985 and has the rare distinction of being the only men's player to compete on every major national team level offered by U.S. Soccer (U-15, U-17, U-20, Olympic, full Men's National Team and ... that's right, the game everyone loves to ignore ... Futsal). The 33-year-old veteran has won championships both at the college (at the Univ. of Virginia) and pro (D.C. United of MLS) levels and is currently being counted on to help the U.S. Men qualify for the 2002 World Cup after missing out on chances to play in both the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

Prompt ... Response
Dallas ... Home
Music ... Rock n' roll
Pony Tail ... Goose
Style ... Armani
Bora Milutinovic [MNT coach 1991-95] ... Teacher
Steve Sampson [MNT coach 1995-98] ... No comment
Bruce Arena [current MNT coach] ... Winner, motivator

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2463

3) "AT THE MOVIES" (w/ U-17s Chris Lancos and Gray Griffin)
What to do between meals and training and meals and light out? For any and all of those that have been called into a U.S. National Team camp, the answer is: see a movie.

Perhaps no U.S. team sees more movies than those precocious teenagers from the U.S. Under-17 Men's National team. Strip mall cinema connoisseurs Chris Lancos and Gray Griffin recount summer blockbuster "American Pie 2", a shining beacon of good taste and sophisticated humor. It should be noted that both players were accompanied by an adult (most likely U-17 MNT head coach John Ellinger or goalkeeper coach Peter Mellor) to the viewing of the aforementioned movie.

Chris Lancos, U.S. U-17 defender and native of Belford, N.J.: "Gotta admit it &#8211; I'm a big fan of the first American Pie.  Great movie &#8211; one of the funniest I have seen in a while. So I went in with high hopes for the second one... "

Gray Griffin, U.S. U-17 captain/defender and native of Huntersville, N.C.: "GREAT MOVIE!  Without a doubt, you need to see it if you haven't seen it.  I've seen it twice... "

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2464

4) "QUERIES AND ANECDOTES" (w/ Julie Foudy)
Off-the-wall Questions and Answers, Queries and Anecdotes from the veteran U.S. WNT captain and jokester herself

Center Circle: Who's your favorite superhero and why?
Julie Foudy: "It has to be Spiderman.  Simply because I love the Spiderman theme song and I like to think I move across the field with the speed, agility and grace of a spider.  Then I woke up."

CC: What's your biggest brush with greatness, meaning, who's the biggest celebrity you've met?
JF: "Aside from Mia Hamm, who doubles as my caddy for her second job, I'd have to say Socks, the White House feline.  Socks was extremely hospitable and chatty, and made my White House experience very enjoyable."

CC: If you were a cartoon character, who would you be? (And why?)
JF: "Scooby Doo, because he always gets to eat."

CC: Is there a better city than San Diego?
JF: "If you can find me a place where the sun shines about 360 days a year and the temperature stays in the range of 65-85 degrees 12 months a year, you have blue water and sandy beaches and the greatest soccer fans in the WUSA, then maybe.  But I doubt it."

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2465

5) "BIG WOMAN ON CAMPUS" (w/ Aleisha Cramer)
A monthly "How's School?" report from the campus of one of the many players on U.S. Youth National Teams who finds themselves cramming for exams in between U.S. training camps.

This month, we get a page from the journal of BYU sophomore and Lakewood, Colo., native Aleisha Cramer, the U.S. Under-21 WNT veteran and rising star on the full U.S. Women's National Team.

If you've ever been to Provo, Utah, you probably know that there is not a heck of a lot do.  But after over a year at BYU, I am starting to realize that the city and surrounding area has a lot to offer -- you just have to be creative.

Still, most of my time during the college season is spent on the soccer field, traveling to the soccer field or coming back from the soccer field.  Oh yeah, our coach Jen Rockwood likes to have a lot of meetings too.  Basically, most of my day is taken by soccer and studying.

But despite all the time dedicated to soccer, believe it or not, I do have a social life and I'm really enjoying college.  I have a great group of friends and we always have fun.  The coolest thing is that we have fun just doing nothing.  It's amazing that we can laugh as much as we do just hanging out.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2466

6) "SUPERSTAR!!!" (w/ Tiffeny Milbrett)
A monthly feature about a U.S. Men's, Women's or Youth National Team player from the U.S. Soccer Communications Department.

This month, we turn the big spotlight on all 5 feet 2 inches of superstar U.S. Women's National Team forward and WUSA Most Valuable Player Tiffeny Milbrett.

"Without Time For a Pit Stop, Forward Tiffeny Milbrett Powers Her Way to WUSA MVP Honors"

Like many young and successful professional athletes, Tiffeny Milbrett owns two cars.  And like many who love their cars, they reflect the owner in many ways.

The first, a jet-black 2001 Chevrolet S10 4x4 pickup truck, which Milbrett received for being named the 2000 U.S. Soccer Chevrolet Female Player of the Year.  (She upgraded from a four-door.  Not her style). The truck represents the ruggedness of the five-foot-two Milbrett, who despite her small stature, has scored 86 career international goals, good for sixth best in world history.  It also represents the outdoors woman and adventurer that she is, a small-town Oregon girl who loves nature and travel, and who spent a good part of three years of her life in Japan playing professional soccer.

Her other car is a gleaming, silver 2000 Audi S4 sports car is unique, sleek and does zero-to-60 in nothing flat.  With 275 horsepower, it darts past other cars, takes curves like it was on rails and looks good doing it.  It can go as fast as 165 miles an hour (Note to Oregon Highway Patrol: Tiffeny has never taken it that fast, as far as you know).

Milbrett drives it like she plays, at a few gears higher than the rest, and hell-bent to get where she is going, which is usually the goal, a journey that is almost always successful.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2467

7) "MARK THAT CALENDAR" (2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final)
A stern reminder about an upcoming U.S. Soccer event, whether you plan to check it out live and in person or on the tube.

October has always been known for three things: Fall foliage, Halloween, and the abrupt cancellation of weak new TV shows like "Emeril!" (How bad can 22 minutes of entertainment be?) or another lame "Seinfeld" spinoff (Note to Michael Richards: Kramer's only funny in small doses). But for soccer fans, it's all about championship soccer. For U.S. Soccer, that championship is the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, American soccer's oldest tournament.

This year's title match is a first for both the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New England Revolution when it comes to the 88-year-old annual competition, which is open to all teams (amateur or pro) affiliated with U.S. Soccer and has made its mark as a ripe ground for inter-league upsets of David vs. Goliath.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2468

8) "POINT-COUNTERPOINT" (w/ journalists Jere Longman and Steve Davis)
Every month, we'll pose a question or make a statement about something in soccer that will be debated on by two individuals from the same walk of life. Be it a coach, player, general manager, the two will each give their side of the story, so to speak.

In this case, we've enlisted the help of two soccer journalists. In one corner, wearing a Mia Hamm replica jersey under his shirt and blue blazer ... Jere Longman, who covers international sport and the Olympics for the New York Times and whose extensive coverage of the 1999 Women's World Cup turned into a book about the U.S. Women's National Team entitled "The Girls of Summer." In the other corner, wearing a worn-out replica of the now infamous U.S. Men's "denim star" jersey ... Steve Davis, a general columnist who's also been covering soccer for The Dallas Morning-News for over a decade and has covered the last two Men's World Cups.

This month's question: What event had a greater impact on soccer in the United States: World Cup &#8216;94 or Women's World Cup &#8216;99?

Jere Longman, pro-WWC99:
It is indisputable that the 1999 Women's World Cup had a greater impact on soccer in the United States than the 1994 men's World Cup.

The Women's World Cup produced an American champion, and the American public loves a winner. In three weeks, without benefit of lavish pre-game shows or newspaper special sections, the Women's World Cup built a galvanizing momentum. It went from almost zero on the public radar to a consuming moment that drew over 90,000 fans to the final match against China at the Rose Bowl and attracted 40 million television viewers...

Steve Davis, pro-WC94:
Back in the early 1990s, soccer was like the puny kid in junior high: lots of potential, plenty of good things ahead ... but still the last one picked for the team and having some trouble fitting in.

World Cup 1994 changed all that. It was international soccer's coming out party in the United States. A land that respects the big event, the colossal show, began to see soccer as a sport it could learn to like.

For soccer fans, it was their moment in the sun. More importantly in the big picture, Americans who wouldn't know a corner kick from a corner market tuned in to see what the fuss was about. Until the United States wins a World Cup, nothing else will be more influential in elevating the sport's domestic profile.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2469

9) "FROM THE BLEACHERS" (w/ PHILIPS Chant Contest winner Randal Bird)
A monthly look at the fans behind the U.S. National Teams. In this case, one special fan by the name of Randal Bird has gone and made himself part of U.S. Soccer history as the author of the contest-winning Philips/U.S. Soccer chant that will hopefully be a part of international matches for years to come.

GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Chanting to Your Heart's Content

When Philips Electronics joined U.S. Soccer in a partnership to help promote and develop the sport of soccer in the United States last June, their first order of business was launching a unique "chant" contest to challenge U.S. Soccer fans from all over the globe to log on to www.ussoccer.com and begin chanting to their hearts content.

Of course, choosing a winning chant for which hundreds of fans would eventually be asked to latch on to as their own was never going to be easy.  Fans come in all different shapes and sizes.  And so do stadium chants.

>From the long and melodic melodies of "We all root for the red soccer team, the red soccer team, the red soccer team" (as sung to the lyrics of Yellow Submarine) to the less melodic but rhythmic eloquence of a European chant like "Stand up, if you hate Man U. ...  Stand up, if you hate Man U.", they each have their own charm.

Continue: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2470

10) "YOU DON'T KNOW JACK (MARSHALL)" (U.S. Open Cup history)
Think you know your U.S. Soccer trivia? Well...try us. We'll see how far back your knowledge of Team USA and U.S. Soccer extends. And who the heck is Jack Marshall? Even the trivia buffs in the U.S. Soccer Communications Department would be hard pressed to tell you that one Jack Marshall received his one and only cap way back in 1926. Okay, that was pretty much impossible. They get easier. We give you four questions each month, 1 to 4, easy to hard.

Answer #1 correctly, and it's safe to assume you haven't been stuck in a cave for the last five years.
Answer #2 correctly, and you already know more about soccer than any anchor from "SportsCenter".
Answer #3 correctly, you're probably pretty proud of yourself. Don't be. Try Question #4.
If you answered #4 correctly, you are either N.Y. Daily News soccer writer Michael Lewis or you own a U.S. Soccer Media Guide.

This month's trivia has to do with the annual, upset-friendly, "knock-out" tournament known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Questions:
Q1: (Difficulty level 1 of 4) True or False: The U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the United States.
Q2: (2 of 4) Who was the first MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup?
Q3: (3 of 4) Who are the two United Soccer Leagues to team to win the U.S. Open Cup in the 90's, and what year did each team take the crown?
Q4: (4 of 4) What year did the Open Cup competition not have an outright winner?

For answers see: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=2471

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