I have to admit to be taken aback by some of the reactions to Claudio Reyna’s retirement announcement. Many of the comments have focused on him being “past it” and others to him being overrated.
Certainly the injuries problems he has suffered since signing for the New York Red Bulls have generated more headlines over the last two seasons than his on-field performances but retirement should be a time for a more balanced assessment of a career.
In terms of injuries Reyna is not unlike many other athletes before him. As the body begins to break down and a playing career begins to slip away the desire to eke out just one more season or even one more game can become all encompassing. To criticize a player for such human frailties is mean spirited and shows a particular lack of compassion – particularly given Reyna’s achievements.
We hear constantly that U.S. college soccer cannot produce top calibre players but Reyna proved that supposition to be faulty. An outstanding college player he opted to take his chances in Europe after missing the 1994 World Cup through injury. It might have only been a decade and a half ago but back then North American soccer players were about as highly rated in Europe as Welsh baseball players were in the USA.
American players were regarded as having big hearts and little technique and players like that were, and still are, a dime a dozen in Europe. Nevertheless Reyna was the player who broke that stereotype and he managed to establish himself as a sought after commodity in the cut throat world of European professional football.
First it was in Germany (Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg) before heading for Scotland to play for Rangers. From Rangers it was to the Premiership with Sunderland and then onto Manchester City. Throughout his career Reyna improved as he constantly added to his repertoire. As he matured the creative midfielder became a player who improved the defensive side his game to the point where he at times turned in excellent performances at right back.
His pinnacle came at the 2002 World Cup when all facets of his game came together and he helped take USA to the last eight of the competition. Reyna never enjoying blistering speed but his anticipation and reading of the game meant he was rarely caught out of position and he had an unerring ability to anticipate an opportunity or problem before it became obvious to others. He had the courage to make himself available for others in trouble and at his best he could dictate the rhythm and pace of a match.
Overrated? Only by those with hamster-like attention spans or with no understanding of what it takes to be a top class player for so many years. Three appearances at World Cups, two Olympic Games and successful stints in three different European leagues makes Reyna’s accomplishments unparalleled in US soccer history. Any other assessment at this time is simply churlish.
Claudio Reyna was probably the greatest player America as every produced, but he'll never get that credit it will go to Landon Donavon who will likely push close to 200caps and 70 goals in international competition, but in the end Landon Donavon is a European washout with a mouth, and no matter how many goals he scores against St. Lucia that is what he will forever be.
Last edited by Targetthyself on July 17th at 8:33 PM.
Thanks for a great post on Reyna. His injury riddled last few years have been difficult to watch. However, that shouldn't obscure his impressive career, in particular his great WC 2002 tournament.
Talking about US College Soccer: Scottish born David Weir attended the University of Evansville and was an NCAA All American. He went on to become captain of Everton and is now with Glasgow Rangers.
Bobby can you expand on your comments the other night about Platini trying to wrangle an exemption for soccer from the EU. I hope its not another #### deal like the antitrust exemption MLB got from congress in the 1920s
If people were saying he was over-rated than the only game they saw him play in a US shirt was against Ghana.
Can you imagine a young Reyna and McBride coming up with the attacking talent we have now on the wings and that could compliment those players in the center of the park?
I had the pleasure of watching Rayna many times in Giants Stadium during the past season. At that time, I recoginized his importance to any team. He was like a maestro conducting an orchestra; but unfortunately, his orchestra was consistant of a very bad musicians. He suffered from what all the big stars went through when coming to NYC; playing in a bad quality team.
Reyna also had another unfortunate event that will stain his career for a long time. It's the fact that most people will only remember his mistake in the final WC 2006 game against Ghana. Somehow, it reminds me of what happened to Zidane with his infamouos headbutt.
In my mind, watching Reyna since his start with the national team, He is the best ever American player.
I haven't seen much of the negative commentary you mention (I also didn't look) but I imagine it partly comes as a reaction to adulation he's received in the past from commentators on his USMNT performance, and probably doesn't reflect the broader perspective on his career that you present. To the point, I remember watching the 2002 (& 2006) WC coverage, and feeling that singular deification that Claudio received stood in contrast to his performance of the field. While he played well (particularly in the game against Mexico) I thought that it was other players who really brought the spark to the team (Donovan, McBride, and O'brien stood out for me) and was annoyed at the large share of the attention he received.
I haven't followed this enough to hear the negatives, but I can't see anyone complaining about C-Reyn as a player. Yes, the U.S. has churned out excellent goalkeepers, but to date, there have never been top-class field players. McBride was good to have on a team, but he wasn't prolific enough to be considered great. Donovan shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Reyna - a couple of good performances in WC2002 against teams who have never played against you before does not make a legend.
In Reyna's prime during his stint with Sunderland and Man City, I was in awe at how he was able to control the game against the bigs (ManU, Arsenal, Liverpool - Chelsea were second-rate then). That breed has been few and far between (Keano, Fabregas, Makelele, Viera), and Reyna's ability to do that playing with lesser teams against greater opposition made me feel proud that the U.S. could actually produce world-class soccer players. It hasn't been done before or since, but there's plenty in the pipeline these days. Let's see who's able to take the torch from Reyna.
The Claudio-haters will say things like "he couldn't play through pain/injury like the true greats do" and "if you needed a safe square or back pass, Reyna was your guy." But as Bobby points out, if you cannot appreciate the player that Claudio was and all he meant to American soccer, you simply do not understand the beautiful game - period.
I will never forget the unfortunate Ghana give-away, as it literally happened right in front of where I was sitting in the Frankenstadion, but this in no way cancels out all of the great things Reyna accomplished. As soon as the stewards began carrying him off on the stretcher I began thinking what a complete injustice it would be if that turned out to be Reyna's last World Cup "highlight." Reyna's performance at Korea/Japan 2002 is undoubtably the best showing by an American on the international stage, but IMO, he also showed his class at Germany 2006 up to that inau####ious moment.
No one should ever forget Reyna's streaking 40-yard run that led to our taking a 1-0 led against the run of play versus Mexico in 2002, nor how he completely outclassed Germany's Micheal Ballack in the ensuing match. His audacious volley-attempt from near mid-field in that quarterfinal would have been one of the greatest goals in WC history had it been just slightly more on target and caught Kahn out. Had it gone in, it may well have sent the U.S. on to victory, as we were thoroughly controlling the match at that point. Jumping back to 2006, Reyna had another near-miss which could have easily re-shaped how the rest of the tourney turned out for..
Last edited by uncle_paul on July 18th at 12:31 PM.
..us. Few probably remember his burner from the top of the D that beat Cech only to rattle off of the post and deny us the equalizer in our 2006 opener. Call me crazy, but if that goes in, it could have dramatically reshaped how that match, and indeed the entire tournament, turned out for us. Of course, we went on to lose 0-3 versus the Czechs, but despite that disappointment, Reyna bounced back to put in an outstanding performance versus Italy that kept our chances for advancement alive. Speaking with several neutral-observing Germans on the train later that night, they all raved about how Reyna seemed to be everywhere on the pitch and was the one U.S. player who ALWAYS looked like he belonged.
While it may be true that Reyna never managed to score that amazing, match-changing goal in a big game for the U.S., the point here is that he was as solid a player as we have ever had, and we were damn lucky to have him. Had a few bounces landed an inch or so this way rather than that, there would be absolutely no denying his status as a legend. Still, he captained the U.S. during a transformational period which saw us become the top team in our region as well as a regular at the WC finals. No one has mentioned it here, but Reyna also captained Rangers during one of the club's most successful stretches in history, and he did score a dramatic goal in the Old Firm derby. I shutter to think where the USMNT and U.S. players seeking their club fortunes abroad would be had Claudio Reyna never come along.
Last edited by uncle_paul on July 18th at 12:54 PM.
Thank you for this post. Too much negative #### for a player of his caliber. Claudio is far and away the greatest field player the US has ever produced and arguably the greatest US player ever. Teammates and coaches in the US and abroad have always had great things to say about Reyna when they had no obligation to do so. The composure of the USMNT changes completely when he is not on the pitch. It is very evident with today's team.
Bobby, with Guzan to Aston Villa, so where does Brad Friedel end up?
Donovan is miserable to watch and could not perform against any quality. He is not in the same league as Reyna.
@ Thierry_Henry:
Regarding a defensive midfielder, I wonder who Wenger will buy. I would take Alonso off Benetiz's hands to help him fund Barry, but I do not think he would sell to Arsenal.
I think we are going to see a bit of Alex Song in that position. He is built like a tank and has pace. Diaby is too attacking minded to serve that role, although I think he has the physical attributes. Diaby loves to dribble forward and have a go.
"This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively."
Off topic... who is your photographer, Stevie Wonder? You need a better headshot. Next time you are in NYC, I will do one gratis. It will take less than 10 minutes.
Bobby what did you think of Becks take on the quality of play in MLS?
How would you rate the league with others in Europe? Is it better than the Championship or the Erediviese?
I know its hard to compare leagues they are all so different from another, obviously MLS is not on par with the Big Three, but the quality of play has increased over the years.
I like this quote by Daniel Levy quote so much better:
'Today's public comments by Manchester United's manager, announcing that he has made an offer for Dimitar and is confident that the deal will go through with time working in their favour, is a blatant example of sheer arrogance and interference with one of our players.
'It is also probably one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League to date and is unbelievably hypocritical given his recent comments in respect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
'This comes after a series of events, dating back to last summer, which have shown Manchester United to be in breach of Premier League rules.
'As a result, we have today made an official complaint to the Premier League about the conduct of Manchester United.
'Benitez made similar comments in respect of Robbie recently and we made an official complaint to the Premier League about the conduct of Liverpool earlier this week.
'The behaviour of both clubs has been disgraceful. We told both clubs very early on that we had no interest in selling Robbie or Dimitar, respectively, and that they should refrain from pursuing the player.
'Both clubs arrogantly chose to ignore this request and we now have evidence that both clubs have systematically been working to prise the players away from us, outside of Premier League rules of conduct.
'Our subsequent position has been severely compromised by both clubs making their intentions widely known and indeed making contact with the players and their agents, without the club's permission.'
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on July 18th at 4:37 PM.
Not much surprises my from Sir Alex anymore, but this is just too good!!
He has been told that Berbatov is not for sale, period. Yet he arrogantly goes to the press stating that is is quite confident he will sign the player. And he does this after whining and crying for several months over the CR to RM rumors in the Spanish press. This guy is just too much.
In the early 80's, my brother was a senior on the local high school soccer team.
He and some buddies from the team would often go over to the field on Meisel Avenue
(Springfield, NJ) for pickup games.
One day he came home with a look of sheer amazement in his eyes. His team had just played a
pretty competitive, take-no-prisoners sort of affair with a pickup squad of older foreigners.
These guys were adults, all experienced players. Some, I recall were South Africans, with several from various European countries.
There was one man who said he had recently emigrated from Uruguay, where he had played professional soccer, to the United States to provide a better life for his family. He asked if his little boy, Claudio, could play in the game. Everyone looked at the cute little boy, who couldn't have been much more than seven or eight, and laughed at loud. "Sorry mister, we don't want the little fellow getting hurt," was the general consensus. "These games can get a little intense."
"Oh no," the man replied, "you don't understand. Back in Uruguay, Little Claudio has been playing competively against adults--many former pros who are friends of mine--for years now. He won't get hurt. No need to hold back."
They all looked at each other kind of funny, but there was such an air of honesty about this humble but dignified Uruguayan that the game began with Little Claudio in the lineup.
When he got home that night, my brother, who always had a sharp eye for atheltic talent in many sports and who wasn't prone to exaggeration, went on to describe how this little kid absolu
absolutley dominated the game. He would trap the ball instantly and weave through the opposition before
unleashing bending, swerving shots of terrific power. He read the game like a mini-Beckenbauer;
not only was each of his passes inch perfect, delivered at precisely the right pace, but they were
made with uncanny vision and intelligence. A couple of the African players had had quite enough
of being made to look foolish by this prodigy and went in hard for the ball. No chance. He danced around every tackle like a tiny Fred Astaire.
After the game, my brother went up to the father, a very gracious man, and told him that his son had world class talent; if he was being raised in Europe or South America, he'd one day play in the World Cup.
In an all-too-rare instance of nice things happening to nice people, his little son, Claudio Reyna, did grow up to play in the World Cup. And become the best soccer played our country has yet produced.
not to take anything away from Claudio Reyna, he was obviously an important player for the US national team and had a decent club career, but when Peacock said hes the best player ever produced by America, I think hes wrong about that. I think that if we are talking about pure talent and ability, and taking in his potential, I think Bobby you cant argue with me when I say Giuseppe Rossi is the best player USA has ever produced. Im not American so I have an unbiased opinion. Again nothing to take away from Reyna, but Rossi is a superstar for Villareal (and Man U), a top club which Reyna never played for and Rossi is only like 22 years old
22justin - If he is a superstar then why did Manchester United let him go so easily? Come to think of it if he is superstar how come he played less than 10 games for United. Comparing a player who has around two years top flight experience against another with over 100 caps,over a decade in top flight leagues and three World Cups?
Last edited by BobbyMcMahon on July 19th at 2:15 PM.
Rossi a "superstar" for Villareal (and Man U)? That is a bit of a stretch. In time, maybe, but that is a BIG MAYBE. I wouldn't even call Reyna a "superstar" but I maintain that he is the best, most solid player the U.S. has ever produced and he was also the most valuable cog to our national team for several years. Rossi doesn't even want to play for us so as far as I am concerned, he is not a U.S. player. No hard feelings, that is his perogative, and I respect him for believing that he can one day get into the Italian side, but we're not talking about potential here. We're talking about a guy that was dubbed "Captain America" by his European peers and had a long, successful career at the highest level. Depending on how things pan out for Rossi, maybe then you can bring him into the argument, but by then, there should be a few others worthy of mention as well (Altidore, Adu), but again, we're not talking about potential.
Reyna is no doubt the best player our country has produced. I say this because he was a complete player on the field. I often wondered if his talent suffered a little bit due to the lack of comparable talent on the National team and in the MLS. McBride is the only player who comes close. He may have even surpassed Reyna if he was`nt suffering from facial fractures every other game, but Reyna`s place is undeniable. The man was accepted as a legitimate player in the Bundesliga and the Premiership. It was in those leagues where, if you were paying attention, Reyna`s talent truly shined. I have seen him do things as a player for Man. City that were simply world class. I wonder what Reyna and McBride could have accomplished with better talent around them on the National team. Landon is good, but he is not even in the same league as Reyna and Mcbride. Our performance in the World Cup will not improve until we harvest the talent of not just the suburban players, but the urban players who are the children of immigrants who love the sport of soccer. Reyna`s dad was a player from Uruguay who obviously passed down what he knew about the sport to his son.
Last edited by Hypocycloid17 on July 19th at 10:09 AM.
Terrific write up! Claudio Reyna was my reason for following Manchester City at first and the way he drove that team on was second to none. He had a terrific career and should be applauded for giving us in the states something to cheer about. I hope he coaches the MNT some day because I believe he could drive the team on from the bench in ways not many others can.
Yeah, Reyna was born in the US and his father was an Argentinian immigrant. I didn't think Atleti would miss that one :-)
Now Tab Ramos was born in Uruguay and came to the US as a child. I loved that team of overachievers in 1994 and Ramos was the one truly creative player. Unfortunately in WC 94 he had his skull fractured by that Brazilian thug Leonardo and was out of action for three months and his career was never the same. Shame.
Fantastic meeting you and your mates. I've not laughed as hard as I did during the #### v Pele/Maradona debate in ages. See you in McMoney in September.
I agree with Bobby. America is so funny like that never giving a guy his do when he finally calls a successful career over. He was a great player and it showed with sometimes bad passes on the US team that weren't bad it was the other players around him that weren't up to his caliber with the players and teams he played with in Europe. He paved the way for a lot of the players today that are even looked at in this country to play in Europe, my hat goes off to you and thanks for the years.
Bobby, you are absolutely right on about this...there were many, many posters in here when his retirement was announced that were negative, actually most of them were.
It saddened me, as I have many good memories of watching him play so well for many years for our NT, like you mentioned particularly in 2002, when he engineered the first goal versus Mexico to put the US into the quarterfinals.
And also Bobby, LONG LIVE MY SPANISH!! They finally dropped the curse!!!!
MLS, indeed soccer in the US and Canada in general, could use a man with CR's expereience to help steer it forwards.
As just a coach, such experience as Reyna has gained in his footballing career would be some what lost, whereas, if he were involved with the running of MLS or some other central admin role, he could be a great asset to the further develeopment of soccer in North America. I hope he finds his niche soon but I suspect his next step is already planned.
I always found it interesting that Europeans thought more highly of Reyna than Americans did. Americans always complain that our soccer players never get respect abroad, but Reyna always did. He's not flashy and doesn't score a lot of goals, so ignorant columnists say he's overrated. As Bobby hinted at, these people have no understanding of the game. I have read several so-called 'tribute' columns that dwell on the mistake against Ghana, but these are the same people who say we should forgive Terry for his PK slip.
I sometimes think columnists feel it is their duty to be negative because they were duped into believing the Project 2010 hype. No need to take it out on the one American player who was truly world-class.
Last edited by neverfirst on July 19th at 7:13 PM.
I didn't know Marcelo Moreno signed with Shaktar. Pure talent and skill, I even rate him highly over Adebayor. Why would he even sign with Shaktar. I see a pearl has been passed over by all of the "big" clubs. Wenger how could you miss this gem?
Last edited by ReggaeGunner on July 19th at 9:48 PM.
It's been a while since I have made any comments so to backtrack a little...
So glad that football won in the European finals. Spain, like Croatia before them exposed Germany's weaknesses. It hurts only more to see a team like Germany play in the finals. I really wanted to know who would have happened afterwards (SF, finals?)had Croatia held on to that lead for 20 more seconds against the Turks. I'll never know.
Bobby, Ballack in the starting Euro 11 and no Croat? I think Corluka and Simunic should have made the starting 11.
Tottenham fans must be excited about a full new season with a world class coach like Ramos and the new signings like Luka Modric. Could be a very good season for them. History will eventually be broken. What happened before does not count any more.
Is Man U trying to offset Tottenham's title challenge by claiming they are close at signing Berbatov? I'll leave that analysis to others.
That Monaco 12mil pound offer for Kranjcar came out of nowhere. Granted that Roma and Arsenal had been reportedly interested in the services of the talented Croatia midfielder, but Monaco?
Croatia are close at snapping up another legionnaire, Dario Cvitanich who signed with Ajax recently from the Argentine league has expressed strong interest in playing for Croatia. His family originates from Croatia but he was born in Argentina. If I am not mistaking, he was Argentina's leading scorer last year. Just like Holland (all those fantastic Surinam players), Germany, France, and U.S. Croatia have setup a sopisticated scouting system for potential national team candidats, though Croatian team candidates generally have Croatian roots and often prefer the country of their forefathers rather than the place of their birth.
Last edited by Sleeper000 on July 19th at 10:14 PM.
Fergie: Levy is 'embarrassing' Spurs
by Ben Blackmore, 19 July 2008
Fergie: Levy is 'embarrassing' Spurs
Sir Alex Ferguson has told Tottenham they will be ‘embarrassing’ themselves if they report Manchester United to The Premier League.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy tore into United and Liverpool on Friday for what he believes have been underhand coaxing attempts for Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.
Levy accused Ferguson of ‘arrogance’ and ‘hypocrisy’, labelling his pursuit of Berbatov ‘one of the worst offences by any manager in The Premier League’.
The Spurs supremo stated he had reported both United and Liverpool to The Premier League, but Ferguson is confident Levy will be shot down.
"It is going to be very embarrassing for them,” he stated after United’s 1-1 draw with Kaizer Chiefs.
“They based their story on The Sun, and I don't know where they got those quotes from. Certainly not from me.
"So it will be embarrassing for them.
"But you know what Daniel Levy is like. He is different."
Ferguson revealed United’s legal team are already looking into the matter, and he is confident Spurs have no case to issue against the Premier League champions.
BTW, liked Reyna. Was pretty good back in his day. For some reason I thought of McBride when I heard of his retirement and wondered why the heck he was retiring. Figured out I wasn't in my right mind then. Played for the wrong part of Manchester but good player all the same.
"Thanks, Atleti, for the correction. Claudio's dad
was indeed from Argentina. For some reason, Uruguay
was on my mind."
Confusing an Argentinan for an Uruguayan I never thought that possible ;)
The situation with the opinions about Claudio Reina is that so many people in this blog and others only consider players to be great if they play for a huge club (RM , MU, etc) Or if they are a superstar for a smaller side and thus catching the interest of the big clubs.
This is so wrong. Just being a regular starter in a club playing in the bundesliga or the premiership means that you are very good. He certainly was that and more. He was not world class but IMO he is the best outfield player the US has produced so far.
Reggae Gunner, Marcelo Moreno is indeed a great talent but he needs experience. He only has had only a couple of years of playing professionally.
Going to a big club in smaller league will do him some good plus he will CL experience as well. If he does well in Ukraine then a move to higher profile league will be in order.
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