MLS Cup 2011: Q and A with Former USA MNT Goalkeeper Tony Meola

Earlier this season, Bleacher Report’s Jo-Ryan Salazarinterviewed Tony Meola in March of this year ahead of the USA’s friendly withArgentina. This week, Jo-Ryan talked with Tony ahead of this year’s MLS Cup.

Tony, you have partnered up with Allstate once again.Tell us what that’s all about.

Yeah, that’s correct. This year, through Allstate’ssponsorship with Major League Soccer and the US men’s national team, we havebeen able to travel around the county and partner up in some special events andultimately culminating here in LA in the MLS Cup Final. Allstate with continuewith its community program in which we will go out in the LA community andthere’s going to be goalkeepers from various clubs in the Los Angeles area. Wewill go out and do a clinic with Chivas USA goalkeeper coaches. We will then presenta gift to a whole bunch of peers that would otherwise not have the opportunityto have through Allstate’s involvement, and they’re kind enough to provide allthat stuff to goalkeepers.

Ultimately, they will get tickets to the MLS Cup Final onSunday. So it’s pretty exciting stuff that the players themselves don’t knowany of this until they get there. It’s part of the program. And on Sunday priorto the game, at the soccer celebration at the Home Depot Center, we have apretty special event. You have to come in, sign up just under a green screen, haveyour pictures taken while they’re diving for a ball, and when they dothat—every time they do that—Allstate will be kind enough to donate $50 to LAScores, which is a local charity that works with local schools from the areaand afterschool programs through using the sport of soccer. They’re doing a lotof good things in the community.
So [those are] the events that we’re going through thisweekend, and I’m glad to be part of it.

 

What do you think of the progress of the USA men’snational team? They have had a new manager in Jurgen Klinsmann, but the winshave been harder to come by. Why have results been rather poor thus far, and doyou see him improving in the future?

I think certainly, it takes a little bit of time when youhave a new coach. There’s no question that people are a little bit frustratedwith the results, or lack thereof. You know, here in America we get spoiledwith all-time winners and we have that mentality among people here that winningis not the most important thing right now. They get a little bit anxious, forsure. But you want to come out with a nice win. It’s difficult for us to win inEurope, and we came out with a nice win the other day against Slovenia [3-2].
You know, I think they’re proving that they think it’s theright time for [Jurgen Klinsmann in] Europe to experiment with differentplayers and put his roster together for World Cup Qualifying.

 

Jozy Altidore recently voiced his frustration with theUSMNT's performances on twitter, saying "experience" was no longer agood enough excuse to defend losses to the bigger soccer nations, following theUS's 1-0 loss to France. Do you agree with him?

If I am understanding him right, it’s that they haveenough experience now. And I agree with him. They do have enough experience.They have enough experience to win games, they have enough experience to go outand compete with anybody. And it shouldn’t matter anymore if they’re playing inEurope or if they’re playing in America. If you’re playing Brazil or if you’replaying Argentina these days, you’re playing now some of the biggest teams thatcompete in the world. I agree with him.

You know, having said that, the national teams are always alittle bit tricky to tune up together all that much. You’re playing against differentstyles [when you’re with] the US team, and [when] you’ve been together for acouple of days, remembering all those styles is now a new style for thenational team. You know, not only [is it] an easier proposition, but I agreewith Jozy that—if I am understanding him correctly—that they can’t use a lackof experience as a part [of the excuse] anymore.

Do you think the USMNT needs to start aiming to pick upwins against the bigger soccer nations of the world, rather than simply beingcontent with working hard and gaining experience?

Well, you know, going over Jozy’s comments, we won’t haveto worry about the experience part anymore. You know, it’s not about that. They’regaining experience every day. And again, if you look at their schedule, thisyear they’ve played Argentina. They’ve played Spain. They’ve played France. They’vehad some very, very difficult games. None of it is easy, and of course [we canadd] Mexico to the mix. I’m not sure—I haven’t checked—I’m not sure if anyonehas played that [type of] schedule in the world.

You know, it’s a good opportunity for Jurgen to see [thetalent level of his] players, the environment, [and] build on the types of gamesthat they continue to play. There’s no question they when they get toqualifying for the World Cup, there will be some smaller countries they’regoing to have to play. And hopefully they’re learned something, and they’llcontinue their success and domination and get past CONCACAF.

New players have been stepping up into the limelight forthe national team. One of them is from FC Dallas. What do you make of BrekShea; do you think that he could prove to be a new star for the USMNT?

Yeah, I like the way he plays. I’m a big fan. He’s one ofthe guys that I enjoy watching in MLS and [he has] good games with the nationalteam and he’s just learning from that. But I don’t think that’s anythingdifferent from what they expect out of him in the young stage of his career, youknow. And it’s great that he’s training at Arsenal [with New York Red Bulls’Thierry Henry] and all of that stuff now, from what I’ve read.

He’s taking the next step. One thing is playing at highlevels for him. Getting experience that he needs, learning as much as he can.Speaking to some of my teammates, he’s a guy that’s willing to learn every day,ready to listen to what they say. He’s got all the qualities of someone that’sgoing to be a good pro and will continue to grow. I’m a big fan.

You’ve won an MLS Cup title as a member of the Kansas City Wizards, who are now known as Sporting Kansas City. What’s so specialabout MLS Cup?

It’s what everybody works for. We work all year; it doesn’tmatter what sport you’re in, you want to be playing on the last day. And youwant to be the team that wins in the end. It’s the most fun day of the year,and only two teams get to do that every year. 

This year it will be LA and Houston, and I think it will be a fun day. They’re very, very good teams. What’sso special about it is it’s a reward for all of your hard work, a reward forbelieving in your system and your coach and the things that you’re trying toaccomplish. It’s what every athlete dreams of: being a star on the final day,you know—making a save or scoring a goal—or whatever it takes to help the teamwin.  

Did you have many offers during the 90s to join topEuropean teams and if so, why didn't you make the move?

After 1994, I did. Prior to 1994, we were so committed,and U.S. Soccer was a great help with the national team. And that’s when it wasmost important for me to be in it after, I was pretty lucky from an endorsementside back then, and it was really, really difficult for me to go overseas and dosome of that stuff. I guess I was waiting for Major League Soccer, and I thoughtsome guys had to stay and promote the game. Some guys had to sacrifice to stayhere.

And there were some guys that were dead set up on going toEurope and [were] given the problems [they] had with work permits. In ‘91, ’92,[and] ’93, and whoever the most attractive thing [was] in that most particulartime…it’s not like it is now. I think we’re playing now and the time of day hasbeen different. 

There’s a group of guys that need to stay in America to promotethe game. Back then, there was more of a need for the Paul Caligiuris andMarcelo Balboas and those types of guys to come back, stay here and promote thegame.

You played for the New York Red Bulls/MetroStars during yourillustrious MLS career. Now the league is considering a second team in the NewYork metropolitan area. Is New York ready for a second MLS team? Why/why not?

I think so. I’ve beenhearing it forever. Given the location of what they’re thinking about, it couldbe anywhere from an hour away to three hours away, so proximity as far as mileswould draw in a completely different crowd going out in the location that they’rethinking about. So I mean address and location in the last couple of weeks…whoreally knows what’s going to happen?

I listened to Don Garber’s pressconference, and there is still interest there. They will have proof that thereis site planning; I believe they have some of it. The MLS offices [are] justworking on that. So they are guys lobbying interests, and those guys would knowbetter than any of us. They’ve done studies and work in the area, listening topeople, knowing what type of the area they’re looking. My additional reaction wouldbe yes, they are ready.

This year’s MLS Cup features the Los Angeles Galaxy andHouston Dynamo. Tell us what’s so special about these two teams.

I’ve been saying: should Houston win, it will be the biggestupset—I think—in MLS history. There’s a lot of things lining up for LA, beingat home and all the superstars. And having said that, I wasn’t looking for anupset, but I’m a big fan of the Houston Dynamo. I’m a big fan of my old teammateand roommate Dominic Kinnear.  And I’mgoing to go out on a limb and say that I like the organization of Dominic’steam and there might be an upset this week.
 

Do you have a scoreline for this match?

No, I don’t have a scoreline because in a final, it doesn’tmatter if it’s 5-4 or 1-0; and they don’t care what the score is; they are thewinning team, right?