Reyna To Call It A Career

2009-09-05T15:33:52-04:00

2008-07-15T17:35:03-04:00

2008-09-10T06:38:33-04:00

2008-07-21T05:43:18-04:00

grabowcp

Washington 456641

Reyna haters need to check themselves. He was an absolute warrior in 2002. His performance against Germany was one of the most impressive I have seen by a US player. Other highlights: * Scoring in the Champion's League against some Italian team (Fiorentina?) to see Rangers advance to the CL finals. * Scoring against Mexico in US Cup 95 -- ball took out the camera in the back of the net. * Named to a FIFA World XI back in the mid-90s. * Scoring against Canada in the game that sent the US to France 98. Thanks for the memories. 2267459

2008-07-19T22:11:36-04:00

Joel Maners

Jackson 63798

'96 Olympics opener at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama vs. Argentina. Reyna scores in the first minute of the game and the crowd explodes. What a moment. I was sitting on about the 5th row from the field. 2263327

2008-07-19T17:20:29-04:00

Nairb

Knoxville 456048

I enjoyed watching him (in person) play for UVA in the early '90's, then for the US Olympic team in Birmingham, AL (where he scored on a volley in the first 5 minutes to put the US ahead, 1-0 against Argentina), and for the US MNT in the world cup in Germany. His accolades are well-deserved. Brian B. Knoxville, TN 2262448

2008-07-17T17:36:36-04:00

danager

No City 455197

Look at the state of the US midfield today and you'll realize how much we miss Claudio... We can't even string 3 passes together in the midfield against quality opponents like Argentina and Spain... As for always playing safe passes, game situations dictate the nature of the pass... If the other players are not working hard to get themselves open, the only option to keep possession is to play it back... 2248905

2008-07-17T14:17:32-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/415/811/thumb/Copy_of_Talking_Toupee_Dog_D-Wreck.bmp 4966 IN

D-Wreck

Bloomington 416251

Billy Gun Boats has it right. It just seems some of you are far too young to remember Reyna at Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, or Rangers when he was at the peak of his skills. Not only do Rangers fans remember him fondly, but so do Wolfsburg fans. Many people criticizing here probably never even saw a game he played for those clubs, but yet they criticize based on his gaff in the Ghana match and his short-lived MLS career... Honestly, if you think Reyna and Donovan both "stink" then you haven't been watching futbol very long, or know very little about it. A player's career should be taken into account in totality not just how they performed in the ill-fated 06WC. Maybe I'll try to get some old Wolfsburg tapes I have of Reyna up on youtube so these jerks who keep talking smack have some context.... You don't make (essentially) an all tournament WC team in 02 because you suck. You don't play in Europe for over a decade for quality teams because you suck (no, in fact, sucky players, especially Americans, get taken to the cleaners by fans and newspapers overseas). If anything, Reyna had to constantly outplay his teamates and go the extra mile because he was AMERICAN. He had to prove himself an asset beyond doubt just to earn a spot on the team and start. And he did this over and over again before he turned 30. Injuries and age seem to slowly take their toll after that. I'm sorry if that's all you remember. 2245960

2008-07-17T12:52:16-04:00

dcuoriginal

Boulder 455144

Like a few others who have written here, I first saw Reyna while he played at UVA. I remember him receiving a goal kick with a defender on his back - he used his chest to flick the ball over his right shoulder, then quickly turned to his left, leaving the defender in the dust wondering where both man and ball had gone. As a youngster who had never watched professional level soccer before, it really made an impression on me. I also remember reading about him playing in the Old Firm - in those days Americans playing overseas as credible professionals were so rare, it was a source of great pride. We cannot underestimate how much easier it is for the current crop of talented young players such as Adu and Altidore to make their move overseas after the years that guys from the previous generation like Reyna and Harkes spent breaking down barriers in foreign leagues and making a name for themselves. We are already well known for our goalkeepers, the next level is for some of our younger field players to grow while playing overseas, stay healthy, and reach their full potential. 2244757

2008-07-17T02:15:19-04:00

Adam12

No City 454963

First and foremost he was a classy person. Secondly he is a prime example of everything good and bad in the US game. An obvious talent constrained by the misgivings and issues involved in the Nats' setup. No he wasn't put on pedestal like a certain Landon Donovan but all that being he couldn't put us on his back either. Never truly had the help or a match in talent around him in midfield and never had the true threat up front for him to supply. He was forced into a sitting role. Without him there we would never had any control of the ball at all. Its a shame because most Americans don't truly understand the game especially on a international level enough to understand what he provided. Or what type of situation the squad was left in when he didn't play or wasn't on his game. See the 98' Cup, any qualifier we lost to .......Costa Rica , Honduras .......you get the picture or the Ghana game. Landon Donovan should thank god for Freddy. 2240962

2008-07-16T21:57:25-04:00

ru6

virginia 454899

As a former player who played alongside Claudio early in his career, his greatest gift was to be able to set the tempo during the game. Of course, if you are a stats guy, he's not your guy, but if you want build a winning, possession-style team then Claudio is definitely your man! He had the calming influence in the big games, the on field leader who his teammates looked toward for confidence in the biggest games in Nats history, the one American player who could slow down the game until finding the opportunity to dissect a team with the perfect attacking pass. He is the one American player with the technical and tactical ability to blend into any team and formation in any league around the world. He is the American player who provided credibility for Americans who wanted to go overseas. Thanks for the wonderful memories! 2239972

2008-07-16T18:50:46-04:00

t_so

Alexandria 454786

Sub-Par...what? Overrated...huh? Claudio is not overrated! His genius was simply robbed by age & injuries later in his career & he shouldn't be remembered for that. Stats will never quantify the class he had, though, I think he even led the EPL Actim stats while at Man City before injries attacked him again. Those of us who saw him live and in the flesh truly appreciate how gifted he was. But just beacuse he's our greatest field player doesn't mean he's world class- us Americans have only produced world-class keepers (we have a long way to go to get back to our 02 WC stature). It's intersting that across the seas, he was rightfully named to the 02 WC best 11 & is aptly revered by the supporters in Glasgow. Perhaps it's the fact that he was a holding midfielder whose calmness isn't appreciated by most of us who grew up watching just as much if not more of the 'glory sports' (american football & basketball) than soccer. For me, he'll always be the 'calm engine'. Like it's been said a zillion times before, he had superb touch, vision, passing & an undeniable ability to really pace a game. All these qualities allowed him to thrive in the top leagues overseas. Liek Harkes before him & McBride after, Cladio has made a hugely positive stride forward for teh global appreciation of American players. Like most though, I look forward to the time when we produce a world-class attacking player- someone with Tab's ball control, Freddy's zest & Jozy's physique- but until then Claudio comes closet- just not as the attacking force I think we all so desperately want. Hats off to you Claudio: America's Best* *field player BTW- Bruce did the right thing by rewarding hime with a DP spot. It's just too bad he was hampered by injuries and never palyed at his best while in NY. 2239184

2008-07-16T16:02:06-04:00

Sean O'Donnell

Princeton 120656

A class act: True A sub-par footballer: True Him, and Alexi Lalas are easily the most overrated American players ever. 2237333

The New York Red Bulls have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday in which Claudio Reyna, the three-time U.S. World Cup star, is set to announce his retirement from soccer. Still only 34, Reyna has been dogged by chronic injuries in recent years, and yet as I think back on Reyna’s career there are plenty of memorable moments that come flashing back. Like 1999, when Reyna became the first U.S. player to take part in the notorious sectarian Old Firm rivalry in Glasgow between Celtic and Rangers. I spent a week in Glasgow <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015917/index.htm" target="_blank">covering the game for Sports Illustrated</a>, and I remember being impressed by how much respect Reyna had earned from Rangers fans and teammates during his time there. “There’s nothing like it,” Reyna said of the Old Firm, and he was right. I won’t forget the sight of Reyna celebrating on the team bus after Rangers had clinched a Scottish title at Parkhead for the first time in its history. Or like 2002, when Reyna made a surprise move to the right wing for the U.S. in its epic World Cup second-round game against Mexico. Under a blazing South Korean sun, Reyna went on a majestic 40-yard run up the right sideline, eluding two Mexican defenders before starting the passing sequence that led to Brian McBride’s first-half goal. <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026096/index.htm" target="_blank">The U.S.’s 2-0 victory</a> was the most important win in the history of American men’s soccer, and Reyna was rightly voted to the World Cup’s all-tournament team. Or like 1993, when I saw Reyna play live for the first time. The occasion was the NCAA semifinal between Reyna’s Virginia (coached by former U.S. coach Bruce Arena) and Princeton (led by current U.S. coach Bob Bradley). Reyna had a mega-reputation already—he’d make the U.S. World Cup team as a 20-year-old a year later—and I was prepared to pick out his flaws. There were none that day. Reyna was the most creative player on the field, spraying ridiculous passes everywhere. Virginia won 3-1 and raised its third straight national-title trophy that year. There were less happy moments in Reyna’s career: the injury that ruled him out of World Cup ’94 on home soil; the brutal blow to his kidneys by Germany’s Jens Jeremies that kicked off the U.S.’s misery in World Cup ’98; and Reyna’s unfortunate injury/giveaway against Ghana in World Cup ’06 that led to Ghana’s first goal. As for Reyna’s short MLS stay, it’s downright eerie how similar it was to that of Tab Ramos, another outstanding New Jersey-born midfielder who endured an injury-filled tenure after he came back to join his home-state MLS team. In the end, though, Reyna’s career will be remembered most for its quality. Reyna ultimately played 13 seasons in European club soccer for teams in Germany (Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg), Scotland (Rangers) and England (Sunderland and Manchester City). He earned 112 caps with the U.S., made four World Cup teams and played in three (1998, 2002, 2006). And he did more than any other U.S. product to show European soccer fans that America does in fact produce field players (not just goalkeepers) who are worthy of international respect. What will you remember Reyna for? And what will his legacy be in U.S. soccer? 1307 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/194/315/thumb/wahl_grant.jpg 11 MD

Grant Wahl

Baltimore 194615