Agoos: When loyalty goes too far
June 14, 2002
By Jamie Trecker
SportsTicker Contributing Editor
DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA (TICKER) -- Jeff Agoos is one of the nicest guys on a team filled with nice guys. No CHIT Cherlock
The United States national team defender is a tireless worker and a genuine student of the game. He likely will make a fine coach some day.
Agoos has been in the American player pool for close to 14 years. He also sat out two World Cups (1994 and 1998) when the coaches of those teams decided he was not good enough.
Agoos' story is a classic: the gritty kid who works hard and gets turned back at every juncture, only to persevere and finally get his shot.
Fortunately, sport is a great razor. It quickly reveals pretenders and media creations for what they are and Agoos, on the worlds stage, just found himself exposed.
In 1994, Agoos was the last player cut by then-U.S. coach Bora Milutinovic. He went home and burned his training gear.
In 1998, Steve Sampson sat him down and chose David Regis, a French import, to take his place. Sampson also made Agoos room with him -- a gesture many might see as an unnecessarily cruel. Nonetheless, Sampson was the second coach to figure out that Agoos just was not good enough.
When Bruce Arena took over as the national team coach, things changed and so did Agoos.
Previously known for making at least one embarrassing gaffe per game, he settled in to become a dependable role performer. Arena had hired him as an assistant at the University of Virginia and included him on the roster of his MLS Cup-winning D.C. United team. In fact, Agoos has been on four MLS champion sides. What Arena did was give Agoos stability.
Agoos performed. He was arguably one of the most improved players in during the 2000-01 season and his presence was key to the U.S. team's qualifying effort. He gave stability and a consistency to a defense that utterly lacked it.
Then, in 2002, things began to change. The old Agoos began to show up for games. The one that passed the ball directly in front of the goal, was a step too slow, tried to cover for his mistakes and ended up making more. Soon, his teammates were seen changing their game, knowing they had to cover for him.
At this tournament, teams went right at him. Agoos was involved in all but one goal the Americans conceded in the first round, including the own goal he put in for Portugal. He fell down, did not mark his man out, lost his confidence and made more errors.
Arena stuck with him and, like his teammates, covered for him. He deflected critics who pointed out what they, and the Americans' opponents, clearly had seen. Arena said positive things about his performance and stuck with him.
Loyalty always has been Arena's strong suit. It is something that binds players to him and has made this team a good one. But loyalty can go too far and Friday, when Agoos made errors that enabled the Poles to score two goals in five minutes, the end was reached.
Agoos performed miserably at the 2002 World Cup and he probably knows it.
After Friday's loss to Poland, Agoos did not walk before the media and did not face the microphones and the jackals waiting to pounce.
There was no need.
:mute: