Two former Southern Conference soccer players were chosen to represent Major League Soccer on Tuesday, Aug. 23 against perennial world power Real Madrid.
Former Furman soccer players Ricardo Clark and Clint Dempsey both were tabbed by the MLS hierarchy as one of the 18 players to play in the exhibition match at the famed Santiago Bernabeau in Madrid.
In soccer terms the honor of playing at the Bernabeau against Real Madrid is seen by many involved in the famed worldwide sport of football as the ultimate, which is what makes the appointment of Clark and Dempsey to the MLS Select squad all the more enthralling for those interested in Southern Conference soccer.
The match against the nine-time European Champions was part of the 27th installment of the Trofeo Santiago Bernabeau.
This particular installment of the Trofeo Santiago Bernabeau will be the first time that an American team of any sort has had the honor of playing Real Madrid in what is seen as the first game of the new season in its home digs and its final contest before the start of the prestigious Spanish La Liga season.
The event was first held in 1979 in honor of Real Madrid’s legendary former president for whom the team’s stadium is also named. The Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu has featured legendary teams throughout the event’s history, including Liverpool (England), A.C. Milan (Italy), Inter Milan (Italy), River Plate (Argentina), Ajax Amsterdam (Holland), Santos (Brazil) and Benfica (Portugal).
Sadly, the game itself was a tad bittersweet for the two Southern Conference players, as the team put together by the MLS brass was somewhat embarrassed by Real Madrid, losing 5-1.
There were some positives taken from the game nevertheless and the coach of the MLS Select team, Steve Nicol of the New England Revolution, was very pleased with the play of Dempsey remarking to ESPNsoccernet.com in a recent interview that Dempsey was solid for him throughout the game.
Whatever the outcome the game was a thrill for the players and coaches alike and the appointment of the two players has not gone without notice from the man who should take a bevy of the credit for where the two SoCon players are now in Furman head men’s soccer coach Doug Allison.
The man in charge of the Furman program is overtly proud of the successes that his two prot?g?es have accumulated in the MLS.
“Ricardo and Clint making the team says a great deal about the quality of play (in the conference),” remarked Allison, who is entering his second decade as coach of the Paladins in 2005. “I am really hoping that people see how good the play is in the conference and that the conference benefits from this (their great play in MLS and their selection).
The two appointments are more than just nods to their potential; the two players have been living up to the expectations placed on them and then some in the MLS.
Clark left Furman first, departing after his sophomore season with the Paladins to play at the top level of soccer in the United States.
A 2002 NSCAA first-team All-American, Clark helped lead Furman to the 2002 Southern Conference regular season and tournament championship.
After his stellar season, the Georgia native was selected second overall in the 2003 MLS Draft by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.
Clark was a hit in the MLS from point go, starting in 28 games for the club and registering a club record for a rookie by starting in 27 straight contests.
At the conclusion of the season, Clark was a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award that eventually went to Los Angeles’ Carlos Ruiz.
Clark has been a stalwart in the midfield for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2005, starting 22 games thus far for the club, scoring and assisting twice on the season.
Dempsey picked up the slack on the Furman roster after Clark left and kind of drove past it in relative terms.
In fact, the eighth overall pick in the 2004 MLS draft by the New England Revolution has become sort of a “golden boy” on the national soccer scene of late.
The 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year is currently part of Bruce Arena’s national team pool for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The self-proclaimed skilled freestyle rapper has been slipping rhymes as a midfielder past international and MLS defenders since his ascent to the top levels of soccer.
Those with a vested interest in the national soccer scene have also taken interest, as Dempsey was featured in articles in USA Today and Sports Illustrated.
In the intercollegiate ranks, the Nagodoches, Texas native was a second-team NSCAA All-American at Furman in 2002, terrorizing SoCon defenders with his deft touch on the ball and myriad skills.
Obviously, the world is now seeing what those that followed SoCon soccer already knew: that the players in the conference know how to play the game, and Dempsey’s rapid rise and the solid play of Clark proves just that.