Stuart Holden epitomizes U.S. soccer
By Luke Cyphers and Doug McIntyre
ESPN Insider
While working on a feature story on Stuart Holden in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, the blog was privileged to (a) fly to England and back, with on-time arrivals, (b) ride on trains full of UK soccer fans on a derby day, (c) watch Bolton Wanderers play Everton at Reebok Stadium and (d) hang out with Holden for an afternoon in downtown Manchester.
The trip provided enough material for a half dozen magazine stories, but the editors only had room for one, so we thought we'd offer up six more things you should know about the rising American midfielder.
No. 1: Holden is a family man
Lots of athletes say that, but Holden actually lives it. Upon entering his apartment, the first thing Holden points to is a wall of family photos, featuring his late father, Brian; his mother, Moira; his brother Euan, who shares his apartment with him; and his sister, Rachel, a TCU student. "She'll be the first of us kids to graduate from college," he says. Holden's career is a tribute to his father, his first coach, who died in 2009 after a long, brave fight against pancreatic cancer. Holden both advises Euan, who's also chasing his own soccer career, going on trials with English clubs, and takes his advice. After Holden won a man of the match award recently, Euan's first words to Stu were, "You absolutely stole that, mate," then catalogued his brother's mistakes.
<OFFER>No. 2: He's proud of his pranks
The article refers to a legendary one he pulled on then-Houston teammate Kei Kamara, but Holden takes pride in his consistency, as well. "Little things," he says, like hiding the laces of every single teammate's shoes; faking press interviews for rookies to set up a shaving cream pie in the face; and dousing an unsuspecting teammate coming around a corner first with water, then with flour. (This penchant, too, has something to do with family. Euan says he remembers Stuart being grounded and told not to use the car in high school. And of course when Stu snuck out to the garage to start the automobile, nothing happened. Dad had removed the battery.) But just like on the field, he's learning new tricks in the EPL. "I'm not the biggest prankster on the team. That's Robbie Blake. Absolute lunatic. Some of the ones are a bit inappropriate to disclose … involving bodily fluids."
No. 3: He's enjoying the ride, but not too much
He's young, single, has a bit of money and plays soccer in the most popular league in the world. "I enjoy my time," he says. "But I'm focused on my job. You can't get caught up in enjoying this too much." Holden pays attention to his diet, never skimps on rest and generally lives a lifestyle that enables him to train at maximum speed at all times. He learned a harsh lesson in his first attempt to make it in England, when he was 19 and on trial with Sunderland. He was in a taxi line in Newcastle after a night of partying when a group of young men assaulted him, fracturing his eye socket and jeopardizing his career. "I got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time," Holden says. "I'd had a few drinks, and that was a massive wake-up call for me. And now I'm glad that I can turn that into a positive experience, because it definitely wasn't positive at the time. It taught me a lesson about what I need to be doing if I want to make it at this level. I think now, at 25, I wouldn't say I've perfected it, but I've definitely got a lot stricter regime."
No. 4: They love him in England, and he returns the favor
At the Bolton official store beneath Reebok Stadium, Holden's No. 8 was the sample shirt for customers wishing to get a personalized souvenir and the only player jersey on display. And the fans appreciate his effort, roaring when he commits to a tackle that starts a break the other way, and applauding even the simplest passes that maintain a Wanderers possession. "I think the Bolton fans appreciate this, just the commitment I have to every game," he says. "I treat every game like the next one, whether it's Man U, whether it's Wolves, whether it's Tottenham, I'm going to run myself into the ground, knowing that when it's over I've given everything I could."
A fan himself, Holden is taking advantage of the scene in the north, where a dozen clubs, including some of the giants of the EPL, play within an hour of Manchester. He takes in Man U games, Liverpool matches and follows nearby fellow Yanks like Everton's Tim Howard and Eddie Johnson, who's now playing at Preston North End.
No. 5: He has an abundance of confidence
In interviewing people around Holden, one topic keeps coming up: his faith in himself. Josh Reagan, a boyhood friend from Houston, says in the article how Holden always knew where he was headed, even when times looked bleak. And former Clemson assistant Andy McMahon says the confidence he noted when he first saw Holden at a high school showcase has never faded. "One thing I noticed, you see him in high school, you see him in college, and then he went off to have trials with other clubs, and then he came into Major League Soccer, he always seems to have more upside," McMahon says. "He came into Clemson, and you're thinking he could be a good college player, and then quickly you're thinking, 'There's more upside there.' And professionally in MLS, he's doing really well, and you see again, there's more upside there. And you start thinking, 'Where does this guy's upside finish?'"
No. 6: If he keeps this up, it might finish here ...
Holden's plenty happy with Bolton, and he'd never say he wants to play for another club. But the guy is ambitious. He did say he wants to be a big part of the national team in this World Cup cycle. And he did say that, though he's relieved to be done with going on trials to earn a job, "It's still not where I want to be yet. There are still mountains I want to climb and goals I want to reach." Quietly, there's a race among U.S. field players to be the first Yank to start for a big overseas club, a Champions League perennial like Bayern Munich, or Chelsea, or Arsenal -- or Manchester United. Which just happens to be the team Holden's father supported fervently, and the one young Stuart Holden spent his youth following.
Of course, lots of kids grow up dreaming of playing for Man U. But this kid's had an improbable run the last 10 years. Holden in a Red Devils jersey three or four years hence is no more improbable than that.
Notes
• Looks like the U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifying rivalry might live on after all.
• More than 45,000 seats have been sold for the U.S.-Argentina tangle on March 26 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Tickets are available here.
• The U.S. dropped one spot, to 19th, in the latest FIFA rankings, released Wednesday.
• Holden's old fans in Houston could be in for a treat this summer. According to this report, the Dynamo could host Bolton in a July friendly at Robertson Stadium.
• Before that, though, Holden figures to be part of the USA's Gold Cup squad that opens the regional tournament June 7 against Canada in Detroit (here's the full schedule). CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer expects the match to sell out 65,000-seat Ford Field. (Fat chance.) Playing near the Canadian border won't hurt, although our northern neighbors have no history of travelling en masse to support the Canucks. And although the U.S. hasn't played in Michigan since the 1994 World Cup, the match falls on a Tuesday night, which won't help the gate. We'd love to be proved wrong, though. A capacity crowd would be the 15th-largest in national team history.
• Is the U.S. on the verge of losing its most promising talent since Giuseppe Rossi?
• Finally, if you missed Freddy Adu's fantastic first goal for second-tier Turkish side Rizespor last weekend, video is here. While any talk of Fred's return to the national team fold is premature, keep in mind that the 2012 Olympics -- for which the 21-year-old is still eligible -- are just more than a year away …
By Luke Cyphers and Doug McIntyre
ESPN Insider
While working on a feature story on Stuart Holden in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, the blog was privileged to (a) fly to England and back, with on-time arrivals, (b) ride on trains full of UK soccer fans on a derby day, (c) watch Bolton Wanderers play Everton at Reebok Stadium and (d) hang out with Holden for an afternoon in downtown Manchester.
The trip provided enough material for a half dozen magazine stories, but the editors only had room for one, so we thought we'd offer up six more things you should know about the rising American midfielder.
No. 1: Holden is a family man
Lots of athletes say that, but Holden actually lives it. Upon entering his apartment, the first thing Holden points to is a wall of family photos, featuring his late father, Brian; his mother, Moira; his brother Euan, who shares his apartment with him; and his sister, Rachel, a TCU student. "She'll be the first of us kids to graduate from college," he says. Holden's career is a tribute to his father, his first coach, who died in 2009 after a long, brave fight against pancreatic cancer. Holden both advises Euan, who's also chasing his own soccer career, going on trials with English clubs, and takes his advice. After Holden won a man of the match award recently, Euan's first words to Stu were, "You absolutely stole that, mate," then catalogued his brother's mistakes.
<OFFER>No. 2: He's proud of his pranks
The article refers to a legendary one he pulled on then-Houston teammate Kei Kamara, but Holden takes pride in his consistency, as well. "Little things," he says, like hiding the laces of every single teammate's shoes; faking press interviews for rookies to set up a shaving cream pie in the face; and dousing an unsuspecting teammate coming around a corner first with water, then with flour. (This penchant, too, has something to do with family. Euan says he remembers Stuart being grounded and told not to use the car in high school. And of course when Stu snuck out to the garage to start the automobile, nothing happened. Dad had removed the battery.) But just like on the field, he's learning new tricks in the EPL. "I'm not the biggest prankster on the team. That's Robbie Blake. Absolute lunatic. Some of the ones are a bit inappropriate to disclose … involving bodily fluids."
No. 3: He's enjoying the ride, but not too much
He's young, single, has a bit of money and plays soccer in the most popular league in the world. "I enjoy my time," he says. "But I'm focused on my job. You can't get caught up in enjoying this too much." Holden pays attention to his diet, never skimps on rest and generally lives a lifestyle that enables him to train at maximum speed at all times. He learned a harsh lesson in his first attempt to make it in England, when he was 19 and on trial with Sunderland. He was in a taxi line in Newcastle after a night of partying when a group of young men assaulted him, fracturing his eye socket and jeopardizing his career. "I got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time," Holden says. "I'd had a few drinks, and that was a massive wake-up call for me. And now I'm glad that I can turn that into a positive experience, because it definitely wasn't positive at the time. It taught me a lesson about what I need to be doing if I want to make it at this level. I think now, at 25, I wouldn't say I've perfected it, but I've definitely got a lot stricter regime."
No. 4: They love him in England, and he returns the favor
At the Bolton official store beneath Reebok Stadium, Holden's No. 8 was the sample shirt for customers wishing to get a personalized souvenir and the only player jersey on display. And the fans appreciate his effort, roaring when he commits to a tackle that starts a break the other way, and applauding even the simplest passes that maintain a Wanderers possession. "I think the Bolton fans appreciate this, just the commitment I have to every game," he says. "I treat every game like the next one, whether it's Man U, whether it's Wolves, whether it's Tottenham, I'm going to run myself into the ground, knowing that when it's over I've given everything I could."
A fan himself, Holden is taking advantage of the scene in the north, where a dozen clubs, including some of the giants of the EPL, play within an hour of Manchester. He takes in Man U games, Liverpool matches and follows nearby fellow Yanks like Everton's Tim Howard and Eddie Johnson, who's now playing at Preston North End.
No. 5: He has an abundance of confidence
In interviewing people around Holden, one topic keeps coming up: his faith in himself. Josh Reagan, a boyhood friend from Houston, says in the article how Holden always knew where he was headed, even when times looked bleak. And former Clemson assistant Andy McMahon says the confidence he noted when he first saw Holden at a high school showcase has never faded. "One thing I noticed, you see him in high school, you see him in college, and then he went off to have trials with other clubs, and then he came into Major League Soccer, he always seems to have more upside," McMahon says. "He came into Clemson, and you're thinking he could be a good college player, and then quickly you're thinking, 'There's more upside there.' And professionally in MLS, he's doing really well, and you see again, there's more upside there. And you start thinking, 'Where does this guy's upside finish?'"
No. 6: If he keeps this up, it might finish here ...
Holden's plenty happy with Bolton, and he'd never say he wants to play for another club. But the guy is ambitious. He did say he wants to be a big part of the national team in this World Cup cycle. And he did say that, though he's relieved to be done with going on trials to earn a job, "It's still not where I want to be yet. There are still mountains I want to climb and goals I want to reach." Quietly, there's a race among U.S. field players to be the first Yank to start for a big overseas club, a Champions League perennial like Bayern Munich, or Chelsea, or Arsenal -- or Manchester United. Which just happens to be the team Holden's father supported fervently, and the one young Stuart Holden spent his youth following.
Of course, lots of kids grow up dreaming of playing for Man U. But this kid's had an improbable run the last 10 years. Holden in a Red Devils jersey three or four years hence is no more improbable than that.
Notes
• Looks like the U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifying rivalry might live on after all.
• More than 45,000 seats have been sold for the U.S.-Argentina tangle on March 26 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Tickets are available here.
• The U.S. dropped one spot, to 19th, in the latest FIFA rankings, released Wednesday.
• Holden's old fans in Houston could be in for a treat this summer. According to this report, the Dynamo could host Bolton in a July friendly at Robertson Stadium.
• Before that, though, Holden figures to be part of the USA's Gold Cup squad that opens the regional tournament June 7 against Canada in Detroit (here's the full schedule). CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer expects the match to sell out 65,000-seat Ford Field. (Fat chance.) Playing near the Canadian border won't hurt, although our northern neighbors have no history of travelling en masse to support the Canucks. And although the U.S. hasn't played in Michigan since the 1994 World Cup, the match falls on a Tuesday night, which won't help the gate. We'd love to be proved wrong, though. A capacity crowd would be the 15th-largest in national team history.
• Is the U.S. on the verge of losing its most promising talent since Giuseppe Rossi?
• Finally, if you missed Freddy Adu's fantastic first goal for second-tier Turkish side Rizespor last weekend, video is here. While any talk of Fred's return to the national team fold is premature, keep in mind that the 2012 Olympics -- for which the 21-year-old is still eligible -- are just more than a year away …
