Defender Eddie Pope announced his retirement from the United States National Team today. Pope ends his 11 year National Team career with 8 goals in 82 caps, having played in three World Cups.
I’m not afraid to admit that Pope is my favorite player of all-time and it is sad to see him go. I appreciated his quiet, stoic demeanor and the thankless work he did as a central defender. (For some reason I’ve become big fans of defenders, partly because they don’t get the accolades that the goal scorers do…my new favorite is Oguchi Onyewu.) Unfortunately, many fans’ most recent memories of Pope are of an older, slower defender on the downside of his career. I’ve always argued that he was playing much better than anyone would give him credit for, but I will admit that this past World Cup was not his best.
It is my hope, however, that everyone will remember Pope for what he really was…perhaps the greatest defender the US has ever produced. He didn’t have the hype or image of Alexi Lalas or Marcelo Balboa, but ‘Steady Eddie’ should be what defenders of the future model themselves after…quietly and consistenly getting the job done without much talk or fanfare. He had great positioning and speed to boot, as well as superior arial ability, which he often used to his advantage at the offensive end.
The future looks bright with Onyewu and Cory Gibbs, but let us not forget the contributions of Pope throughout the years. Sadly, USMNT has lost another class act on and off the field. Good luck in the future Eddie…