12-Pack Interview Series: Eric Wynalda on Working at Fox Soccer, National Team Duty, and his Favorite Beer

The dust has settled somewhat from part one of our interview with former U.S. Men's National Team forward and current Fox Soccer analyst Eric Wynalda.

Part two includes our conversation about working for Fox Soccer, what it's like to put on the red, white, and blue and play for your country, owning a soccer team, and his favorite beer.

Read on....

Photo Credit: Wynalda's Twitter

Free Beer Movement: You’re now on Fox Soccer. How’s the gig? How do you see FS shaping soccer in the United States?

Eric Wynalda: It’s been fun. I’ve worked with ESPN. I was there for almost seven years. And there are differences between the two about how they do the business of soccer.

We’re very event driven. When there’s a big game we figure out, one, how to get in on our channel and two, how we’re going to cover it. In the past it was money driven because Fox didn’t put a whole lots of money into the sport, but obviously with the purchasing of the World Cup rights in ‘18 and ’22 we have a vested interested in the game.

My job is kind of to sit and wait until there’s an event to cover. I do cover the Champions League. Which I do love. I would argue that Champions League is the best soccer on the planet. it’s the most money. It’s the most interesting.

That’s never work. You get up and your job is to basically commentate for some of the best games imaginable. So I consider myself very fortunate to still be involved in the game. 

Photo Credit: John Mottern/Getty Images 

FBM: You had a pretty storied career for the MNT. What is it like to wear the colors of and play for your country?

EW: It’s a very complex thing.  If you sit there and put your hand on your heart and you listen to the anthem and you stare down the flag and that moment hits you that you realize how many people you’re representing it’s pretty intense. It’s incredible. Because it’s a lot of people and there are a lot of impressions that you’re about to be making.

The responsibility that goes into it is immense. There’s only eleven guys in the country that are chosen to represent the country. Probably two at your position. That means you’re the best player in the country at your position. Which is an incredible achievement.

I’ve watched guys, and I won’t say their names, that are in very prominent positions now in U.S. Soccer and MLS, who wet themselves during the National Anthem because they couldn’t handle the pressure But they’re good coaches now and their good leaders now. They couldn’t handle that moment.

There’s that part of you that has to be incredible prepared and incredibly confident in your own abilities and be ready to handle the big moment because if you think about it too much you’ll scare the crap out of yourself.

FBM: You are with Warren Barton (and Clent Alexander) are a part-owner in the San Diego (Flash) team. Is this your little corner of the soccer universe where you can or where you want to show everybody how a team is run and how to build soccer in America?

EW: Well, eventually, yeah. I think the relationships Warren and I have will always provide a better platform for players if they’re good enough. Warren coaches the team and trains them. He does a fantastic job. He has a great soccer mind.

But it’s an endeavor I’m excited about. I haven’t really been hands on yet. I haven’t had time, but I think our plans for the future are to make the best out of the situation that we can. We need to talk about youth development, the progression of players, providing the right platform to learn the game the right way, to discover who they are, not to be taught to be something they’re not. I think that happens way too much.

I think our goals are to share the knowledge we have as players and hopefully that translates into some new successes.

FBM: Do you see San Diego as a MLS market? Do you see your team as a future part of the league? To exact even more change?

EW: From our perspective it makes sense to get involved. We want to do a lot of things. But San Diego is a tough market. It’s a hard sell unless it’s done perfectly. The demographic are good. There are so many reasons to believe it would work; the weather is fantastic. But it really is the matter of putting together a club and building a tradition of success before we integrate ourselves into the way things are done.

There are the way things are going to be and there are the ways things should be. If we do things the way they should be that probably means we’ll be excluded from the process. We’ve gotta try and find a way to get in.

Warren and I, as businessmen, simply want to do the best we can. When it comes to a scenario where we’ll be in five years, ten years there’s a lot of things that need to change before it’ll work.

It’s not that we want to stick our noses up to the world and say, “We’re doing things right and you’re doing things wrong” it’s we recognize that the powers that be prevent you from doing what you want to do.

If you going to do the things you want to do you’re going to have to go off on your own. Our partners will probably be from Brazil and Italy and England and Germany. They won’t be in Kansas and Texas and New York.

FBM: Do you have a particular drink of choice when you're watching soccer games?

EW: It usually hefeweizen. I picked that up playing in Germany. Franziskaner is usually the one. I’m a big fan of it. If I can’t get that I’ll go with "Shock Top" or Blue Moon. I love “Shock Top” that’s probably my beer of choice.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to limit the beer intake so I don’t get the belly.

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Interview: Eric Wynalda has Some Opinions on What's Wrong with American Soccer (And a Few Ideas How To Fix It)

To say Eric Wynalda is opinionated doesn't do him justice. The man has opinions about opinions! When we caught up with the former Men's National Team player and current Fox Soccer deskman he had just finished recording his podcast, "Sent Off", with fellow Fox man, Christian Miles. He still had plenty of voice to share with the Free Beer Movement.

What's really interesting in talking with Wynalda is not only his knowledge about soccer, but his passion for the American game. That's something we can admire.The former all-time USMNT scorer's passion for American soccer has also made him one of the sport's most vocal critics.

Photo Credit: John Todd / MLS

As Wynalda said himself, "I'm never a in-betweener. People love honesty and I'm full of it."

The following are four stances that Wynalda laid out in the course of our interview. They were weaved into a 45 minute conversation about his career with the National Team, getting Major League Soccer off the ground in 1996, and the direction of soccer in America.

Wednesday we'll post part two of the interview where he talks about his job at Fox Soccer, owning a professional soccer team in San Diego, what it means to wear the red, white, and blue, and (of course, we had to ask) his favorite beer.


Opinion #1: Major League Soccer Must Switch to FIFA's Calendar

Stand-Out Quote: "For all the growth of MLS, until (Don) Garber listens to the voice of reason and engages in the real world, the real business of soccer, we’re in a state of stagnation."



Context: We asked Wynalda is he was disappointed that Fox Soccer didn't retain the broadcast rights for MLS.

Photo Credit: Free Beer Movement

Wynalda's Words: "I understand it. I understand why that happened. It’s a complex issue that takes some explaining. People say, “well if they really would've cared about soccer they would done that (kept MLS).” They (Fox) justput close to half a billion dollars into the sport. They’re obviously investedin the game, but they’re businessmen and they’ve taken a hard look at ratingsand they don’t get a big audience.

"I think Fox’s inclusion in soccer will be probably the one companythat has the ability to change the whole landscape. They’re going to forceMajor League Soccer to cooperate with the rest of the world and get on the FIFA schedule. Because there is no way you’re going to convince the suits at Fox tospend a dime on MLS if MLS’ idea of promoting the game is right up with Fox’scash cow, the NFL.

"For all the growth of MLS, until (Don) Garber listens to the voice of reason and engages in the real world, the real business of soccer, we’re in a state of stagnation. Wego up against the World Series, college football, and the NFL. There’s nobody watching our sport (at playoff/Cup Final time).

"If we were smart about it we would change our schedule and put the sport in a spot where we’re promoting the games of relevance, the playoffs, the games we really see as showcasing the game in May and June…  we’ll get the viewership.

"And then Fox Soccer will then say, “How much money do you need?”

It just makes sense to me to put the sport in a spot where people can love it without having to compete with the big boys of baseball and football.

Lastly, anybody who’s preparing for a World Cup in a World Cup year and is playing in Major League Soccer in April; they’re playing not to get hurt. You’re not going into a World Cup not nearly as ready merely because you’re trying to go from sleep to sprint and that’s a hard thing to do.

I’ve played in Europe before a World Cup and I’ve played in MLS before a World Cup and the experience was night and day, polar opposites. I wasn't ready mentally or physically.

We’re one of the only leagues in the world that plays through FIFA dates. That’s just crazy. You can’t have the two biggest entities in American soccer, MLS and U.S. Soccer, not even on the same page… they’re in different books!"

Will incentives for teams increase the competitiveness and quality of play in MLS?

Opinion #2: MLS Should Incentive The Game

Stand-Out Quote: "When everyone’s playing for something and you screw up and lose your teammates' money, you’re going to hear it. That accountability doesn't exist in Major League Soccer."



Context: We asked Wynalda about how far MLS has come and where it's going. 

Wynalda's Words: "I think it’s been fascinating. The stadiums have totally and completely changed the landscape, the perception of our league. They are events. They are fun to watch, to go to games. We’re not playing in borrow stadiums on borrowed time. It’s actually a great product and that gets often overlooked.

"I hope they entertain the idea of incentivizing contracts because that will make the level go up a notch or two. Right now, the way our league is structured, and the payment of the players, there’s not a lot ofincentive to win. Win, lose, or draw… if you’re making eighty grand, you’re making eighty grand.

"There’s nothing lost. And I’ve played in Europe and when you lose a game people lose money. People are upset. And rightly so. Not because they lost the game, but because they lost money. And when people lose money, things get more serious. There’s accountability.

"When everyone’s playing for something and you screw up and lose your teammates' money, you’re going to hear it. That accountability doesn't exist in Major League Soccer.

"Everyone wants to argue about relegation and promotion. Forget it. I would like to see some kid making forty grand go into the game into the 81^st minute and have a structure, let’s say five hundred bucks a point, and the game’s tied and the coach has given him instructions to kill the game. There’s going to be a point a moment in that game where that player is going to recognize that he could be a hero. That’s when coaches have to coach. When it gets real. When there’s a moment when the player says in his head, “I’m not just going to go through the motions I’m going for it. What if I win the game for us?”

"When you have the opportunity to win something you also don’t want to be the guy who screws things up. It makes you better.

"It’s what I learned in Europe and I’d love to see implemented in the United States. It makes soccer better and it’d make it better in a hurry. People that don’t get it have never been on a team with that kind of structure; it’s forced camaraderie. You’re are not allowed to not do your job when it’s someone else’s money.

"The games will be more exciting, the coaching will be… real. Let’s see where that one goes because it’s a tough sell to the owners."

Could more of these guys have been instrumental in building American soccer?
(Photo Credit: From "The Demin Kit" blog)

Opinion #3: Bring In More Former USMNTers From the Cold and Let Them Help Build American Soccer

Stand-Out Quote: "If you come to me and say 'I've been involved in soccer for the last 20 years' I arrogantly say, 'Congratulations, that’s 20 years of failure. Do you know how much better we couldn't been without you?' That’s where we are."

Context: We asked Wynalda about being a part of MLS history (the league's first goal scorer) and building soccer in this country.

Wynalda's Words: "When the league was getting started we were all over the place. Earnie Stewart was in Holland, Tab (Ramos) was in Spain, John Harkes in England, I was in Germany, Paul Caligiuri was in Germany, Alexi (Lalas) was in Italy.

"We were all contemplating coming back and we went with our heart. It certainly wasn't what we thought it should be when we came back; we played on really bad fields, football stadiums. It was hard. There were a lot of pieces there that weren’t put together yet.

"I remember I called Tab (Ramos) when he made the decision to become the first player to sign with the league and he said, “Well, it’s one of those all-in sort of situations. Are we going to pioneers or are we going to make a business decision? Because I’m coming back to make one-sixth of what I can make here (in Europe).”

"There was a lot of frustration because there was a lot of money that didn’t go to American players. It went to foreign players like Marco Etcheverry, (Carlos) Valderrama, (Mauricio) Cienfuegos who really weren't that good. There was a lot of frustration when we first came back.

"We didn't like the structure. We didn’t like the schedule.We didn’t like anything about it, but we were still committed.

"And if you look around there aren’t a whole lot of guys whowere a part of those couple of years of frustration that are involved today (with MLS or the U.S. National Team). We don’t see some of the people that should be helping the next wave, the next Tom Dooleys of the world. We don’t see Marcelo Balboa getting involved (Editor's Note: he is currently the color commentor for the Colorado Rapids) or Paul Caligiuri.

"It bothers me sometimes because those guys could have a lot to do with the next step, but the frustration is that we’ve got a lot of peopletrying to take us somewhere they’ve never been. If we want to get to the next level we better start getting some people involved that know where that place is.

"As much as we think it’s going in the right direction I would argue that, over the last ten years, 80 to 90 percent of that success has been accidental. There really hasn’t been much of a plan and it needs to change if things are going to get much better.I hope that it will, but I’ve been living in this realm of hope for a longtime.

"I tease Alexi Lalas about it all the time. He was the oneguy to have the chance (to work in the front office of a MLS team). I call him Anakin (Skywalker) as if he was Darth Vader because he went to the Dark Side,but he basically said, without saying it, 'you have no idea what that world is like'. It’s not really about progress it’s about a paycheck.

"If you come up with a solution (to fix some of soccer problems) do you know how many people you’ve just eliminated?

"If you come to me and say “I’ve been involved in soccer for the last 20 years” I arrogantly say, “Congratulations, that’s 20 years of failure. Do you know how much better we could’ve been without you?” That’s where we are.

"Weare in a state where people that are employed to do a job that come up with a plan and if the plan doesn't work they just come up with a new plan, but they stay employed. That’s the part that’s annoying because I guarantee there are some people that are being dis-involved from this process that can fit it in a hurry."

Opinion #4: Jurgen Klinsmann Is Not The Answer

Stand-Out Quote: "If you want to teach everyone to play. If that’s the plan, to play a certain way, if he tries to do that in a qualifier, if we try and go into a qualifier and try to play, we might not qualify. We. Might. Not. Qualify"

Context: We asked Wynalda about his opinion of the current U.S. National Team and it's coach.

Wynalda's Words: "I love this whole thing with Jurgen Klinsmann; that he has this plan. Anyone that comes at you with a plan is just trying to guarantee their employment until they can figure it out. It doesn’t impress me at all. It’s something that every coach does. It’s just a stall tactic to stay employed to find a solution.

I don’t think I’m out of line in reminding people that this is the United States of America, the people that we celebrate, we like to win.We’ve always prided ourselves on that. I don’t know anything about track and field, but when the Olympics happen and the board comes up with who’s winning the medals, who’s got the golds and the silvers, I get upset when the United States isn’t in first place. Cause I’m American.

When people come at me and say, “Well results don’t matter”.The hell they don’t! They always matter!

When we say winning doesn't matter… that’s un-American. I can’t stand for that.

I’m not going to go out there and represent the United States of America, put my hand on my heart, and say that I’m just going to play today. I don’t really care if we win or lose. It’s not important.

That’s total BS. Anyone trying to sell that to me is always going to get a stiff argument.

I want to see my country win. We can all go out there and play...

Quote Mia Hamm when she said, “Anyone who says winning isn’t everything hasn't won anything.”

The girls have won the World Cup a couple of times for a couple of reasons. They made winning important.

If you want to teach everyone to play. If that’s the plan, to play a certain way, if he tries to do that in a qualifier, if we try and go into a qualifier and try to play, we might not qualify. We. Might. Not. Qualify. Because it has nothing to do withsoccer sometimes. It has to do with winning the game you’re in. If we don’t start building that winning mentality now we’ll be searching for it at the wrongtime so that could be very, very dangerous.

He’s going to sell us on something that is achievable with or without him. We’ve chosen to employ him to do a job. I’m telling him to do it.Win the games. Beat the opponent in front of you.

It’s contest. It’s a competition. The idea is to win the game.  Not to worry about who’s watching, what we think, what you think. Two teams playing each other and all we remember is who won and who lost and who scored. That’s what this is about.

Everyone keeps talking about development, teaching, and philosophies, and all that crap, but the bottom line is you’ve gotta put eleven guys on the field and you gotta stick together and you gotta win games. And if you can’t do that then you shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Our challenge is to join the rest of the world by playing the game the right way.We’re not going to prove that until we win. I don’t care how good we look playing; that doesn’t impress anyone. The Dutch learned that the hard way. 

Wednesday: Part two of our interview with Eric Wynalda.

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Be Good To Us "MLS on NBC", We've Been Hurt Before

Hey NBC... the FBM Graphic Department is for hire.

Well that certainly was nice of you, National Broadcasting Corporation. And unexpected we may add. We caught wind (more than a wind... perhaps gale-force the way the Inter-Net-Blogo-Sphere responded) that you showed a fancy little Major League Soccer teaser video during a pre-season throwball game on Sunday.


That's cool. Problem is we've been down this road before.

Picture this... a fancy network swoops in with a nice TV deal, some kind words about the growth of the league, and a flashy promo or two for their broadcasts. Sound familiar? Yeah... we've been here before. Twice.

Running the risk of sounding like a bad Lifetime made-for-television movie, American soccer fans have fallen in love, moved in with a network, only to be abused and keep coming back for more.

So forgive us if we're a bit hesitant when you show up at our doorstep promising that you're different from other networks that we've been with before. We're impressed with what you did with the National Hockey League and Versus (soon to be the NBC Sports Network)... a real "She's All That" job, but hockey's got Boston and Canada to help them out; a couple of markets that aren't looking too pretty for MLS right now.

All joking aside we just hope that you don't lose interest. We're really excited about this opportunity and we really do like you a lot. It's been a while since we've been treated so nicely.

You're even nice enough to give our friend U.S. Soccer a little taste as well. That's sweet of you. They've been having a rough go of late with their last network. I don't know if you heard and we don't like talking bad, but they we're kinda into little kids. Pretty embarrassing stuff.

We're fifteen going on sixteen and so we're at the age where it's time to stop fooling around. We're not looking for a fling here, but love. We don't want platitudes like a flashy graphics package or some primetime promos. That's a good start, but we want to see some commitment. Hire some nice men to keep us company during the broadcasts. Give us multiple camera angles... we've got a lot of good sides. And HD... we're not afraid of a close up.

So make good NBC. I know we're a bit inexperienced, but we're loyal. If you treat us good we'll get right back at ya.

If you screw us though..... oh man.... we'll go all "Basic Instinct" on you.


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Soccer Marketing 101 - Fox Soccer to Debut "Soccer Night in America"

Seemingly out of the blue and partway through the 2011 Major League Soccer season, Fox Soccer (Channel?) announced their prime time matches would, from this moment forward, be known as "Soccer Night in America".

The first "SNiA" will be this Friday as Portland Timbers host Philadelphia Union at 9pm (CT).

Getting beyond the fact that FS(C?) pretty much STOLE our nickname MLS matches during the week (we've been Tweeting and Facebooking that out for the last two years.. I'm sure they got it from us) we pleased as punch that the network is making our domestic league a priority.

The channel that's made its name broadcasting English Premier League, Serie A, and this year, Champions League matches, has treated the American league like a red-headed stepchild in its lineup.

Granted they've hired much higher profile names to call their games, but Fox Soccer's coverage of MLS has often lacked the "polish" of other broadcasts. No pre-game or post-game shows, few stats, on-screen graphics, and fewer camera angles to compliment the coverage they did provide.

Finally, though, it looks we can give credit where credit is due. Fox is looking to make a serious push in covering MLS where ESPN has tried and failed. By committing the league to a specific night (Fridays with some Saturdays sprinkled in) with specific branding ("Soccer Night in America") they're giving the league a spotlight for soccer fans to gravitate too.

Friday nights are tough, but for die hard domestic fans it creates consistency, something the league broadcast coverage has sorely lacked. ESPN used to dedicate Thursday to MLS, but the 2010 season saw that formula fly out the window and their broadcasts bounce in and out of a weekday slot all season (with some weeks not seeing an ESPN televised MLS game at all).

American soccer fans have long complained that one of the nation's largest platforms for reaching the greater soccer fan base in the U.S. has punted on their MLS coverage, but now it appears Fox Soccer wants to get serious about it. From what little we've seen so far the areas of great failure will hopefully become Fox's great successes.

Fox Soccer can do little about the on-field product that the league puts out on a weekly basis, but from here on out they can certainly add a degree of professionalism and presentation to help build the domestic game.

In a perfect world, this would be the new intro for "Soccer Night in America":




We suppose this one isn't half bad:



*** We added a question mark after several mentions of "Fox Soccer Channel" or "FSC" because it seems as though the network is increasingly referring to itself as solely "Fox Soccer" instead. Stay tuned.


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Who We're Buying a Beer For...

Editor's Note: Each week the Free Beer Movement "honors" individuals and groups that help push, pull, or drag American soccer forward in this country. What better way to honor them then with a beer on us. Plus, its quite economical. We're cheap!

1) Fox

It's not often that you'll hear us sing the praises of the corporation that birthed Fox News and such TV shows as "When Animals Attack" and "Joe Millionaire", but the company has done itself right by announcing the creation of a second all-soccer channel in the United States, Fox Soccer Plus airing March 1st.

FS+ will carry the recently acquired Setanta USA's programming whose sublicenses with Fox are expiring.This means US viewers will have more (legal) viewing opportunities for the English Premier League, European Champions League, FA Cup and the Italian Serie A.

There are also rumors that the new channel may swallow up the original Setanta which would include access to more European leagues.

This piggybacks on Fox's earlier news that they will begin broadcasting their Fox Soccer Channel matches in high definition starting in February 2010. The same goes for the upcoming launch of FS+.

Any move that brings more soccer into America's homes is the right move and rightly deserving of a frosty brew from us.

2) "Pint for a Pint" program at Cascade Regional Blood Services in Tacoma, Washington

Our weekly lists usually honors those who push (or drag) the American game forward, but we don't think there's anything wrong with honoring a unique way to promote drinking in our great nation as well (although it doesn't really need all that much help).

A blood donation program in Washington state is trading coupons for a free beer. Since we love free beer there's no sense in ignoring this great idea.

Watch the CNN report:

3) Preki and Thomas Dooley

Two great contributors to American soccer learned this week that their names would be enshrined in U.S. soccer history after it was announced the two were elected into the Soccer Hall of Fame.

Current Toronto FC coach Preki and former USMNTer Thomas Dooley topped the ballot list for 2010.

Hey MLSnet.com give us the "dets" on the two HOFers. OK:

Preki was named the Major Indoor Soccer League MVP in 1989, the MVP of the Continental Indoor Soccer League in 1995 and then accomplished that feat not once, but twice, in Major League Ssoccer in 1997 and 2001 while scoring 79 goals and adding 112 assists in 242 matches for the Kansas City Wizards and Miami Fusion. At age 40 he led MLS in scoring and was a member of the 2000 MLS Cup Champion Wizards. He competed in the 1998 World Cup for the U.S..

Dooley, played for the Red, White and Blue at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, performed for the Columbus Crew and MetroStars. He started his journey to soccer stardom in the German 11th division, playing on Saturday and Sunday nights before working his way up to the Bundesliga. He had secured a solid career with the likes of Hamburg SV, Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke. 2010 was the last year Dooley was eligible for the HOF.

Preki and Dooley both distinguish themselves by doing the dirty work of playing American soccer before the sport was really on the general public's radar. These sorts of players, the ones the Hall has been honoring recently former the foundation for the sports' emerging popularity today. Fox Soccer's Jamie Trecker adds:

Dooley's significance may be lost on newbie fans who came to the US game during the 1994 World Cup or later.

The fact of the matter is that Dooley's decision to play for the United States and to give up a successful career in Germany to train full time in California under Bora Milutinovic was a turning point in building a team that was able to carry the American flag beyond the first round of that 1994 tournament.

You have to remember that there were many who believed the United States should not host. The outspoken European media decried the idea of handing FIFA's plum to a country with little or no interest in the game, to say nothing of lacking any type of quality professional players.

Dooley brought soccer smarts and stability to the American defense. We'll never know how much his on-field command of the situation helped settle the nerves of his teammates. And Dooley's reading of the game was special: he could launch major runs that supported the attack without sacrificing space at the back.

The FBM remembers proudly watching Preki and Dooley participate for the Nats in France 98 while sitting in a bar in Hungary and sneaking beers (we were 15). Standing up and singing the National Anthem in front a bunch of bewildered Hungarians before USA-Iran the likes of Preki, Dooley, and others inspired this youngster to double-down on soccer. Where would the FBM be today without that moment?

Just as we mused about the 1950 USMNT, the players that have been capped for the Nats form an admirable history for all American soccer fans to give thanks for their contributions to the growth of our sport.