Gotta Wear Shades by Greg Seltzer - July 1, 2007 |
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It was a moment that could begin to define a rising star - a YouTube classic, if you will. US midfielder Benny Feilhaber brought something different to the team from the first moment he stepped into a Bruce Arena camp in 2006, but the lights became brighter at the instant in time when he cracked a laser-targeted volley to beat Mexico in the Gold Cup final. |
 Benny catches himself some Gold Cup rays. (photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty) |
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| ▪ HSV Veer Feilhaber Course | ||
| ▪ Feilhaber Interest Expanding | ||
| ▪ Final Half Hour Dooms US | ||
| He seemed to start celebrating before the net rippled, slalomed past a few teammates and raced like a gazelle through a DaMarcus Beasley shirt tug to grab a few seconds of the sun's attention. The guy who generally goes about his game quietly raised his arms wide and closed his eyes to meet the burning orb's gaze before slowing to let his teammates form a pile. For the former UCLA walk-on and his folks, it was yet another peak on a fast roller coaster ride. Two summers ago, he was the 'Who is that?' kid at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup - now he is a USMNT hero being inked into prospective 2010 World Cup elevens all over America. The Feilhabers may be all over the map in origin, but they go through it all together. "Me and my family are really happy about how everything turned out," said Feilhaber, master of the aw shucks grin. "Of course, they are all very happy for me." It would be hard to imagine the young man who managed to escort home a beautiful cup final winner getting flustered by the increased spotlight. His club team was nearly ready to offload him because he politely demanded more first team responsibility, but HSV boss Huub Stevens is tuned in now to whatever show he was missing during the second half of the recent Bundesliga season. Because he is modest and because he is constantly seeking a new level, Feilhaber fits in well with a US group in transition. He obviously listened when the team's leadership, much of it barely older than him, spoke with Mexico leading 1-0 at the break. "Our team was real positive at halftime, even though we were in a tough position," he recalled. "We felt we had enough time to get one goal and we could reverse the momentum, so it was a real positive talk at halftime." And now, the Rio-born Feilhaber has headed back to South America amid a USMNT squad greener than he is to tackle a tall Copa América task. Now, he may be the one to listen to when the chips are down - after all, he hit "the Volley" against Mexico. Typical for an organizing central midfielder, Feilhaber often speaks in a team voice when answering a personally directed question. Playing in CONMEBOL's biggest tournament has to be a thrill, but as with any member of a tight-knit family, he naturally thinks of the collective. "It's really exciting to play down in (South America)," the pivot man lets on before adding, "It will be a great experience for me and for the entire team." Feilhaber's tournament bow was another flash grabber, this time against Argentina - more than enough to make any Brazilian mom light up. The hot topic launched Eddie Johnson on course for an opening eighth minute penalty kick with a devilish 30-meter though ball that left the vaunted Albiceleste defense desperately chasing. So what of Hamburg? Have they seen the light? Teams in France, Germany and the Netherlands are hoping to pluck Feilhaber from AOL Arena before he enters the final season on his contract. Thrust into primetime duty last year by an injury crisis, the American was doomed to Regionalliga involvement after Stevens took the reins in the middle of a relegation freak-out. He wasn't an immediate standout, but he wasn't the problem either, even playing out of position as a defensive midfielder. Whether he's paying attention to what his agent is doing on the other side of the globe or not, this member of the 2006 Champions League debutant class remains aware that more than national soccer pride and personal game growth could be at stake in Venezuela. Stevens has softened his stance in the wake of that shining moment in Chicago. An HSV executive recently told ASD that the coach watched the Gold Cup matches at home and that Feilhaber would be a first-teamer when he returned from international duty - all of which would sound just fine to a young man always eager to take the biggest stage he can find. "You're always looking to perform well," Feilhaber says of his extra layer of audience at Copa América. "Obviously, I will be looking to play well, and if I'm lucky, to attract the eye of teams or maybe Hamburg themselves. It could really help me at the club level." Next up, however, is Paraguay on Monday. The US need a result and the opponent just put five on Colombia. Feilhaber tired near the end of the opener, but surely will give another 90 if asked. He is simply unafraid of the heat, be it Venezuelan July or German flash bulbs. After all, he stayed cool enough to hit... |
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