Legendary
defender calls it quits
American captain Dooley
earns final cap in nine-year career with United States national
team
Feb 21, 1999 9:37 p.m.
ET
(REUTERS)
FORT
LAUDERDALE — Thomas Dooley said goodbye to international
soccer Sunday and was honored for nearly nine years of service
to the U.S. national soccer team.
The
37-year-old defender led the U.S. squad onto the field for the
final time as he gained his 81st cap and played all 90 minutes
at central defender in a 2-1 victory over Chile in a friendly
at Lockhart Stadium.
Before
kickoff, Dooley was presented a plaque by U.S. Soccer President
Dr. Robert Contiigulia and U.S. Soccer Chief Operating Officer
Tom King.
Dooley
captained the U.S. at France '98 where the Americans finished
last in the field of 32 teams.
In
1992, Dooley moved to the United States from his native Germany
where he did stints with Homburg, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen
and Schalke 04, where he finished his career in the Bundesliga
in 1997 before joining his present club, the Columbus Crew of
Major League Soccer.
Dooley,
the son of a member of the U.S. Army, made his international
debut as a defensive midfielder in 1992 in a 3-1 victory against
the Republic of Ireland.
Dooley's
first international goal stood as the game-winner in a 2-0 victory
against England on June 9, 1993.
Dooley
played in each of the U.S.'s matches in the 1994 and '98 World
Cups.
In
1993, Dooley, who has scored seven times at international level,
was honored as U.S. soccer's male athlete of the year.
Dooley
nearly found the back of the net Sunday when he headed wide to
the left in the waning minutes.
"It
would have been nice to score in my final game," Dooley
said, "but what really matters is the team. The team won.
"If
I had scored, who knows, maybe I could keep player for a longer
period of time," he joked. "It's been a great experience
and I am going to miss playing with some of these young players
coming up. But I'm not going anywhere, I'll be around."
Dooley,
who captains Columbus, opens the 1999 Major League Soccer season
on March 28.
Soccer-U.S. beats
Chile 2-1 in soccer friendly