McBride retires from international soccer

Fans of the US will miss "him. I thought he might last long enough to
play a game or two in early qualifying for '10, but by then he'd be 36.


Even though Wynalda owns the US international goal-scoring record, I
consider McBride to be the best striker in modern US history. What he
lacked in speed and footwork he compensated for with hard work,
intelligence, and an ability to play through pain. His humility was
remarkable. I don't know that I've ever heard him criticize a coach (he
was one of few to not bash Sampson after 1998) or a referee, and his
fellow players loved him. If they make 'em like "Bake" anymore, they
sure don't make many.



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McBride Retires From International Football

Fulham's American striker Brian McBride has followed in the footsteps
of Manchester City's American midfielder Claudio Reyna and has retired
from international football following the 2006 World Cup.

The 34-year-old calls it quits on a 13-year career with the Stars and
Stripes, having netted 30 goals in 95 international appearances.
McBride scored three goals in 10 World Cup appearances and 10 goals in
25 World Cup qualifiers.

The 2005/06 Fulham Player of the Year was held scoreless at the 2006
World Cup. But McBride, known for his toughness, inspired fans when he
returned to the pitch to play out USA's dramatic 1-1 draw with Italy
despite getting bloodied up from a Daniele De Rossi elbow.

"This is a special day in that I have the opportunity to thank U.S.
Soccer for all it has done for me and my family," said McBride.

"I will truly miss being part of the team. Additionally, I want to
thank the fans of U.S. Soccer for their enthusiasm and support. Without
the encouragement and warm words from many fans, I would not be where I
am today."

Mark V. wrote:

While I wouldn't rate him as highly -- largely because we didn't see
enough of him in his prime -- I do hope the national team arranges a
friendly at Crew Stadium to send him off.

Here's a toughy: what's your favorite McBride moment?

I'm torn between two of them. When he headed in Sanneh's cross against
Portugal, it was deliriously exciting, but when he slid in for the
gamewinner against Guatemala in 2000 -- breaking his shinguard in the
process -- it was absolutely essential. The US was playing a man down
and probably needed that goal to advance. Good thing it's unnecessary
to choose between them. :-)

P

On 26 Jul 2006 13:33:12 -0700, "Mark V." <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:


How's his nose?

In article <1153945992.800228.172140@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups. com>,
"Mark V." <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:


Yes, he was a member of the original Columbus Crew teams that did so
well in the early days of the MLS. Just as you say, modest and
unassuming, and very much liked in the Columbus community.

William Clark

On Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:56:57 -0400, "William A. T. Clark"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

He's the kind of guy, you can tell is a nice person, just by looking
at him.

Thanks for your hard work and clean football, McBride!

--
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Mark V. wrote:

A classy player, and sadly underrated by anyone outside the U.S..

Plus, he's totally worthy of a man-crush.

ac

On 27 Jul 2006 05:23:36 -0700, "Adrian Cocot" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:



Hope he dopes not go to Birmingham as then we will not see him play on
Fox Sports World.

Thanks for the memories Brian. He will indeed be missed as one of the
best strikers ever to wear a USA jersey. I don't necessarily rate him
above Wynalda, however I also don't rate Wynalda over him. He gave our
team a formidable option up front, good in the air, and good with the
feet of course. I can't say this is my favorite McBride moment, but
it's one that I will remember; in the recent WC game vs Italy after he
had taken the elbow and was a bloody mess, he calmly just walked to the
sideline to get a towel instead of acting like the majority of other
forwards by rolling on the ground in pain like a damn fool. He held his
head up high, cleaned the blood off, and returned to the field. This
was a bit of a microcosm of how he has played the game his whole
career. He never was a diver, and will always be a very tough player.
Classy guy as well.

--
Neighborhood Superstar,

Devin Tregre

As an Australian I did not see much of him, except at World Cup time,
but what I saw seemed pretty classy.

Congratulations to him on a good international career.