- Keith Hickey

There are times when this whole blogging kick seems like a lot of trouble for not a lot of reward, but then something comes along that makes the work seem so worth it. Match Fit USA was recently given the esteemed honor of sitting down and interviewing U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with a former U-17 international and former member of Real Salt Lake, Jamie Watson. Jamie is currently with Austin in USSF D-2. Here is the transcript of our conversation:


Keith Hickey, Match Fit USA: I was covering the press conference following the Philadelphia/Salt Lake game, and one question kept coming back to me: Is there any soccer coach with better hair than Jason Kreis?

Jamie Watson, Austin Aztex: None. Nor calves. The dude looks like he's got calf implants. I got called tree trunk legs in school and he put mine to shame. He led the best ever rookie initiation I've ever seen or heard of when first year in Portugal. Still one of my favorite nights as a pro to this day.

KH: Go on.

JW: We had like 10 rookies doing rookie trivia he led one night out in Portugal and the stuff he said and came up with, it was hilarious. Or maybe I was really drunk, I don't know. All I know is, a lot of older guys were getting called out in front of everyone and the rookies had to write down who they thought did the embarrassing stuff and say it out loud in front of everyone who they picked did what and it was AWESOME!

KH: According to a recent article by Yanks Abroad, you’re currently with USL-1 side Austin Aztex. Are they aware that Texas isn’t actually abroad?

JW: Hahaha, it must have been a slow day at Yanks Abroad! Arch Bell is a good friend who knew my story so he wanted to tell it and I gave him alot of insight I hadn't given out yet, so I think I got a pass on it with the conidtion when I do go abroad one day, he gets the first article!

KH: In that same article, it says you were living with four other Aztex players. How bad did that place smell?

JW: 2 Scousers from Liverpool, a Geordie from Newcastle and a hispanic guy from Laredo which is the Mexican-American border, basically. Mexico and England would definitely be in the final if there was a Bad Breath World Cup.

KH: Not to mention 5 pro athletes sharing a bathroom. You guys must have gone through Febreeze by the gallon.

JW: The bad part is, none of them knew what that was! And when I'm left to be the house mom doing chores and cleaning responsibility, that's when you know the house is in trouble! I hate that stuff and quit after 5 minutes. It only got clean if a girl was coming over.

KH: Which was a stupider sequel, Boondock Saints 2, or Green Street Hooligans 2?

JW: GSH... Just leave it alone and let the first one be good by itself. Plus, I can't take Elijah Woods seriously as a soccer fan, he looks like his voice would crack the first time he tried cheering!

KH: Favorite soccer video game?

JW: Pro evolution. Don't even try challenging me at that. It's just stupid to do that.

KH: Of all the players you’ve played with professionally, who had the worst taste in music?

JW: I might have to embarrassingly admit it's me. My iPod is full of guilty pleasures and top 40 for days. I am legit terrified to leave my iPod on shuffle in the locker room since I'm the team DJ, because I'm afraid of walking back into the locker room and something awful is playing.

KH: Did you take it personally that RSL took Nik Besagno before you?

JW: No, I knew they were going to. It wasn't a shock to anyone really, everyone knew. I knew I was going #13 at the latest. When I was at the draft and certain teams were up, I was like "please don't take me, please don't take me, I don't wanna live there."

KH: How often do you edit your own Wikipedia entry?

JW: Never. I should edit that picture they have of me on there, it looks ridiculous! I need to go get a few glamor shots done and put one up there.

KH: No offense, you look like Tintin.

JW: That's funny, I was just about to say Tintin is a strinkingly handsome fellow. I've embraced it. Euan holden tagged me with it back in '08 and it's stuck with the fans and I can't shake it now.

KH: When living in Utah, how many people tried to convert you to Mormonism?

JW: I never figured out which older guy sent the missionaries out to my house over and over again but everytime I offered them a beer and said thanks but no thanks and sent them along their way on the bikes!

KH: Your Twitter handle is @JamieWatson22, and yet your squad number is 77. Do you blame Generation Adidas for pulling you of college early and ruining your basic math skills?

JW: I guess they taught basic math second semester second year and I missed out on that! Real answer is I didn't think I was going to even like twitter when I joined in, and so I used my email address as my tag. If I could change it now I would definitely change it to @imnottintinyoujerks

KH: You can change it, you know.

JW: You can?

KH: Yeah. Settings > Account > Username

JW: Wait, let me write that down. I'm an idiot.

KH: Thanks for your time.

As part of the CSRN Interview Series, I had a chance to interview Edson Buddle, he of the seven goals in four matches and sudden National Team buzz.


Head over to the CSRN website to take a listen.

As a quick follow-up to my column last week about the possibility of Kansas City's new signing Ryan Smith playing for the US, I talked to the London-born striker about his reasons for coming to MLS, and the possibility of playing for the Yanks.

He talked about his disillusionment with the style of play common in the English lower leagues, especially the "long-ball" football played under former manager Billy Davies at Derby County, who he claims mislead him about the approach Derby would take. He believes that he can find that type of attacking, "on the floor" soccer that he learned at Arsenal with Peter Vermes's Kansas City Wizards side. Smith's performance on Saturday, involving himself in all of Kansas City's four goals against DC, scoring a goal and tallying an assist, suggests that he has found a club he is comfortable with. His emphatic start in MLS looks even more impressive considering his revelation that he had just two days to prepare for the game. Back in London last week to complete paperwork related to his move, he arrived in Kansas City in the early hours of Thursday ahead of his debut on Saturday.

Smith revealed to me that he's currently in the process of establishing dual citizenship, through his American father, and said that growing up with parents from the U.K. and the U.S., he understands the history of both countries. Although he said that the prospect of playing for the U.S. wasn't a factor in his move to Kansas City, when I asked if he would consider playing for the USMNT, his response was an unqualified and unhesitant yes, "100 percent." He talked about the difficulty in breaking into the England squad, with "so many great players, so many experienced players" vying for positions. When I asked about potentially playing against England at some point, he was unequivocal, stating that if he were to play for the U.S., that is where his allegiance would lie. While it's very unlikely he'll make the World Cup team, Smith is a young player, and if he continues his MLS career like he has begun it, he should have no problem catching Bob Bradley's eye.

When I asked how many goals he expected to score, Smith was modest, and declined to make a prediction. "Anything can happen. I'm taking it one game at a time, right now."

by John Carlton

Though still only 25 years old, Chicago Fire midfielder Justin Mapp is already considered an MLS veteran. After joining DC United in 2002 at the age of 17, the fifth youngest player ever to sign with the league, Mapp was traded to Chicago before the 2003 season. Since then, Mapp, a native of Mississippi, has become an integral part of the Fire, ranking fourth all-time in assists (35) for the Chicago side.


This past weekend Chicago played an exhibition against FC Dallas in Ridgeland, Mississippi, not far from where Mapp grew up. This is the fifth consecutive year the Fire have made the long journey south to play in the Magnolia State. On Monday, I spoke with Mapp on a number of topics including youth soccer in Mississippi, his career with the U.S. Men’s National Team, his growth as a professional soccer player and his prospects for playing overseas one day.


MFUSA: Chicago Fire just returned from playing an exhibition match in Mississippi this weekend, and Mississippi is your home state. This is the fifth year the Fire have gone to Mississippi. What kind of reception do you personally get when you go back for these games?


Mapp: Personally, it’s a good reception. They take care of us. It’s always an exciting time. There’s no pro soccer here, so anytime the people here get to see a true professional game, at this level, I think they really enjoy it. For me personally, I get to see friends and family and everyone makes the team feel very welcome. We really enjoy the trip.


MFUSA: There’s a photo I saw of you signing autographs for the kids after the game. I wanted to ask you about youth soccer in Mississippi. First, could you talk a little bit about your own experience growing up and playing soccer in Mississippi?


Mapp: Yeah, I have a lot of fond memories growing up here. I played for youth football clubs growing up in the Jackson metropolitan area. There were a lot of tournaments and all of our parents made great sacrifices. It’s good to see a lot of kids coming out to the youth games. Even in a small state like Mississippi, you can tell soccer is growing. It shows the level of interest has grown even since when I was playing as a youth.


MFUSA: How did you get onto the youth national team radar? Compared to some other states, where soccer is more popular, Mississippi seems like a relative backwater.


Mapp: (laughs) Yeah, being a smaller state, and particularly since not a whole lot of players come from Mississippi, and given that the population of the state is small - but, I played US Youth Soccer in Region 3, Southeast Region, and from the regional team was selected by the Youth National Team and it grew from there. So, that was my route.


MFUSA: I saw in a recent article about you in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that you might consider returning to Mississippi after your playing career and perhaps coaching. It’s a long way in the future, but what level do you think you would like to coach at if you had your choice?


Mapp: I’d be open to anything. I like working with younger kids, no specific age group, but college is also a possibility. I like working with younger kids here. The Chicago Fire has partnered with Mississippi Fire Juniors, so I don’t know what capacity it would be, but probably younger kids. That could be the best fit for me. But, like you said, it’s still a way off in the future.


MFUSA: You went to Northwest Rankin High School in Brandon, Mississippi. You’re such a good athlete, did any of the coaches from the other sports ever approach you and try to put you at wide receiver in football or in the outfield in baseball?


Mapp: Not really. I played one year of football in the seventh grade and baseball up until high school. It was all soccer from the eighth grade on. I always loved playing other sports, too, but I always loved soccer specifically. At a certain point, it was all soccer for me, so I really never got any problems from the other coaches.


MFUSA: At 25 years old, you’re very much a veteran in MLS. How do you think you’ve grown the most as a professional since coming into the league as a teenager?


Mapp: The league has changed a lot from my first couple of years. I have a whole different perspective how it is, eight years in. It goes by quick. I’ve been doing it for so long. I see it as a privilege and it could all be taken away at any moment. I really just try to enjoy it and soak in all the experiences. At the same time, it is a job, and you have to take care of yourself on and off the field, in terms of what you eat, rest, etc. I’ve learned along the way how to be a better pro. Hopefully, that will continue, and if I’m healthy that will continue for a number of years more.


MFUSA: You’ve played at almost every level of the United States National Team setup. Is there one moment that stands out for you as most memorable? I’m thinking myself of the mazy run you made against Denmark back in 2007.


Mapp: They’re all very special memories. I’d probably have to say the Copa America (2007), when I got to step on the field in the first game against Argentina. We were playing against players I had seen growing up. Playing against the top players in the world like Lionel Messi. Playing against Argentina really stands out, they’re one of the top teams in the world, and they had their best players out there for that game. But, like I said, they’re all special memories when you play for your country.


MFUSA: Did you swap jerseys after that Argentina match?


Mapp: I believe some of the guys did. I would have liked to, but it didn’t work out. I think some of the guys ended up doing it.


MFUSA: They may have all mobbed Messi for his jersey.


Mapp: (laughs) Yeah, it was probably a lost cause to have gone for him.


MFUSA: I can tell that you love playing in Chicago, and the fans really like you. But you’re still very young. If the right opportunity presented itself, would you consider playing in Europe?


Mapp: Yeah, it would have to be the right setup. You never know what’s going to happen, but I don’t ever close the door on any opportunity. If the right opportunity presented itself and it made sense for me, I would definitely be open to it. I’m happy in Chicago right now, for sure. I just want to stay healthy and enjoy my soccer. Wherever things take me, they take me. But I’d never want to rule anything out.


MFUSA: What personal goals have you set for yourself this season? Aside from staying healthy, do you set any special goals going into each season?


Mapp: Sure. I don’t really put a number on goals or assists. I want to try to help the team. I’m an attacking player, so I’m here to create goals, score goals and be dangerous. I want to be productive in any way I can. I want to be playing all the time. So, I don’t put a number on anything, but I want to be dangerous and help the team. That’s my main goal.