By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
U.S. Elite Began as High School Stars
Like many countries around the globe, soccer talent in the United States is increasingly being identified at an early age. Prospective stars are placed in residency programs or academies, and many of the top players never set foot on a high school team.
Surprisingly, that hasn't been the route for many of the standouts on the United States' 2006 World Cup team. Nearly all of the 23 players on the roster spent time playing soccer at the high school level, and some even moonlighted as stars in other sports, as well.
Here's a look back at the high school careers (soccer and otherwise) of some prominent members of the 2006 United States World Cup Team.
* Chris Albright was considered one the nation's top 10 soccer recruits after his senior year at William Penn Charter High School in Pennsylvania. Albright was also a star in track & field and football, where he excelled as a wide receiver and kicker.
* DaMarcus Beasley is one of the most celebrated youth players in United States history, but even he spent time competing at the high school level at South Side in Fort Wayne, Ind. Beasley played with his brother, Jamar, in the Hoosier State before moving on to Bradenton Academy, where he earned Parade Magazine Co-National Player of the Year honors in 1999. The lightning-quick midfielder also suited up for South Side's varsity basketball team as a sophomore.
* Carlos Bocanegra was recruited to play both soccer and football out of California's Alta Loma High School in 1997. Bocanegra, a defender with Fulham in England, chose UCLA and soccer despite hauling in 46 receptions and picking off seven passes on the gridiron as a senior at Alta Loma.
* Brian Ching, the first Hawaiian player to play in the World Cup, was the 1996 Interscholastic League Player of the Year at Kamehameha High School in Honolulu.
* Bobby Convey had a brief, but decorated, high school career at Penn Charter in Philadelphia. As a freshman, the midfielder was named the city's player of the year, scoring 12 goals and leading his team to a 16-2-3 record. Convey also played varsity soccer as an eighth grader. The Pennsylvania native was drafted out of high school at age 16 by D.C. United.
* Clint Dempsey was a soccer star at the high school level in a state better known for another kind of football. Dempsey dominated at Nacogdoches High in Texas, leading his school to a 54-2-3 record and three district titles over his last three seasons. Now a member of the New England Revolution in the MLS, Dempsey scored 55 goals and added 23 assists during his Nacogdoches career.
* Landon Donovan gained notoriety in the soccer world as a freshman at Redlands High School in California. In his rookie campaign, the current Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder earned league most valuable player honors. Donovan transferred to Redlands East Valley for his sophomore season, piling up 16 goals and 12 assists in just 10 matches. Already becoming a national name in soccer, Donovan made the move to the United States U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Fla.
* Tim Howard not only starred on the soccer field, but on the hardwood, as well, at North Brunswick High School in New Jersey. Howard led his basketball team to a victory over former Duke All-American Jason (Jay) Williams in the Middlesex County Championship game in 1997. The Manchester United goalkeeper has battled Tourette's Syndrome to become one of the United States' most high-profile players.
* Eddie Johnson played soccer for two years at Palm Coast High School in Flagler, Fla., before leaving during his junior year for The Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The speedy forward also flashed signs of brilliance on the gridiron, scoring a touchdown in his first varsity game. But a 26-goal, 18-assist freshman soccer campaign convinced Johnson and those around him that soccer was the sport of his future.
* John O'Brien had a brief, but productive, high school soccer career at Brentwood High School in Tennessee. The midfielder poured in 34 goals in two seasons before leaving to play in Amsterdam at the age of 16.
* Like Albright and Convey, Ben Olsen honed his craft in Pennsylvania, where he was named the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year at Middletown High in 1994. Olsen currently plays for D.C. United of the MLS.
* Oguchi Onyewu, America's intimidating, 6-4, 210-pound defender, launched his soccer career at Sherwood High School in Maryland. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Onyewu was a two-year starter at Sherwood, earning all-league, all-county, and all-state honors as a sophomore before enrolling in the U-17 program in Florida. Onyewu, who played for Clemson at the collegiate level, is a member of Belgium's Standard Liege club.
* Along with Tim Howard, Eddie Pope is among the most accomplished all-around athletes on the United States' roster. Pope was a four-year standout on the Southwest Guilford High (North Carolina) soccer team, as well as a three-year letterman in football. The Real Salt Lake defender was the first athlete in North Carolina history to be invited to both the soccer and football high school all-star games. Pope connected on a 48-yard field goal during his gridiron career at Southwest Guilford, and even tried his hand in baseball for one season. Pope entered the University of North Carolina on a football scholarship, but after playing with the Olympic Team in 1992, his attention shifted to soccer.
* Claudio Reyna, one of the United States' most experienced players with 110 international appearances, was the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year in 1989 and 1990 at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey. Reyna amassed 62 goals and 59 assists in his high school career, leading St. Benedict's to a pair of state titles and a 47-match winning streak during his finals two seasons.
St. Benedict's Prep: Not Just a Basketball School
St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey has recently emerged with a national reputation as a basketball school. Danny Hurley, a former Seton Hall star and the son of St. Anthony legend Bob Hurley, serves as the school's basketball coach. Current New Orleans Hornet J.R. Smith is a recent graduate.
But that reputation may need to be revisited. St. Benedict's Prep has placed two players on each of the last two National Teams in the World Cup. This year, Claudio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter are representing the United States in Germany. In 2002, Reyna and another St. Benedict's Prep product, Tab Ramos, competed in South Korea.
Ramos also appeared on the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cup teams, giving St. Benedict's a remarkable string of graduates appearing in the last five World Cups.
According to The Newark Star-Ledger, with the help of stars like Berhalter, Ramos, and Reyna, St. Benedict's has a record of 447-19-2 over the last 21 seasons, including a 23-0 mark in 2006.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
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