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A Soccer Star for Today, Tomorrow

From the day he arrived at the University of Virginia in fall 1991, Claudio Reyna had dragged around the cumbersome label of The Future of American Soccer. He was the best of the next generation of players, a wonderfully gifted playmaker with extraordinary field vision and a precise touch that enabled him to deliver a 40-yard pass on to a teammate's foot.

But the boy is grown up now. He won three NCAA titles with Virginia before leaving school a year early, played every minute of the 1992 Olympic tournament and was the youngest member of the 1994 World Cup team. He just completed his second season in the demanding German First Division for Bayer Leverkusen, competing alongside and against some of the world's best players.

And at age 22 it has become crystal clear that The Future of American Soccer has reached his maturation.

"We can eliminate the word `potential' from his bio," U.S. national team Coach Steve Sampson said. "His time is now and for many years to come."

Reyna's importance to the U.S. team was highlighted Sunday in Foxboro, Mass. He started in central midfield and scored the go-ahead goal late in a 2-1 U.S. Cup victory over Ireland. The tournament continues for the Americans at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against Bolivia at RFK Stadium. Their finale is Sunday against Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

As the United States continues to progress on the international soccer scene, Reyna is serving as tour guide. His role will become even more important this fall when the U.S. squad begins playing qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup in France. He says his experience in Germany has made a big difference in his game.

"The competition, the day-to-day grind in training to compete, to play, that's something you don't get over here [in the United States] when you're growing up," said Reyna, a native of Springfield, N.J.

"So that really helped me realize I had to get better to get on the field in Germany. Whether it was to be stronger or be better defensively or on offense, whatever it was, I had to grow to play. And I wanted to play."

His first season with Bayer Leverkusen, in 1994-95, didn't include much playing time with the first team. But he trained hard, watched and learned. Then, at about this time last year, he made his first major impression with the national team, scoring a goal and assisting on two others in a 4-0 rout of Mexico at RFK.

This past season in Germany, he saw a lot more action, starting 11 consecutive games and tallying five assists late in the season before suffering a minor groin muscle injury. He was honored as the player of the match twice.

Reyna recently signed a new two-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen, with an option for a third season. He also returned home with more confidence and a new sense of importance to the national team.

"He's a more complete player than he ever has been," Sampson said. "He matured a lot in the last six months. Now the challenge for him is to be a 90-minute player. . . .

"There was never a question of him going forward with the ball. It was always a question of if he'd chase to defend and close down [opposing players] and enjoy the defensive side of the game. And if you're going to play in the middle, especially for the national team, you can't afford to have one weak link in any aspect of the game. He must be able to defend, and I'm confident that he now brings that side to his game."

On Sunday, in an attempt to generate more offense following a scoreless first half, Sampson adjusted his formations and moved Reyna from midfield to forward. In the 75th minute, a hard-charging Reyna poked in Eric Wynalda's perfect cross to crack a 1-1 deadlock. It was his fourth goal in 34 international appearances.

Reyna also hopes to play on the Olympic team again this summer. However, an obscure rule might prevent him from participating because he played in 1992. The U.S. Soccer Federation is expecting a clarification this week from FIFA, the sport's world governing body.

"I want to play, but it's out of my hands," Reyna said. "Whenever you get a chance to represent your country on the field, whether it's the national team or in the Olympics, it's so special. For me, it's a great honor to put on an American uniform."