Hey readers, concord got it right. The four-time winner of the US Open Cup was Eric Braeden. Didn't anyone get the hint when my running blog mentioned that he scored twice in the Soccer Challenge game?
Listen to him here. That voice gives me chills. It's got an awesome accent, tone and timbre.
Eric was born and raised in Germany, where like nearly everyone there, he learned to love the game. Anyway, when Eric first came over to California, he was still using his given name, Hans Gudegast. He attended Santa Monica College and joined a local team, Maccabi Los Angeles. The fact that it was Jewish-based team didn't bother him - he embraced that. His bio on his website mentions specifically that he welcomed the chance to play with the team because it defied people's stereotypes of what a German would do. He was with the team when they won their first championship in 1973. (His bio mentions that one specifically, and he told me, "We won four". I didn't question him in detail, so I don't know which other of the Maccabi's five championships he missed. If we assume a natural order, Eric could have helped the team win 1973, 1975, 1977,1978 and left before they won in 1981. But maybe he missed a season due to having to shoot a movie somewhere.)
Anyway, Eric isn't a Eurosnob about American soccer - check out the first part of this interview, where he talks about soccer, revealing his German loyalty, but giving the U.S. more props than the interviewer does.
Very nice youtube clip. I wish the interviewer didn't ramble as much though.
ReplyDeleteAfter 9 minutes and 6 seconds of watching that interview enough is enough. Saying the interviewer was aweful doesn't go far enough to explain my pity for Braeden(?) having to sit there and put up with that guy.
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool to watch "Victor Newman" speak up for American Soccer. To actually here him say we could really be that good with the right coaching staff means he really thinks highly of what we have and what we could be.
Yeah, that's why I said just the first part of the interview was decent. I thought it was funny the way the interviewer changed the subject from soccer so abruptly.
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