June 2010
Cusp of the Cup
Goal-driven soccer pro and Atlanta native Ricardo Clark drives toward the World Cup
By Kenneth R. Wilson
There are two goals professional soccer player Ricardo Clark wants to accomplish during his career. The first? To play in a World Cup. When the quadrennial event—the pinnacle of Clark’s profession—starts in South Africa on June 11, the Atlanta native and midfielder may just get his wish.
At the beginning of this month, U.S. Men’s National Team coach Bob Bradley will turn in his final twenty-three-man roster, and Clark hopes to  be on the list. After all, it was Clark who helped propel the U.S. team into first place during the final round of World Cup qualifying last September by firing a twenty-six-yard game-winning goal into the net against Trinidad and Tobago. “I’m hoping everything keeps in the right direction for me [to play in the Cup],” says Clark, who has played for the U.S. Soccer Federation since 2000, when he appeared on the team for players under age eighteen.
Clark, now twenty-seven, began playing soccer as soon as he could walk and was on an organized team at age three. After all, it’s in his blood: His father played the sport at the collegiate level, as did his brother, Richonne, who starred at Clayton State University. Clark recalls playing soccer with Richonne when they were kids. “We would play wherever we could: in the house, in the backyard, in the street, at the park.” Like many soccer fans, Clark’s favorite squad is the legendary 1970 Brazil National Team. “I always used to watch the video Giants of Brazil, which showed [highlights from] all their games from the 1970 World Cup. Pelé was on that team, and he was my idol growing up.”
A graduate of Saint Pius X Catholic High School, Clark played soccer at Furman University and was drafted into the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Major League Soccer after his sophomore year. He recently left the MLS and moved to Europe, the destination of choice for many elite U.S. players. He is now playing in Germany for the Eintracht Frankfurt team in the Bundesliga football league. Oh yeah—Clark’s second goal for his career? To play for the annual UEFA Europa League cup, and if he stays in Germany, he may get a chance. Eintracht has appeared sixty times and has won one title in the league.
Upon his arrival in Germany, Clark noticed a big difference in the games. “The fans are more passionate,” he says. “Our team hasn’t played in a stadium with less than 40,000 in attendance since I’ve been here.” Average attendance for MLS games in 2009 was a little more than 16,000 per game. But the number of spectators in America is increasing. Last summer, a match between Italy’s AC Milan and Mexico’s Club America attracted 53,600 fans to the Georgia Dome. And through youth soccer leagues, the sport has more exposure than ever. Georgia Soccer, for instance, expects 82,000 kids in the state to register this year. “Soccer has good and rich history in Atlanta at the youth level,” says Clark, who developed his skills as a youth in Atlanta’s AFC Lightning club. And now the city is in the running to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, which Clark hopes will bring more attention to the sport at the less glamorous college and professional levels.
With Clark, it’s always about something bigger: the team, the sport, the country. It’s why the U.S. Soccer Federation called him the “Humble Hero” after he scored the pivotal goal against Trinidad and Tobago. Following that game, Clark said it best: “At the end of the day, if I’m part of the squad, and I do whatever I can do to help the squad win, I feel like I’ve done my job.”
Update: On May 26, U.S. Men’s National Team coach Bob Bradley submitted his final twenty-three-man World Cup roster, and Clark made the cut as a midfielder. See Clark take the pitch in Team USA’s first match, to be held against England on Saturday, June 12 at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Illustration by Sean McCabe
|
|
|
|
|
|