LV soccer star Wynalda making strides since knee injury

Steve Carp

Monday, May 11, 1998 | 8:50 a.m.

It looked a lot worse than it actually was. But that didn't stop the skeptics from making their prognostications.

It was over as far as they were concerned. Eric Wynalda was history. No World Cup for America's most prolific goal scorer.

It was April 5. Wynalda, playing for the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer, was trying to help the Clash beat the Dallas Burn in a shootout. But as he attempted to put the ball past goaltender Garth Lagerwey, the two collided and Wynalda went down in a heap, holding his left leg, grimacing in pain.

The result was a small cartilage tear and a sprained ligament, and a 3-2 loss for San Jose. The doctors said eight weeks minimum. But Wynalda didn't have eight weeks. The World Cup was right around the corner and there was no way he was going to miss the final quadrennial of the 20th century.

So as he has done many times before, Wynalda went about proving the skeptics wrong. He's used to it by now. The Las Vegas resident got his knee fixed five weeks ago and is on track to rejoin the U.S. national soccer team next week.

"I'm going to be just fine," Wynalda said from Los Angeles, where he has been undergoing most of his rehab work under the watchful eye of orthopedist Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, who performed the surgery April 16. "We're just taking it slow and making sure I'm ready."

The target date is in mid-June, when the Americans meet Germany in the opening round of the 1998 World Cup in France. Barring any unforseen setbacks, Wynalda figures to be in Steve Sampson's starting 11.

"There is no concern as to whether he will play in France," Sampson said. "He couldn't play right now and the last thing we want him to do is come back too early. We've learned in the past that too often we've had players try to come back too soon and they've had to stay out longer than is really necessary."

Given the doctor's assurance his star scorer would be ready, Sampson included Wynalda on the official U.S. roster last week. There was speculation that Wynalda might be left off because of the injury. But Wynalda, the national team's career scoring leader with 32 goals, knew he would be needed.

More important, Sampson knew he would need Wynalda's experience in what has emerged as a tough group for the Americans. Not only does the U.S. have to face the Germans, it must deal with a rugged Iran side as well as a talented team from Yugoslavia.

The immediate past apparently has been stricken from Sampson's record. That experiment of playing Wynalda in midfield last year is over. His place is up front, trying to put the ball in the net.

Wynalda's effort was criticized by some who thought he wasn't putting out the maximum effort. Truth was, he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"I was lost," he said. "I didn't know how to play the position at that level. I know how to play forward."

And that's where he will be.

He continues to clear hurdles in his comeback. First, he passed a fitness test. Now, he will attempt to cut across the field and prove to Sampson he can resume full training with the rest of the team. That should come sometime this week. He won't play this Saturday against Macedonia, but he's holding out hope he'll see some action against Kuwait on the 22nd.

"I think I'll play a little against Kuwait," Wynalda said. "But I plan to be ready for Scotland on the 30th."

If he plays in both matches, it will get him to the century mark in representing his country.

"That would be big," he said of earning his 100th cap. "That's important to me."

He's also concerned about his MLS team. The Clash is struggling at 3-6 and Wynalda made just three appearances for San Jose before the injury on April 5 put him on the shelf.

"I wish I could help my team," he said. "They're in dire straits right now and I care about the organization. But I think my contributions will have to come after the World Cup."

He still has a couple of hurdles to clear before he is pronounced 100 percent fit to compete. He spent some time in Las Vegas with former UNLV soccer star Dr. David Cohen as part of his rehab and he will return to town in the next couple of weeks for another session with the chiropractor.

"David was a tremendous help to me," Wynalda said. "Joints and bones are his business and he treated me for a couple of days and afterward I felt so much better."

He also did some mental rehab work with Dr. Jerry May, the noted sports psychologist in Reno who helped Monica Seles regain her focus after her stabbing incident in Germany a few years ago.

"He's making sure I don't overdo it," Wynalda said. "I can't afford a setback at this point."

But the three main figures in his latest comeback are his wife Amy, who offers the moral support; Mandelbaum, who keeps a close watch on the knee; and Steve Thomas, the national team's physical therapist, who supervises his workouts.

"I've had a lot of people help me deal with this," Wynalda said. "And I really appreciate it.

"Obviously, there was some doubt when this first happened. It was a scary moment. But the doctors were confident and I think Steve listened to what the doctors had to say.

"It's a vote of confidence for me from Steve. So I'm really looking forward to getting back out there and show him he made the right decision."

And prove the naysayers wrong once again.