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Awards dinner MLS Saturday night Gala awards players, amuses all
Updated: Monday October 16, 2000 8:46 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The San Jose Earthquakes might have finished last among the 12 Major League Soccer teams, but forward Abdul Thompson Conteh was first in the hearts of the 500 attendees as he stole the show at the MLS Gala Awards Saturday night at the Reagan Center. Conteh drew the loudest and longest standing ovation of the 2 1/2-hour show when he received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. He was eloquent in talking about his work in raising funds to stop the suffering in his native country of Sierra Leone. Conteh had more than 20 members of his family murdered during the civil war. "I didn't prepare a speech," he said. "It's been a very tough year. I worked hard. I did my best. "I was doing this thing on my side because someone had to make a difference. It's been very bad in my country. The life expectancy in my country is 26. I'm 30. If I was in my country, I wouldn't be able to be here." Conteh asked New York Life, the sponsor of the award, to donate any money he would receive for winning it to his fund through the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. Conteh received one of three standing ovations at the awards ceremony, the closest thing to the Oscars for American professional soccer. Hank Steinbrecher, who retired as general secretary of U.S. Soccer earlier this year after nearly 10 years on the job, and Kansas City Wizards coach Bob Gansler also received standing ovations. Many soccer fans don't know that Gansler, the MLS coach of the year, was treated miserably by the U.S. soccer community and media a decade ago, even though he guided the U.S. into its first World Cup in 40 years. While most of the award winners were known there were a couple of surprises. Steinbrecher was named winner of the Custodian of the Dream Award. "He is a true crusader to the game he loves," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. Steinbrecher, nicknamed "Reverend Hank" for his inspiring speeches, at first was speechless. "I'm sorry. I'm absolutely shocked," he said. Garber presented the Commissioner's Award to the supporters clubs as representatives from the ones that back D.C. United and MLS Cup finalists. "They provide us with the love and passion that separates us from other sports," he said. "They are the reason we come to work every day. They believe, so we believe." Some of the more interesting highlights and sound bites: * Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola talked about winning the MVP. "I realize when you mark the name of a goalkeeper on a ballot, it's like giving an Oscar to an independent film. It doesn't happen," he said. When he picked up his Comeback Player of the Year Award, Meola quipped. "I'm just hoping now you'll [the league] pick up my option." Then Meola got serious, talking about forwards running into keepers. "In the very near future, we feel we will be protected like the skilled players in the league," he said. "We should be on the field, not off of the field." * Scoring champion Mamadou Diallo of the Tampa Bay Mutiny, who said several times this season that he wouldn't discuss the Mike Ammann incident again: "It makes me so good today to see Mike Ammann on the field." The wife of Diallo is pregnant. Diallo, nicknamed "Big Mama," might have a new name. "I'm going to be the Big Daddy," he said. Ammann added that his mother never wanted him to play soccer. "I came back from playing soccer, my mom beat me," he said. * Colorado Rapids defender Marcelo Balboa, winner of the Goal of the Year Award, on a magnificent bicycle kick vs. the Columbus Crew, talked about coming so close against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup. "I have an image in my mind of Tony [Meola] going like this," he said, holding two fingers inches apart. "It's taken me six years to move the ball over that much to score the goal of my dreams." * Mutiny midfielder Steve Ralston on capturing the Fair Play Award for the second consecutive year: "I told myself I wasn't going to win it again this year. I was teased all year. I went out and got two yellow cards early." * Gansler, taking a playful jibe at retired Wizards defender Alexi Lalas, one of the emcees for the evening, talked about Brandon Prideaux and Nick Garcia becoming regulars on defense. "One man's absence is another man's opportunity," he said. * Wizards defender Peter Vermes, on what he was yelling at referee Paul Tamberino during his Defender of the Year video: "I am telling him he is the best referee in the league." * MetroStars forward Clint Mathis was selected Player of the Year by children who voted on Nickelodeon's Gas, Games and Sports Web site, for scoring a league-record five goals in a game. Hmmm. Actually, it was five plays that constituted the award. "I still don't think I really did it," he said. And, oh yes, if this was the real, honest-for-goodness Oscars, they would get a lot of thumbs up for the entertainment value -- Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas, sans his trademark goatee, were funny. Lalas, ahem, took credit for the Wizards' resurgence and improved defense. Remember, he retired after the 1999 season. "I felt my absence helped him [Gansler] create the team he wanted," Lalas said. The show started out on a big screen as a special MLS Extra Time as Stone and Lalas traded their usual barbs and gave out some of their own unique end of the season awards -- The Extras. Among some of their inventive awards: Death Valley to underachieving D.C. United, Mt. Everest to the very achieving Wizards, and Bain de Soleil St. Tropez tan to MetroStars defender Lothar Matthaeus. Then Lalas and Stone went live on stage. And for some reason, they forgot to honor the D.C. United front office for the Team Ticketing Sales Award. Stone and Lalas were forced to make that announcement at the post-ceremony reception. The only other downside of the "MLS Oscars" ceremony is that it would be panned by critics for running an hour long. Of course, they'll have plenty of time to fine tune things and work out some of the kinks before next year's gala in Columbus. Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. His third book, Soccer For Dummies, was published earlier this year.
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