For the last time, it’s pronounced HUE-clees!

The Boston Breakers site just announced Angela Hucles is retiring from professional soccer. She says:

I always wanted to involve myself in things I was passionate about and give 110 percent. I feel like I’ve come to a point where I no longer can give that much and I know that there are other players who are ready to step up to the plate in order to bring the World Cup trophy back to the U.S. and carry on the growth of professional women’s soccer in the United States as well.

Sounds like there were a lot of deep thoughts happening in the Hucles household recently. And she will certainly be missed during the US Women’s upcoming friendly against Germany later this month (I’ll have the usual half-assed preview up soon). Hucles has been a rock in the midfield since 2002 who helped us win gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. And during the 2008 games, she was one of the players chosen to fill in for the injured Abby Wambach. At the end of it all, she wound up the leading scorer for the team with four goals.

Talk about going out with a bang! And her parting professional words ring true because today Pia called up “uncapped with the senior team” Ella Masar to travel to Germany instead.

(Yeah so the USMNT qualified for their World Cup but coming up it will be the women’s turn to qualify for 2011. Stay tuned… uh, just as soon as CONCACAF schedule the qualifiers.)

The discussion is a long one, but soccer may be poised to leap frog hockey as the number four sport in America. American football, basketball, and baseball don’t seem to be going anywhere, but while soccer is spreading the interest for hockey seems to only be prevalent in certain areas. This should mean that MLS teams will begin gaining more money, and with more money should come higher quality players. With higher quality should come more fans. With more fans should come even more money. Etc.

So how should the US national team capitalize on the growing American interest in soccer? There is hope that sometime soon the manager of the US team will be able to pick from the often touted young pool of American talent, and if the U17’s performance at the CONCACAF qualifiers was any indication then our chance maybe sooner rather then later.

Unfortunately, Bob Bradley can’t go around capping every promising seventeen year old who scores a hat trick. He barely has enough time to give players like Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu time on the pitch. There’s a logic behind Bob Bradley’s managerial moves, but they often seem makeshift. We the fans rarely feel any forward movement.

So when should this great shift take place? When will our young talented players finally be grafted into the national team lineup? 2014? 2018? Can we wait that long? After success in 2002 and dejection in 2006 American soccer fans don’t know what to expect from the 2010 World Cup. Can the growing MLS create an enthusiasm that forces Bob Bradley to make some changes?

For years they’ve told us about the future, but when does the future start to unfold? What does it look like? Will there be some cool goals?

1. I skipped work to watch the Ghana game. I sat in bed and pretended to be ill. ESPN on mute. It’s strange now. This was the first time I invested something into the US nats. I was younger in 2002. Vaguely aware of what was going on. I wince now when I see Frings handle the ball on the line. I think of what could’ve been. Maybe I wouldn’t have seen it, but it would be something look back on and smile at.
No, my first days with the national team weren’t during a glorious run. I remember being told we needed to win to get out of group play. So I skipped out on data entry for the national team. That was the first time they let me down.

2. 2010. It’s like writing inspirational post it notes to myself. 2010. We’ll get them in 2010. We’ll be better then. Michael Bradley will govern midfield. Jozy Altidore will latch onto through balls with Mercurial speed and grace. Freddy Adu? Have you seen the kid’s free-kicks? His dribbling? His potential? Lithely trying to avoid Puyol putting cleats to his ankles. In my eyes that’s noteworthy. One of the world’s better defenders saw one of our player’s as a threat. Someone worth trying to injure.

3. We cite subtle improvements. Border victories. CONCACAF powerhouses. Wunderkid African immigrants. Arsenal looked at one of our kids. Us. Charlie Renken. American CR7? I start wondering if 16 is too young to play in the World Cup. Didn’t Messi do it? What about Pele? Try to be hopeful. Maybe we can take bronze.

4. When Sacha Klejstan scores a hat trick against Sweden do we start garnering world attention? Do teams give us plaudits for things other than fitness? Are things the same?

5. My Irish friends keep rooting for Mexico. Why are they rooting for Mexico?

6. The Confederations Cup is the measurement of how hopeful I can be. How big of a fall I can set myself up for. If I go to South Africa and Brooks Peck is screaming for news updates and I can’t find wifi and I’m writing everything in my notebook am I writing for myself or for my team? Am I going for myself or am I going as a supporter? Or as a “journalist”?

GOALKEEPERS (2): Kelsey Davis (Portland), Val Henderson (Los Angeles Sol)
DEFENDERS (6): Nikki Krzysik (Chicago Red Stars), Stephanie Logterman (St. Louis Athletica), Kia McNeil (St. Louis Athletica), Kasey Moore (Boston Breakers), Kat Reynolds (Santa Clara), Jessica Tsao (Portland)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Parrissa Eyorokon (Washington Freedom); Brittany Klein (Chicago Red Stars), Lorraine Quinn (Duke), Amy Smerdzinski (Wake Forest)
FORWARDS (4): Amanda Cinalli (St. Louis Athletica), Katie Larkin (Los Angeles Sol), Kelley O’Hara (Stanford), Christen Press (Stanford)

Feb. 11 USA U-23 vs. England U-23
Feb. 13 USA U-23 vs. Norway U-23
Feb. 16 USA U-23 vs. Germany U-23

Christine Nairn. Midfielder and participant in the recent U-20 World Cup.

Ella Masar. Forward and future Chicago Red Star. Member of the U-23 WNT.

This is the first senior team call-up for both. At the end of camp, coach Pia will cut the roster to 18 for the upcoming Algarve Cup competition in March.

photo credit