Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 22, 1991 TAG: 9103220042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
When the month started, he was just another college athlete settling into his school work during the offseason. Three weeks later, he has emerged as one of the rising stars for the United States national soccer team.
It's amazing what scoring two goals in your first stint with the national team can do for a guy.
"I haven't been able to put it into words," said Washington, who has two years of eligibility left at Radford. "It's unlike anything else. You can hear everything I can say about it, but you can never really experience those emotions unless it happens to you."
For Washington, it was a matter of being the right player in the right place at the right time.
When Bob Gansler, who coached the U.S. team in the 1990 World Cup, resigned on Feb. 23, the national team was floundering. It hadn't scored a goal in seven matches.
John Kowalski, the coach at Robert Morris University, was appointed interim coach. He decided to shake things up a bit, and one of his first priorities was to find a goal scorer.
Washington, who has 53 career goals and led the NCAA in scoring in 1988 and 1990, certainly had the qualifications.
"I knew who Dante Washington was," said Kowalski. "I saw him play two years ago at the Olympic Festival, and again this year when we played Radford. I knew he was a capable scorer.
"It was a calculated risk, but it was time to make some changes. We knew about his speed, and he's proven he could score on the NCAA level. We thought he could score at the international level. The only way you're going to find out is to put him at that level and see what he can do."
Kowalski called Radford coach Don Staley on March 5 to see if Washington would be interested in joining the national team.
"I thought [Staley] was joking at first when he told me," said Washington, who missed the 1989 season after breaking his right leg.
Four days later Washington was in the starting lineup for the U.S. team when it faced South American club champion Olympia of Paraguay in an exhibition game in Tampa, Fla.
"I didn't know what they expected of me," said Washington from Columbia, Md. "Logically, I guess they expected me to score. The first time I touched the ball in practice, I shot it over the net. I thought it would go downhill from there. When coach Kowalski said that I was in the starting lineup, I could have passed out. I didn't expect that."
Against Olympia, Washington had a goal disallowed when he was ruled offsides, but the U.S. team scored its first goal in seven matches and beat Olympia 2-0.
In the next match, March 12, Washington broke a scoreless tie against Mexico in the North American Nations Cup in Los Angeles. In the 43rd minute of his first international match, he controlled a rebound shot with his head and then drilled a shot by the Mexican goalie. The U.S. team tied Mexico 2-2.
"My mind was going a million miles a minute when I scored," said Washington, who is 20. "It felt like I was in a fast car going all out and never slowing down. My head's still whirling."
In the second game of the Nations Cup, Washington again scored the first goal as the United States beat Canada 2-0.
"It seems as if the ball follows Dante, like he has a kind of magnetism," Kowalski said. "He's quick, he's strong, and he is able to fool defenders. He's a young player who, if he continues to develop seriously, can be a dominant player at any level. It was a successful start, but he's not going to carry the national team on his shoulders. We're hoping to work with him more and incorporate him into the team with the hope that he can continue to score goals and help us win games."
Washington is trying to keep his sudden success in perspective.
"I don't want it to sink in too much," said Washington, an All-South selection last season. "I don't ever want to get cocky, because I'm not. There's a difference between confidence and cockiness. I think I can fit in at that level, but I have to learn so much more about the game. Just because I played with the national team doesn't mean I'll stay with the national team."
Washington said his status with the national team could change once a permanent coach is hired.
"I realize it could be all gone just like that," he said. "I might not be asked back when they select the new coach. There are so many great players out there."
Kowalski acknowledged that Washington's assessment was accurate, but added "there's only one Dante Washington who has won two NCAA scoring championships."
During spring break, from March 24-30, Washington will be in Mexico training with the United States Olympic team.
"Actually, I was hoping to just be able to relax," Washington said. "I haven't been home since Christmas. I also have a lot of school work. I've got a 15-page history paper due after the break, and I'll be in Mexico. Between this paper, practice and games, I'm not going to see much of Mexico. I wish I had a twin so I could send him to Mexico and I could stay here and study."
His studies will prevent Washington from traveling with the national team to Korea, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia in April.
"My professors were great in letting me go [to Florida and California]," said Washington, an honor student. "I just missed two weeks, and I can't miss anymore."
by CNB