SOME MORE GOOSE TALK Jeff Agoos: 'My goals are simple. Win championships. Win rings. That's why you play'
Jeff Agoos, the newest MetroStars, says that "the challenge is to play the '05 season without trying to relive 96-'04. We have to forget the history and make history." Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
He has an MLS championship ring for every finger on one hand and now the newest MetroStar, defender Jeff Agoos wants to start on the other hand.
In an exclusive e-mail interview with BigAppleSoccer.com, Agoos said that he feels the Metros can contend for an MLS title, should forget about the team's history and must find a way to avoid late-season slumps.
Agoos, nicknamed "Goose," wrote that he was "very busy packing things" and was more comfortable with an e-mail interview at this juncture.
"My goals are simple. Win championships. Win rings," he said. "That's why you play."
He added: "I want to play for NY because they want to win championships."
Given their lack of success over the years, Agoos felt the Metros shouldn't dwell on the past.
"The challenge is to play the '05 season without trying to relive 96-'04," he said. "We have to forget the history and make history. Winning is a very delicate matter and has to be done the right way. Losing, if you are not careful, can become a habit and something that is very hard to stop once that mindset is running through the team.
"Therefore, my main job is to help the defense in any way I can and to help the team understand how to win and how to compete for a championship."
Asked what the Metros needed to put them over the top, Agoos replied, "It's a very hard answer because if I knew the exact reason I would win a championship every year. But, from watching them over the past few years, I've noticed that when they go into a slump they go into a slump for an extended period. Sometimes that slump is at bad times of the year (ie. the playoffs).
"Every team experiences a down period during the year but the successful teams make sure that that period is not long in duration and not so far down that they can't get back up. The goal will be to make sure both of these things happen so that, if we go through a bad period, it is not long or so bad that it takes weeks and weeks to get out of."
He hopes it the transition from west to east coast will go quickly.
"No transition is easy," Agoos said. "That is why it's called a transition. Some are smoother than others and I hope that this one is smooth."
Agoos, who turns 37 on May 2, played for Bob Bradley when the current Metros coach was an assistant coach on United from 1996-97.
"I believe his expectation is for my experience to help the team win a championship," he said. "I told Bob I was very excited to come to N.Y. and that I wanted to be with a club that wanted to win cups.
"I have an immense amount of respect for him. I got to know Bob on a personal level during the time we both spent at DC. He is a straightforward, honest guy and will tell things like they are.
"Bob is honest and will not play games like many other coaches. He tells you exactly what he expects of you. Bob understand the MLS game well and is one of the better MLS coaches in this league."
So, which position will Agoos play? Left fullback? Central defender? "I will play whatever position Bob needs me to play," he said.
Agoos said he had an inkling he would be traded; he was dealt for a fourth-round pick in next month's SuperDraft.
"I had a good sense of the direction of the club once (it) left me unprotected for the dispersal draft so I wouldn't say it was a big shock," he said.
"I was aware they (the Metros) had some interest in me. However, we have been talking to N.Y. for several years and were unable to get anything done until now."
He is looking forward joining the club.
"I am very excited about making the move back east to New York both professionally and personally," he said. "I think that N.Y. has a young, talented team that can compete for a MLS championship. Personally, my wife is from the area and she has a lot of family living in the area."
His wife Natalie, is a former producer for ABC sports.
"If I won the lottery I think I would buy a place in Manhattan," Agoos said. "Other than that we will probably rent for awhile and try to figure out the area. I know (Natalie) is interested in taking on some projects so being fairly close to the city is important."
The only player in the league's nine-year history that has won three championship rings, Agoos earned three with United in 1996, 1997 and 1999 and two others with the Earthquakes in 2001 and 2003.
"I think I am very fortunate to have been in organizations that have wanted to win and with coaches and players that could realize that goal," he said. "Winning a championship is one of the hardest things a player can do in any sport. I am very fortunate to have been part of so many and hopefully some more."
Barring a trade, Agoos will team again with Eddie Pope. They combined to win three MLS titles in D.C.
"I am very excited about getting back on the field with Eddie," Agoos said. "Who wouldn't be? I've read reports that I am now two steps slower than Eddie and that he can help me in that regard. Honestly, I've never been fast so I guess now that writers think I'm two steps slower than anybody is a compliment in that they thought I was fast at some point. Eddie is not only one of the best defenders in the league but he is a great person as well."
Agoos admitted he doesn't know how long he will continue playing.
"I'm looking at things on a year-to-year basis," he said. "At this point I probably only want to play two more years but anything can change so we'll see."
Michael Lewis can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com.
