Talking about the World Cup With Rudy Fuller

Whether you like the sport or not, it’s hard to argue that soccer is growing in this country – and in Philadelphia in particular. In the next month, the United States will play England in one of the most anticipated soccer games in American history, the Major League expansion team Philadelphia Union will open its new stadium in Chester, and a World Cup champion will be crowned.

With the World Cup having arrived, I thought it would be a good time to chat with Penn men’s soccer coach Rudy Fuller to get his take on what all the excitement means for the Quakers program. The interview, which also includes some fun memories and predictions, can be found below:

PENN GAZETTE SPORTS: As a longtime soccer coach, what does the World Cup mean for you personally?

RUDY FULLER: It’s like if Christmas came every four years. It’s a very exciting time. Anybody who’s a fan of soccer certainly looks forward to the World Cup every four years. There’s quite a buildup for it, so for it to be here, it’s a very exciting time.

PGS: How many World Cups do you remember watching?

RF: The first World Cup I can remember watching was 1986. And that was when [Diego] Maradona played such a big role in Argentina winning. I was a teenager and it was exciting because I had been playing soccer for a number of years and all of my friends and me were following it closely. At that point, Maradona was the Michael Jordan for soccer.

PGS: What are some of your other favorite World Cup memories?

RF: The World Cup in the U.S.A. in 1994 is the one that jumps out to me. I had just graduated from college and ended up volunteering with the World Cup organizing committee in Washington. I think anyone would tell you the U.S. put on quite a show that year. And that was largely responsible for where we are today with Major League Soccer; one of the criteria to FIFA awarding the World Cup to the U.S. what that they form a top-tier professional league. To have it go off the way it did – full stadiums, packed houses, great games – and then the offshoot of that, the creation of the MLS happening two years later, I think that was really a springboard to where we are today.

Other than the World Cup in the U.S., I haven’t been able to travel to any of them. But the 2002 World Cup was the next one that would really stand out to me when the U.S. made it to the quarters. I remember waking away from that World Cup wondering if there would be another time where the U.S. would be that close to being able to play in a World Cup final. At that time in 2002, you really got a feel for the depth of the soccer community in this country. I remember the Portugal game came on at 2:30 in the morning. It was the opening game for U.S. and the U.S. ended up winning it 3-2 in a phenomenal game. But it might as well have been 2:30 in the afternoon the way my phone was ringing off the hook and emails were flying around. I walked away from that World Cup really amazed how many people were following the team and following the game.

The Americans' win over Portugal in 2002 remains a defining moment

PGS: Can you see the U.S. winning the World Cup in the future?

RF: After the run they had in the Confederations Cup last summer, I think the U.S. is a team that can beat anybody on any given day. I think that’s saying a lot. Because if you go back 10 years, you couldn’t have said that. Sure, we had an upset here or there. But we’ve gotten to a point that with what they did last summer in the Confederations Cup by beating Spain, who was on an unbelievable run at the time, it shows you that anything is possible. Now I would love to think we can win a World Cup in my lifetime. But it’s one of the hardest things to do in the world. I think in the history of the World Cup only five or six teams have won it. It’s like the Ivy League basketball title when it was the 30-year span with Penn and Princeton winning it every year. But all things are pointing in the right direction.

PGS: Have you noticed the talent level improving  in this country and in particular at Penn?

RF: I think the talent level nationwide has gotten better and better. Penn is a very specific example, but you can look at the game nationally, both at the college level and the professional level, and you can see that it’s continued to grow and develop. There’s a tremendous energy about the game in this country right now. You really feel like you’re reaching a tipping point for the game in this country where stars are really aligning. I was at New Deck earlier today watching the opening game for the World Cup and there was a really good crowd there. I think nationally the game is on the cusp of really becoming a part of the sports landscape in a major way.

PGS: How much do you think the Philadelphia Union will help you recruit and help Penn soccer in general?

RF: I think it’s a huge, huge asset for us. Having an MLS team in our backyard is great for our program, our school and our city. For the student-athletes who came to Penn and are serious about soccer, to be able to watch the game is one of the best ways to improve yourself as a player. When they first announced that we were getting a team, we were thrilled – selfishly for ourselves in terms of going to games and having a team but also in terms of attracting quality student-athletes to Penn who have aspirations to go on to the next level.

PGS: With all the excitement with the Union and the World Cup, are there certain things you’re doing to utilize that stuff to build your program?

RF: In the fall of 2008, when we won the Ivy League championship, I reached out to the president of the Sons of Ben [the official supporters group of the Philadelphia Union, which formed two years before the city was awarded an MLS franchise] and said, ‘Listen, you guys don’t have a team to root for yet and we could use some help improving the atmosphere at our games. Why don’t we help each other and we can be your team until the Union comes around.’ They thought it was a great idea and we thought it was a great idea, so there were some games over the past two years when we had flags waving and songs being sung. It was a great thing for our program.

The Sons of Ben and Philadelphia Union have helped attract attention to Penn soccer

In the longer term, I think the hope is we’re able to use the MLS franchise in Philadelphia to leverage our program – things like opportunities for our players to train with them in the offseason or having games at PPL Park. Wouldn’t it be great to have a Penn-Villanova game at PPL Park before a Union game? I mean, what a great day for Philadelphia soccer that would be. There are a lot of things we’re hoping to do to try to take advantage of having an MLS team in the city.

PGS: Finally, do you have any predictions for the World Cup?

RF: I’m cautiously optimistic about Saturday’s game. I think the U.S. team is going to be very ready, focused and up for the game against England. It wouldn’t surprise me if they got a result in that game, much the same way they got a result against Portugal in 2002. I do think they’ll get out of the group. And at that point, anything can happen. I don’t foresee them winning the World Cup, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they made the quarterfinals of maybe even the semis.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s a vey fashionable choice right now, but I think Spain would be my favorite. I think teams like France and Italy and Argentina have things going on off the field that will impact their on-field performance. There’s always far too much pressure on England; I think sooner or later the pressure always gets to them. So I think Spain or Brazil, but I would go with Spain.