By Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 28, 1999; Page D06
But what almost all 23 players have in common is a vivid memory of their years competing in youth soccer -- a time spent making lifelong friends, learning about teamwork, developing individual skills and falling in love with the sport.
Four United players with very different backgrounds -- a Latin American, a Canadian, a Texas product with foreign influences and a local standout -- recently shared some of their childhood memories:
Midfielder Marco Etcheverry, 28, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
The United captain's roots are in the famed Tahuichi Academy in his home town, which has produced dozens of Bolivian national team-caliber players, including United forward Jaime Moreno.
Etcheverry remembers going to the city stadium with his brother when they were young to watch professional games. Before the matches, "We saw kids playing on the field. They were from Tahuichi. It was something I wanted to do," he said.
He entered the academy at age 8 and was associated with the club for about nine years until signing his first professional contract, with Bolivian club Destroyers in 1987.
At Tahuichi, Etcheverry said he was in class until 1 p.m., went home for a few hours, then returned for a couple of hours of soccer practice. The club often competed in international youth tournaments, and Etcheverry helped Tahuichi win two of the most prestigious in the world, the Dallas Cup and the Gothia Cup in Sweden.
"Tahuichi was like my second home," he said. "It was the base of my soccer career. When I started playing, I loved soccer. I needed a ball. I needed just one friend to play soccer with. When I was 12 or 13, I knew I wanted soccer to be my profession.
"Now I enjoy everything about soccer. All my dreams have come to me."
This year, Etcheverry opened his own academy in the Washington area and, although there is no formal schooling, he modeled the intensive soccer instruction after Tahuichi.
Defender Jeff Agoos, 31, Dallas
Agoos's soccer career took off in Texas, but his introduction to the game came half a world away. His father was an executive for Caterpillar, the construction equipment company, and was based in Geneva when Jeff was born. Six months later, the family moved to Johannesburg.
"We were there for four or five years," Agoos said. "I don't remember much, but my dad said we went in the backyard a lot, he'd toss me the ball and I'd kick it around. I guess that was my first real introduction to soccer."
In Dallas, Agoos was attracted to the sport after watching North American Soccer League games on television. He tried out for his first team when he was 8.
When he was 15, he quickly ascended from a district select team to a state team to a regional squad and then the under-16 national team, which advanced to the world championships by beating host Trinidad and Tobago in a penalty kick tiebreaker in a qualifying tournament.
Agoos said he took the second or third U.S. attempt in the tiebreaker. "I swear the goal looked two miles away," he said. He scored, and the Americans went on to win. However, the world championships in China were postponed for a year and ultimately Agoos and his teammates couldn't go because they were overage.
"It was a great experience going to another country and playing in front of a big crowd as a teenager," he said. "I'll never forget that."
Defender Geoff Aunger, 31, Vancouver
Like most Canadian boys, Aunger played hockey. He also competed in soccer and lacrosse, but hockey was the most demanding.
"I was all right at hockey," he said, "but practice began at like 3 o'clock in the morning and I couldn't get up anymore. I just concentrated on soccer."
Aunger recalls that the best experience in his early years was being on teams associated with the Seattle Soccer Exchange, which organized trips for Canadians to tournaments in Seattle and Portland, Ore.
Later, he played for Coquitlam Metro Ford, the top club in the Vancouver area and a prime source of professional and national team prospects. Aunger drew the interest of the NASL's Vancouver Whitecaps, and when that league folded after the 1984 season, a former coach of the Whitecaps took him along to England for a tryout.
A broken ankle forced Aunger home, and he began the first of three stints with the Vancouver 86ers pro team. After finishing school, he got another chance in England and at age 19 signed with Luton Town.
"I never would have gotten to where I am without my youth experience," he said. "You learn fundamentals and you learn about teamwork."
Forward A.J. Wood, 25, Rockville
Wood, a graduate of Georgetown Prep and the University of Virginia, remembers going to his first tryout at age 5 at Fallsmead Elementary School near Wootton High in Montgomery County. He played 2 1/2 years for the Brown Bombers, which competed in Montgomery Soccer Incorporated (MSI), then played in the Bethesda Soccer Club for about 10 years.
He idolized Eddie Murray of the Baltimore Orioles and Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys but, like thousands of other American kids, was drawn to soccer by Pele. He also followed the NASL's Washington Diplomats and Team America.
Wood, who is 6 feet 2, said he was always a little taller than his peers, and it gave him an advantage heading the ball. He also played basketball for many years, but stuck with soccer and became a prolific scorer in high school (36 goals as a senior) and college (56 goals in 77 games while winning four NCAA titles).
Wood's youth teams -- the Bethesda Strikers and Bethesda United -- won several state and regional titles, but, he added, "My lasting memory was that four of the guys from those teams were ushers in my wedding. The best part about soccer was not only the success we had on the field, but that everyone stayed close and remained close friends. That was what it was all about."