Penn keeper trains with D.C. United; eyes soccer as career

When Penn men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller spoke earlier this summer of the attention goalkeeper Matt Haefner was receiving from pro scouts, perhaps not even he would have predicted that it might translate into results this quickly.

Haefner started a two-week training stint with Major League Soccer team D.C. United this past week, cementing many of the rumors in the last few months that a professional soccer career beckons for the Amherst, N.Y. native.

"I'm not really that intimidated, I guess," Haefner said of working out with a group which includes U.S. National team backup goalkeeper Nick Rimando and Philadelphia native Bobby Convey. "I am but I'm not, if you know what I mean."

Haefner was able to take advantage of a relatively new Ivy League rule which allows soccer players to go on "trials" with professional teams for a maximum of 21 days. There are numerous restrictions on what trialists can and cannot do- just like any other NCAA athlete with professional aspirations- but the system is a nod to the fact that many soccer players around the world begin their professional careers during what are considered "the college years" in the United States. Convey and Baltimore native Santino Quaranta both began playing for D.C. United at that age, and many European clubs have youth systems which begin as early as age 12.

"It furthers his development and gives him experience in that type of environment," Fuller said. "To introduce Matt to these experiences now I think is going to help him over the long term to get into teams like that."

The team was "relatively receptive," Haefner said. "A couple of nice guys."

Haefner described Rimando, who leads MLS in shutouts this season despite being listed at 5' 10" and 201 lbs., as "real fast, real agile. He's a pretty cool kind of guy."

The workout was set up by Quaker assistant Bob Butehorn, who has connections with the club, as well as Fuller, who is a native of the Washington, D.C. area. Haefner's next stop may be a training stint with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, who are led by Bob Bradley, the former Princeton coach who took the Tigers to the 1993 College Cup Final Four. Bradley is also a Princeton alumnus.

"One of the things we're always trying to do with our players is help them develop and achieve the highest level possible," Fuller said.

Fuller said that Penn "approached" D.C. about the trial but acknowledged that United coach Ray Hudson and his staff "have to do their homework. They are not going to just accept any player."

Asked whether he thought his time training with pro teams would increase the stature of Ivy League Soccer, Haefner replied, "I hope so. It would definitely be a good thing."

"They will be on the lookout for more kids in the future, I hope," he added.

One of those "kids" may well be sophomore defender Erik Violante, with whom Haefner traveled to France in mid-May for the Sochaux trial.

Haefner described the trip as an "awesome experience. We played with some astounding players" including French national team midfielder Benoit Pedretti.

Haefner and Violante were able to take in a few pro games during their time in France. Two that stood out for Haefner were Sochaux's final home game of the season, a win over Sedan which clinched a fifth-place finish on the season and a place in the UEFA Cup for the first time in the team's history, and the Coupe de la Ligue final between Sochaux and Monaco at the magnificent 80,000-seat Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just outside of Paris.

"It was pretty intense for sure when it's filled to capacity," Haefner said of the Coupe final, played at the same venue which hosted the 1998 World Cup final between France and Brazil. "That was the first game I've ever seen overseas."

"It was awesome, just people going crazy, everything you'd expect."

But the two Quakers also experienced some of the anti-American sentiment that has found a particularly loud voice in France this summer.

"I didn't really find it in terms of the soccer side," Haefner said, noting that the people of Sochaux in particular were "friendly, nice hosts."

But he admitted that "when you go into Paris and the big cities... you definitely feel a bit of the anti-American feeling."

Back on home soil, however, there is no ill will towards the prospects for the future of one of Penn soccer's brightest stars.

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