A 6’1” central defender, Ryan Cochrane is the anchor of the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team's defense.  Second on the team with 23 appearances, the Portland, Ore., native was a key figure in the Under-20s second-place finish at the C.O.T.I.F XIX Torneig Internacional in L’Alcudia, Spain in August.  Cochrane, the heart and soul of the U.S. Under-18 MNT in 2000 and 2001, was named a freshman All-American after his 2001 season at Santa Clara University, where he started every game for the Broncos. The U.S. Under-20s will be relying on him heavily when they try to qualify for the 2003 FIFA Youth (U-20) World Championship next month in Charleston, S.C. So let’s pick his brain…

Best city: LA, NYC or Chicago?
“NYC, because I’ve never been there before and it seems like it would be the best one.”

Worst haircut: Mohawk, mullet or bowl cut?
“Definitely the mullet, because my dad has one.”

Best plan of action when going bald: combover, toupee or hair plugs?
“The toupee.”

Best undergarment choice: Boxers, briefs or “commando”?
“Boxers.”

Better late night talk show: “Tonight Show,” “Late Show” or “Daily Show”?
“The Daily Show.”

Best Thursday night NBC sitcom: “Cheers,” “Seinfeld” or “Friends”?
“Friends.”

Most pathetic Baywatch series: “Baywatch” (original), “Baywatch Hawaii” or “Baywatch Nights”?
“Baywatch Nights?”

Best “SportsCenter” anchor: Chris Berman, Dan Patrick or Keith Olbermann?
“Chris Berman.”

Best male superhero: Superman, Batman or Spiderman?
“Superman.  No one can be better than Superman.  It’s just not possible.”

Best female superhero: Wonder Woman, Catwoman or Storm (Halle Berry’s character in X-Men)?
“Halle Berry.”

Best Sci-Fi or Adventure series: Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings?
“Lord of The Rings.”

Best female comedic lead: Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon or Sandra Bullock?
“Reese Witherspoon.  But not for any of her comedic talents.”

Best veteran actor: DeNiro, Pacino or Redford?
“Pacino.  I really like ‘Devil’s Advocate.’”

Hottest American Teen Pop Queen: Britney Spears, Mandy Moore or Jessica Simpson?
“Jessica Simpson. But you really can’t go wrong with any of them.”

Better old school rap group: N.W.A., Public Enemy or Beastie Boys?
“Beastie Boys.”

Best late 60’s/early 70’s rock band: Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or the Who?
“The Stones.”

Better alternate name for American football: Gridiron football, Helmetball or Pass/Runball?
“Helmetball – I like that one.”

Better team mascot: Lions, Tigers or Bears?
“Bears.”

Best Caucasian martial arts master: Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris or Jean-Claude Van Damme?
“They are all terrible.  If I have to pick one, it’s Chuck Norris, I guess.”

Most hated English Premier League team: ManU, Arsenal or Liverpool?
“Man U. They’re too good.”

Best soccer kick: free kick, penalty kick or corner kick.
“Free kick.”

Cooler X-game: surfing, snowboarding or skateboarding?
“Snowboarding, because I can do it.  Although I don’t get to do it here at school too much.”

Better video game system: Xbox, PlayStation2 or Nintendo GameCube?
“I’m a fan of the old school Nintendo.  I loved Contra and Mike Tyson’s Punchout.  But if I have to go with one of the new ones, I’ll take PS2.”

Best ice cream shake flavor: chocolate, strawberry or vanilla?
“Strawberry.”

Best burger-and-fry fast food: McDonald’s, Burger King or Wendy’s?
“Wendy’s.  Gotta go with the bacon cheeseburgers.”

Table of Contents
1) Armchair Midfielder (Rating the MLS Cups)
2) In Threes (w/ U-20 MNT defender Ryan Cochrane)
3) Then and Now (w/ former WNT midfielder Shannon Higgins-Cirovski)
4) Queries and Anecdotes (w/ MNT midfielder Cobi Jones)
5) Mark That Calendar (October = Everything)
6) Superstar!!! (w/ WNT defender Danielle Slaton)
7) FAN Point/Counterpoint (Impact U.S. Player for 2002 Women’s Gold Cup?)
8) "You Don’t Know Jack (Marshall)" (MLS Cup trivia)

Download this issue of Center Circle (.pdf)  
 

***HOW'S OUR WRITING?***
We want feedback. No, really. Positive, negative, indifferent--we take all kinds. Reach us at: centercircle@ussoccer.org.