University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Pope Shines Around The Globe
July 18, 2002 | Men's Soccer
July 18, 2002
By Adam Lucas
Tar Heel Monthly
Although he can still walk down Franklin Street virtually unnoticed, it's entirely possible that Eddie Pope may be one of the most recognizable Tar Heels to the rest of the world.
The former Tar Heel men's soccer star has participated in two World Cups, the world's most popular sporting event. Most recently, he played a key role this summer as the United States put together their best effort in the history of the sport by advancing to the quarterfinals in Korea. The Americans eventually lost a controversial 1-0 decision to Germany, but Pope and the rest of the squad spurred soccer to make perhaps its deepest impact ever on the collective national sports conscious.
"I think we gained some new fans, some people who didn't normally watch soccer," Pope said this week. "Once we got them to tune in, they seemed to really enjoy it."
Tuning in wasn't always easy, because the time difference forced several American matches to air live in the wee hours of the morning on the East Coast. But after advancing out of group play and earning a 2-0 win over Mexico in the initial knockout round, fans began to take notice.
"I'm hopeful that our play in this World Cup will help the sport grow in the United States, help our professional league, and help everyone down the line, as well," national team head coach Bruce Arenas said during the World Cup. "It's very encouraging to see that kind of support, and we're real thrilled and proud of it."
Soccer has had chances at making an impact before, but there was one key difference for the men's national team on this occasion-they won. After a dismal performance in 1998, Pope and the rest of the team opened World Cup play in 2002 with a shocking 3-2 upset of Portugal, following that with a 1-1 tie of host Korea.
That tie of Korea was especially impressive because of the rabid Korean fans, who made an impression worldwide with their all-red attire and boisterous cheering.
"It was one of the best soccer atmospheres I've ever been in," Pope said. "Just the sheer number of fans was great."
With momentum from the international stage, a big part of promoting soccer in this country involves keeping the best players at home to play professionally. Pope, a High Point native and Southwest Guilford High School product who has played on the National Team since 1996, has spent six seasons with D.C. United of Major League Soccer, and was named the team's Defender of the Year in three of those seasons.
His most recent World Cup participation, which included starting with former Tar Heel teammate Gregg Berhalter on the American back line, ended up delaying Pope's return to United. A knee injury suffered in Korea held him out for three weeks, but he rejoined the squad last Saturday.
Pope is considering continuing his professional career in Europe in the future, but one advantage of being close to home is keeping up with his Tar Heels.
"I saw a couple of Carolina's 2001 games, and I saw the national championship final," he said. "I was checking on them online, especially as they got closer and closer to the championship. I spoke with [head coach] Elmar [Bolowich] before the final.
"They've earned a lot of respect, especially Elmar as a coach," he said. "He's taken that program from pretty much nothing to a national championship program."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com
