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Team-by-team Chicago
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Arena scrambling to put together U.S. roster for All-Star game. Major League Soccer Could Gascoigne be headed for D.C. United?; British reports say so.
By Gary Davidson
(Wednesday, July 10, 2002) -- Could Paul Gascoigne, the bad boy of British soccer, be headed for Major League Soccer and D.C. United? Numerous news organizations in England have reported breathlessly within the last 24 hours that "Gazza" was headed to Washington, D.C., to join buddy Ray Hudson, United's coach since the beginning of this season. If there is any truth to these stories, MLS management and fans should probably hold their breath. Should Gascoigne arrive in the States, the chances are probably far greater that he will create disaster than make any meaningful contribution to the struggling D.C. team, once the pride of MLS, but now fallen on hard times. D.C. United media relations director Doug Hicks said it was premature for Hudson or technical director Dave Kasper to comment on the stories. "That's pretty much speculation at this point," he added. MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis was said to be in transit back to the league's New York offices, thus unavailable for comment. Yesterday, Hudson hinted that a blockbuster transaction might be imminent. "There may be somebody that can come in and it would be a wonderful addition to this club and add to the tremendous players that we've got," Hudson told the Daily Journal of Northern Virginia. "It's too big to let the cat out of the bag right now. We've got all our fingers and toes crossed." One thing is for sure. Gascoigne, 35, will not return to Burnley in England's First Division. after being obtained on loan from Everton in March for a failed run at the promotion playoffs. The midfielder played in six matches, starting three without scoring for the Clarets who finished seventh, one spot below the playoffs, with a 21-13-12 record for 75 points. He also became involved in a public spat with the club when he was left on the bench for a match with Gillingham. At his peak, Gascoigne was among the finest players England had to offer. A precise passer who displayed deadly accuracy on set pieces, he made 57 appearances, scoring 10 goals for England's national team, including stellar performances in the 1990 World Cup and 1996 European Championships. He made a significant contribution to England qualifying for France '98, but was excluded from the World Cup roster. "Obviously, Paul only finished his television commitments last week," said Ian Elliott, the player's agent. "He's away on holiday at the moment, but we will take it from there after that. He has a few different alternatives and we will look at what's what before making a decision." Gascoigne's club career started at Newcastle United (1984-88) and Tottenham Hotspur (1988-92) in England's Premier League before moving to Italy's Serie A with SS Lazio (1992-95) and Scotland's top division with Glasgow Rangers (1995-98). He the returned to the EPL with Middlesbrough (1998-2000) and Everton (2000-02). All told, he produced 108 goals in 414 club matches. His talent, however, was compromised by a lifestyle that included excessive drinking and alleged incidents of spousal abuse. While it has been obvious is recent years that Gascoigne had lost a step, his general fitness has been called into question recently. He looked particularly pudgy in his role as a World Cup commentator for England's ITV. Even in his role as a television analyst, Gascoigne drew headlines. Staying in a posh London hotel, according to local news reports, he ran up a bar bill of approximately $15,500, not including $465 at his mini-bar. Hudson, obviously, is looking to add spark to MLS's most anemic offense which has managed 18 goals in 15 games. If Gascoigne were to be acquired, first MLS would have to sign him to a contract, which, according to Sky Sports, would be incentive-laden, based both on the amount he played and the number of goals he scored. The deal, Sky reported, would be for the remainder of this season and 2003. To acquire the him, United would have to shake up its roster and release team members to open up some space under the salary cap. Hudson was a star for Newcastle United in the 1970s before moving to the States for a legendary career with the Fort Lauderdale Striker of the North American Soccer League. Moreno, the talented but oft-injured striker, played for Middlebrough, before joining United in 1996, another possible connection to Gascoigne's past. Senior correspondent Robert Wagman contributed to this report.
Gary Davidson is SoccerTimes managing editor and can be e-mailed at
editor@soccertimes.com.
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