D2

Onalfo preaching patience at RFK

onalfo from D1

After living in Brazil and Aus- tralia, he flourished in the Con- necticut youth club his father helped create and was a cog in the University of Virginia’s emerging dynasty. He played in the Under-20 World Cup, the Olympics and the first MLS Cup. While competing for a second- division club on Mexico’s Gulf Coast, he met his wife, Sandra. Their children, Christian and Ga- briela (now 12 and 8), are nick- named Ronalfo and Ronaldinha, after the Brazilian star Ronaldin- ho.

And when Onalfo confronted his most formidable opponent, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he used soccer as a source of motivation to resume his playing career and ultimately climb the coaching ladder from an MLS assistant to the U.S. World Cup staff and then to top positions with the Kansas City Wizards and United. “There was a point where I contemplated going to chiroprac- tic school,” he said. “I had done a lot in soccer and maybe it was time to move on. “But once I got sick, I told my- self that I was going to get healthy and was going to be in- volved with soccer for a long time — that became crystal clear.”

Expect ‘growing pains’

Onalfo guided the Wizards to

the playoffs in each of his first two seasons before being fired last summer. United hired him this winter to revive a once-re- vered club that has been stuck in mediocrity for two years and has advanced to the MLS Cup just once in 10 seasons. His debut last weekend did not go well, a 4-0 loss at Kansas City. United will play its home opener Saturday night against the New England Revolution. With several new players to in-

tegrate, Onalfo has taken a slow- growth philosophy. “There are going to be growing

pains,” said Onalfo, a reserve de- fender for United in 1998 and 1999 before becoming an assis- tant coach for the club and help- ing launch United’s youth pro- gram. “It’s going to take patience along the way, we’ll have our ups and downs, but we will get there.” In shaping his coaching philos-

ophy, Onalfo has drawn from many mentors, most notably Bruce Arena, his coach at Vir- ginia who guided United to the first two MLS titles and later hired Onalfo to assist with the U.S. national team in the build-up to the 2006 World Cup. His earliest influence came from his parents, who were in- troduced to the sport in soccer- mad Brazil. “We had absolutely no knowl-

edge of this funny thing called soccer,” said Jim Onalfo, who, af- ter a long career in the private sector, was named chief informa-

S

KLMNO

SOCCER

SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2010

PRO FOOTBALL

Three’s a crowd in Redskins’ backfield

Newly added Parker in ‘open competition’ with Portis, Johnson

by Rick Maese and Jason Reid

Clinton Portis has been the Redskins’ unchallenged start- er since he arrived in town in 2004, but that clearly won’t be the case this year. The Red- skins have added yet another veteran running back in free agent Willie Parker, and the team’s starting spot in the backfield is apparently up for grabs. “It’s flat out an open compe-

JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST

Coach Curt Onalfo came back to D.C. United, where he played for two seasons, after getting fired by the Kansas City Wizards.

tion officer and deputy commis- sioner of the New York City Police Department in 2003.

“Our baptism was the 1970

World Cup,” he continued. “We saw a nation go crazy [when Bra- zil won its third title]. We fell in love with it.” With that little ball always at his side, Curt relocated with his parents and older brother Clif to Sydney for three years before set- tling in Ridgefield, Conn., about 55 miles northeast of Manhattan. Without a soccer program in which to enroll his sons, Jim and some partners founded the Soc- cer Club of Ridgefield (SCOR). Onalfo Field is a prime location for activities. “At first, we didn’t think Curt wanted to play,” Jim said. “But be- fore the first game on the first day of SCOR, he woke us up at 6 a.m. and told us it was time to go to the game. We told him he was too young to play, but he said, ‘Maybe someone won’t show up.’ ” Curt was an all-American at

Ridgefield High and committed to Virginia, where, as a junior midfielder in 1989 starting with future World Cup players Tony Meola and Jeff Agoos, he helped the Cavaliers win the first of five NCAA titles over a six-year span. Onalfo was co-captain of the

U.S. squad that reached the semi- finals of the U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, spent a season in the French league and, despite an Achilles’ tendon injury that later required surgery, started two of the three first-round matches at the 1992 Olympic Games in Bar- celona. Upon returning to Connecticut and contemplating a medical ca- reer in 1993, Onalfo felt a lump in his neck. On his 24th birthday, he learned he had Hodgkin’s lym- phoma, a cancer that most com- monly afflicts young adults and those older than 55. (Non-Hodg- kin’s lymphoma is significantly more prevalent.)

United vs. Revolution

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: RFK Stadium. TV: MLS Direct Kick cable and satellite package only. Radio: WDCN (87.7 FM), Spanish. Records: United 0-1, Revolution 0-1.

D.C. probable starters (4-4-2

formation): GK Troy Perkins; Ds Carey Talley, Juan Manuel Peña, Dejan Jakovic, Rodney Wallace; MFs Andy Najar, Kurt Morsink, Santino Quaranta, Christian Castillo; Fs Jaime Moreno, Chris Pontius.

New England probable starters

(4-4-2): GK Preston Burpo; Ds Kevin Alston, Cory Gibbs, Emmanuel Osei, Seth Sinovic; MFs Sainey Nyassi, Pat Phelan, Joseph Niouky, Chris Tierney; Fs Zack Schilawski, Kheli Dube.

“My first reaction was, ‘Wow, I

have had a great life, I’ve traveled the world, I went to a great school, I have a great family, but this could be it.’ I lived in 24 years what some people would live in 70,” he said. “I literally felt that way for 15 minutes and then I got pissed off for thinking that way.”

A new direction

Under the best circumstances,

the survival rate of patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 90 per- cent. But in Onalfo’s case, the dis- ease had reached Stage 3 (out of four), spread to his spleen and formed masses in his neck and behind the sternum. He under- went six months of chemothera- py.

In 1994, with the cancer in re- mission, Onalfo began to revive his career. He played for the Con- necticut Wolves, a minor league team owned by his brother, and arranged workouts with Mexican clubs Leon and Tigres. With MLS still a year from starting, he signed with Tampico, a Mexican team. The story of his recovery spread, and the team’s priest in-

DIGEST

TELEVISION AND RADIO

HOCKEY

7 p.m.

Washington at Columbus » Comcast SportsNet, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)

EXHIBITION BASEBALL

4 p.m. 4 p.m.

Boston at Washington » MASN, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)

Chicago Cubs at Arizona » WGN

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL

8 p.m.

MEN’S NCAA FINAL FOUR

6 p.m.

Charlotte at Chicago » WGN

Butler vs. Michigan State » WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)

8:45 p.m. West Virginia vs. Duke » WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)

SOCCER

7:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m.

Chelsea at Manchester United » ESPN2

New England at D.C. United » WDCN (87.7 FM), Spanish

MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

8 p.m.

GOLF

1 p.m. 7 p.m.

Virginia at Maryland » ESPNU

PGA Tour, Houston Open » WRC (Channel 4), WBAL (Channel 11)

LPGA Tour, Nabisco Championship » ESPN2

TENNIS

12:30 p.m. Sony Ericsson Open » WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13)

AUTO RACING

4 p.m.

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Nashville 300 » ESPN

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COLLEGE BASEBALL

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Arkansas-Little Rock at Troy » Comcast SportsNet Plus Wake Forest at Miami » Comcast SportsNet Plus

PRO BASKETBALL

Lakers’ Bryant signs three-year extension that lasts through 2013-14

NewYork Yankees third base-

Kobe Bryant has signed a three-year contract extension worth nearly $90 million. His new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers runs through the 2013-14 season. The deal announced Friday will begin after next season. Bry- ant is making $23 million this season and is due to earn $24.8 million next season. Bryant would earn $27.4 mil- lion in 2011-12, $30.2 million the following season and more than $32 million in his final year, when he would be 35. “Good news,” Coach Phil Jack-

son said. “I expected that Kobe would sign.” Bryant is averaging 27.2 points this season. . . .

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been fined $25,000 for criticizing game officials and for using inappropriate language during a postgame interview.

BASEBALL

The Baltimore Orioles say for- mer pitcher Mike Cuellar, who pitched the team to victory in the deciding game of the 1970 World Series, has died. The 72-year-old Cuellar died

Friday in an Orlando hospital of stomach cancer, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Cuellar had 185 major league

victories and won 20 or more games four times. . . .

man Alex Rodriguez has met with three officials from Major League Baseball and told them he didn’t receive performance-en- hancing drugs from a Canadian doctor under federal investiga- tion. . . . The Minnesota Twins named

right-hander Jon Rauch their

closer.

PRO FOOTBALL

According to the Associated

Press, Cleveland Browns defen- sive tackle Shaun Rogers issued an apology and said he hadn’t in- tended to try to take a loaded gun through an airport security checkpoint Thursday.

“By no means did I intend or willingly or knowingly take a fire- arm into the airport,” Rogers said, according to the AP. “That’s not something I would do.” . . . According to the AP, police in Orlando have reopened a crimi- nal investigation into an alleged incident involving Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes. A woman, identified by the AP as Anshonae Mills, ac- cused Holmes in a lawsuit filed last week of grabbing her face and throwing a glass at her March 7 at a nightclub. . . . Dallas released left tackle Flo-

zell Adams and safety Ken Ham-

lin, the team announced. . . .

— Mark Maske

The San Francisco 49ers have signed restricted free agent line- backer Ahmad Brooks, a former Hylton High School and Virginia standout, to a two-year contract.

GOLF

Bryce Molder birdied four of the last seven holes for a 6-under- par 66 and a one-stroke lead in the Houston Open in Humble, Tex. Molder had a 9-under 135 to- tal on Redstone’s Tournament Course. First-round co-leader Cameron Percy (69) and fellow PGA Tour rookie Alex Prugh (66) were tied for second. . . . Song-Hee Kim shot a 4-under 68 in the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., to take a one-shot lead over Cristie Kerr (67), Karen Stupples (69) and

Lorena Ochoa (70).

COLLEGES

Ohio State junior swingman

Evan Turner was named the AP’s men’s basketball player of the year. Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim was named coach of the year. . . .

Junior midfielder Max Selig-

mann scored in overtime to send Georgetown’s No. 10 men’s la- crosse team to a 13-12 victory over Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Me- morial Stadium. The Hoyas moved to 5-3, while the Midship- men fell to 5-5.

— From news services

CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES

Willie Parker rushed for 1,200 yards or more in three straight seasons, but not more than 800 since 2007.

vited Onalfo to speak at hospitals and churches. His Spanish skills improved, motivated by the de- sire to communicate with the woman he would marry a year later. (He is now fluent, the first United head coach to have Span- ish-speaking skills.) In 1996, he returned to the

United States to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS’s maiden season, starting seven league games and entering in the second half of the MLS Cup, which Unit- ed won in overtime, 3-2. He moved to San Jose the following season, starting three games, and then United in 1998-99, making just four league appearances. A blue-collar player who used

intelligence and decision-making to compensate for modest skills, Onalfo found himself laboring to keep pace.

“I just felt I was never the same

physically after I was sick,” he said. “I would see the play and my legs wouldn’t react as quickly as they used to. That is when I start- ed thinking about coaching.” United President Kevin Payne remembered giving Onalfo a ride home after an event in 1995. “We talked a lot and even then you thought, ‘He’s probably going to be a coach,’ ” Payne said. “That is where his mind was heading.” Upon retirement at age 30, Onalfo assisted United head coaches Thomas Rongen (in 2000-01) and Ray Hudson (2002). His bond with Arena led to a new opportunity: an assis- tant’s job on the national team with responsibilities that includ- ed scouting and video editing. With bilingual skills, he was as- signed to scout opponents in Cen- tral America in the World Cup qualifying stages. Before the 2006 World Cup, he traveled to Europe to watch Italy, the Amer- icans’ second group foe, and to Egypt to watch Ghana, the third opponent, at the African Cup of Nations.

“He was a thinker; he always had a thirst for knowledge,” Are- na said. In forming his coaching style, Onalfo drew from not only Are- na’s leadership, but the battle with cancer. “It affected his whole outlook on life and work,” said United as- sistant coach Kris Kelderman, Onalfo’s teammate and house- mate at Virginia and his top assis- tant at Kansas City. “You see it in his coaching style because, in tough times, he is the first to say, ‘Hey, we are getting through this.’ He knows nothing else. Every tough situation, he has gotten through it.”

‘I don’t allow negativity’

The national team experience led to the Wizards hiring him be- fore the 2007 season, and he took over a team that had missed the playoffs the previous two years. Despite a 22-22-16 overall record, Onalfo steered the club into the postseason in consecutive years, including a berth in the 2007 Western Conference final. Last August, however, after a

6-0 loss at Dallas left the Wizards with a 5-7-6 record, the team fired Onalfo.

“If I had been given the whole season, I would’ve made the play- offs,” he said. “I don’t dwell on it. Kansas City was a huge success for me: no playoffs to two playoffs and, in the process, developed good young players.” Now he has turned his atten- tion to United, which like the Wizards when he arrived in Kan- sas City, is in need of trans- formation. “My attitude is that I am always

going to make the best of every situation and I expect to instill that into my team,” he said. “I don’t allow negativity. I don’t have time for it. We find solu- tions. My teams will always find ways to be successful.”

goffs@washpost.com

tition,” said Parker’s agent, Doug Hendrickson. “That’s what they told Willie. It’s a flat-out open competition as to who’s going to play and who’s going to start. They said that’s the way it’s going to be.” Though the team wouldn’t

confirm the news Friday, Par- ker has agreed to an incen- tive-laden one-year contract worth as much as $3.1mil- lion, according to an individu- al with first-hand knowledge of the deal. Parker, who ap- peared in two Pro Bowls dur- ing his six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will now find himself in a three-way battle with Portis and Larry Johnson, who signed a free- agent contract with Washing- ton last month.

“I think I can still be a great running back,” Parker told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this week. “I know that for a fact.” Where exactly he’ll fit in the Redskins’ backfield will be a major point of intrigue through training camp. Coach Mike Shanahan has said re- peatedly that he wants com- petition at every position, and he’s certainly created plenty at the running back spot. The Redskins won’t be lack-

ing in experience. Parker is 29 years old, Portis 28 and John- son 30. The trio has combined for 11 seasons of 1,000-plus yards, though Johnson hasn’t had one since 2006, Parker since 2007 and Portis since 2008.

Of the three, Portis is due substantially more money; he’s owed a guaranteed $6.4million this season. Parker topped 1,000 yards from 2005-07, and though he began last season as the Steel- ers’ starting halfback, he lost his job to Rashard Menden- hall after suffering a case of turf toe in Week 3. Parker fin- ished the year with 389 yards on 98 carries, though in the Steelers’ final game of the sea- son, Parker had 91 yards on 12 carries at Miami.

Despite his strong finish,

Parker didn’t garner much at- tention during free agency. He visited Redskins Park on March 8-9 and also visited with the St. Louis Rams. “I’m kind of surprised,” Par-

ker told the Post-Gazette. “But people looked over me my en- tire life.”

According to the news-

paper, Parker spent two months working out at Olym- pic gold medalist Michael Johnson’s Performance Cen- ter in Texas and has added eight pounds. He was listed at 206 last year.

Redskins coaches clearly thought the running game was in need of improvement. Following last season, they re- leased Ladell Betts, Rock Cart- wright and Marcus Mason and opted against re-signing Quinton Ganther. In addition to Portis, Johnson and Parker, they still have under contract Anthony Alridge and P.J. Hill.

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