Hero for today: Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu

Madman? Genius? To be sure, Sebastian Abreu is a little of both.

After all, who would dare attempt a Panenka penalty in a game-deciding shootout in the quarterfinals of the World Cup? And who would convert said penalty, as Abreu did on that glorious night in Johannesburg as Uruguay reached the semifinals for the first time in 40 years?

Said international teammate Diego Forlan, "We're used to his crazy things. It's not the first time he's done that. It is quality but he's as mad as he is intelligent. He studies opponents and goalkeepers. He's brave and smart."

And undoubtedly mental.

Washington Sebastian Abreu Gallo was born Oct. 17, 1976 in the town of Minas in the Lavelleja department in Uruguay. As a youngster, he idolized basketball stars such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and was so good at hoops that he was chosen to represent his country at the South American under-17 championships. But he eventually chose soccer, signing his first professional contract with Uruguayan club Defensor in 1994.

That season, the lanky youngster averaged nearly a goal every other game as he scored 13 in 24 appearances. But he was on the move next season to Argentine side San Lorenzo beginning a journeyman career that would eventually encompass 20 teams in seven different countries. In fact, only once in his career has Abreu been at a club longer than two years without going on loan. This occurred at Brazil's Botafogo, where he scored 63 goals in 107 games from 2010-2012.

After providing San Lorenzo with 23 goals in 46 matches, Abreu made the move to Spain's Deportivo la Coruna in January of 1998. He paid an immediate dividend, scoring in the Galician side's 3-1 victory over Barcelona on Jan. 25 but never really settled in and was loaned out on more than occasion.

He was at Tecos in Mexico in 1999 and 2000, scoring an astonishing 27 goals in 33 games. From there it was a different team almost every year: back to San Lorenzo, then back to Nacional (16 goals in 18 appearances), then on to Mexico's Cruz Azul (34 in 39), Club America, back to Tecos, a third trip to Nacional, then Sinaloa, Monterrey, San Luis and Tigres.

While at Tigres, he became the only foreigner to score for both sides in the Classico Regio after previously scoring when he played for Monterrey. In 2007, Abreu was able to rescind his contract and sign with Argentine giants River Plate. But a disagreement between the two teams effectively canceled the transfer, although he did make 17 appearances for Los Millionarios while on loan. Then in 2008, he inked a deal with Beitar Jerusalem. He played for the Israelis in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League but was ineligible for domestic competition.

Abreu then re-signed with River in 2008 on a nine-month contract. He wasn't registered in time for domestic competition but represented the team in both the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. In January of 2009, he returned to Spain after a 10-year absence as he was loaned to second-division Real Sociedad after starter Inigo Diaz de Cerio was sidelined with a serious leg injury. He scored 11 times in 18 matches--including a hat trick in a 3-1 victory over Xerez on March 25--but his contributions weren't enough to La Real return to the top flight.

Bags packed once more, Abreu decamped to Greek side Aris Thessaloniki in June of 2009. But he only lasted until January, when the now 33-year-old signed a two-year deal with Brazil's Botafogo.

He was at his raving best in Brazil, scoring the winning goal on April 18, 2010 that gave Botafogo the Carioca state championship with a 2-1 victory over Flamengo. And then there was the match against Fluminense on Feb. 6, 2011. With his team trailing 2-1 in the second half, El Loco stepped up to take a penalty but Panenka-ed right into the arms of Diego Cavalleri, who didn't have to move to make the save. Five minutes later though, Botafogo won another penalty and the great man went Panenka once again, this time beating Cavalleri to the right-hand corner.

On Jul 5, 2012, Abreu was loaned to struggling first-division side Figureirense. But the club were relegated and his contract was terminated via Twitter on Nov. 24. He signed with Uruguay's Nacional in 2013 and made 11 appearances, along with another 38 while on loan at Argentina's Rosario Central. At the time of writing the 38-year-old was turning out for Ecudorian second-division side Aucas.

Despite his peripatetic nature, Abreu could always find the back of the net. Using his 6-4 frame to great advantage, he was top scorer in Mexico in 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006 and led Uruguay in 2001. All told, he's made 567 senior appearances with 325 goals.

And such prowess never kept him far from the national team reckoning either. El Loco made his debut for La Guerra Charrua in a friendly against China on July 17, 1996 and earned his last cap 16 years later in a 1-1 tie with Venezuela in the CONMEBOL qualifiers. A favorite with the coaches--in particular Oscar Washington Tabarez--the 6-4 Abreu used his fantastic heading ability, strength and canniness to score 26 goals in 70 games, a total that put him just five short of Hector Scarone's all-time record.

Abreu was part of the historic Copa America winning side in 2011. And then of course there was the unforgettable run in South Africa in 2010, highlighted by the Panenka heard round the world.

Off the field, the man called El Loco seems surprisingly normal. He shot a video during Uruguay's World Cup run and has stated an interest in one day becoming a documentary filmmaker. The interest in film perhaps extends from his stint as a trainee journalist while in high school. As the story goes, young Abreu was sent to cover a basketball game and write a story on the star player. Somehow, he ended up playing in the game himself and dominated the contest, so he decided to interview himself for the piece. Needless to see, his editors weren't impressed.

There are other things that make Abreu interesting: the many tattoos, his friendship with Pep Guardiola which dates back over two decades and the photo collage t-shirts he wears under his jersey. And although this hasn't been verified, my money is that he's the first player to pull a mask out while celebrating a goal. In typical Loco style though, it wasn't a superhero mask but one honoring the Tero Tero bird, the national bird of Uruguay.

Saludos El Loco. Never change.

Club focus: FC Mulhouse

For a club whose most significant achievement came almost 80 years ago, French side FC Mulhouse can lay claim to producing a pair of coaching legends.

The story begins in 1893 when a pair of English students enrolled at the Mulhouse Chemistry School in Mulhouse in the Alsace-Lorraine region of Germany founded the club. The two--whose names appear to have been lost in the annals of history--introduced the game to their classmates and the club was subsequently formed.

In 1901, Mulhouse absorbed the Young Boys team from the Oberrealschule Gymnasium. Three years later, Mulhouse joined the VSFV (Verband Suddeutscher Fussball Vereine or Federation of South German Football Clubs). The club went through a period of financial difficulties in 1905-06 but survived to play on.

Following World War I, France reclaimed the territory of Alsace from the Germans and "FC Mulhausen" became part of the top flight in the Division D'Honneur. Back under the Mulhouse name, the team enjoyed its best stretch of success, winning the title in 1921 and finishing vice-champions with Strasbourg in 1926-27. Mulhouse then ran off an impressive streak of dominance, capturing the title five straight years while also lifting the Coupe Souchaux (also known as the Challenge Peugeot) in 1932. That competition was one of the predecessors to the first national championship that was staged the following season.

One of the stars of those early teams was forward Pierre Korb, who won 12 caps for France and was part of the squad that competed in the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Other notable names from that era were midfielders Pierre Hornus and Marcel Kaufmann.

After the re-organization of French football into a national system, Mulhouse played a single season in the First Division/Group A before being relegated. They played their way back to the top flight in 1934 but were relegated once again in 1937,


With the onset of World War II and the re-conquest of Alsace by Germany, Mulhouse returned to that country's competition in the Gauliga Elsass, the regional first division. They quickly established themselves as the dominant team, capturing titles in 1941, 1943 and 1944. Mulhouse wasn't able to advance in the German national championship playoffs though, losing in the early rounds each season. Play in the Gauliga was suspended part way through the 1944-45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany,

Following the war, Mulhouse returned to French competition, playing one season in the second division before slipping to amateur level play where they remained until 1970. Gradual improvement followed though and they team established itself as a solid second division side. Mulhouse even reached the top flight on two occasions: 1982-83 (W10, D8, L20, 46-76, 20th place, relegated) and 1989-90 (W9, D10, L19, 42-58, 20th place, relegated).

In the early 1990s, the club played under the name Mulhouse Sud-Alsace and continued to play in the second division before being relegated following the 1997-98 season. A financial crisis bankrupted the club in 1999; Mulhouse was then re-organized as an amateur side the following season. In 2005, the club won promotion to the fourth division (Championnat de France Amateurs), the country's highest amateur division. It remains there today, competing against the likes of Jura Sud Foot, JA Drancy, Montceau Bourgogne , Raonnaise, Sarre-Union and several reserve sides of top flight teams.

In 1973, Mulhouse landed the services of a lanky 6-3 midfielder from Mutzig named Arsene Wenger. Mostly playing on the right, Wenger scored four goals in 56 appearances for the club before leaving for Strasbourg (he was doubling as a student in Strasbourg at the time at the commutes were wearing on him.) In his final game, Mulhouse defeated Nancy to avoid relegation.

More importantly than any on-field contributions though, it was the influence of manager Paul Frantz that helped mold Wenger. Frantz was a strong believer in proper nutrition, isometrics and working on a player's strong points; all traits that Wenger took to England when he became manager of Arsenal in 1996, re-shaping the "beer and steak" culture along the way.

Mulhouse's other prized alumni is Raymond Domenech, who played 13 games at fullback for the team in 1984-85 before going on to manage the team from 1985-89. From there, Domenech moved to Lyon for four seasons before spending nearly a decade coaching the French under-21 team. On July 21, 2004, Domenech was named to replace Jacques Santini as coach of the national team and led the team to the final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, losing on penalties to Italy. Domenech was also on the sidelines as France finished bottom of its group in the disappointing Euro 2008 and was in charge for the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa that featured a player boycott and ended with France failing to win any of its group games.

Another top name from French football with Mulhouse ties is midfielder Didier Six, who was on the EURO 84 champions after scoring 12 goals in 31 games for the team in 1983-84. Six also represented France at the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.

The team currently plays its home games at the Stade d'Illi, which--at a capacity of 11,300--is by far the largest in the division. Between 1906 and the end of World War I, Mulhouse played at the Stade Velodrome and played in the Stade Bourtzwiller before moving to the d'Illi.

The club plays in white tops with blue shirts and blue socks at home and dons an all-white kit for away games.

Hero for today: Pongo Waring

Aston Villa have had seven players lead the top flight in scoring, the last time coming in 1980-81 when Peter Withe bagged 20 in 42 games to share the title with Spurs man Steve Archibald.

And at the rate Villa are going, it may be a while before they produce another league leader. But some 80 years ago, the Villans boasted the most feared scorer in all the league. A man called Pongo.

Thomas Waring was born October 12, 1906 in Birkenhead, England. At the age of 19, he signed for the local side, Tranmere Rovers, who were in the Third Division North at the time. He spent two seasons at the club, tallying a remarkable 23 goals in 24 games.

Pongo particularly terrorized Durham City. During the 1925-26 season Tranmere scored 11 goals in two league games against City, with Pongo netting six. By 1938, the Citizens had disbanded, although they reformed in 1950 and now ply their trade in Division one of the Northern League.

In 1928, Aston Villa signed Waring for $4,700, beating Arsenal, Manchester United and Bolton for the player's signature. Interest was immediate in the new signing; 23,000 fans were in attendance as Pongo made his debut in a reserve match against Birmingham City and he didn't disappoint, scoring three times. Waring played in 13 games at the end of the 1927-28 campaign, scoring seven times.

He began to find his groove the next season, scoring 32 in 42 to fire the Villans to a third-place league finish, just two points behind winners The Wednesday. Injuries and a brief loss of form limited him to 23 games in 1929-30 but he still managed 11 goals.

Waring's season-long purple patch was 1930-31. Aston Villa terrorized opposing defenses all year long, scoring 128 times in 42 matches but finished second in the league--seven points behind Arsenal--largely in part to a defense that shipped 78. Villa also lost in the second round of the FA Cup, falling to the Gunners in a replay. 

Pongo was the undoubted star, scoring 49 goals in 40 league games. For good measure, he added another one in the Cup giving him 50, an average of 1.25 per game (or a goal every 72 minutes). It's the second-highest scoring season for any player in England's top division following only Dixie Dean's famous 60 for Everton in 1927-28. And he was on target the next year too, scoring 30 in 38.


That was the high point of Waring's career. In 1931 Villa signed Dai Astley, who pushed Waring for a spot in the team. Eventually, the competition pushed Pongo out of the club altogether as he signed for Barnsley in 1935.

Waring captured the imagination of the Villa fans. He was famously sent off during a game against Spurs in 1934 and as he walked towards the tunnel with his head bowed, he received a rapturous ovation. After leaving the club, some 5,000 fans demanded his immediate return.

He was also popular with his teammates. Villa captain Billy Walker once wrote: "There were no rules for Pongo. Nobody knew when he would turn up for training, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock it made no odds. Nobody on the staff could do anything with him although I think I can claim--as captain in those days--to be the only person able to handle him.

"He was a funny lad indeed. We started the week's training on Tuesday morning and every Tuesday he followed a habit he could never break. He would go round all the refreshment bars on the ground and finish off the lemonade customers, storing the remains in the bottles! Then he would start a little of his training but that seldom lasted long."


Needless to say, what Walker referred to as lemonade was something considerably stronger.

Pongo scored seven goals in 18 games for Barnsley before moving to Wolves where he scored three in 10. He returned to Tranmere in 1936 and stayed until 1938, scoring 42 in 74 before joining Accrington Stanley for the last 22 games of the 1938 season, scoring 10 times.

The rest of his career played out in the lower leagues, with spells at Bath City, Ellesmere Port Town (twice), Graysons, Birkenhead Dockers, Harrowby and New Brighton. By the time he hung up his boots for good, Waring had 243 goals in 363 matches while adding four more in five England appearances.

Waring's nickname came from his resemblance to a famous cartoon character at the time. He was also known as "The Gay Cavalier."

After his playing days ended, Waring worked at the Hercules Motor and Cycle Company in Aston. He died on December 20, 1980 at the age of 74 and his ashes were scattered in the Houlte End goalmouth before a game against Stoke.

Hero for today: Johnny Metgod

Prematurely balding but a wonder to behold on the pitch, Dutch international Johnny Metgod was pure class in midfield and defense wherever he played before finally hanging up his boots in 1994.

Born in Amsterdam on 27-2-1958, Johannes Antonious Berandus Metgod began his professional career at FC Haarlem, appearing in 32 games while scoring a goal during the 1975-76 campaign. He then moved to AZ Alkmaar, spending six seasons with the Cheese Farmers while scoring 26 goals (his most for any single team) and making 195 appearances.

He was part of the most successful era in Alkmaar history. After brothers Klaas and Cees Molenaar rescued the club from financial troubles in 1972, Metgod and company went on a spectacular run that saw them challenge Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV for Dutch supremacy.

AZ were European regulars from 1977-82 and the team won the Dutch Cup three times in span as well. Under German managers Georg Kessler, Alkmaar won the league title in 1980-81 becoming the only team from outside the Big 3 to do so between the years 1965-2009. Their title-winning side was won of the most dominant in the history of the Eeredivise, winning 27, drawing six and losing only once while scoring a club record 101 goals and conceding only 30.

AZ were denied a double at the end of the season, losing the UEFA Cup final to Ipswich, 5-4 over two legs. Metgod scored one of the goals in AZ's 4-2 victory in the second leg.

Other standouts at Alkmaar during this run included Kees Kist, the club's all-time goalscorer with 212 and the first Dutchman to win the European Golden Boot after bagging 34 in 1978-79; midfielder Jan Peters (30 goals in 120 games; defender Hugo Hovenkamp and Danish forward Kristen Nygaard, who scored 104 goals in 363 games at AZ between 1972-82.

Metgod's form at this time earned him a spot on the Dutch team in Euro 1980, along with Hovenkamp.

Having reached the pinnacle of Duth domestic football, Metgod moved to Real Madrid for the 1982-83. He made 49 appearances for Los Merengues, scoring once.

Metgod was one the move again as he was part of a busy offseason at Nottingham Forest, joining Brian Clough's side in August of 1984 for a fee of $250,000. Equally at home in midfield and defense, the 6-4 Metgod was a star at the City Ground, scoring 15 goals in 116 league matches. Not only could he stroke the ball around with great aplomb from his position in the middle of the park but he also possessed a shot of ferocious power.

That was best demonstrated with the famous 1986 goal against West Ham where he lasered in a 30-yard free kick past a diving Phil Parkes before unleashing a memorable celebration that the Guardian described thusly:

"The best goal of the 1980s and the greatest celebration of them all as well. His side having been awarded a free kick at least 30 yards from goal, Forest midfielder Johnny Metgod--a taller, funkier, less desperate version of Geroge Costanza--stepped up to take it. Subtley was not in his mind; he simply belabored the ball in a straight line, thinking (not unreasonably) that anyone getting in the way would either be taken with it or decapitated. As it arrowed into the roof of title-chasing West Ham's net, Metgod simply turned around and prodded his finger in the air five times. An innocently gleeful act which communicated the sheer violence of the strike in the style of a barstool philosopher who has slipped into "but this is what I'm saying" mode after his seventh pint."

Another memorable moment for Forest fans came during the 1984-85 season when he scored the winner against Manchester United with an almost-equally classy effort.

Despite Metgod's heroics, the Reds never challenged during his stint at the club. It threatened to be different during his final season as Forest topped the table through much of September and October of 1986. But the team couldn't keep the pace and the ended the year in eighth place. Metgod then left the city ground in the summer of 1987, joining Tottenham for a fee of $25,000.

 Twenty-nine when he arrived at White Hart Lane, Metgod was perhaps already starting the downside of his career. And the London press certainly did him no favors as he was saddled with the "new Glenn Hoddle" tag. His first Spurs appearance came as a substitute against Coventry in a 2-1 loss on the opening day of the 1987-88 season. He then started in wins over Newcastle and Chelsea before finding himself on the substitutes bench for the next six games (this was the first season in which two substitutes were permitted instead of one).

Metgod then dropped out of contention altogether following a hernia operation. While he was out, David Pleat lost the manager's job amid allegations about his private life and was replaced by Terry Venables. But playing time continued to remain hard to come by and the big Dutchman didn't return to the first team until April of 1988, when Spurs lost to Queen's Park Rangers, 2-0. All told, he made 12 appearances for Spurs before being sold to Feyenoord in the summer of 1988 for $175,000.

Ironically, one of Metgod's final career highlights came in 1992 when Feyenoord drew Spurs in the UEFA Cup and the 34-year-old captain played excellently in both legs of his side's 1-0 aggregate win. He spent six years at the De Kuip, making 164 appearances and scoring 13 goals before finally hanging up his boots in 1994.

Metgod also represented the Netherlands 21 times between 1979 and 1983 scoring four times.

After retirement, Metgod went into coaching with stops at Excelsior and Feyenoord. He returned to England on 11-11-2008 when he was appointed first-team coach at Portsmouth but left in February of 2009 after manager Tony Adams was sacked. Metgod then served as first-team coach at Derby County before leaving with the rest of the staff in October of 2013 when manager Nigel Clough was dismissed.

Metgod spent the 2014 season with Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Here is an interview with the big man himself, courtesy of the Sunday Post.