Messing Returns as Minuteman Goalie

When reunion week rolls around there is quite naturally a good deal of "do you remembers" and "what's so and so doing nows." Last week while killing time I decided to read all of the local sports pages--I found out who beat who in Western Mass, tennis, what races were being run at Wonderland.

And then in small print right below the winners of the NASCAR 400 or some such event there was the box score for the Boston Minutemen, the Hub's pro soccer franchise in the North American Soccer League (not to be confused with the American Soccer League, but don't ask me why it shouldn't be confused).

The Ubiquitous Messing

The goalie for the Minutemen was listed as Messing and with my curiosity satisfactorally aroused I ventured off to B.U's Nickerson Field. Sure enough there, in the nets, under the lights, was former Crimson creasekeeper Shep Messing.

Messing is one of those amazing athletes who took up soccer his freshman year at NYU (it didn't have a football team) and by the end of his sophomore year had earned All-American honors.

I talked to Messing yesterday to find out "what he is doing now" and conversation swung from Harvard reminiscing to his current status with the Minutemen to his infamous foldout in last December's issue of Viva magazine.

"When I first came to Harvard as a junior transfer soccer wasn't all that pleasant for me. I had some problems with the coach [Bruce Monroe] that I'd rather not go into and I was also sharing duties with the previous year's goalie Bill Meyers. It was sort of a rough period."

All the while Messing was at Harvard, he was also a member of the United States Olympic squad which was engaged in pre 1972 qualifying tournaments. "My stay at Harvard was a wonderful experience and I'm sorry I didn't go there all four years. What with all the travelling for the Olympics I was only in Cambridge from Monday to Thursday--it was a hectic two years," he said.

In his senior year, things smoothed out for him, and Messing led the Crimson all the way to the NCAA semi-finals before it bowed, 1-0, to the eventual champions Howard University, Messing was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player.

He was quickly signed by the New York Cosmos (who last week signed Brazilian soccer star Pele for an estimated $6 million) and for two seasons played in the Big Apple.

This winter however, Jim Bouton, former Yankee pitcher and a friend of Messing's called Messing up and told him Viva wanted a pro athlete for its December foldout. Messing recalls the incident with a chuckle: "I had done some modeling while in college and I thought it would be good exposure (no pun intended). So partly as a joke and partly as a business venture I did it."

"It's turned out well, the league has gotten more publicity and I get accosted every night," he laughs.

The Cosmos' front office didn't laugh, unfortunately, apparently not grateful for that type of exposure and traded Messing to Tampa. Messing in turn said no-go and told Tampa the only place he'd play was Boston, and suddenly the Minutemen had a new goalie.

The Contented Messing

Under coach Herb Voglesinger, the former Yale mentor while Messing was at Harvard, Messing is very pleased. "I'm an individual in a team sport and that's always been difficult," he said. "But the coach understands that, and coming back to Boston has been just great."

As to the future of American soccer. Messing is very hopeful. "There's a need to Americanize more. The players have to go through the transition from high school and college to the pros for the fans to identify with them. The growth of the youth soccer program is doing just that, and within five years pro soccer will become successful."

The Minutemen just signed Euseibio, the Portuguese star and second most famous player to Pele. With those players in the league. Messing says the television networks are fighting for the contract rights when previously no one wanted them.

The Legal Messing

As for his own personal future, Messing says he will be going to law school this fall "We'll see how soccer works into that plan," he said.