Cherundolo article

You can bet Cherundolo will pick his moments carefully. His soccer mind is so respected that U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati cited him as an example of an American who could go on to coach a big club in Europe. "One can imagine if a Steve Cherundolo were interested in coaching, he might come back here to coach, then go back abroad, because he's already well-known and respected in Germany," Gulati told Insider last year.

After growing up in San Diego and starring in college at the University of Portland, Cherundolo quietly put together a stellar club career in Germany, learning the language and earning the captaincy at Hannover 96, as well as major respect from his peers in Europe and the U.S. He started all three U.S. matches at right back in the 2006 World Cup, but he endured a topsy-turvy 2009. A hip injury forced him to miss last year's Confederations Cup and most of the last round of CONCACAF qualifiers, though he came back strong enough to start against Mexico and Costa Rica.