Brian McBride was bushed.
Having bagged a goal amid a sterling show that had rolled back the Illinois boy's years, he marched out of the players' tunnel proud and tall, steam fuming off of him, a picture of toil for the Cottagers' cause.
Watford's American infantryman Jay DeMerit looked equally exhausted, speaking as if he too had just been through a war.
It had been a battle royale at the Vicarage alright that October night, where Fulham and Watford had just exchanged cannonades for an attritional 90 minutes of soccer that won few points for aesthetics, but yielded six goals and drained the fans of emotion as it emptied the players' tanks.
But then one foot soldier strolled out of the locker rooms as cool as a cucumber, even though he had burned his legs off as much as anyone for the previous hour-and-a-half.
Carlos Bocanegra might keep a lower profile than his colleagues, so much so it is easy to overlook this quiet American when it comes to the leading ranks of Yanks overseas.
'Charlie Blackmouth' certainly appears laid back - if not disengaged - compared to most footballers and indeed people you meet, but maybe that is his strength: a man without stress can get on with his job.
And Bocanegra does his job, a solid performer in two defensive roles and now an improvised midfielder for his modest club. He is calm when he talks, but the false veneer of a Californian beach bum hides a man quietly determined.
"This is the month when we need to get it right," Bocanegra told YA with steely focus last month. "We have played Watford and we have Villa, Wigan and Charlton and we think we need to get something out of those games with two of them at home."
After two road draws and a home split in October, the Cottagers opened November with a home win over Tim Howard and Everton.
The Cottagers now sit a creditable eighth in the league after 11 outings - despite a rash of injuries that has wiped out half of their midfield, including Simon Elliott and Luis Boa Morte, compelling the 27-year old to step up and plug the gap.
It has been a case of more musical chairs for the former Chicago central defender who has found himself lining up at left back for much of his Fulham career, due to others' injuries.
Bocanegra has never had a continuous spell in the first team at Craven Cottage due to external factors, but boss Chris Coleman seems to rate him highly enough to play him in midfield while his regular men are lying in sick bay. Wherever he has played, he has soldiered solidly and never spoken out of turn.
"It has been alright so far," Bocanegra says in typically relaxed style of his 2006/07 duties.
"We have been playing well and grinding out results, though we got lucky up at Newcastle," a modest reference to the game when he netted the winner a minute from time, "played really well and got a point at Tottenham and obviously we lost at home to Chelsea, but overall we have been playing well."
"These are the teams we need to beat, the Watfords," added the Californian. "We just need to put it all together."
The former Fire man back has put his head down and totted up 81 appearance for the Cottagers since joining from MLS in January 2004, scoring three times - but has rarely hit the headlines.
One exception was when barely a month after arriving at Craven Cottage, Bocanegra 'arrived' on Aston Villa's Mark Delaney with a tackle so horrific their coach David O'Leary invaded the field in anger.
"Carlos isn't malicious or a bad boy and plays the game the right way," his coach replied in his defense, and Coleman has been proved right, as Bocanegra's subsequent on-field behavior has confirmed that X-rated moment was an out-of-character aberration.
Indeed, the former UCLA Bruin and MLS Defender of the Year stood out as the coolest head on the field while two international colleagues saw red amid the Alamo atmosphere of the US v Italy clash at this summer's World Cup.
To date, the two 90-minute tours of duty at the 2006 finals were the highlight of his national team career, which totals 42 games and six goals since debuting against South Korea in 2001.
"It was a great experience," he recalled of the World Cup in Germany, "Obviously, not for the US in general - for the team or the fans I mean, but for me personally it was a great experience."
"Italy was an emotional rollercoaster, man," he said, shaking his head in recollection of the heart-stopping night in K-town, when the US became the only country to take points off the eventual world champions, despite having two players ejected.
"It was eight v nine on the field plus the goalies, which meant a lot of running, and your emotions were down, then up, down, then up again. We thought we were going to push on, but then we got a red card and then another. It was a really courageous effort from the whole team that evening."
"I just wish we just could have started off the tournament on the right foot," he sighs. "I think we were chasing it ever since the first Czech goal. Against Ghana, it just wasn't going for us."
"I thought that was a bad call on the penalty. Maybe I should have come across to get it, but (he sighs again)... unfortunate things happened."
A draining experience for all concerned, but Bocanegra, along with his fellow national serviceman at Fulham, was allowed to wind up for his fourth Premiership campaign with some well-earned rest before the domestic pressure cooker was turned on for another season.
"Chris (Coleman, Fulham coach) gave Brian and me enough time off afterwards, so there was no World Cup hangover," he commented. "I wasn't playing much at the beginning of the season either, so I wanted to get back on the field after plenty of time away."
Fulham's #3 has now turned out in eight of the West Londoners' 11 league outings this season - as well as a role in an embarrassing Carling Cup exit to Wycombe Wanderers he will want to forget - and is looking forward to a long season in the black and white of the team he is proud to call his own.
"I enjoy Fulham and the people at the club, so I am having a good time there," confirmed Bocanegra. "I am enjoying life in London and I have some good friends here. I don't think I am becoming English, but I have settled in."
And the biggest reason he would have for feeling homesick is no longer an issue either for the calm and talented Californian.
"I found a few places that serve Mexican food," he smiled. "But, I just cook it myself mostly now, so that is alright. There are so many good restaurants here."
Bocanegra pauses for thought, relaxed as ever, and a smile creeps out of his mouth.
"I do miss In 'N' Out burger, though, but I can take that." |
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