MLS Cup 2000 playoffs:

Tuesday, October 3
Los Angeles 2, Kansas City 1 (OT)

By all accounts, Dougherty is having a spectacular season. He led the Crew to second place in the Eastern Conference and is 2-1 in the playoffs, with a 0.67 goals against average. The numbers, for what they're worth, indicate that he's one of the best keepers in the league. He finished the regular season fifth in the league with a 1.15 goals against average.

He was second in wins (18), second in minutes (2745), fourth in saves (106), fourth in the infamous catches/punches (104), fifth in shutouts (6) and sixth in saves-to-goals ratio (3.03).

But despite the numbers, and the fact that Dougherty was the dependable rock during the Crew's early season travails, he was still snubbed for the Eastern Conference All-Star team by D.C. United coach Thomas Rongen.

The All-Star "oughtta-be" was perplexed, but recognized the game for what it is. "I was disappointed a little bit, especially when you look at the stats," he said. "Stats seem to be so important to this league for some reason. But when it comes down to it, they didn't mean a thing. But let's face it- it's a popularity contest."

Even if Dougherty doesn't rate high in the All-Star popularity pageant, one trip to a Crew practice will show you why he is popular with his teammates and coaches. Both Fitzgerald and Andrulis laud Dougherty's ability to make his teammates laugh and to keep the atmosphere at practice tension-free.

"Every team needs a few guys who know that part of being successful is being relaxed," said assistant coach Greg Andrulis. Fitzgerald agrees. "He keeps the guys on their toes and laughing. It really helps the chemistry on the team."

During a practice at Crew Stadium on the final Saturday of July, Dougherty lived up to his billing. In one shooting drill, the keeper decided that his teammates were having a hard time getting their shots on frame. Stern John in particular took several wayward shots that repeatedly missed well to the right of the goal.

After John shanked yet another shot wide right, Dougherty had seen enough. He was determined to help his teammate get back on track. Did he shout some words of encouragement? No. Did he offer some advice? No. Instead he grabbed a hold of the goalpost and started moving the portable goal to the general location of where John's shots were flying.

"That ought to help, Stern!" he shouted. (John went on to score a hat trick the next day. Coincidence? Um…probably.) But John wasn't the only target. After receiving no serious threats on his goal during another shooting drill, Dougherty teased his teammates by striking a fashion-model pose while lying down on the goal line, insisting they still couldn't score on him.

Not satisfied with that particular insult, he quickly sprang to his feet and then hopped around on one leg with one hand behind his back. When Robert Warzycha lined up for a free kick, Dougherty informed him that the upper corner to the keeper's left was "locked up and the key's been thrown away." Warzycha shot to Dougherty's right, but missed wide. "That side was locked too, so you wouldn't have scored anyways," he joked.

Dougherty enjoys teasing his teammates. "It's a lot of fun, but I know that every game we play, they are willing to kick some (butt) for me and I'm willing to lay it all on the line for them."

But Dougherty is more than just fun and games. When practice had concluded and the rest of the team headed for the locker room to cool off, Dougherty, his t-shirt soaked with sweat, was still out there in the sweltering summer heat, performing extra goalkeeping drills with Andrulis.

Dougherty, MLS' career leader in wins with 54, firmly believes that the extra work pays off. "I train hard during the week so that I am physically prepared for each game," he says. As jovial as Dougherty can be on the practice field, he is all business come game time. "Mark has a sense of humor," says Fitzgerald, "but when game time rolls around, he is very focused and intense. He's definitely a leader on this team. When he's serious, he lets you know."

When asked to describe Dougherty's game time persona, Andrulis replied, "deadly serious." Dwight Burgess, the Voice of the Crew, says, "Mark is poised and quietly confident, but he is also a fiery leader. It's an interesting dichotomy." For 90 minutes a week, Dougherty is intensity personified.

He frequently barks out instructions to his defenders and isn't afraid to let them know when something isn't right. On television, it's hard to miss Dougherty's eyes intensely bulging out of their sockets whenever his goal is threatened.

But as frantic and hectic as his appearance may be, Dougherty says there is a calm beneath the surface. "Very much so," he said. "You need to be aware of what is going on, but you also need to concentrate. I have the ability to tune everything else out except for what is happening on the field. I can concentrate on the ball, but still give instructions based on things I have observed without taking my eye off the ball."

Probably the best illustration of Dougherty's focus can be found in the afterglow of Crew Stadium's inaugural game. The locker room was swarming with reporters eager to get the players' reactions to the game. Most players gave the stadium gushing praise, but stumbled when asked about details of the game itself.

"I honestly don't remember" was a very popular quote in the Crew locker room that night. Thomas Dooley, citing his age, even feigned Alzheimer's. But there was Mark Dougherty, standing in front of his locker, recounting the entire game as if he was watching it being replayed on videotape.

When asked how he remembered so much, Dougherty replied "I just went out and concentrated on doing my job. It's the front office's job to worry about putting on the big production." In addition to his incredible power of concentration, Dougherty is also considered to be a great communicator and team leader.

"You have to know your teammates and almost be their psychologist," he says. "For example, I can't get into Jeff Cunningham's face and scream at him because he doesn't handle that approach well. But Mike Lapper on the other hand, I can get in his face and yell at him and he'll just yell back. (Engages in a mock shouting match between Lapper and himself.) It psyches him up! So you have to know your teammates to get the most out of them." "Of course," he adds, "you have to be doing your own job before you can yell at them to do more of theirs."

One aspect of Dougherty's job that he is doing quite well this season is his performance in the shootout. Despite having little success in the tie-breaker in the past, Dougherty has racked up a career-high 6 shootout wins already this season with a shootout save percentage of 56%.

Dougherty deflects most of the Crew's shootout success to his teammates. "I think I've gotten better with more experience (in the shootout), but the big difference this year is that our guys are making their shots. We've definitely improved in that area this season."

One might think that Dougherty's improved play in the shootout (or his overall play for that matter) might be due to some lucky superstition. After all, goalkeepers are known for being a little bit flaky.

"No," he chuckles, "I've been around long enough that I've put my left sock on first and played great, and then, the very next game, put my left sock on first and played poorly. I've been great with new gloves and bad with new gloves. Anything I've done consistently as a superstition doesn't hold true over time."

Instead of mystical gimmicks, Dougherty relies on intense physical and mental preparation for each game. "I train hard during the week to prepare physically," he said. "But I also do a lot of visual imagery so that I can envision the opponent and envision myself doing well. It works very well for me."

Very well indeed. In fact many fans are wondering if he'll get called back into the U.S. National Team. Dougherty discounts the idea for several reasons, such as the fact that he's older than both Kasey Keller(29) and Brad Friedel(28), who clearly own the top two spots on the team.

"I've been in camp a few times, but I'm sure I'm out of the picture," he admitted. "If the team happened to be training in Columbus and they needed some practice dummies, maybe they'd call me in. Being 5th or 6th…or 8th…I don't feel as if I deserve to be there or that I'm being slighted in any way. The keepers they have now are doing an outstanding job, and I support them."

Dougherty may be 5th or 6th…or 8th… on the National team, but he has ascended to #1 on the Columbus Crew. He was voted Team MVP and BIC Defender of the Year.

Dougherty, who will turn 32 in November, was the second oldest regular starting goalkeeper in MLS this season (Zenga-38), but he shows no signs of slowing down. His coaches have noticed and have said that going into next season, Dougherty is the starter, even though Sommer is ready to return from his injury. "Just like how last year it was Juergen's job, this year it is Mark's job," said Andrulis. "Juergen knows what the story is. He'll have to stay prepared just in case."

Fitzgerald echoed Andrulis' assessment. "Mark has stepped up to the challenge and taken advantage of it. As long as Mark plays as well as he has, he is going to play."

When told of the coaching staff's remarks, Dougherty was visibly pleased. "That was my goal, " he said, "to play well enough to make it hard on the coaches when Juergen got healthy. Now that he's almost ready, it's good to hear the coaches say that I'm #1, like I have been all year. Of course, when the season's over, it starts all over again and a new decision has to be made." But those worries can wait. "In the meantime, I'm happy to be in the team and helping us win. I look forward to winning the championship."

EPILOGUE

In the Crew's media guide, Dougherty was asked to name his favorite thing about soccer. His reply was one word: Winning.

The pursuit of victory has driven Dougherty throughout his career. He's won at the youth, high school, college and professional levels. This season he became the first MLS goalkeeper to post 50 career wins. He has let nothing stand between himself and victory. Not even the birth of his child.

"My wife and I wanted to have a baby," he said, "but we didn't want her delivery to conflict with the season. That way I wouldn't have to miss a game." But this past November, Dougherty found that the birth of his son Andrew was far more thrilling than anything he has ever accomplished on the soccer field.

"Looking back, it seems so silly that we'd put a game over the birth of a child," he said while shaking his head. "I was always so focused on winning, but having a child gave me the realization that life outside of soccer does exist."

In fact, Dougherty claims, the victories are all the sweeter now that he's a parent. "I'd love to play long enough for him to realize that his dad's a professional player. Right now he comes to the stadium and enjoys being held by all the other wives, but some day I want him to come to the stadium and enjoy watching me play. It's all the more reason to work hard and to keep playing well."

This is part two in a two-part in-depth look at the Crew's Mark Dougherty. Part one appeared Wednesday

Questions? Comments? Feedback? You can contact the author of this aticle at sirk65@yahoo.com