he star of the US national team

at the last World Cup is fighting

hard to make it in the English
First Division. After an injury-
plagued start to the season,
American international full-back
John Harkes is fit again and
)atlITilg for a regular place in Sheffield
"Jednesday's first team. But...
"It's not easy," admits the 24-year-old
rom New Jersey. "There's so much
:ompetition at this club that you've got to
lam your place back. I'm hoping to
lecome a regular soon but this is my first
,eason in the First Division, so I'm not
:omplaining I"
When Harkes came to Britain he had
10 experience of playing in a professional
eague. The glitzy North American Pro
_eague of the 1970s - which attracted
'eteran stars from around the world with
he lure of big bucks - had folded into
lblivion by the time John finished high
,chool.
"I have no idea why it collapsed -
hings were going well," he says. "The
eam I supported was the New York
~osmos, who had Pele and Beckenbauer
Ind could pull crowds of 70,000."
But while the League may have
Jisappeared, football is now the second
nost widely played sport in the US at
lOuth level, while the American ladies
eam swept all before them on the way to
~inning the first-ever Women's World Cup
ast year.
Harkes played for the University of
lirginia before being picked for his
;ountry at the 1988 Olympics. He
;ubsequently signed professionally for the
lational side in time for the 1990 World
:;up. When Wednesday signed him later
hat year, it was from the US Soccer
"ederation - John not having been
;ontracted to a League club because, er,
here was no US League!

"There's no way I
can leave League "It's too difficult to get away," John Leeds, but that knocked us back," John Derby won him the Goal Of The

football to play explains. "They wanted me to play against

Brazil at the end of this month but they
admits.
Wednesday's unpredictable home form
Competition award - and was soon
followed by Wednesday's triumphant

friendly matches for were going to need me for five or six days,
so I've had to turn them down.
also allowed Second Division
Middlesbrough to dump them out of the FA
Rumbelows Cup Final Win over
Manchester United. That proved to be an

three months before "I think it's going to be difficult come

1994 because the new US manager, Bora
Cup in the Fourth Round, ending hopes of
a Wembley appearance for the second
unforgettable experience for Harkes, who
was the first American to take part in a

the World Cup" Milutinovic, is going to want to bring

Yet despite fond memories of playing
or his country and a virtually certain place
n the squad for the US-hosted 1994
Norld Cup, the demands of playing in the
"irst Division make it unlikely Harkes will
)e making more international
lppearances in the near future.
players together, but there is no way that I
year running. Wembley Final and had brought his
whole family over to London from the
can leave League football to play friendly States to share in the occasion.
matches for three months before the World "I'd really like to John's father was on Dundee's books
in his native Scotland before emigrating
Cup."
So is establishing himself in England the coach... to let the to the US, .?I1d he passed his love of the
number one priority for the American
defender? kids back home in the game ontohis.son. Harkes Snr eventually
became a"coacn in his adopted country
"People don't understand how much
difference there is between a friendly States know what it's and John would like to do something
similar to help develop the game back
match for the US team and here,
where the players are so
all aboutl" home.
"I'd really like to coach," he beams. "It
much stronger and the pace would be good to bring some of the
is so fast it's unreal! It's the Rumbelows League Cup, though, things I've experienced back to the States
"I've done pretty well so far that's provided John Harkes with his - and let the kids know what it's all
and, hopefully, I can continue greatest moments in English football. Last about!"
to play in the English League season his screaming 35-yard shot against STEVE HOWELL
and make a living out of it."
Harkes is obviously happy
at Sheffield Wednesday and
feels that, contrary to what the
pundits would have you
believe, the club's season is
far from over.
"I wouldn't say that we are
out of the Championship race -
anything can happen," he
insists. "There are plenty of
games left - teams can slump
and we're not that far behind. I
think we've done quite well,
coming out of the Second
Division and being in the top five
for most of the season."
Alas, Wednesday's televised
6-1 massacre at the hands of
Leeds last month didn't aid their
Title hopes. Conceding seven
goals against Arsenal last
weekend didn't help much,
either ...
"We were third for a while and
closing the gap on United and