July 2, 2009
Chris Pontius has been getting called "Party Boy" in MLS circles ever since the teen magazine CosmoGirl! featured him as one of its "hottest soccer guys."
But a less-sexy nickname would be more accurate for the rookie from UCSB: "The Librarian."
Nobody is better at shushing a crowd.
He did it to 29,104 noisy fans at Seattle's Qwest Field recently when he punched in a cross from Santino Quaranta to start D.C. United's 3-3 tie against the Sounders.
"It kind of reminded me of that game up at Cal Poly last year," said Pontius, referring to his golden goal at the start of the second overtime which silenced 11,075 rowdy fans at Mustang Stadium. "It felt just like that, doing it on the road in a big match in front of a bunch of people.
"I'd never had so many people rooting against me like that night at Cal Poly. And then to have the same thing happen in Seattle, scoring in front of so many people, was something you just dream about."
It was his fourth goal of the season and third to be nominated for MLS Goal of the Week. He won the fans' online balloting in mid-May for his late, game-tying score against Toronto FC.
Pontius lost last week's fan vote, however, to former UCSB teammate Eric Avila of FC Dallas.
"I actually went online and voted for Avi," he said. "He's a good friend and his goal was awesome. He definitely deserved the vote.
"I can honestly say that I haven't voted for myself in any of those things."
Pontius' favorite goal was actually his first, coming in a 2-2 tie with the Galaxy in the season opener at the Home Depot Center.
"Scoring in front of family and friends, I just couldn't think of a better way to start the year for myself, personally," he said.
He got that goal after taking a pass from fellow rookie and roommate Rodney Wallace near the left sideline, cutting inside into open space and curling his shot just inside the far post.
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"I'd been using that move in college forever," Pontius said. "I saw my opening and took the chance, and the result was awesome.
"But obviously, these defenders will figure you out a little faster than college defenders."
The 22-year-old striker has been mentioned as a candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year, but he's received several reminders that it's a long way to soccer's penthouse. He and Wallace spent their first night in D.C. sleeping on a blowup mattress.
"We put it sideways, and then (arranged) the big Adidas bags we travel with," Pontius pointed out. "Our heads and upper torso were on the blowup mattress, and then our feet were on the Adidas bags."
The demands of pro soccer, meanwhile, have kept his ego from inflating.
"In college, there are times when you're not at your best and you can still perform pretty well, but not here," he said. "The little mistakes really count here because the guys at this level will punish you for it.
"The main thing for me is that I want to earn the respect of the older players and the coaches. I'm the second youngest on the team, but I am enjoying myself here."
Coach Tom Soehn does expect big things from the former Gaucho.
"He's done a good job for a young kid," Soehn said. "He shows a lot of experience in the fact that he doesn't get too high or too low.
"There are still parts of the game he has to learn, especially when physical defenders are against him, and other stuff that I know he'll get better at, because he's a bright kid."
Quaranta, an eight-year MLS veteran, loves having Pontius as his running mate up front.
"I've said it from the beginning, Chris is a good player, he brings energy and he makes good runs," he said. "We do well with each other and it's always fun when I get to play with him.
"And I think it's a mutual thing, we're on the same page with each other, and it's going to be a good partnership for a while."
Pontius has continued his former UCSB partnerships, communicating with fellow Gauchos in the MLS such as Avila, Tino Nunez, Kyle Reynish and Andy Iro.
"I've been texting Avi this week, talking a little smack about the Goal of the Week Award," he said. "You know Avi, it's rarely serious with him."
But it will get serious on Saturday when Pontius visits Iro and the Columbus Crew (5-3-7), which sits just one point behind D.C. United in the league standings. He's expecting Iro to guard him, especially with Crew defender Chad Marshall off training with the U.S. team for the Gold Cup.
"It'll be fun to play against someone that I used to play with, day in and day out," he said. "I know him well, but he also knows my moves and what I'm going to do.
"It should be pretty even, but I'm going to try to keep the ball on his right foot. Everyone knows that Andy doesn't have a right foot."
There's another reason why Saturday's game holds special meaning for Pontius.
It'll be his first trip to Columbus since the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament when UCSB blew a two-goal lead and lost 4-3 to Ohio State in double overtime.
"That's still the most disappointing loss of my career as a soccer player," he said. "I really felt that we were a national-championship caliber team that year. I would've loved to have played Wake Forest in the final.
"For us to have given up that lead was very, very disappointing. Hopefully, we can change that memory."
He's good at shushing, but this time the noise roars inside his head.
Mark Patton's column appears on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
E-mail: mpatton@newspress.com
