Special to GoHuskies.com

The Rockne Files Dick Rockne was a sportswriter for the Seattle Times for 37 years before retiring in 2001. For many years, he covered the beat following Husky football and women's basketball. In The Rockne Files, he takes an inside look at Washington's student-athletes, coaches and events for gohuskies.com. ARCHIVES 11/21/01: Ben Somoza 11/13/01: Hugh McElhenny 11/08/01: Caroline Putz 10/31/01: Chad Olsen 10/24/01: Sabrina Monro 10/15/01: Gordy Scutt 10/05/01: Dean Wurzberger 9/26/01: Brett Wiesner 9/17/01: Tina Frimpong 2000-01 Archive

By Dick Rockne By Dick Rockne Special to GoHuskies.com

SEATTLE - If Dean Wurzberger needed something to validate a dramatic change in his program's recruiting philosophy, the coach of the University of Washington soccer team didn't have to wait long.

Six minutes 32 seconds into the Huskies' second game of the season, Brett Wiesner, a talented freshman forward from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, Wis., scored the goal that resulted in a 1-0 Washington victory over Connecticut, defending national champion of NCAA Division I soccer and ranked No.. 1 at the time.

Not only did the goal, scored at Storrs, Conn., have immediate impact - it helped project the Huskies into the Division I Top Ten - but it had a lasting impact, too, as a symbol of what Wurzberger and his staff were seeking when they strayed from an in-state-only recruiting philosophy in signing Wiesner and another freshman, C.J. Klaas, a midfielder from Cherry Valley, Ill.

Though only 18, both are veterans of high-level international competition as a result of competing on United States national age-group teams. Both became two-time Parade Magazine All-Americans in high school.

"We've never had players of this profile be part of the program, let alone have two at one time," said Wurzberger, who is beginning his 10th season at Washington.

"What we were realizing is that when you go deep in the playoffs, second round and beyond, you start to see teams that have players who make a difference ... the outstanding individuals," Wurzberger said.

"It was clear to our coaching staff that we needed to sprinkle in a couple of impact kids."

The opportunity to sprinkle Wiesner and Klaas into the Husky mix resulted, at least in part, from the fact Wurzberger and assistant coach Jimmy Gabriel coached them on national age-group teams. But their arrival in Seattle wasn't a slam-dunk.

Wiesner said he took official recruiting trips to Portland University, Santa Clara, California and Washington and an unofficial visit to Stanford.

"The city I loved," Wiesner said of Seattle.

"The guys were unbelievable. Of all the places, I got along with these guys two times more than I got along with those at the other universities."

Because of his worldly background Wiesner might be one of the most polished recruits Washington has ever had in any sport. He has played on U.S. national and regional teams in South America and Europe, where he experienced the gamut of soccer mania.

"The biggest eye-opener happened the first year I left the country (age 15) and went to Bolivia," Wiesner said.

"We played in front of 40,000 people and on each side were 12 men in police uniforms ... barricades ... the dogs ... barbed-wire fence around the stadium.

"They're real crazy for their soccer."

He said the best tournament he ever played in was in Austria, when he was 17.

"With all the experience it makes going to college far from home easier to adust to," Wiesner said.

"A lot of my friends stayed back and said they couldn't believe I wanted to go to Washington."

The first thing he did as a Husky soccer player was accompany the team to England in August for a series of exhibition games and sightseeing.

"It was a blast," Wiesner said.

"I'm a Manchester United fanatic and we got to see their home opener. I wallked around by myself for about 2 1/2 hours, just smiling and buying all the souvenirs I could."

Playing against second-level club teams, Washington went 1-3-1 on the tour.

Five games into the regular season, the Huskies are 4-1 and Wiesner leads the team with three goals going into this weekend's Nike Husky Classic, a tournament that will include Portland, UNLV and Air Force.

"He's got all the qualities you look for in a forward," Wurzberger said..

"He has that instinct that allows him to finish chances and score goals."

Wiesner said the physical nature of the defenders has surprised him the most about the college game.

"C.J. and I were with the under-18 team and we've played a few different countries and have had a lot of international experiences so we've picked up little things here and there," Wiesner said.

"But the one thing about the Division I college game is that it's a lot more physical. Every defender is 6-feet-1 or 6-2 and rock solid and they'll knock you over. And some of the calls may be not be what we're used to."

Of the first three goals Wiesner scored as a Husky, none were bigger than his first one, kicked from about 15 yards out at Connecticut.

"Complete shock," Wiesner said in recalling his reaction.

"I ran and celebrated. I was just in awe. I knew it was a huge game and then to score the game winner ..."

Wurzberger said

"it definitely was out of character" for a freshman to do what Wiesner did.

"That's where national-team experience pays off," Wurzberger said.

"They (Wiesner and Klaas) are not in awe of any big-game situations. They've played for their country. They carry a self-confidence that can only be developed by being in this (international) environment." What Wiesner did against UConn illustrated what he likes about his chosen sport as opposed to, say, basketball,

"where you can make multiple baskets and do many good things in one game.

"But nothing is as important as a soccer goal in a 1-0 game."

(Dick Rockne is recently retired from the Seattle Times, where he was a sportswriter for 37 years).