Canadian keeper set to play Chelsea

[Molson Canadian]

From: http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=21...;hubname=soccer

Canadian Press

9/12/2007 3:32:37 PM

TORONTO (CP) - When Chelsea opens its Champions League campaign next Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in London, Edmonton's Lars Hirschfeld will be standing in its way.

The Canadian international goalkeeper has found a home with Rosenborg, the reigning Norwegian champion who are in a Champions League group with Spain's Valencia and Germany's Schalke as well as the English title-holders.

"A little bit daunting, but that's what you're there for," Hirschfeld said in an interview prior to Canada's friendly against Costa Rica at BMO Field on Wednesday. "You go there (to the Champions League) for the biggest games possible.

"You go to just hopefully upset somebody. Anything can happen, but we have no expectations. We're just going there to have some fun and whatever happens happens."

Soccer has taken Hirschfeld to Germany (Energie Cottbus), England (Tottenham, Gillingham, Luton Town, Leicester), Scotland (Dundee United) and Norway (Tromso, Rosenborg).

There have been good times, as well as bad.

"I don't care what country you go into, football's business now," Hirschfeld said. "Loyalty is less and less and it is a business. For the clubs, buying and selling players, and from the players' side as well.

"I never try to get my hopes up and look past my contract. Right now I have one more season. For what it's worth, so far since I've been there, it's been great. We won a championship, we're in the Champions League now. It's been a great ride so far but we'll see what happens"

Now 28, the Edmonton 'keeper is more guarded than he was five years ago when he broke into the international scene at the 2002 Gold Cup.

He has played all 19 games for Rosenborg this season and helped them to the title last season. So things must be going well, right?

"For now," Hirschfeld says in clipped fashion. "It's OK, settled in quite nicely. We've done all right to date. It's not over."

Talking to a reporter these days, even one who knows him, seems akin to a root canal for Hirschfeld, although he warms up as the conversation continues.

The last time he was brought into the Canadian squad - against Bermuda in March this year - he refused interview requests.

From his time in Europe, he is wary of reporters.

"You guys overplay everything," he says, with only a half-smile.

Get him going and glimpses of the real Hirschfeld emerge, a fun-loving guy with a love for music. This is a man who drove a battered second-hand VW Bug to work in London while with Tottenham, whose parking lot was littered with luxury vehicles belonging to millionaire footballers. Who used to go to as many concerts as possible in music-loving London, often as wingman to starting goalie Kasey Keller.

Hirschfeld ended up at Rosenborg after a fine run with Tromso in Norway that included UEFA Cup play.

Tromso offered the Canadian a chance to play regularly, against some decent opposition, after bouncing from one team to another.

"And once you start to play those big teams, the confidence just comes with it," he explained. "It basically opened up a lot of doors and a lot more opportunities and I've been playing ever since"

The Rosenborg roster has changed drastically since last season and the team currently stands fifth with an 8-6-5 record. Hirschfeld says consistency has suffered because of team turnover.

He enjoys living in Norway, saying where he is a lot like B.C.: mountains, lakes, skiing, the great outdoors.

Hirschfeld turned heads for Canada at the 2002 Gold Cup when he started essentially by default. Then No. 1 Craig Forrest was battling testicular cancer, backup Pat Onstad has been sidelined with a broken bone in his wrist while Olympic team 'keeper Mike Franks had a broken arm.

Hirschfeld came in and stole the show. Canada eventually lost to the host U.S. in the semifinals but it took penalty kicks after neither team was able to score. The Americans outshot Canada 36-10 (18-3 in shots on target)

The young Canadian goalie drew rave reviews.

"Outstanding," said Canadian coach Holger Osieck.

"Brilliant," added captain Jason deVos.

But his recent tenure with the national team has been spotty. Prior to Wednesday, he had only played three times for Canada since 2003.

Injuries have kept him away on some occasions, but there have also been club versus country issues. It's a topic Hirschfeld opts not to discuss in public.

Away from the pitch, Hirschfeld - who also holds a German passport - is engaged to a fellow Edmontonian. His Norwegian isn't half-bad and he also can "get by" in French and German

hard to believe that he played for us and now he's going to be playing in the champions leauge kind of like spider kalac

[Geo V]

There are some shocking players who end up somehow playing Champions League football since they changed the system to allow non Champions actually take part.