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 Marcus Hahnemann Marcus Was the subject of a six-page feature in the Reading Vs Wimbledon programme recently, and was laboriously typed up by Ray Curry of 1871 - a big thanks to Ray for that.  Born in the USA - Marcus Hahnemann tells "The Royals" why an American is making a living from football Marcus Hahnemann is currently a resident of Wimbledon and has recently resided in between the sticks for the Royals. The Seattle-born keeper cuts an imposing figure in goal, but he hasn't always looked this way. He had a full head of hair when he was younger, and when it started to fall out, he took matters into his big hands and had the chop. The 30-year-old thinks he looks completely unrecognisable from those earlier days. "When I was at Fulham, some of the guys got hold of pictures of me and put them up in the dressing room. They joked about who it was and said they couldn't recognise me. My boys, Hunter and Austin, also had the same reaction when they saw them!" However, Marcus prefers not to concentrate on his look, instead letting his goalkeeping do the talking. "Over the years I have become more dominant on crosses and better at communicating with my defenders. Coming to the team last year really helped me. For now, as I have only been here a short time, I am still trying to find out other people's games. The longer you play with them, the more understanding there is. "I'm not a vocal keeper as I don't feel I need to shout and scream at my defenders if one of them makes a mistake. They may lose their heads and it would make them look stupid in front of the fans. Most of the time it doesn't work and if you all start yelling at each other you're not thinking about what happens next. If you discuss it, then that's a different story. "I also have a winning attitude to every game and never go out there thinking we could draw this game. I feel we should win every game and you should do all you can to achieve that. And if I don't play aggressively, then we don't have these chances. I try and put the ball in behind defences, so we can hit them early, as we've got the speed up front." Living in Wimbledon for the past three years has been a joy for Marcus and his family, and has also meant he has been able to stay connected with friends, but he has now decided to make the move to Berkshire, buying a house in Pangbourne, near to the training ground. "I have lived in the village for three years now, off Parkside. It's a great town. As for Wimbledon the football club, it is going through some issues at the moment. The club want to move the team, so it's difficult for them and their fans. Living in the area you don't really notice the problems. Sure, there's a club shop in the town and I sometimes see Mark Williams in Starbucks getting a coffee. Apart from that, more of the Fulham and Chelsea guys hang out in Wimbledon." Marcus' surname comes from his German roots, with his parents leaving Hamburg 35 years ago. But from when Marcus was born in 1972, he has lived the American way. "When I was younger I played soccer as well as American football, basketball and baseball. But it all took up so much of my time. I was also a better soccer player and I still wanted to fun and hang out with my buddies. I had a motocross bike that I used to ride three times a week. There was also bmx-ing and skateboarding. "So I made a decision to concentrate on soccer. However, one of the problems in America is that most children take up soccer at five, but when they get to 14 years old, schools encourage them to play basketball or baseball. There is so much emphasis on school sports that they get such big crowds even for high school events. Basically, the really good athletes discard soccer to the detriment of the game. "The lure of the riches from the bigger sports get in the way. In the States, soccer players don't drive around in the big cars. It's so different to over here, where there's so much competition and the chance to make a good living out of football. I never thought I would make money at this game. It was my way to get a college education. I thought to myself, I'm going to college play soccer and that was that! I eventually signed my first professional contract in January 1995. It wasn't a lot of money but when you are living off $400 per month it seemed a lot of money. The first year in Seattle was really good. We had crowds of 12,000 and played on astroturf fields. Then I went to the MLS with the Colorado Rapids. The crowds got bigger and so did the venues, but the atmosphere wasn't there and that had a big influence on why I wanted to come over to England." The speckley-eyed keeper kept sending videos of himself in matches to west London side Fulham, and eventually his persistence paid off. "They came over to New York to see me play, and in that game we had a man sent off after 10 minutes, and ended up stealing the game 1-0 in the last five minutes. I was kept busy during the game and they bought me from that for £90,000. Getting a work permit wasn't a problem as both my parents were German, so I have a European passport. "At Fulham, I played under manager Paul Bracewell but I never really got a chance as Maik Taylor was their number one. As I was number two, they wouldn't let me go out on loan. Then we got promoted and I played in a couple of Cup games, and the next season we bought in Dutch keeper Edwin Van De Sar, which bumped me to number three. This was great for me as it meant I could now go out on loan. I still learnt a lot of things from playing and training with Edwin. I saw how comfortable he was with both feet and how confident he was on the ball. I tried to bring little things into my game as I thought if I do as half as well as him, then you will be flying." Marcus's time at Reading has been well documented. He initially came to Madejski Stadium in December 2001, playing six games with four clean sheets. "We had two draws and didn't lose for a month. I feel that sealed my return to the Club as the manager knew what I was capable of. I helped the team get promotion and had a really successful time. Before that I went to Rochdale for a month and had a good run in their team. It was first team football, but in the end they couldn't afford to pay my wages." The fans at Rochdale and Reading have one thing in common - they both chant 'USA' from the stands to Marcus. "It's funny and it's great at anytime when the fans acknowledge you. They sang it at Rochdale and I really enjoyed it. I also have a Stars and Stripes tattoo on my left arm [displayed below]. I've had it for two years and I see it as a symbol for everyone living outside the country. And with a tattoo, you either have your wife and kids names tattooed on or the American flag. No-one has ever gone against me in football for being American. It doesn't really matter to me what nationality or colour you are. My boys have grown up here in England and think London is their home. I still feel they are American / English, though they say funny words sometimes!Seattle is home for me, but for them it's a vacation. I do feel they are very lucky as if I hadn't played soccer in this country, they never would have had the chance to live here." No story about Reading's newest keeper would be complete without a mention of his battle for the number one spot Phil Whitehead. Marcus explains, "Taking the spot away from Phil was a difficult thing. If I hadn't had the month here before then I wouldn't have played yet. It's not as though Phil has done poorly in games this season, but the team hadn't done that well. The manager knew what I was about and knew how I played, so I think that is why he brought me here and then into the first team." |