Fresh from the Euro, Mario Melchiot enjoys the L.A. sun

Robert Burns
Fox Sports
Friday 4 July 2008

It may just be the 'politcially correct' thing to say, but European footballers seem to love coming to the U.S. during their off-season to enjoy the relative anonymity no longer afforded them back in Europe.

One such player, Dutch national team defender Mario Melchiot, did just that last week with a short, relaxing visit to Los Angeles. After a long, tough season with Wigan in the Premier League and then international duty at Euro 2008, it was time for the man to get some breathing room.

I had a chance to sit down with the former Chelsea and Ajax player at his posh hotel on Sunset before being whisked away to an even fancier brunch at the Sky Bar an hour later. But don't let the stylish venues fool you as the man is as relaxed as they come ...

Robert Burns: Mario, the Dutch squad burned through the group stage at the Euro with huge wins over France and Italy. People were talking about the Oranje being the team to beat. Did you underestimate the Russians in the quarterfinals?

Mario Melchiot: Yeah, I think so. We started off thinking like we were going to win the game — that's natural to think like that. The Russians struggled earlier in the tournament, especially against Spain, so we thought it was going to be much easier. But they were tough from the start.

And of course, their coach is Guus Hiddink. He knows everyone on our squad indivdually so that made a big difference. Tactically, he just knew everything about us.

RB: How much do you think the Dutch squad in Austria/Switzerland missed a player like Clarence Seedorf or Ryan Babel?

MM: No, those are individuals of great talent and of course Clarence has had a dream career, but I don't think we missed any ingredients that we already had in the team. You can always have more, but I don't think we were missing anything for winning the tournament. We had the right feeling and belief.

RB: How do you assess coach Marco van Basten's time with Holland before moving on to his new role as Ajax manager?

MM: I think he did well as we reached two major international tournaments. Going back to the squad he picked, it's a tough thing to do. You can only look back on the players you picked and see how you did in the tournament. But I think we were well balanced and that's a credit to him.

RB: Switching gears now, you had a pretty tough season with Wigan last year in England, finishing in the lower half of the table and fighting relegation a good portion of the time. What are the expectations for this upcoming campaign?

MM: Looking at the season coming up, I don't think we want to be in the same kind of trouble we were in last time. We want more now. I can't worry about that last bit and where we finished because I want to start thinking of moving up now in the table and seeing the club going forward. The last few years we've been doing things this way and it's time for something new.

RB: Do you see any new players coming into the squad that will help you reach those higher goals?

MM: Yeah, we've signed a right winger from Birmingham in Daniel de Ridder, originally at Ajax. I think they were looking at a goalkeeper and the coach [Steve Bruce] wants to sign a new striker and midfielder as well. Whatever has already been done I can't really tell since I was at the Euro and I haven't spoken to anyone there yet. I've got my holiday right now and I don't really want to worry too much about soccer right now. There's so little time to just chill because when I get back I want to make sure I'm ready.

RB: Your countryman Ruud Gullit has been in charge of the Galaxy this season. Have you been watching his progress and seeing how he's doing?

MM: No, not too much but we get some news across in Europe with David [Beckham] playing there and a lot of what he does gets broadcast in England. That's how we keep up with Ruud. In Holland, Ruud's a role model so you definitely hear about him there. He had a tough start in the beginning losing some games, but I think now he's settling in and feeling more comfortable.

RB: What do you think a coach like Ruud and the Dutch system can do to improve the level of play in Major League Soccer?

MM: The Dutch mentality is totally different and to be honest, I'm not sure that everyone can handle it. They will tell you exactly what's wrong in the moment and not everyone can take it. If you're not playing well they will shout at you and say, "What the hell is going on?" Some individuals can't handle it. This is something probably new here so you've got characters who deal with it differently and bump into each other. With Ruud's experience, he won't have that problem. Sometimes you hear from players in Holland that it's difficult for them to settle in and they don't always bring over the traditional Dutch culture with the ego and all that. So for U.S. players it's a definite transition.

RB: There were some strong rumors going around before the start of the MLS season that you were perhaps contemplating a move to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy. Now you're back in California ... what gives?

MM: No, no ... I've still got two more years at Wigan. The future is always a possibility. I'm not lying — I love it out here. I'm a big city boy ... L.A., Miami, New York. Los Angeles is a place I love and feel very comfortable. But right now I'm probably one of the most important players for the team at Wigan and I am focused just on that.