Soccer: Dual role difficult for Rufer

By Terry Maddaford

Wynton Rufer will race around the world and back to play for the Football Kingz against Wollongong Wolves at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday but he is not sure how much of the game he will play.

Reflecting on the superb goal he scored to grab the late equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Newcastle Breakers in Friday night's Australian Soccer League clash, Rufer said the 30 minutes he played "worked out quite well."

Rufer has to fly to Zurich on Wednesday for a Fifa players' committee meeting (rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pele and Johann Cruyff) but will be back on Saturday morning to prepare for the six o'clock kick-off. He said he was finding the player-coach role very difficult.

"There are many top players who have struggled with the player-coach role," said Rufer. "I am lucky to have [brother] Shane with me. He takes a lot of the pressure and we work well together. At present, I'm quite happy to keep it to no more than half a game. If Fred de Jong was injured I could start but it's better for me to come on."

Especially if he can score goals like the one at Breaker Stadium. With less than three minutes to play substitute Marcus Stergiopoulos broke on the right and fired a hopeful cross towards Rufer.

"I was hoping for a header or at least to get my right foot to it," said Rufer. "But I had no time to think about it and just turned and hit it with my left foot. I rate it up with the best I've scored."

It gave the Kingz a point in a game they should have won.

The Rufers have training sessions planned for today and tomorrow and a game against the national under-17 side on Wednesday.

Ericsson Cup leaders Brisbane Strikers lost their perfect record in the fourth round when held 2-2 by Northern Spirit while Carlton won the all-Melbourne clash in beating the Melbourne Knights 2-1.