Rowan Kavner
This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features members of the U.S. Men’s National Team, as the soccer stars watched the latest Clippers game.
LOS ANGELES – If anyone in the crowd knew more about footwork than the Clippers on the court Monday night as they took on the Rockets, it was the soccer players from the U.S. Men’s National Team in attendance.
The USMNT is in the Los Angeles area for the first training camp of 2016, preparing for friendlies against Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5 at the StubHub Center in Carson.
In the meantime, Hawthorne native and L.A. Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes and New York City FC’s Mix Diskerud were among the players catching a Clippers game. Diskerud said the USMNT is in town another two and a half weeks and wanted to check out a basketball game.
Here’s some of what they had to say.
Mix, are you a big basketball fan?
MD: “I love basketball, been playing my whole life, at least a little bit. First Clippers game, though. I love it. The atmosphere’s incredible.”
Are you able to watch the team at all?
MD: “My family’s from Arizona, so I like the Phoenix Suns, especially when Steve Nash was there. But I must say, (the Clippers) are one of my favorite teams to watch now.”
Gyasi, what’s it like being able to stay in L.A. and play soccer?
GZ: “It’s amazing to stay in the city. I grew up here, born and raised, and to play for my home club is a blessing.”
How much are you able to follow the NBA out here?
GZ: “I follow it a good amount. I play basketball for fun, but never on a team.”
Having grown up in the area, what do you think of what the Clippers have accomplished recently?
GZ: “I’m a big basketball fan, so I think it’s great. The players they have are phenomenal. You’ve got Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and (Wesley) Johnson from the Lakers. Their pickups and the depth of their roster is insane.”
