Former United States national team and MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola is recovering after suffering a heart attack Thursday, one day before his 56th birthday.
Meola underwent an unspecified procedure after the heart attack. He told Front Row Soccer that he ran four miles last Saturday and had the heart attack five days later.
“If I get one of you to go to the doctor and get a checkup, this was all worth it for me,” Meola said, according to Front Row Soccer. “I’m going to be fine in a week, but I should have been smarter.”
Meola was the USMNT’s starting goalie in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and was a backup in 2002. He made 101 appearances for the national team and had 35 shutouts.
Meola was a four-time All-Star in 11 MLS seasons with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (1996-98), Kansas City Wizards (1999-2004) and New York Red Bulls (2005-06).
Meola was the regular-season MVP and MLS Cup MVP in 2000 when Kansas City won the title. He had 16 regular-season shutouts and added five more in the postseason.
Overall, he had 62 clean sheets in 250 MLS starts. In 23 playoff matches, he had eight shutouts.
After the 1994 World Cup, the New York Jets brought in Meola, who kicked off five times during the preseason but failed to make the team.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.