CARSON, Calif. — For much of his decade-long professional career, Eddie Pope's body was as much of an adversary to him as any opposing forward.
In 2005, the Real Salt Lake defender missed games because of pelvic and ankle injuries. In 2003, Pope suffered a fractured patella. In 2002, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery for the second time in two years. In 1999, he missed two months due to a broken right foot.
As 2005 became 2006, Eddie Pope had had enough.
The defender expressed his determination to play in his third World Cup for the United States by experiencing a makeover — not the extreme kind seen on television but through a demanding off-season conditioning program.
"I feel as strong as I've ever felt in my whole career," said Pope, 32. "I actually feel as fast, if not faster, and in better shape. I feel the best I've ever felt."
Bruce Arena, coach of the United States' World Cup team, took particular notice during the squad's six-week training camp at the Home Depot Center.
"I've been very impressed with Eddie's approach to this camp," said Arena, who has coached Pope since 1996. "He's worked harder in the off-season than he ever has; it was obvious when he reported here.
"Traditionally, we've seen Eddie break down a lot at this time of year, not being able to go at it day to day. If you look at this entire camp, he's probably in our elite group in terms of being able to train day in and day out. It's been fantastic."
Pope's presence is vital to the United States' hopes. He started in seven of the Americans' eight World Cup games in 1998 and 2002, and is one of only seven defenders in the national team's history to play at least 75 games.
"He is the finest center back the United States has ever produced," Arena told Major League Soccer's Web site in June.
"One of Eddie's best attributes is that he puts the fires out before they start," said Jimmy Conrad, the 2005
MLS defender of the year. "He puts himself in a position where there's really no place for the forward to go.
"He's had so much experience that anytime a play happens, he always seems to make the right decision. That's something I just soak up. It's always a learning experience for me to watch Eddie Pope play."
Pope also can score. He has eight goals against international opponents — including one in a 5-0 rout of Norway on Jan. 29 and another in Friday's 3-2 win over Japan — and gave Arena's D.C. United the first MLS championship in 1996 with an overtime goal on a header.
"Throughout his career, he's scored some important goals off set pieces," Arena said. "You can't ask for a whole lot more out of a center back."
Nevertheless, Arena asked Pope and his teammates to come to the first training camp of the year fit. So each player had to undertake an off-season conditioning regimen.
"It's a lot of intensive lifting, stretching, running," Pope said. "It's difficult. It's so rigorous that it really gets you off to the right start to help you avoid injury and be sharp."
Pierre Barrieu, the national team's strength and conditioning coach who designed the five-week program, tailored it to meet Pope's needs.
"When I looked at Eddie's injury history, I looked at his running technique," Barrieu said. "Eddie's got a problem when he runs long distance because he's got a sore lower back.
"So I worked with him last fall on correcting his running technique. One of my goals was to remind him that if you want to be able to handle the endurance, you've got to run in a certain way."
Pope hopes that by honing his body, he can enhance a professional resume that includes appearances in two World Cups and the 1996 Olympics, and three MLS championships.
"These are the things that are really important to me," the defender said. "Sometimes, people may ask after you get it, 'Are you still hungry?'
"Once you do something like that, you want to do more. You want to win more. You want to go to more World Cups. It's kind of like a drug you can't get rid of."