BEAUTIFUL GIRLS FOOTBALL

Did you know...South Africa's leader Nelson Mandela -one of the world's icons- admires George Weah, who was born in Liberia. Mandela once said, "George Weah is the pride of Africa". Who is Weah? George Weah, whose original name is Manneh Oppong Weah, was one of the world's outstanding football players in the 1990s. This former athlete was discovered by Fernando Shitoli,an expert on Brazilian soccer.In 1995 he was selected the best player in Africa, Europe and the world. Under his leadership, A.C. Milan (Italy) and Paris Saint Germain (France) won the national championships in the 1990s. During his sports career, he also played in Cameroon, England and the United Arab Emirates. From 1997 to 2004 George became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
 
In September 1969, Angie Elizabeth Brooks became President of the Twenty-Fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly. She said, "The United Nations could and should remain the best means of international cooperation that has been at mankind's disposal since the beginning of its history, and we have to nurse it and cherish it and cultivate it, or else we shall one day perish and not even the moon or the knowledge of space will save us".

Did you know...Lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf -the "Mother of Democracy in Liberia"- is the second female President in the country. This nation -one of the world's poorest nations- has more female leaders, Presidents or Prime Ministers, than Norway, Sweden and South Korea. Liberia's President is a well-known campaigner for women's rights in Africa. She has ambitious projects for women and children. The Liberian leader once said, "Sensitivity to human needs. Maybe that comes from being a mother and interacting with other women, many of whom carry the biggest burden in times of both war and peace..."

THE SUPER COACH USA

Is it the truth that the United States is producing all the same type of player, one who can pass, keep it simple, play their position, and score off of mistakes and set pieces? Yes! Yet, it is mind-boggling why we continue to build the game in this type of environment where parents and coaches who are not recognized and good enough to coach are coaching. A coach may take a team from Division 6 to Division 1 soccer because he is a good coach, but, is the U.S. Soccer Association finding the best coaches and the best players to represent the country. Many times in the U.S. a player who starts off in Division 6 and advances to Division 1 does not get the same recognition as a player who starts off at the Division 1 level.
Not in all cases are players from Division 6 teams bad players. Some are players who do not have the money, but, a parent or coach may come around and get the kid to form teams. These are usually children of minorities who do not have the money or the parent support to maintain the travel soccer career in the U.S. The players never get the recognition in the beginning, but their coaches who fight and struggle with their personalities and backgrounds in order to get them from one level to another, which includes spending money out his own pocket to get to tournaments, events, and even league games because the parent support for these players is not their. When these players improve, here comes a Division 1 team or a team who is looking for a player to fill a spot, or to give that team an extra lift in order to get to another level. The team sponsors the kid, and puts him on the team. Many times the coach who is developing the player, is usually one of the better coaches in the country, but, these coaches are unrecognized time and time again. In many cases the players are also unrecognized because of the lack of parent support, inept grades, so soccer becomes his only form of recreation to relieve himself from the bad neighborhood that he may live in. When are we going to recognize the struggles that the coaches go through to help these kids. Or are we comfortable with continuing to choose the player from good backgrounds and not necessarily the better players in the U.S.

Brazil. In Ronaldinho's case people fought to keep him on the right track, and eventually he went on to play in Barcelona, Spain and is the most recognized player in the world. Another great story is Marta from the 2007 World Cup who made it out of the village in Brazil, became the leading scorer in the world cup, took her country to the finals, revolutionized the women's soccer game, and is now the most exciting player in the world today. How many players in the U.S. are like them on our soccer fields today? Because we are in a comfort zone in choosing players who one parents may support them throughout their careers, as we have seen on the college level, at the ODP level, and in most cases Super Y-League, and leads to the U.S. national team levels. Let's figure out how to include the less fortunate player. QuickFeet Soccer for Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving youth top level professional training. Go to our website now for more information on teams, trainings, camps and clinics.

Soccer has enjoyed an incredible increase in popularity in the US. And yet the US perennially fails to achieve great results. Many people have pondered this enigma. Most criticisms are leveled at the specific coach or the players on the team. I would like to propose a different solution. I believe that the US soccer coaching styles inhibits, rather than helps, soccer players.
European soccer has done very well on the global stage. I believe that the reason for this success lies in the way players are raised in the game. I was born in Europe, and later moved to that states. I played at high levels of soccer and have a father who did so in Europe. What we have consistently seen is that most coaching focuses on segmenting the game. Coaches tend to focus on fundamentals in isolation. This is a really effective technique when you are training fro something like football. Football is a very structured game. Soccer is structured too, but on a whole other level.
The problem with this approach is that it does yield results. What I mean is that players do improve their fundamentals. You see players progressing in their passing, their shooting, and their defense. And the true issue with that scenario is that it masks the underlying problem of dynamic creativity and cohesion.
When my father was growing up in England they practiced like they played. What I mean is that they scrimmaged a ton. The "coaches" were there to point things out during play and keep things moving. The ironic thing is that the phrase "practice like you play" was used consistently in my practices in the states. However, the phrase meant something completely different. It was applied on the individual level.

INSPIRATION BY FOOTBALL USA

Detractors may point to the relatively poor standard of the USA's major soccer league (Major League Soccer). However, other nations suffer from poor domestic competition such as the African nations but they succeed because their players represent clubs who appear in strong competitions. This could be paralleled at the Untied States who have only four players in their 2010 World Cup squad that appear in their domestic league with the rest all appearing in strong European leagues, (added to this Landon Donavon has recent European experience with Everton). Seven of the States squad ply their trade in the English Premier League, three in Italy's Series A and one in the Spanish Primera League. It is experience such as this plus an abundance of confidence running through the squad than points to the reasons behind their 2010 group stage success.
At the time of writing the USA are awaiting their second round match against Ghana, surely they have a great chance of progressing to the quarter finals and then from there who knows?

SPEED FOOTBALL

 In the rest of the world it is the game commonly known as Football, and to be fair, the rest of the World laughs at how those from the states refer to it as "Soccer". It has also been known for other World nations to take delight in the fact that the USA are traditionally not very successful at World football, after all everyone fears the outcome that is more than possible if they start to take the game seriously...would anyone else have a chance in future World Cups? Would the trophy ever go anywhere else? 20 years ago you would have been laughed out of town at the suggestion that the United States may become a World force at "soccer" but are there now signs than this is a realistic suggestion?
The 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa will have opened up many eyes to the soccer revolution in the States. The team known as "The Stars and Stripes" topped their first round group, finishing ahead of the much fancied England after an opening match draw against said fancied team, a second draw against Slovenia and a late win when faced with Algeria. Undefeated qualification and top of the group, can you ask for more than that?
Should we really be surprised at their fortunes? The United States do have some World Cup pedigree. At the inaugural tournament held in 1930, the Stars and Stripes finished a creditable third. It is well documented that this early feat was succeeded with some real wilderness years during which time qualification to the finals was extremely rare. The change in fortunes came when the USA hosted the 1994 World Cup. Spirited performances in that tournament in front of large crowds began the rebirth of North American soccer. That rebirth did not take to come to fruition with a fourth place finish at Copa America in 1995, a quarterfinal appearance at the 2002 World Cup and significantly a 2009 Confederations Cup final appearance. On top of this the USA can boast four successes from their ten ventures in the Concacaf Gold Cup, a record bettered only by Mexico.

At the end, soccer is a beautiful game. It's much like life, it takes teamwork. There is acting involved, to try and build ones reputation. Trying to pretend like someone hurt you worse than they did to get sympathy. Most of the game is spent in toil. Most is spent seemingly running endlessly. Most of the shots are misses. It's a defensive game. People protect their prized possession, their own goal, with everything they have. In life, we all find more failure than success. Success can sometimes be a great individual effort, sometimes be being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes be a mistake by an opponent, like helping us score without doing a thing. The goal builds slowly, but happens suddenly. When it happens. It takes time to process. It's never an immediate reaction. There is shock involved. There is surprise that it actually worked out. There is jubilation and at the end you celebrate with the people that made it happen.

THE YOUNG FOOTBALL OF USA

Soccer in other countries is the closest thing I can compare to southern college football. The passion. The singular nature of the sport. Living in the south for so many years, I can tell you that people care about the other professional sports, but there is only one allegiance that matters, and that's to your college football team. It's not about the names, it's not about the particular plays of the game. It's about the rivalries. In a rivalry game, you don't care if it's the ugliest win ever...you just want to win. Success is measured by how you do in those games. In both sports, the people in the stands are part of the team. After every touchdown in a college football game the band plays and the entire stands sing in unison. In soccer, the crowd sings in unison at every game. After every game, the players interact with the fans. In soccer, they make their entrance with a child, it's symbolic of the next generation of players that will come after them. They are all one team. The players are just extensions of the people, doing what they can't with their God-given natural ability and hard work. Soccer and American college football would have thousands of people if their teams never won a game. South Carolina a few years ago sold out every game, 80,000 people, to see their team lose every game. The sport is part of it, but the bond you have with other fans is why you love it with these two sports.

Soccer isn't made for TV. It's another reason I think it will never catch on in our country. It's a pure 90 minutes of non-stop poetry. It's not built to have commercials put in to appease advertisers. A great soccer player is great even if his team's not. He is one that people admire simply for his brilliance. It's like watching someone's mind work except you are seeing them do it with their feet. An American sports player is only hailed as great if he is a champion. In American football, Dan Marino was an unbelievable quarterback, but wasn't considered the best because the team around him was sub-par. He could throw 5 touchdowns a game, but it didn't matter if his defense gave up 6. He had no control over it. If he had a great defense and would have won a few superbowls, he'd probably be considered the best ever. He held all the records at the time he retired. He did everything he could possibly do at his position to help win the game, but at the end, he's just considered, "one of the top quarterbacks." He held every record. That meant that he played the position better than any other player. No one in soccer would ever say that the best goaltender who allowed the least amount of goals and made the best stops wasn't the best simply because his team couldn't score.

TOTAL FOOTBALL FROM USA

When we started losing at basketball what did we do, we took the best basketball players and put them on a team together for two years so that when the olympics came we could slaughter everyone by 30 points. Make no mistake, this country celebrates winners. Our sports are our greatest past time. America invents sports. Not for the love of the game, but for the competition. We want to see who is the best. I have no doubt that if we were to solely focus on one sport, there is no country in the world that could compete with us. I don't say that arrogantly, I say it as a fact. Soccer is the fourth most popular sport in this country. That means that our best athletes play 3 other sports. If those athletes were trained to play a single game like soccer at a young age like every other country, with the resources this country has I just don't think another country could compete.

It's also kind of why I hope soccer never catches on in this country. We like sports with scoring. We like basketball because two teams will combine for 200 points. We like offensive football games. We like high scoring baseball games. We like offense. Soccer isn't like that. It's beautiful in that the only true way to watch a game is to be there. There are no timeouts, there is no stoppage. There aren't a ton of goals scored. If you blink, you will miss it. It's the build up. It's watching a goal develop and then being let down by a near miss. When you score a goal in soccer, you have accomplished a great thing. You can score 20 points a game in basketball and have an off night. You can throw 3 touchdowns in an American football game and have it be considered mediocre. You can get two hits in baseball, but if you don't get them at the right time it's not enough. A goal in soccer is good for the whole game. A goal in soccer is not a single event like a hit or touchdown or basket. A goal in soccer represents the culmination of several different skills, the ball being in the right place with a pass, a person being in the right place running without the ball, a defender being in the wrong place by not being in position and a little bit of luck that it all comes together at the same moment. It may only happen a few times a game.

South American Soccer

Club America Soccer stadium or simply Azteca is considered by Club America, as their own home ground because this is where they play all their home games. Club America is one of the legendary teams in Mexico. Each of the fabled soccer teams has their own favorite playing field they called home ground.
The Aztec Stadium or Azteca was planned by the world renowned architect in the name of Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, a native of Mexico. The sports ground was launched on the 29th day of May in the year 1966. The inauguration was highlighted by the game between Club America and Torino F.C. wherein the two teams tied in the score of 2-2.
Aside from being the home ground of America, the stadium also boasts of the record as the one and only pitch that has been able to host not only one World Cup finals but two, a record that the stadium held until now.
The record goal was made by Arlindo Dos Santos. It was the first goal ever made on that stadium during Club America and Torino F.C.'s match, the match that opened the stadium during its inauguration attended by 107,4943 viewers. The inaugural kick was made by the Mexican President itself Gustavo Diaz Ordaz and it was witnessed by FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous.

The modern lighting system for the stadium was inaugurated a little bit later. The day was June 5, 1966 when the stadium's lights were switched on to give illumination to the match between Valencia C.F. and Nexaca. The Honduran Jose Cardona made the first goal and Valencia C.F. emerged victorious on that match with a score of 3 against 1 of Nexaca.
A commemorative plaque was placed in the Club America Soccer Stadium in honor of the players who scored the first daylight goal as well as the first night game scorer.

Futbol is the world's game. I don't think it will ever be America's game because it doesn't fit our personality. As I grow older, I'm beginning to appreciate the game more and more. It is called the beautiful game. In America, though it's just called a game. One most could do without. Or, one that people will look at every four years because the rest of the world is so crazed about it. A game that divides people in this country but unites them every where else. I'm convinced most Americans don't like the game simply because we don't dominate it like we do every other sport. If America ever rose up and became a soccer giant, more people would like it, but only because it would be another thing to hang our hat on and say, "Look at us, we're the best."

REAL DONOVAN

Soccer America is also widely known. They may not be as popular as Mexico and Europe but they are on their way to the top. They organized a league, the Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1993 and have fourteen teams in the U.S and Canada.
They are slowly making a name most especially that David Beckham is already a part in one of the teams, the LA Galaxy. This has been a big issue since Beckham is from Europe and accepted the deal from his current team. In the World Cup 2006 fans are somewhat disappointed thinking that the team lacks determination but MLS worked hard on it and is stating to be competitive and heard in the soccer nation.
It has improved since 2003 and players have been aggressive on the game. Fans are getting more passionate as well and supportive. All clubs under MLS are really talented and perform well. There might not be enough teams and clubs in soccer America but they are planning to expand in 2010, fans surely would be glad.
MLS have a big plan and surely they would compete with other popular leagues. They been focusing of trainings and searching for potential players so that they can be comparable to other European and other soccer nation even though they have been through ups and downs yet they have survived.
In 2010 they are planning big and will be finishing a stadium in Philadelphia. Fans can't wait to cheer and sing their heart out for the upcoming events.
From bars to the set of the hit television show Friends, many people have seen the level of excitement that foosball can bring. The question is how many people realize that this popular game is a mirror image of soccer.
When you look down on the foosball game, you see that you have the players dressed in their soccer strip standing over a green field. Both of the goal holes that you are trying to knock the ball into, resemble the goals you find in soccer and even the tiny white ball looks like a soccer ball.
With these popular tables found in so many places and even popular tournaments in the United States, the question is why don't more people get into soccer? Well, the answer isn't as easy as you might like to believe.
American Football, Baseball and Basketball are the three most popular games in the United States. In fact, they are so popular that advertisers spend billions of dollars in advertising each year. These games draw in audiences that are in the multimillion ranges and there are sports channels that are devoted to them.
Each of these popular sports draws in unique crowds. For example, many families tend to take their young children to baseball. This sport has been established as the great American past time for generations. This is one of the reasons that it has become so popular. Football in turn is a highly competitive sport in the United States. From high school sports to college and even professional, many people have a direct connection with either playing the sport, or being close to someone that does. Basketball in turn is very similar.
This direct link to the childhoods and familiarity has quickly made these three sports standout for so many people. Since they span across the entire year, there is no break available for a new sport to join in the realm. This is one of the reasons why soccer hasn't increased in popularity.
In connection with this, the lack of popularity has also stemmed too little to no television time being directed towards this sport. Since a majority of US based teams play their season during the fall, they are up against the football juggernaut. Since this is a big drive for sports networks, soccer again is put to the bottom of the stack and other areas are focused on instead.
With all this in mind, foosball can be played at any point and time. This table unit doesn't take away from watching the big game on the screen. Instead, it is a low impact time passer that we can use to challenge our friends and enjoy a couple of beers playing at a bar.

THE CHAMPION USA

The UAB Blazers returned 17 starters in 2009 and were a dark horse candidate to challenge in Conference USA. A 5-7 record and 4-4 in conference play had the Blazers missing out on bowl play by just one game. Do everything QB Joe Webb departed and now 16 returning starters this season give head coach Neil Callaway another experienced group. UAB hopes to gain a bowl invitation for only the second time in school history.

When opponents scouted the UAB offense last season, one player gained all the attention. Joe Webb was one of the biggest game breakers in the nation a year ago and accounted for over 3700 yards of total offense and 33 touchdowns. He made a seamless transition from wide receiver to quarterback. Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round. Sophomore David Isabelle will get an opportunity to make his own legacy in 2010. He will have to beat out Bryan Ellis, Jonathan Perry and Emmanuel Taylor for the starting position. Isabelle was Webb's back-up last season and seems to have the upper hand on the competition. Most of the rushing was done by the quarterback position in 09' as Webb and Isabelle were 1-2 in yards. Justin Brooks and Daniel Borne played a limited role in the offense and accounted for just more than 400 yards on the ground. Their opportunities should increase with Webb no longer behind center. WR Frantrell Forrest is UAB's most consistent player having been a big piece of the puzzle for three years already. His 34 catches and nine touchdowns led the Blazers last year. Nick Adams and Roddell Carter will pitch in at receiver also, while tight end Jeffery Anderson is a legit threat over the middle of the field and was second on the team in catches. The offensive line will miss C Jake Seitz greatly. He was a four year starter and leader of the team. Four starters return, however, and many of the young guys gained a full year of experience so this unit should not drop off much.
On defense, the Blazers gave up yards in bunches and really struggled to defend the pass. Opponents averaged 312 yards passing/game in a conference that is filled with spread offenses. Nine players return on this side of the ball, giving UAB one of the most experienced defensive units in C-USA. FS Hiram Atwater was the team's only all-conference selection on the 1st or 2nd team after a 89 tackle performance last year. He leads a secondary that returns three full time starters and adds some junior college talent to help with depth. Improving on their numbers last season against the pass should not be an issue. The defensive line was respectable against the run in 2009 and have nearly their entire two deep back intact. DE Bryant Turner had a team high six sacks and has made 18 starts in his career. DT Elliott Henigan is another key player up front and recorded 9.5 tackles for loss a year ago. All three starters are back at linebacker and Lamanski Ware is the most talented of the bunch. His 71 tackles ranked second on the team. Special teams should be strong this year with the return of both the kicker and punter. Josh Zach connected on 14-21 field goals a year ago with a long of 51 yards.
The Blazers play two non-conference games against SEC opponents Tennessee and Mississippi State. Their conference opener takes place in Week 2 at SMU. The East division is open for the taking this year and if UAB wants to earn a trip to the conference title game they must defend their home turf. There is a three week stretch at the end of the year where the Blazers will play key match-ups at home. I believe this is coach Callaway's finest team yet and see a 7-5 record for the boys out of Birmingham.

SUPER USA

1908: London, England, Great Britain won the gold medal in soccer in the IV Olympic Games. The silver medal was won by Denmark.
1912: Stockholm, Sweden. Great Britain defeated Denmark 4-2. The bronze medal was won by Holland.
1920: Antwerp, Belgium. Belgium won the gold medal in football in the VII Olympic Games.
1924: Paris, France. Uruguay won the gold medal in soccer in the VIII Olympic Games.
1928: Amsterdam, Netherlands. For the second time, Uruguay won the gold medal in football in the IX Olympic Games.
1932: Los Angeles, California (USA). The football tournament was cancelled.
1936: Berlin, Germany. Italy defeated Austria 3-2. The bronze medal was won by Poland.
1948: London, England. Sweden won the gold medal in football in the Olympic Games. Sweden defeated Yugoslavia 3-1.
1952: Helsinki, Finland. Hungary defeated Yugoslavia 2-0 for the gold medal. The bronze medal was won by Sweden.

1956: Melbourne, Australia.The USSR (currently Russia, Georgia,Estonia...) captured the men´s soccer gold medal, with Yugoslavia finishing second and Bulgaria third.
1960: Rome, Italy. Yugoslavia defeated Denmark 3-1 for the gold medal. The bronze medal was won by Hungary.
1964: Tokyo, Japan. Hungary won the gold medal in soccer in the XVIII Olympic Games. The silver medal was won by Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic) and the bronze by Bulgaria.
1968: Mexico City, Mexico. Hungary defeated Bulgaria 4-1.
Final results: 1.Hungary; 2.Bulgaria; 3.Japan; 4.Mexico; 5.France; 6.Guatemala; 7.Spain; 8:Israel; 9.Colombia; 10.Guinea; 11.Brazil; 12.Nigeria; 13.Ghana; 14.Czechoslovakia; 15.Thailand; 16.El Salvador.

1972: Munich, West Germany. Final results: 1.Poland; 2.Hungary; 3.East Germany; 4.USSR; 5.Mexico; 6.Denmark; 7.Morocco; 8.West Germany; 9.Malaysia; 10.USA; 11.Iran; 12.Brazil; 13.Myanmar; 14.Sudan; 15.Colombia; 16.Guatemala.
1976: Montreal, Canada. Final results: 1.East Germany; 2.Poland; 3.USSR; 4.Brazil; 5.Spain; 6.Canada; 7.Mexico; 8.France; 9.Israel; 10.Guatemala; 11.Cuba; 12.Iran; 13.North Korea.
For political reasons, African countries (Nigeria, Zambia and Ghana) did not participate at the 1976 Montreal Games. Uruguay qualified for the 1976 Olympics, but it did not participate. Uruguay was replaced by Cuba.
1980: Moscow, USSR. Final results: 1.Czechoslovakia; 2.GDR (East Germany); 3.USSR; 4.Yugoslavia; 5.Cuba; 6.Kuwait; 7.Algeria; 8.Iraq; 9.Nigeria; 10.Colombia; 11.Venezuela; 12.Costa Rica; 13,Syria; 14.Finland; 15.Zambia; 16.Spain.
For political reasons, many countries (Iran, USA, Ghana, Egypt, Malaysia, Norway and Argentina) did not participate in the Olympics Games.The United States was replaced by Cuba.
1984: Los Angeles, California (USA). Final results: 1.France; 2.Brazil; 3.Yugoslavia;4.Italy; 5.Canada; 6.Chile; 7.West Germany; 8.Egypt; 9.USA; 10.Qatar; 11.Norway; 12.Cameroon; 13.Morocco; 14.Costa Rica; 15.Iraq; 16.Saudi Arabia.
1988: Seoul, South Korea. Final results: 1.USSR; 2.Brazil; 3.Sweden; 4.Italy; 5.Australia; 6.Argentina; 7.WGR (West Germany); 8.Zambia; 9.Tunisia; 10.Guatemala; 11.Iraq; 12.China; 13.South Korea; 14.Nigeria; 15.USA; 16.Yugoslavia.
1992: Barcelona, Spain. Final results: 1.Spain; 2.Poland; 3.Ghana; 4.Australia; 5.Italy; 6.Qatar; 7.Sweden; 8.Paraguay; 9.USA; 10.Kuwait; 11.Colombia; 12.Egypt; 13.South Korea; 14.Morocco; 15.Mexico; 16.Denmark.
1996: Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Final results: 1.Nigeria; 2.Argentina; 3.Brazil; 4.Portugal; 5.Ghana; 6.Mexico; 7.France; 8.Spain; 9.USA; 10.Tunisia; 11.Australia; 12.Saudi Arabia; 13.Japan; 14.Hungary; 15.South Korea; 16.Italy.
2000: Sydney, Australia. Final results: 1.Cameroon; 2.Spain; 3.Chile; 4.USA; 5.Japan; 6.Italy; 7.Brazil; 8.Nigeria; 9.South Korea; 10.Honduras; 11.South Africa; 12.Slovakia; 13.Kuwait; 14.Czech Republic; 15.Australia; 16.Morocco.
2004: Athens, Greece. Final results: 1.Argentina; 2.Paraguay; 3.Italy; 4.Iraq; 5.South Korea; 6.Mali; 7.Australia; 8.Costa Rica; 9.Mexico; 10.Ghana; 11.Morocco; 12.Tunisia; 13.Japan; 14.Portugal; 15.Greece; 16.Serbia & Montenegro.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He've studied political science and journalism. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, Olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Furthermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.
He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are “The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad” (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and “Murder of a Gentle Land” (by John Barron and Anthony Paul). His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.

SUPER USA FOOTBALL

Soccer is the most popular sport in almost every country in the world. That is unless you live in the USA where football, baseball and basketball are more popular. As a soccer coach the problem is therefore how to get youth players interested in playing soccer rather than the other sports.
Firstly we need to look at the reasons as to why other sports are more popular than soccer in the USA. One of the main reasons is spectator appeal. Local football, baseball and basketball are televised and promoted in every major city in the US. Young athletes watch this and associate with their heroes. Another reason is the money available in the professional game is much more in the American sports than in soccer. As a result, more young sports players aspire to earn their living with a high income in the American sports.
Not that soccer is a poor mans sport. Wages for soccer players around the world are now on the increase. For example 2 of the best soccer players in the world Christiano Ronaldo and Robinho are reported to be on $200, 000 and $320,000 per week respectively. David Beckham who plays for LA Galaxy is also high up there with the top soccer player earners. Although the interest in soccer is growing in the US among young sportsmen, the sport cannot compete as yet with the publicity, advertising and hype of the American sports.

The question is how to persuade young players in the US that soccer is the best sport to enter. Here are a few good reasons:
The involvement in the game is much greater in soccer than it is for other sports. In football there are so many stoppages in the game. Some players like the kickers may only have very limited involvement in the game. In soccer, even if your team does not have the ball, everyone has to hustle back to defend. Even the forwards have to defend from the front. Defenders when not defending have to support the midfield and forwards.
Soccer is very fast paced with almost continuous involvement. Basketball is probably the most similar of the American sports to soccer, the biggest difference being the size of the court to the field.
As well as speed, strength and stamina, skill is of the utmost importance in soccer thus producing an athlete with more rounded attributes. At youth level you will often find that youth soccer players often excel in the other American sports.
A good way to get youth athletes more interested in soccer is to get them watching high-class professional games on TV. The English Premier League is probably the best to watch as it is fast paced with a high skill level. Many of the best players in the world play in this league. There are several TV stations that show these games like Fox Sports World.
Also it would be good to get prospective youth soccer players to go to a few of their local college soccer games or semi pro games if there is a team in the area,
And then there is that magical feeling of scoring a goal with the goal celebration to follow. Soccer is certainly on the increase in the USA. The game produces leaders with more all round ability than the US sports. Success in soccer can lead to worldwide acclaim as players like Brad Friedel who plays in the English premier league has shown.

Soccer is a sport that any player can play and be successful in. As in football where physique and size is a major factor, in basketball where it is very advantageous to be well over 6 feet tall, any player can be successful in soccer no matter what size or physique a player has. Big and strong players can find positions as defenders, midfielders or forwards. Small players can find positions as forwards and wingers and develop skills to be successful in these positions. Slower players can also find positions, especially in midfield. There is a place for everyone who has the desire.

FOOTBALL USA CHAMPION

The East Carolina Pirates won the East division of Conference USA for the second straight year, and backed it up with another win in the conference championship game, this time beating Houston 38-32. The Pirates figure to have a tough time winning Conference USA for a third straight season, as they must learn new schemes under new head coach Ruffin McNeill and don't have a whole lot of talent back. The conference has some work to do if they want to be recognized as a top non-BCS conference after going just 2-4 in bowl games last season. I believe that we will see that improvement in 2010, and this conference could even produce a team in a BCS bowl game. Here is a look at my 2010 predictions for Conference USA.

EAST PREDICTIONS:
1.) Southern Miss Golden Eagles - The Golden Eagles are my pick to win the East division in 2010, but it won't be easy as this team has to play both Houston and Tulsa out of the West. The big question on offense will be how well this team can replace four starters on the offensive line, but I think this unit will be better than people expect. The defense has nine starters back and figures to be the best unit in the conference.
2.) UCF Knights - The Knights welcome back 15 starters in 2010, and figure to be right there with the Golden Eagles as the favorites to win East. The Knights also figure to be very good on the defensive side of the football, but just how good this team is will depend on the play of junior quarterback Rob Calabrese. Even though the Knights get the Golden Eagles at home, they have only beat the Golden Eagles once in the last five seasons.

3.) Marshall Thundering Herd - The Herd will go to work in 2010 under new head coach Doc Holliday, and I have some very high expectations for this team. They have 14 starters back from a team that went 7-6, and I look for the offense to be even better under Holliday's fast pace attack.
4.) East Carolina Pirates - A lot of experts are calling for a big drop off for the Pirates in 2010, and with good reason as this team only has 8 starters back and must adjust to McNeill's new schemes. While I don't think they have a shot at winning the division, I do think they will finish right in the middle of the East.
5.) UAB Blazers - The Blazers could easily finish in the top half of this division, as they get both Marshall and East Carolina at home. The problem is they have a really tough road schedule, and I think they disappoint in 2010.
6.) Memphis Tigers - The Tigers have not been good at all the past two seasons and with only 13 starters back for the 2010 season, I don't think this team will show much improvement if any in the East division.
WEST PREDICTIONS:
1.) Houston Cougars - I believe the Cougars are the most talented team in Conference USA this season, and the offense should be something special to watch under senior quarterback Case Keenum, who should get a lot of Heisman talk if this team is able to run the table.
2.) SMU Mustangs - The Mustangs pulled off a huge turnaround in 2009 going 8-5 after winning just two games combined in the two previous seasons. They are legit contenders to win the West, as they have 15 starters back and get the Cougars on their home turf.
3.) Tulsa Golden Hurricane - Here is a team that should put together a much better year than they had in 2009. The Golden Hurricane went just 3-5 in conference play last year, but with 14 starters back, including 9 on the offensive side of the ball, this team could surprise some people and compete for the top spot.
4.) Rice Owls - I am really looking for the Owls to put together a winning season in 2010, as they return a conference best 18 starters. Look out for Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie to come in right away and lead the rushing attack that averaged just 109 yards a game last season. The big concern for this team comes on the defensive side of the ball.
5.) UTEP Miners - The Miners bring back 15 starters to a team that went 4-8 overall and 3-5 in conference play, including the leading rusher in Conference USA last season in senior Donald Buckram. If the defense can improve with only five starters back, this team will likely be better than fifth in the West.
6.) Tulane Green Wave - Don't expect a lot out of the Green Wave in 2010, as they have just 11 starter back from a team that went 1-7 in conference play last season. It would be a huge surprise if this team finishes outside of last in the West.
CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Houston Cougars defeat Southern Miss Golden Eagles