Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

CUBA DIARY: Letter from Fidel

Mike Woitalla reports from Havana
Walking down one of Havana’s longest streets, the Calle Infanta, I’m approached by man in a worn-out striped polo shirt who asks where I’m from. After I answer he says, in a friendly way, “You must come with me.” We walk past one of the street vendors who refills disposable lighters, then take a right turn toward the University of Havana and enter a stylish cafe. “This is where Fidel Castro and Che Guevara discussed many important things,” says my new tour guide, Victor. While now ailing, Fidel still has strong views, in particular on the state of Cuban sports.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

USA is motivated by Saturday’s historic Cuba clash in Havana

On Thursday evening, the U.S. national team arrived at the Hotel Melia Cohiba, two blocks from Havana’s charming Malecon, the four-mile waterfront walkway. Before heading for the team dinner, Coach Bob Bradley discussed the significance of Saturday’s Cuba-USA game (TV: ESPN Classic & Galavision, 8 pm ET). “I don’t think there’s extra pressure,” he said, “but we do understand the fact that this game will bring extra attention.”

Posted inYouth Soccer Reporter, Youth What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“We’re not asking for anything for free, [but] the kids we serve aren’t exactly upper-middle-class kids.”

— Irene Chavez, treasurer of the the Anaheim (Calif.) Soccer Club, after the local school district said that it would cost the club $60,000 to use fields for a whole season under a new fee schedule. Before this year, leagues paid $20 permit fees to use the fields. Both parties hoped to reach a compromise. (Orange County Register)

Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter

RISING STAR: Chivas USA’s Omar Becerra

Omar Becerra joined the Chivas USA U-18 team through Sueno MLS, a program that offers a series of open tryouts for professional soccer hopefuls. Becerra traveled three times a week from his home in San Diego, where he has a young daughter and attended an alternative high school, to Bell Gardens, a community about five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, where Chivas practiced.

Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story

IN HER OWN WORDS: South Carolina’s Blakely Mattern

Blakely Mattern is the star of the South Carolina women’s defense that has yet to give up a goal in three games — marking the first time the Gamecocks have opened with three straight shutouts. Mattern, one of only four players to have played every minute of every game, was the 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. She recaps USC’s pre-season preparations and the excitement of opening the season and being introduced at halftime of the South Carolina-N.C. State football game before more than 80,000 fans.

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