Fútbol Fever

Baseball’s got competition as America’s favorite pastime. The recent World Cup elevated many Americans’ mild interest in soccer to infatuation. And as soccer is played in more countries than any other sport, there are many opportunities for local soccer fans to play their sport overseas.

Little League baseball, softball or youth football players would be hard-pressed to find as many tournaments, leagues and camps in so many places across the globe. “The great thing about soccer is you can play it almost anywhere,” says Bob Corrigan, president of Houston Express, which formed a few years ago by combining the Bellaire Soccer Club and West U Soccer. Bob’s dad was in the Foreign Service, and Bob lived and played soccer in many places around the world.

“I wanted to expose my boys to the international flavors I grew up with, so we take a house each summer in places like Guatemala or Mexico, and we immerse them in the culture. This means they get to play soccer there with the local kids.”

Bob’s younger son, Perry, 13, enjoys basketball and American football like many other eighth graders at his school, The Presbyterian School, but soccer is definitely his first love.

“When we lived in Mexico, I played with a club team. The kids were good, but for my age group, I was skilled enough to move to a level above,” says Perry. “You can tell they practice a lot because they play a lot. They don’t play video games like we do. The good thing is I was forced to speak Spanish as I was playing, which was good for my language skills.”

Brazilian opponents and members of the U-11 Houston Express celebrate after a game on the beach in Salvador, Brazil.

Bob plans to take Perry’s U-14 team next year to England for tournaments. “I believe our boys have just as good skills as kids who live in countries where soccer is considered the most popular sport,” he says, adding that Houston is fortunate to have outstanding coaching talent, including many who come from other countries. “The level of training is so good, even at a young age.”

Although Houston Express offers plenty of local and national-level competition, coaches and parents also arrange for teams to compete abroad.  One Houston Express U-11 team spent two weeks this past summer training at Club Bahia, Brazil, the premier training facility for rising Brazilian soccer stars.

“In Houston, we never play barefoot in the sand on the beach, but it’s part of their weekly training sessions,” says Drake Champion-Ball, 11, a sixth grader at Johnston Middle School who went on the trip. “It was fun, but it was tough.”

What impressed parents and coaches who chaperoned was how well the Houston kids kept up with their Brazilian counterparts. “It was amazing to see our kids capable of competing with some of the best soccer talent in Brazil,” says Richard Sanders, who accompanied his son, Matthew, 11, of The Post Oak School.

Besides daily workouts, tournaments and the kids playing recreationally in the many soccer cages found scattered throughout the city of Salvador, another big impression left on the kids was the food. “What I found interesting is that every restaurant served a lot of beef, and they have a really great soda called Guarana,” says Christopher Short, 10, also of The Post Oak School.

Besides playing the youth Brazilian team, the U-11’s got a chance to compete against kids from other countries. “Some of the matches during our stay included those against Slovenia and Algeria,” says Carmen Champion, Drake’s mom.

The Houston Express U-11 hopes to reciprocate and bring Club Bahia players to Houston. “If they come, I will take them to Chick-fil-A,” says Matthew Sanders. “And also a Dynamo and Rockets game.”

Peter and Paul Prentice, 11 and 14, students at The Awty International School, have played soccer on three continents. Their dad, Mike, helped organize the trip to Club Bahia, Brazil, for Peter’s team, and both boys train in the summers at the Rudi Voller Soccer Camp in Majorca, Spain.  “Rudi Voller is a retired German soccer star,” says Mike.

A few years ago, when Mike coached Paul’s team, Mike extended an invitation for them to stay in his family’s summer home in Majorca so they could train at camp. “Eight families came, and our kids were the only non-Germans in the camp.”

Paul Prentice may not have yet played in South America like his younger brother, but he got the chance to do so in England last year when he went with Houston Express coach Eric Johnson. The trip included staying in dorms at Chester University and watching an exhibition game at Manchester United’s stadium. “I enjoyed playing against the English kids because they are very organized, talking to each other with different views of the game,” Paul says.

John Schroeder (far right) with David Patterson, Andy Gaitan, and referee Fred Graham, prepare to enjoy a soccer match in England.

Ten Albion Hurricane Football Club players recently returned from a chance-in-a-lifetime experience in England. Like the Houston Express, the Albion Hurricanes offer soccer opportunities for Houston-area players. As part of a partnership, the Albion Hurricanes arrange with Reading FC, a top English professional club, for a week of intensive training. Forrest Denio, 15, a Memorial High School sophomore, was one of the lucky ten picked.

“We trained with the Academy team at Reading, which is their elite U-15 players. I am going to try to incorporate what I learned from them into my play this year.  I hope it will make me a better player,” Forrest says. “Their plays are a lot faster than ours, such as their movements and passing. We had to adjust to it.”

“When we first got there, our teammates from Houston had been accustomed to playing at our slower pace. We usually build up to a fast pace by the middle of the game, but the English kids play 100 miles an hour for the full 90 minutes,” says Josh Durham, 15, another Memorial High school sophomore on the trip.

Teammate John Schroeder, 14, an eighth grader at The Awty International School, was also chosen for the trip. “The Reading FC’s Academy program, which is for youth who show promise of being able to develop into players for the first team of the professional club, are considered the top 2-5 percent of English footballers our age,” says John. “Two of the trainers we worked with have experience in the English Premiership, the most competitive league in the world.”

A memory that will be everlasting was a day spent with Noel Hunt, a member of the national team for Ireland. “I got to ride with him to a game, and again to my practice the next day. He was so relaxed, and seemed like just another person, but in America, you would almost never get to meet or spend time in a car with a player of his caliber,” says John.

Carolyn Cohen’s chance to play soccer overseas came when she was in college. Playing soccer for Lamar High School and then Auburn University, Carolyn tried out for the Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style competition bringing Jewish athletes together from across the United States and around the world. One of 18 girls chosen to play for Team USA, Carolyn spent 12 days in Argentina. Her team brought home the gold.

“It was such a high, playing soccer in a beautiful country with people from all over the world and being with other girls who love soccer as much as I do,” she says.

Carolyn was selected for another Maccabi Games event in Israel, and again her team won the gold medal. “I think the women’s team was very strong. We played a lot of teams, such as England’s and Australia’s. I think the U.S. puts as much emphasis on women’s sports as men’s, so girls in the U.S. have many opportunities to be strong in their sport,” she says.

Carolyn’s brother, Brian, also a former Lamar High School player and currently playing for Southwestern University, will be traveling to Australia in a few months to play for the U.S. men’s team at the Maccabi Games in Sydney.

Leba Shallenberger and son Nate Shallenberger show support for the U.S. team at the World Cup in South Africa.

If an opportunity to play outside of the United States doesn’t present itself, there’s always a chance for the true fan to at least watch it abroad.

Leba Shallenberger and son Nate, 26, haven’t come down to earth fully since returning from their trip to South Africa to watch the World Cup. Nate, who played soccer as a child, describes the elation of U.S. soccer fans when their team scored the winning goal against Algeria.

“Thousands of fans went nuts. Strangers hugging and high-fiving,” says Nate.

They may not have played internationally themselves, but the thrill of watching, they say, came close.

Editor’s Note. For more information, visit the Albion Hurricanes Football Club at www.albionhurricanes.org or the Houston Express Soccer Club at www.houstonexpresssoccer.org.