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121
General Discussion / Barack Obama: one term or two?
« on: January 20, 2010, 03:20:45 PM »
Discuss.

122
Football / From War to the Pitch
« on: December 02, 2009, 06:26:37 PM »
From War to the Pitch

Dec. 2, 2009
By Amy Farnum
NCAA.com

For Lees-McRae College senior forward Berin Boracic, the battles he will face on the soccer field at the Division II Championship this week pale in comparison to spending his childhood in a warzone during the Bosnian War. 

Boracic grew up in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the conflict in the 1990s, and he and his family felt the effects of war firsthand.  His father Isam was a soldier and was apart from the family for much of the war, but still urged his son to play soccer as he did.  Boracic began playing the sport when he was five years old for one of the major soccer clubs in Sarajevo -- Veljo. 

“(My dad) always wanted me to play and knew a lot of players and good coaches,” said Boracic.  “His buddies were coaches at the time, and they coached me.  They saw talent in me and still wanted me to play even though it was during the war and my dad was always away on the battlefield.  I had to do a lot of it on my own.  I took trips to practice on my own even though I was a little kid.” 

Boracic’s mother Hajra was pregnant with his little brother at the time, making it difficult for her to travel.  His grandmother did help him for awhile, but then she passed away in 1994 and he had to find his own way to practices and games.

During the course of the conflict, Boracic saw his friend shot on the way to practice, and directly suffered as a casualty of battle.

“In 1995, I got hit by shrapnel playing outside of the house from a bomb and was in the hospital for about eight months,” said Boracic.  “I recovered really well.  At the same time, my dad was in (war) prison and didn’t know it happened.  I survived, but it was frightening.”

Although he still has shrapnel in his body, Boracic kept going back to the soccer field as an escape from the war-torn city.  And despite the fear and danger of living in that situation, he knows it helped mold him into a better person.

“The war kind of shaped me into what I am now -- tough and responsible and wanting to do my best,” said Boracic.  “Growing up in that city was really crazy – the percentage of me staying alive was less than being dead.  You lived life on the edge every day, but I got through it and I’m really happy where I am now.”

In 2001, the Bosnian government offered Boracic and his family a chance to start a new life, and they decided to relocate to Orlando, Fla.

“The Bosnian government gave us an opportunity to move on and have a better life, and we chose the United States because it’s the ‘land of opportunity,’” said Boracic.  “It was great.”

Boracic began playing for a club team in Florida, and eventually attended Oakridge High School, where he was on the soccer team.  At a soccer tournament at Disney, Boracic caught the eye of Lees-McRae head coach Chris Whalley, and after his high school graduation in 2005, he headed up to Banner Elk, N.C., to start a stellar college career.

After recording 18 goals and 47 points for the Bobcats in 2007, he was named the 2007 Conference Carolinas and Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year.  The Bobcats swept the league regular season and tournament championships for the first time that season. 

Last year, Boracic was forced to sit out the season after suffering a torn ACL while playing with Premier Development League over the summer.  He had surgery and rehabilitated the knee, and has come back this year as strong as ever.  Boracic has scored 15 goals and nine assists for 39 points, and was once again selected the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year.

And, he has led the Bobcats to their first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance.  LMC is the first Conference Carolinas or Southeast Region member to advance to the national semifinals.

“It’s a big accomplishment for our school and soccer – the whole program,” said Boracic. 

The Bobcats (18-2-1) will face Lewis University (16-3-2) on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. ET following the first semifinal match-up of Le Moyne (17-2-3) and Fort Lewis (22-1-0) at 11 a.m. ET.  The winners of the two games will meet on Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET in a contest that will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports.

The games will be held in Tampa, Fla., at the University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium, just a short drive from Orlando, giving Boracic’s family and friends the chance to watch the culmination of a great college career.

123
Football / Big Clash, Big Rocks: Egypt v Algeria
« on: November 13, 2009, 08:03:20 AM »
Just caught some footage of the Algerian team being attacked as they arrived in Egypt. A couple players had blood running down their faces, and one showed a large rock that had been thrown at the team ... as he shouted to journalists: "Is this football, is this football?"

Heavy security in Egypt-Algeria World Cup match
 
 
By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press
2009-11-13 05:54 PM   
 
Egypt and Algeria play for a place in the World Cup on Saturday, 20 years after a similar make-or-break match between the teams sparked riots.

Emotions are already running high. Egypt fans greeted the Algeria team at the airport by throwing stones. Police controlled the mob, but Algerian officials said two team members were injured. The police denied any one was injured.  :bs:

On Saturday, special forces, counterterrorism squads and plainclothes agents will be deployed in and around the 80,000-seat stadium. Police will search fans entering the stadium. Sharp objects, cans and glass bottles will be banned, the official said.

In Algiers, fans burned Egyptian flags.

The Egypt foreign minister assured the Algerian government that their citizens would be safe in Cairo.

The match will determine which of the two African teams qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Both countries have been in the competition twice before, but Algeria hasn't qualified in 24 years.

Egypt, a record six-time African Cup of Nations champion, last qualified for the World Cup 1990 but faces a tough challenge Saturday. It needs to win by at least three goals to qualify _ or by two to secure a playoff with Algeria.

If necessary, a playoff between the teams will be held in Sudan.

In 1989, the two played in similar circumstances. Egypt won, advancing to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, sending Algeria home. After the match in Cairo, fans clashed, and the Egypt team doctor lost an eye when he was hit by a bottle.

"This can be a very tough and tense game," said Hassan al-Mistikawi, an Egyptian sports commentator. "It will all depend on whether the Egyptians score early. If the Algerians do, it will get very rough."
 
 

124
... played college sports.

NCAA Awards of Valor go to Phillips, Saberi  
Nov 11, 2009


Richard Phillips, a former basketball student-athlete at Massachusetts Maritime, and Roxana Saberi, a former soccer player at Concordia-Moorhead, have been chosen as recipients of the 2010 NCAA Award of Valor.

Phillips, captain of a merchant vessel, surrendered himself to ensure his crew’s safety after pirates hijacked their ship was hijacked in the Indian Ocean. Saberi was working as a journalist in Iran when she was arrested and jailed for several months.

The NCAA Award of Valor is presented to current or former student-athletes, coaches or administrators who averted or minimized potential disaster by showing uncommon bravery and courage in the face of grave personal danger.

Phillips and Saberi will be recognized in January during the Honors Celebration at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta.

Phillips

Phillips, the captain of a merchant vessel bound for Kenya, demonstrated rare courage in an effort to protect his crew from harm after Somali pirates hijacked it this past spring.

 “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew,” President Obama said. “His courage is a model for all Americans.”

The Maersk Alabama was carrying food for Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda and was bound for Mombasa, Kenya, when four pirates boarded and hijacked the ship April 8. While the Maersk’s crew of 21 retook control of the ship, Phillips surrendered himself to ensure the safety of his crew.

The crew initially attempted to trade a captured pirate for the captain, but after the pirate was released, the other pirates refused to return Phillips. Instead, they fled on one of the Maersk’s lifeboats and took the captain with them.

The USS Bainbridge, rescue helicopters and lifeboats were called in for support. A standoff ensued between the American war ship and the pirates’ lifeboat. On April 10, Phillips attempted to escape by jumping out of the lifeboat and swimming to safety, but he was recaptured when the pirates opened fire. Meanwhile his captors were trying to connect with other pirates and move Phillips to Somalia, where it would be more difficult to engineer a rescue attempt.

Obama had issued a standing order to act if officials believed Phillips’ life was in immediate danger. Two days later, Navy SEAL snipers fired on the pirates from the USS Bainbridge, killing all three of Phillips’ captors.

Phillips’ crew said they were able to escape because the captain offered himself as a hostage. Massachusetts Maritime’s president, Adm. Rick Gurnon, called Phillips’ actions an example of true leadership.

“His courage during the Somali pirate capture last April was in the highest tradition of maritime service and reflect his strength of character and valor,” Gurnon said. “From the moment he went into the lifeboat until he was dramatically rescued by the U.S. Navy, he endured severe physical and mental conditions with amazing calm and patience.”

Saberi

Saberi was freed from Iran’s Evin Prison last spring after her late-January arrest and a weeks-long incarceration. The ordeal tested not only her will to survive but also her beliefs and values.

Saberi, a 1997 graduate of Concordia-Moorhead, was a seasoned print and television journalist who had worked in Washington, D.C.; Missouri; North Dakota; and Texas, when she decided to move to Iran in 2003. While there in the birthplace of her father, she planned to learn Farsi, gain a deeper understanding of the Iranian culture and, as a freelance journalist for the BBC and National Public Radio, shed light on the country and its culture.

Without warning, Iranian officials arrested and jailed Saberi on January 31 for an alleged minor offense. Her incarceration was so unexpected that several weeks passed before any word of her whereabouts or the charges against her reached friends and family. In the meantime, she was subjected to severe psychological and mental stress, including being blindfolded and interrogated for many days, physically threatened and warned that she could be sentenced to death or up to 20 years in prison.

“During the early days of my detainment, I felt terrified, helpless and alone. I felt that even God had abandoned me,” Saberi said. “I was not ready to stand up for my beliefs. My main thoughts were to survive and to get out of prison.”

Though she initially made a false confession, believing that it would lead to a speedy release, Saberi later recanted that testimony. She drew strength from her faith, her conscience and her cellmates, many of whom had been detained solely because they peacefully pursued freedom of expression, freedom of assembly or religious beliefs.

“It took some time for me to realize that the life I wanted was not one that would require me to sacrifice my values in order to live,” she said. “After a while, especially after seeing the strength and self-sacrifice of many of my cellmates, I realized I had to try to right my wrongs as best I could, even if it meant jeopardizing my chance at freedom.”

Eventually, Saberi was tried, convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage during a short, unannounced trial. Outside the prison walls, she was the focus of a spontaneous and growing movement around the world, including at her alma maters Concordia and Northwestern. Inside Evin, Saberi took the extraordinary step of going on a hunger strike.

Finally, the Iranian Revolutionary Court of Appeals released Saberi with a two-year suspended sentence on May 11, 2009, exactly 100 days after she was detained. She attributes her freedom largely to the groundswell of support she received from across the world and hopes the same efforts can be made for others who have been wrongly incarcerated.

Saberi said she is both honored and humbled to be an NCAA Award of Valor recipient.

“I honestly think many others deserve this award more than I do, but I am deeply honored by it,” she said. “I would like to dedicate this award to all the prisoners of conscience who are unjustly jailed in Iran. Some have been under tremendous pressure to make confessions that are not true, and many have shown valor and courage in their peaceful pursuit of their basic rights.”

Her book, “Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran,” will be released next April.

125
General Discussion / Savannah, GA
« on: November 11, 2009, 11:14:18 AM »
Anyone familar with the place?

126
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Senior Citizen Choir takes on Hip Hop
« on: November 09, 2009, 08:39:09 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/1h5UBeQcgjs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/1h5UBeQcgjs</a>


Traumatising!

127
Football / Yannick Pilgrim
« on: October 11, 2009, 07:17:59 AM »
Davidson Pulls Off 4-1 Upset Win Over No. 9 Duke
Oct. 7, 2009


DAVIDSON, N.C. - Two goals in the first eight minutes proved to be the difference as the Davidson men’s soccer team defeated a nationally-ranked opponent for the second time this season, downing No. 6 Duke, 4-1 on Tuesday night in front of 1,487 fans in Alumni Stadium.

Junior forward Yannick Pilgrim (Arima, Trinidad & Tobago) led the scoring effort with two goals, including the game-winner. Freshman Brian McGue (Dublin, Ohio) and Southern Conference scoring leader Charlie Reiter (Westport, Conn.) also registered a goal each.

“Yannick showed his class again tonight,” said head coach Matt Spear. “He is just dynamite. His pace and his finishing are surreal. He had one of those games where you just couldn’t catch him.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Chip Sanders (Thomasville, Ga.) made two saves as the Davidson defense fended off 19 shots from Duke’s attack.

Davidson (9-1-0) has now beaten two nationally-ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2004. On Sept. 25 this season, the Wildcats beat then-No. 25 South Carolina by the same 4-1 score at home. The win extends Davidson’s winning streak to seven games and keeps them on track to match the 10-1 start to the 1990 season.

“I went into this game thinking we could win because the guys have played so well and have come so far already this season,” said Spear. “They just believe that their way, their system, and their patterns are working so precisely, and so sharply, that they can win every single game.”

Duke’s three-match winning streak in the series was halted. Davidson had last beat Duke in 2003 by a score of 2-0 at home.

Duke (7-3-0) entered the match coming off wins over the defending Southern Conference regular season champions, Elon, and the defending nation champions, then-No. 2 Maryland. Soccer America ranked the Blue Devils sixth in the country in a poll released on Monday, while the National Soccer Coaches Association of America ranked them eighth in a poll released on Tuesday. Davidson received votes in the NSCAA poll to effectively rank them 28th.

Davidson got on the scoreboard just three minutes into the match off a corner kick from senior forward Reiter. Reiter placed the ball along the goal line where McGue was able find it through traffic and head it in for his first career goal.

The ‘Cats struck again five minutes later. Sophomore defender Garrett Bostwick (Cary, N.C.) sent a lead pass up the right flank that appeared to be intended for McGue. The ball slipped past McGue near the top of the 18-yard box, but Pilgrim streaked in and beat a Duke defender to the ball. Pilgrim dribbled in to the six-yard box near the right post and beat freshman goalkeeper James Belshaw to the far-post side.

“I read the dummy from Brian McGue, and I saw it clean on to the goal,” said Pilgrim “I knew that if I just beat the defender in front of me, I could get the shot off and get it. I just took a hard shot towards the left post and hoped for the best, and it went in.”

“When you put a team on their heels like that early, it is hard for them to recover,” said Spear. “The early goals were an enormous lift for us. They got Duke out of their rhythm and tempo, and had them playing catch-up throughout the match. The early start was tremendous.”

Duke responded though as Matthew Thomas headed the ball in off a corner kick from Cole Grossman to cut the Wildcats’ lead in half at 24:37.

Davidson secured the win though in the second half after adding a pair of goals.

In the 12th minute of the half, junior Josh Zipin (Silver Spring, Md.) took a shot from the center of the field, 15-yards out, which was saved by Belshaw. Belshaw was not able to control the rebound off his diving save, and Reiter found the ball to the left of the net for the score.

The save was Belshaw’s only one in the match. Davidson got off 11 shots total.

Pilgrim put the match out of reach at 76:09, stealing the ball from a Duke defender and dribbling in to the left of the six-yard box. Pilgrim then bounced a shot off the inside of the far-post for the goal, which was his seventh of the season.

“It’s good to show ranked teams that Davidson is a dangerous place this year,” said Pilgrim after the game. “Teams in past years wouldn’t respect us, but this year we are showing them that we are scoring goals and that we are going for everyone.”

“Our guys just had that spirit about them that this game was going to be ours,” said Spear. “Soccer is a game that is all about the players on the field. Tonight it was all them connecting the dots on the field for the win. Beating Duke is a tremendous accomplishment that also means a great deal to our alumni and fans. I am thrilled that our players were able to deliver such a big win for them.”

The Wildcats will resume their conference schedule with a trip to Elon on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. match. Davidson will host conference foes Appalachian State (Oct. 14) and Furman (Oct. 17) next week. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.

Notes: Reiter remains the team’s scoring leader with 21 points (7g, 7a) … The win was Davidson’s eighth over Duke in 42 all-time matches … Duke prevailed by 2-0 scores in both 2007 and 2008 and also won in 2006, 3-1 … The teams did not meet in 2004 and 2005 … Street Soccer 945, a soccer program for the homeless originally founded by Davidson men’s soccer alumnus Lawrence Cann, played an exhibition match at halftime … A portion of the proceeds from the game went to benefit the Charlotte Street Soccer USA team

128
Football / Chike Sullivan
« on: September 24, 2009, 07:01:13 AM »
He was with the U-20s on the Venezuela tour ... not successful in making it into the final squad for Egypt to be among those players who would have U17 WC and U 20 WC participations under their belts. Would also have been one of a handful of players playing collegiately.

His college squad is nationally ranked this season ... as they were last year ... and the youngster has been a contributor.

CSM records first win at new CSM Soccer Stadium; Mines defeats Northwest Nazarene, 5-1

GOLDEN, Colo. - The Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team scored four second half goals in route to a 5-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday afternoon at the brand new CSM Soccer Stadium. For the box score, click here.

The Crusaders got on the board first after drawing a foul just outside the box. Renatto Britto drove the ball just underneath the cross bar in the top right corner from 25 yards out giving NNU a 1-0 in the seventh minute of the match.

CSM tied the game in the 19th minute when Alex Nass was taken down in the box. Chike Sullivan converted on the penalty kick for the Orediggers.

Tied at one after 45 minutes of play, CSM scored four goals in the second half. Three of those goals came during a five-minute stretch.

Cale Haas gave CSM its first lead just one minute and 29 seconds (47th minute) into the game. Three and a half minutes later (51st minute), Alex Nass slotted a ball from the right side of the box to the feet of Philip Wilson giving Mines a 3-1 lead.

In the 52 minute, just 43 seconds after Wilson's goal, Jeff Nelson found open space and scored his first goal of the season. The Orediggers added their fifth goal when Haas stole the ball from a Crusader defender and took the keeper on one-on-one to score his second goal of the game.

Manville Strand earned the win in the net allowing just one goal and making a pair of saves.

The Orediggers (1-0-0) will host the University of Mary on Monday, August 31st at the CSM Soccer Stadium. The game is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

CSM blanks the University of Mary, 3-0
Aug 31, 2009

GOLDEN, Colo. - The Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team posted its first shutout win of the season as they defeated the University of Mary by a score of 3-0 on Monday afternoon at the CSM Soccer Stadium.

CSM jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Masaki Hemmi crossed a ball into the box and found the head of Philip Wilson for Wilson's second goal of the season in the eighth minute of the match.

In the 24th minute, Jeff Nelson found the feet of Chike Sullivan just outside the six-yard box to give Mines a 2-0 lead. The goal was Sullivan's second of the season.

In the 77th minute, after a ball was cleared out of the University of Mary box, Cale Haas served the ball back from 35 yards out and connected with Trevor Braun who headed the ball past the near post for his first goal of the season.

CSM's defense limited the Marauders to six shots, none of which were on goal. Manville Strand earned his first shutout of the season in goal.

The Orediggers (2-0) will play at Upper Iowa on Friday, Sept. 4th at 4:00 pm (MST). CSM will then take on Missouri S & T at Upper Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 6th at 12:00 pm (MST).

CSM defeats Upper Iowa, 2-0
Sep 4, 2009

FAYETTE, Iowa - The Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team defeated Upper Iowa 2-0 on Friday afternoon at Pattison Field.

Chike Sullivan converted a penalty kick in the 19th minute to give CSM a 1-0 lead. The goal was Sullivan's third of the season and the second courtesy of a penalty kick.

Alex Gunberg increased the Oredigger lead to 2-0 with his first collegiate goal in the 60th minute off a rebound.

CSM's defense limited the Peacocks to 5 shots in the match, three on goal, and one corner kick. Manville Strand recorded his second shutout as he made three saves in net.

The Orediggers (3-0) will take on Missouri S & T at Upper Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 6th at 12:00 pm (MST).

 




129
What about Track & Field / Bahamian athletes arrested in Berlin
« on: August 24, 2009, 10:36:39 AM »
Bahamian athletes arrested in Berlin

BY KEVA LIGHTBOURNE ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ kdl@nasguard.com:
Monday, August 24, 2009

Three Bahamian male athletes were among a group of six taking part in the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany, that were arrested early Sunday after a scuffle at the Havanna Disco in Berlin, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

The report indicated that the men were being investigated on possible charges of disturbing the peace and causing bodily harm.

The athletes were not identified by name in accordance with German privacy laws. But, according to a Nassau Guardian source well known in the sporting arena, the men are 25-year-old high jumper Donald Thomas; 24-year-old hurdler Shamar Sands, and triple jumper Leevan Sands, 28.

The source said "this is a big disappointment and most unfortunate, especially after the team performed so well."

The men were arrested along with a 26-year-old American and two men from Cuba aged 21 and 24.

Berlin Police spokesman Frank Millert said the men all spent the night in jail, but were released Sunday.

A statement released from the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA's) Public Relations Officer Kermit Taylor yesterday, offered very little information on the matter, but said the men are senior Bahamian athletes.

"The BAAA regrets to inform that an incident occurred with 3 of our senior athletes in Berlin, where the athletes were detained and questioned.

"They were subsequently released. The BAAA regrets this unfortunate incident. A full investigation will be forthcoming," the statement said.

The incident reportedly occurred just before 4 a.m. as the athletes, who were part of a larger group of 20 people, tried to get into the packed nightclub.

The report said words were exchanged with doormen after the group was told to stay in a waiting area. Allegedly, the confrontation escalated when the doormen tried to force the group to leave.

Reportedly, bottles were thrown at the club employees, injuring a 30-year-old and a 36-year-old in the head, and a 27-year-old in the face. All three reportedly refused medical treatment.

It is understood that the police were called and the Bahamian athletes along with the American were arrested. The two Cubans were arrested some time later, reportedly after more items were thrown. In accordance with the German legal system, Millert reported that prosecutors would review investigate the incident in the coming week and decide whether charges would be laid.

Up to press time last night, The Nassau Guardian was unable to ascertain what actions, if any, the BAAA would take against the athletes.

Team manager Ralph McKinney confirmed that the men are able to leave Berlin.

"They are free. The police have their contact information if they need to contact them in reference to anything. They are all back here at the Games Village. After last night no Bahamian left the Games Village to go to the farewell party," he said.

McKinney agreed with the report that the athletes were trying to get into a club when pushing and shoving started. "Security came and mace and all that stuff occurred and the police were eventually called."

With regard to the charges, McKinney said Berlin police are still investigating.

"In events at games of this nature, normally they investigate and based on their findings they decide who would be charged."

Reportedly when the athletes were leaving the police station the international press had already gathered outside the station waiting to take photographs.

The AP reported that disturbing the peace can be punished in Germany with a small fine, but the charge of causing bodily harm carries a penalty of three months imprisonment.


 

130
Football / Atlanta-based: Kennesaw State v Mexico (exhibition) on Sunday
« on: August 22, 2009, 02:14:59 PM »
If yuh in dem there parts go support Maylee and her squad. Maylee has been named 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player of the Year, despite recent injury challenges.

Owls to Host Mexico National Team

KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State head coach Rob King and the women’s soccer program have announced that the Owls will host the Mexico Women’s Soccer National Team in an International Friendly on Sunday evening, Aug. 23 at the KSU Soccer Complex.

The 6:00 p.m. match will be the fourth international friendly the Owls have played, but the first one versus a full national team. The Owls have twice played the Mexico U-20 National Team over the past 18 months.

“We are very excited to host this match against the Mexico National Team,” said King. “The relationship between Kennesaw State and Mexico’s women’s soccer organization is increasingly growing and we are proud to be part of this match and it’s budding tradition.”

The game will be an exhibition match that will come after the Owls open up the regular season at the University of Georgia and in preparation of matches against Francis Marion, Minnesota and Auburn.

“After the match at Georgia this event will allow us to not only play a high-level international match, but it will also allow us to identify and make adjustments to our squad as we head into the season,” added King on his team’s first-ever exhibition match played during the regular season.

The series began with the Get Global Challenge played at the KSU Soccer Complex in the spring of 2008 with the Owls losing a rain-shortened match. Last August, the teams played a friendly match in Nashville with the Mexican squad shutting out the Owls.

The Black and Gold also played the Welsh National team in the spring of 2005 in Rhyl, Wales with the Owls dropping a 1-0 decision.

The Mexican squad will play Kennesaw State on Sunday after playing the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. on Aug. 21 as part of the team’s tour throughout the United States.


All tickets for the match are general admission tickets and can be purchased for $14 on the KSU Owls website at http://ksuowls.ticketsxchange.com. Parking in the East Deck will be $5. Even KSU students, faculty and staff will have to purchase tickets. For continued information please visit the women’s soccer schedule site at www.ksuowls.com.

Who Mexico National Team vs. Kennesaw State Owls
What Women’s Soccer International Friendly
Where KSU Soccer Complex, Kennesaw, Ga.
When Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Tickets $14.00 General Admission, $5 Parking

Note: USC beat the Mexicans 2-0 yesterday.

131
General Discussion / Mind she hol yah she got Krazy Glue
« on: August 08, 2009, 07:54:58 AM »
Had heard bout something similar involving a Caribbean nurse in the Big Apple ... cyah vouch fuh that but in Wisconsin ....

Cheater! Four Women Krazy Glue Penis


What happens when you cheat your wife? Well, ask Therese Ziemann who will get your husband and superglue his manhood to his stomach.

According to reports, Ziemann and the man's wife and a few girls he met off Craigslist got some revenge on him by tying him up in a motel and torturing him.

Now revenge is placed back on them as the police have arrested the women. The wife, Wendy Sewell, Michelle Belliveau, and Therese Ziemann are being charged with false imprisonment and the man's wife with sexual assault.

According to NBC Chicago, "Criminal complaints filed Friday allege the man agreed to be bound with "sheer sheets'' and blindfolded with a pillowcase for a "rub down'' by Ziemann.

She instead cut off his underwear with a scissors and summoned the others to the room with a text message. Ziemann struck the man in the face, and used Krazy Glue to attach his penis to his stomach when the other women arrived, according to the complaints."


The husband was also threatened with a gun although no gun was present. He was blindfolded so he could not see for sure.

The woman left after he started getting wild and took his wallet, cellphone, keys, and car. He got away by biting through the sheets.

Women stick together against cheating lover


A sticky case of revenge unfolded last week in a Wisconsin motel after a woman discovered her husband was cheating and invited three other scorned lovers to settle the score -- with Krazy Glue.

The 36-year-old Lothario was carrying on with all of them before his wife figured it out and notified the others, according to a criminal complaint filed in Calumet County, Wis., in a town about 90 miles north of Milwaukee.

"We had a plan," one of the women, Therese Ziemann, 48, told an investigator, according to court records.

Ziemann lured the man to a Stockbridge hotel Thursday, promising a "rub down," the complaint says. He was blindfolded and tied to a bed. Then Ziemann text-messaged the other three women, including the man's wife, who joined her in the room.

One of them, Wendy Sewell, 44, reportedly asked, "Which one do you love more?"

After the victim was threatened with mace, punched in the face and taunted, the mischief moved south.


Ziemann glued a sensitive body part to his stomach, according to the complaint.

The women, including Michelle Belliveau, fled when the man started yelling. All were later charged with false imprisonment. Ziemann also faces charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and misdemeanor battery. The wife was not named to protect the man's identity.

The man was treated and released at a hospital, said Calumet County District Atty. Kenneth Kratz, who otherwise declined comment.

-- Lisa Black

133
Football / Sounds familiar ...
« on: July 29, 2009, 12:45:30 AM »
Weah calls for players to govern

By Oluwashina Okeleji
BBC Sport, Lagos

George Weah, the 1995 World and African Footballer of the Year, says that Africa's former players should be taking a bigger role in administration.

"In Europe, people who played the game govern the game," Weah told BBC Sport.

"But in Africa, people who don't know anything or have passion for the game govern the game, so it kills the game in Africa."

The Liberian idol led a selection of retired African football greats in a match in Lagos at the weekend to promote the World Cup.

Weah and the likes of Ghana's Abedi Pele are official ambassadors for the 2010 World Cup, but the Liberian believes that the continent's stars need to be much more involved in running the game.

"We have to come together and show the world that we were good on the pitch and we can be great off the pitch as well," he said.

"Football being run as a comical circus needs to change - when we decide to do that, then we will restore respect to football and it will take a different trend in Africa.

"But if we don't fight for football's soul now, it's going to stay the same way and we'll watch the game lose its relevance and power.

"The people who have been on the pitch and played it like their lives depended on it should come on board because they know what the sport means to Africans."

"Together we should start taking responsibility to revive the game here, because football means life, freedom and power to the people of Africa."

134
Football / How young is too young? 12 year old debuted ...
« on: July 19, 2009, 04:23:36 PM »
... today in Bolivia.

Five minutes after he was subbed on, ah man hit him ah hard tackle (probably on Youtube already) ... cleats showing on right ankle. Youthman kept playing ... crowd applauded him for continuing ... offending player was issued no card.

Opposing team on record as saying: It's a man's game ... and, apparently dahis how dey moved (2 of their players were red-carded).

Niño de 12 años debuta en partido de Liga boliviana de fútbol
19 de julio 2009  | 04:55 pm - AFP

Mauricio Baldivieso, un niño de 12 años de edad, debutó este domingo en filas del club Aurora, en un partido que su equipo perdió 1-0 este domingo ante La Paz FC, por la primera fecha del Torneo Clausura-2009 de la Liga Profesional del Fútbol Boliviano (LPFB).

Mauricio es hijo de Julio César 'Emperador' Baldivieso, una de las glorias del fútbol boliviano y actual técnico de Aurora, representante de la región central de Cochabamba.

El pequeño futbolista ingresó al juego a los 39 minutos y cinco minutos después fue víctima de una fuerte infracción cometida por el jugador rival Henry Alaca, que arremetió por detrás con los botines alzados e impactó en el tobillo derecho de Mauricio dejándolo lesionado.

Al borde del llanto el muchachito se recuperó y en medio de los aplausos del público continuó el partido.

"Estoy orgulloso, tiene mucho talento", dijo de su hijo Julio César, aunque calificó a Alaca de "criminal y el árbitro peor todavía" porque no amonestó al infractor.

"El fútbol es para hombres", replicaron desde la banca de La Paz FC, que concluyó el partido con nueve jugadores y dos expulsados.


Match report available at:
http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/match?id=276031&cc=null&league=BOL.1

135
Big Phil keeps faith in current Bunyodkor squad
2009/07/02   
 
Tashkent, July 02 (QNA) - Luiz Felipe Scolari took over as Bunyodkor head coach knowing that winning this year’s AFC Champions League will be his biggest challenge. The Uzbekistan League leaders have been pitted against Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers in the quarter-finals and will host the Koreans in the first leg on September 23 before travelling to Pohang for the return leg a week later.

The Brazilian, however, refused to make any changes to the team till the season is over. "I have joined them in the middle of the season and there is no reason to bring in new players. I will find out about the present players’ skills before making any decision after the season is over," he told reporters at his unveiling ceremony.

‘Big Phil’, who guided Brazil to their 2002 FIFA World Cup victory, also had a word of advice for Asian clubs keen to reach the world stage. "Asian clubs need to play more matches against strong rivals which will help Asian football improve faster," said the 60-year-old. "I will use all my experience and knowledge to train new players and improve Bunyodkor. "Though, it’s not possible to do it all in just one day, we will achieve it step by step," he added.

The former Portugal and Kuwait coach also named Uzbekistan national coach Mirdjalal Kasimov and Brazilian Flavio da Cunha Teixeira as his assistants. Darlan Jose Schneider and Antonio Carlos Pracidelli, both Brazilians, will be the team’s fitness trainer and goalkeeping coach respectively.(QNA) ع ف/OM 

***
Pulled this from a Qatar News Agency press release ... Makes sense given the situation.

Ah ketch ah lil Rivaldo on stage for the club ... he's playing in a much more withdrawn position than some of us are accustomed to seeing him in.

And, according to http://www.tehrantimes.com/PDF/10612/10612-13.pdf
Big Phil will be coordinating the management of the national football academy also ...

Like ah say, interesting arrangement ... although Kasimov was the club's manager before Zico.

Bunyodkor moving like the Manchester City of Uzbekhistan.





136
General Discussion / Daily sex 'best for good sperm'
« on: July 02, 2009, 12:33:00 AM »
Daily sex 'best for good sperm'
By Emma Wilkinson
BBC News health reporter in Amsterdam

Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research suggests.

In a study of men with fertility problems, daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.

Speaking at a fertility conference, the Australian researcher said general advice for couples had been to have sex every two or three days.

Early results from the trial had already shown promising results.

But 118 men have now been tested and the benefits for sperm have become clearer.

Dr David Greening, from Sydney IVF, told delegates at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting that eight in ten men taking part showed a 12% drop in sperm DNA damage after the seven days.

Although there was a big drop in sperm numbers from 180 million to 70 million over the week, men were still within the normal "fertile" range.

Sperm also became more active over the seven days with a small rise in motility, he added.

Damage

The theory is the longer sperm hang around in the testes the more likely they are to accumulate DNA damage and the warm environment could also make them more sluggish after a while.

Sperm come under attack by free radicals - small reactive molecules which can damage DNA and cause cell death - in the tube that stores and carries sperm away from the testes.

Further work is needed to work out if daily sex for men without fertility problems has the same benefits but Dr Greening believes it is likely to be the case.

He warns that having daily sex for too long - say a fortnight - would probably cut sperm numbers too much.

But recommended "lots of sex daily" around the time the woman is ovulating.

He said it was best to "keep the river flowing".

As men age they may not have as much sex as they did when they were younger, adding to the problem of infertility, Dr Greening told delegates.

"We are designed to breed in our youth.

"Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there's a contribution from the male because we're not behaving as we should be."

The findings may also have implications for couples undergoing IVF as men are commonly told to abstain from sex for a couple of days to try and boost sperm numbers.

Dr Alan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said the finding that daily ejaculation improved the chances of conception was interesting, but it would be wrong to apply the results to all men.

"For example, in cases where men have low sperm counts to start with, daily ejaculations may well reduce the sperm count still further and whilst sperm may be more healthy the reduced numbers could impede the chance of natural conception.

"The best general advice is that if couples are attempting to conceive naturally, intercourse every couple of days will make sure the sperm are as healthy as possible on each occasion.

"However, in preparation for IVF or ICSI treatment, this advice may well change in response to medical test results like DNA damage measurements."

137
Football / Iran bans 4 ballers ... Ayatollahs yuh days numbered
« on: June 23, 2009, 10:33:19 PM »

Ali Karimi during Iran's World Cup qualifying match in South Korea.

Their gesture attracted worldwide comment and drew the attention of football fans to Iran's political turmoil. Now the country's authorities have taken revenge by imposing life bans on players who sported green wristbands in a recent World Cup match in protest against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election.

According to the pro-government newspaper Iran, four players – Ali Karimi, 31, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32 – have been "retired" from the sport after their gesture in last Wednesday's match against South Korea in Seoul.

They were among six players who took to the field wearing wristbands in the colour of the defeated opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, which has been adopted by demonstrators who believe the 12 June election was stolen.

Most of the players obeyed instructions to remove the armwear at half-time, but Mahdavikia wore his green captain's armband for the entire match. The four are also said to have been banned from giving media interviews.

The fate of the other two players who wore the wristbands is unknown. None of the team members were given back their passports upon returning to Tehran after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw – a result that ended Iran's hopes of qualifying for next year's tournament.

Karimi is one of Iranian football's best-known stars, having played for the German club Bayern Munich. Ka'abi played for Leicester City for several months during the 2007/8 season. Hashemian and Mahdavikia play for the German teams Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt.

The gesture acutely embarrassed Iranian officials. The team's chief administrative officer, Mansour Pourhiedari, initially claimed the wristbands had been intended as a religious tribute to a revered Shia figure in the hope that it would deliver a victory on the pitch.

Iran's hardline media have since linked the protest to the arrest on Saturday of Mohsen Safayi Farahani, who headed the country's football governing body under the former reformist president, Mohammad Khatami. He is one of several dozen opposition politicians, intellectuals and journalists to have been detained.

Hezbollah, a pro-Ahmadinejad website, accused Farahani, a member of the pro-reform Islamic participation front, of bribing the players to wear the symbols. Farahani was one of several prominent figures accused by Ahmadinejad of corruption during the recent election campaign.

Ahmadinejad, a known football fan, has taken a close interest in the sport's affairs. In 2006 Iran was banned from international competition by the world governing body Fifa after claims of improper interference by his government. The ban was later lifted.

This year the national team coach Ali Daei was sacked, reportedly on Ahmadinejad's orders, after a 2-1 home defeat by Saudi Arabia.

138
Top T&T female soldier gets boot  

Published on: 5/14/2009.


PORT-OF-SPAIN - Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Alfonso, the highest-ranking female soldier in Trinidad and Tobago, has been hit a double blow.

She has been given the boot as the defence attaché at the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London, and she was bypassed last month for promotion to the rank of colonel which would have given her another five years in the military.

By letter dated April 8, and signed by Minister of National Security Martin Joseph, Alfonso was instructed to proceed on pre-retirement leave on May 18. The letter also wished Alfonso the best in her future endeavours.

The letter means that Alfonso must vacate her post as defence attaché at the London mission, as well as give up her posh four-storey apartment in the Fulham neighbourhood in West London, sources at the commission told the T&T Guardian. But because she is married to an Englishman, she can remain in Britain, sources said.

It is a tradition that serving members of the Defence Force are appointed to this country's missions in Britain, Canada and the United States. The recommendation is made by the Chief of Defence Staff and the Minister of National Security gives the approval.

The Guardian understands that the Trinidad and Tobago authorities have already selected a replacement for Alfonso in London. A staff member at the London mission said yesterday that from the moment Alfonso received the letter, there was a buzz among fellow employees at the sudden termination of her posting.

Alfonso, 49, was posted to the London mission on May 18, 2005, when Glenda Morean-Phillips was the T&T high commissioner. When her three-year stint ended in 2008, she was given an extension and remained in London. (Guardian)


139
Football / A different view of Somalia
« on: April 22, 2009, 05:38:58 PM »
Somalia's largest football facility turns into grazing land

Photos of Stadium Mogadishu:






http://somsoccer.com/english/view.php?id=83







Quote
Last year when I went to China for the Olympic Games I met with Chinese deputy sports minister and she pledged to me that china will rebuild stadium Mogadishu and the whole Olympic village if there is a reliable peace in Mogadishu so if the newly elected president whose Islamist fighters occupy most of the city succeeds to stabilize the capital I am hopeful that China will suddenly fulfill its promise” Somali NOC president told reporters at stadium Mogadishu on Monday.

Quote
Stadium Mogadishu was built by [the] Chinese government in 1978; it hosted many continental and regional games and was once one of the most beautiful and largest football facilities in [the] African and the Arab world, but currently seems to have changed into a grazing land.

http://somsoccer.com/english/view.php?id=89

Stadium Banadir, the nation's oldest facility under reconstruction courtesy FIFA's Win in Africa with Africa (Artificial Turf Programme etc.:




And while the pirates were doing their thing, these coaches and referees were doing their thing ... for the love of the game:
http://somsoccer.com/english/view.php?id=99

http://somsoccer.com/english/view.php?id=98

140
Quizz Time & Facts / Trini Town
« on: March 16, 2009, 03:13:01 PM »
What Brazilian player shares a name with a town in T&T?

141
Resume Hot-Line / How other federations handle their biz
« on: February 09, 2009, 09:15:24 AM »
I have been considering doing this for a while now, but better late than never.

I will make posts here from time to time highlighting job vacancies (and other opportunities) in football ... a secondary purpose will be to focus on the job descriptions to show different approaches taken by various organizations in their hiring emphasis at the administrative level, buh ah might drop in couple coaching opportunities here and there.

Given the many comments about T&T's management model in football, some of the posts might be useful for constructive discussion.

Right! Ah starting off with this one from New Zealand:

Vacancy: Team Manager – New Zealand U-17 Men's National Team

February 4, 2009

AUCKLAND – New Zealand Football is looking for a versatile and passionate individual for the role of Team Manager for the New Zealand U-17 men’s National Team.

The successful applicant will perform a number of varied tasks that contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of other members the management team and ultimately on-field success of players.

The Team Manager will need to be available to travel with the team to Japan from 15 to 25 March, an Auckland-based World Cup qualification tournament from April 16-26, and if successful, the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria from October 24 to November 13.

In addition, the manager will be required to attend training sessions and camps the dates of which will be provided at interview.

This position is voluntary although a daily allowance is paid while in camp or on tour with the team.

Ideally, the successful candidate will be available for an immediate start, and as such applications for the position are open until a successful candidate is appointed.

Enquiries and applications should be sent to tracy.brady@nzfootball.co.nz

142
Football / US U-20s Name 19 Players to Travel to Trinidad & Tobago ...
« on: January 15, 2009, 10:00:16 AM »
 
Rongen Names 19 Players to Travel to Trinidad & Tobago as Preparation for CONCACAF Championship     
 
 
CHICAGO (Jan. 12, 2009) – U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Thomas Rongen has named 19 players who will travel to Trinidad & Tobago from Jan. 18-24 as part of preparation for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in March.

The CONCACAF U-20 Championship will be held in Macoya, Trinidad and Bacolet, Tobago from March 6-15. Rongen’s squad will learn their schedule and opponents for the eight-team event in a draw held on Thursday, Jan. 15 at CONCACAF headquarters in New York City. The U.S. will acclimate to both islands while staying and training in facilities in and around both host cities during their upcoming trip.

A combination of professional, collegiate and youth players will travel to Trinidad on Jan. 18 and scrimmage the T&T Under-17 MNT before moving on to the island of Tobago. The team will continue training in Tobago through Jan. 24.

University of Maryland forward Casey Townsend is fresh off of leading his team to the national championship in 2008, while defender Connor Lade helped St. John’s reach the College Cup Final Four. Perennial powerhouse Indiana University sends a pair of underclassmen to T&T in Richard Balchan and Will Bruin. UNLV’s Danny Cruz will be joining the squad just days after learning his professional fate in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, which will be held on Jan. 15.

Defenders Kyle Davies and Jared Jeffrey are the only European-based players that will be traveling to the Caribbean for the trip. FC Dallas’ pair of consistent call-ups, Brek Shea and Anthony Wallace, round out the professional contingent.
 

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club
Balchan, Richard M 6'0" 165 01/18/89 Carmel, Ind. Indiana University
Bruin, Will F 6'1" 195 10/24/89 St. Louis, Mo. Indiana University
Cascio, Tony M 6'0" 160 03/28/90 Gilbert, Ariz. University of Connecticut
Cruz, Danny M 5'8" 180 01/03/90 Glendale, Ariz. UNLV
Davies, Kyle D 5'10" 160 04/11/89 Danville, Calif. Southampton FC (England)
Duka, Dilly M 5'9" 160 09/15/89 Montville, N.J. Rutgers University
Garcia, Felix F 6'1" 160 07/30/90 Laredo, Texas Laredo Heat (PDL)
Jeffrey, Jared M 5'10" 160 06/14/90 Richardson, Texas Club Brugge (Belgium)
Johnson, Sean GK 6'4" 220 05/31/89 Lilburn, Ga. University of Central Florida
Lade, Connor D 5'5" 135 11/16/89 Convent Station, N.J. St. John's University
Maund, Aaron M 6'2" 175 09/19/90 Dorchester, Mass. University of Notre Dame
Opare, Kofi D 6'1" 185 10/12/90 Niagara Falls, Ontario St. Catharine's Concord
Perk, Brian GK 5'11" 180 07/21/89 Rancho Sta. Margarita, Calif. UCLA
Shea, Brek D 6'3" 180 02/28/90 College Station, Texas FC Dallas (MLS)
Taylor, Chris D 6'1" 160 05/12/89 Edmond, Okla. University of Tulsa
Taylor, Tony F 6'0" 175 07/12/89 Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville University
Townsend, Casey F 5'11" 160 07/07/89 Traverse City, Mich. University of Maryland
Wallace, Anthony D 5'11" 165 01/26/89 St. Petersburg, Fla. FC Dallas (MLS)
Watson, Marcus D 6'0" 160 09/16/89 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. LA Galaxy Academy


U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.; University of Central Florida), Brian Perk (Rancho Santa Margarita; UCLA)
DEFENDERS (6): Kyle Davis (Danville, Calif.; Southampton FC), Connor Lade (Convent Station, N.J.; St. John’s University), Kofi Opare (Niagara Falls, Ontario; St. Catharine’s Concord), Chris Taylor (Edmond, Okla.; University of Tulsa), Anthony Wallace (St. Petersburg, Fla.; FC Dallas), Marcus Watson (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Los Angeles Galaxy Academy)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Richard Balchan (Carmel, Ind.; Indiana University), Tony Cascio (Gilbert, Ariz.; University of Connecticut), Danny Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.; UNLV), Dilly Duka (Montville, N.J.; Rutgers University), Jared Jeffrey (Richardson, Texas; Club Brugge), Aaron Maund (Dorchester, Mass.; Notre Dame), Brek Shea (College Station, Texas; FC Dallas)
FORWARDS (4): Will Bruin (Carmel, Ind.; Indiana University), Felix Garcia (Laredo, Texas; Laredo Heat), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville, Fla.; Jacksonville University), Casey Townsend (Traverse City, Mich.; University of Maryland)


U.S. Under-20 MNT Staff

Head Coach: Thomas Rongen Sewalls Point, Fla.
Assistant Coach: Dave Dir Dallas, Texas
Goalkeeper Coach: Tim Mulqueen Lakewood Ranch, Calif.
Team Coordinator: Jon Fleishman Redondo Beach, Calif.
Equipment Coordinator: Beto Cuevas Redondo Beach, Calif.
Athletic Trainer: John Dunham Lawrenceville, Ga.
Team Doctor: Jon Englund Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Security Officer: Butch Hummel St. Cloud, Fla.


 
 

143
General Discussion / Wha happen, where everybody?
« on: December 27, 2008, 03:33:17 PM »
Ah watching de interval of the posts ... wham some kinda shutdown something went down here ...

144
Football / The pros get schooled ... US generation next coaches ramping up
« on: December 23, 2008, 08:33:18 PM »
Current and Former Professional Players Highlight "B" License Course at The Home Depot Center 
# Almost 600 Men's National Team Caps Represented by Those Players in Attendance

     

CHICAGO (Dec. 23, 2008) – The largest collection of current and former professional players participated in a U.S. Soccer “B” license coaching course from Dec. 10-18 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. With assistance from Major League Soccer Players’ Association, U.S .Soccer arranged the coaching course around the Major League Soccer calendar.

U.S. Soccer National Staff Coaches Roberto Lopez and Rene Miramontes ran the nine-day National “B” License Course, which is designed to introduce concepts that are targeted toward coaching players age 16 to college level. The National “B” License focuses on recognizing the principles of the game and its technical applications in 9v9 game situations.

Out of the 31 participants, 29 were current or former professional soccer players.
Cobi Jones, Kasey Keller, Alexi Lalas and Claudio Reyna, four of the top 12 all-time cap leaders for the Men’s National Team, attended the course. In total, the players in attendance earned 592 caps for the Men’s National Team.

“The main goal of the week has been showing the difference between playing and instructing,”
said National Staff Coach Rene Miramontes. “The structure is organized so that these guys can get their coaching points and get their teaching in within the frame of the game, but in a sequential and organized kind of a way.”

Throughout the week, the instructors give candidates practical lessons on setting up individual training sessions, as well as building towards game day.

“You’re used to just being told what to do, said Keller.  “You can see the points, but then how do you put it all together and find that progression starting from a warm-up and getting to a game. For me it has been very informative.”

The curriculum focuses on specific topics such as midfield defending, finishing, goalkeeping, and other technical and tactical aspects of the game.  Candidates are then required to devise and conduct training sessions on their own.  The course also provides training in nutrition, strength and conditioning, and sports psychology.

“As a player you do not often see the big picture, and I think the best part of being here this week as a former player is understanding to see more then just your own area of the field or the position you play in when you out there,” said former Men’s National Team captain Claudio Reyna. “It has been very informative, very educational, and a lot fun, but above all it’s just seeing the overall big picture when you are on the sidelines and also running a training session leading up to a game.”


The candidates were also given special presentations by U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley and the Director of Scouting for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, Tony Lepore.

With so much experience at the professional and international level, the transition of players into the coaching ranks can only be a benefit to the future of soccer in the United States.  While not all great players make great coaches, the nine days in Carson demonstrated that there is plenty of talent to develop.

“I think what I have been most impressed with is how willing they are to learn, how humble they have been, and what an interest they have taken in the coaching organization side of things,” said the lead instructor for the course, Roberto Lopez. “We tried to have the players take from their playing careers and transfer that into organized and structured training sessions. They have all had terrific experiences, and I think we can all agree that having them take part in this course and continue with the game is in our sport’s best interest.”

List of attendees


Pierre Barrieu
Ronald Cerritos
Jimmy Conrad
Paul Dalglish
Todd Dunivant
Adam Frye
Taylor Graham
Kevin Hartman
Ezra Hendrickson
Danny Jackson
Ante Jazic
Kasey Keller
Jovan Kirovski
Cobi Jones
Alexi Lalas
Roger Levesque
Michael Munoz
Arturo Norambuena
Kevin Nylen
Matt Reis
Claudio Reyna
Jorge Rodriguez
Jacob Sagare
Kevin Sakuda
Juergen Sommer
Scot Thompson
Seth Trembly
Sacha van der Most van Spijk
Greg Vanney
Jamil Walker
John Wolyniec

Ah scan de list and put de non-US players/former players in bold. Yes ... Dalglish is Kenny's son. Might have missed a Canuck somewhere.

Looks like Lalas say 'wtf, why not?' Big up to Ezra. Cobi ... thought he had ah B already. In de US just now it might be hard to even geh a lil college gig.

145
General Discussion / Liverpool Attack
« on: December 16, 2008, 10:15:25 AM »
Has there been an airport attack in Liverpool ... ?

146
Egypt police kill Togolese migrant at Israel border

By Agencies
First Published: December 14, 2008

CAIRO: Egyptian border police shot dead a Togolese migrant as he tried to enter Israel illegally, a security official said on Saturday.

The 25-year-old was shot in the head near the border, just south of the Gaza Strip, the official said.

Egyptian police have killed at least 28 migrants, most of them Sudanese and Eritrean, at the border this year. None of them was armed.


"A police patrol was conducting a routine search operation at the border and found a man trying to cross the barbed wire fence," the official said, adding that the man was shot after he ignored orders to halt.


Dr Imad Kharboush of the emergency medical unit in North Sinai says the 22-year-old Togolese died from a bullet wound in the head.

The porous 250-km border has become a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers, and Israel has asked Egypt to clamp down on the traffic.

Egypt's policy of shooting migrants has generated harsh criticism from human rights groups. The migrants say they try to leave Egypt because of poverty and racism. –Agencies

****
Ignored orders given in what language?

149
General Discussion / Caribbean politics grapples with dual citizenship
« on: December 06, 2008, 05:00:07 PM »
Caribbean politics grapples with dual citizenship

KINGSTON, Jamaica, December 5, 2008 - When Jamaica's chief justice disqualified Daryl Vaz from sitting in Parliament last April, it brought into focus the complications surrounding dual citizenship, not only here but throughout the entire English-speaking Caribbean.

Vaz, a member of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was disqualified on the basis that he "voluntarily" renewed his United States passport and used it to travel overseas on numerous occasions.

He has appealed the ruling, as lawyers representing the defeated People's National Party's candidate in the 2007 general election, Abe Dabdoub, are urging the Court of Appeal to affirm the decision and declare their client the duly elected legislator.

A judgment is expected soon, but Prime Minister Bruce Golding has already indicated that he would call fresh general elections if the ruling goes against Vaz, thereby reducing his slim majority in the 60-member legislature to 31.

Caribbean countries will no doubt be following the outcome of the Jamaica case closely, since many of their constitutions include a provision disqualifying dual citizens from politics.


"The issue of dual citizens and their eligibility for higher office in the Caribbean has been on the agenda most forcefully in the last two years. This issue has surfaced not only in Jamaica, but also in Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana and Grenada," said the Jamaica-based Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI), which has just released a study on the matter.

"The study was conceived in response to the possible instances of breaching this proscription all over the Caribbean," said Kim Marie Spence, one of the authors.

She told IPS that in the various Caribbean islands where the matter has surfaced, it has "became a political and personal issue".

"However, CaPRI noted that, with dual citizenships increasing and the Caribbean territories making a great effort to involve their respective diasporas in the development of their homelands, it is an important point of the body politic to discuss," Spence said.

The study, titled 'Dual Citizenship and Political Representation in Jamaica', was compiled using a 10-year survey of legislation in Jamaica, along with a sampling of the discussion in the Jamaican media.

CaPRI said it found that potential conflicts of loyalty arose less than one of the time, and these conflicts often applied to the minister responsible for the specific policy area under legislation.

The study also found that the majority of acts were fairly mundane, dealing with the very-localised sphere of constituency work.

"It is the conclusion of CaPRI that it is time to move beyond personal dynamics and realise that this is a national issue. Jamaica is at a global crossroads and it is necessary for us to explore fully the ramifications of dual citizenship," Spence said, adding that CaPRI wants a national debate on the clauses, rather than just a facile statement that the law is the law.

She added that the political space for discussions on revising or keeping the relevant clauses is often limited,"especially when majorities are razor-thin, then it is treated as a political power issue, rather than strictly a constitutional issue".

Given the different circumstances under which persons become dual citizens - birth, marriage or naturalisation among others - and the high rate of returning residents, the issue needs a decision.

Section 40 (2) of the Jamaican Constitution specifies that "No person shall be qualified to be appointed as a Senator or elected as a member of the House of Representatives who (a) is by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign Power or State."

Similar clauses are also found in the constitutions of Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the issue of dual citizenship surfaced during the last two general elections.

Following the 2001 general election, Justice Ivor Archie ruled that the constitutional rights of two junior ministers were not breached by the attempts to unseat them from the House of Representatives after two defeated candidates had brought election petitions asking the court to declare their nominations null and void because they held dual citizenship at the time.

However, fresh general elections later that year meant that the court proceedings had become purely academic and the matter has never really been resolved.

But the issue re-surfaced in the Nov. 5 general elections last year, when attorney Anand Ramlogan warned voters that "their votes may be wasted" if they supported two opposition candidates, because they had performed a "voluntary" act by applying for British and United States passports, respectively.

In the study, CaPRI said it found little empirical support for the hypothesis that an individual who has "pledged allegiance to a foreign power" may offer less than full commitment to either country.

"The risk is that, at the margins, the individual in question might make trade-offs that an individual who holds only one citizenship - and thus has no "escape clause" - would not have the option of doing," the group noted.

However, the study also found that widening the pool of eligible representatives to include the Diaspora enhances the overall quality of the political process.

"We found that this had stronger backing, due to the fact that the majority of our tertiary-educated population -- 85 percent -- emigrates. Trade theory indicates that open economies are more likely to operate at optimal efficiency, leading to aggregate welfare gains. It is fair to assume a similar within the political system, through the effect of widening the pool of suppliers," it said.

Spence believes that an examination of both hypotheses was very useful, with the study focusing on the possible trade-off between capacity and commitment.

"For example, not all foreigners have capacity. Not all citizens are committed to the country. Widening the eligibility to parliament could enhance the quality of the political process. Many Caribbean nationals emigrate to become better-educated," she said. "We do not want to give the impression that all members of the diaspora would add value just because of living abroad - individual merit is still important."

CaPRI said that while an international survey has demonstrated that the global trend appears to be towards more rather than less openness, when it comes to matters of citizenship, many countries, such as Japan, Germany, Iceland, Austria, Peru, Burma and Indonesia, all bar dual citizenship.

Its message for Jamaica and by extension the Caribbean: "It is up to Jamaica and Jamaicans to decide which works best for us". (IPS)


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Resume Hot-Line / CONCACAF hiring: FYI
« on: November 12, 2008, 04:12:07 PM »
11/4/2008

Position : User Interface Developer

Job Requirements : major soccer confederation in NYC, to perform original interaction design, information architecture, user interface, upgrades, testing, oversight, and maintenance of high-traffic proprietary website. MFA in Computer Art/Design req’d or B.A. with 5 yrs exp using ASP.net, C#, Java, JSP, ASP, VBScript, Jscript, MS SQL, Photoshop, Flash(AS3.0), Maya, After Effect.

Confederation of North, Central American & Caribbean Association Football; Fax resume: 646-349-1472 Attn: Mr. Blazer

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