The Aztexan

I just finished reading The Boys From Little Mexico – A Season Chasing the American Dream, by Steve Wilson. It was excellent, and thoroughly enjoyable, and I recommend it.

The book is about a high school soccer team in Woodburn, Oregon, and their quest for the state championship. What makes their story more interesting is the fact that, unlike almost every other team in the state, the team is almost entirely Hispanic.

At first it seemed a little incongruous that there would be a large community of Mexican immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, closer to Canada than Mexico. But the explanation of how that came to be, dating back to the World War II-era Bracero Program, is just the start of the story Wilson has written.

It’s a good example of one of my favorite aspects of this book: Wilson’s ability to zoom out from the details of the story in Woodburn, give a thorough, “big picture” background, and then zoom back in to the the people at the heart of the story. He does this many times, covering everything from historical immigration, to ESL (English as a second language) instruction, to the physics behind “bending it like Beckham”, to Major League Soccer’s evolving relationship to Latino players and fans:

In an interview on ThisIsAmericanSoccer.com^[link], Sports Illustrated soccer writer Luis Bueno said that he felt MLS clubs need to work harder to find Mexican American athletes because Latinos tend to play in less-established, less-wealthy leagues.

“I have a cousin who’s pretty good at soccer, I think he’s 15. I’m thinking, “Alright, is he going to have the chance to go to college?” Probably not. I’m just being honest. He plays on club teams right now. They’re not the big club teams that the Sacha Kljestans played for and the Bornsteins and the Benny Feilhabers. Those guys had the opportunities to play on those teams whereas someone like my cousin doesn’t. Maybe he plays high school and then that’s it. There are a lot of players like that, who for financial reasons just can’t afford it.”

Bueno, like other MLS critics, wonders if the coaches of MLS and U.S. national teams realize how much talent may be in their own backyard.

“We don’t know,” he said. “There could be the next Landon [Donovan] out here, the next [Jozy] Altidore. We don’t know since it’s something that’s never really been explored.”

But I don’t mean to say this book is an academic essay at all; far from it. The remarkable thing about these zoom-outs of big picture information is that they’re able to add so much to the story in spite of how brief they are.

For it’s the story, and the people in it, that are central here. This book will introduce you to a rich cast of characters, not just the boys on the team, but also their coaches, teachers and foster parents.

The boys on his team were like the boys in his classroom, who never raised their hands and were reluctant to voice an opinion. They were afraid to fail. They were the first generation, or immigrants themselves, and they were supposed to make everything better. By winning the championship. By learning English. By graduating from high school. By going to college. By making a good living. His guys were supposed to break the pattern, and they knew it and it weighed on them.

One of the these characters is Octavio, whose story is traced from the Mexican village where he was born, to his time with the Club Atlas youth program, to his harrowing journey over the border into the U.S., and of course, to his quest for the Oregon high school soccer championship with Woodburn High. Octavio’s story in particular is one that I won’t soon forget, and that I know will come to mind whenever the subject of immigration in America comes up.

Another aspect of the book that impressed me is the soccer writing itself. Wilson really brings to life the action and excitement of the team’s games. The glory of victory and the crush of defeat both feel as vivid as if you were there — maybe more so, given the omniscient coverage of players, coaches and fans.

Reading this during the month-long World Cup, I was struck by the idea of the power of soccer (or sports in general) to transform people, communities, etc. Whether it’s immigrant high school kids in Oregon having something positive to work and fight for, or an African nation wanting to show that it deserves respect on the world stage, it’s quite a theme. But is it real?

I think the paradox of it is that such a storyline is both true and false. Yes, the chance to be on the Woodburn Bulldogs soccer team (or Los Perros, as it’s now more commonly known) is an important, even crucial, part of those young mens’ lives. But at the same time, it’s not magic fairy dust. The team gives them something to work and fight for, but they still have to do the working and fighting.

This fine book brings it all to vivid life. Pick up a copy, I’m confident you’ll find a lot to enjoy from it.

[Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but the time I spent reading and reviewing it was my own. I wouldn't have bothered with either if it wasn't worth it.]

Red Bull USA — Red Bull Battle del Toro:

Red Bull Battle Del Toro is a spirited, fiercely competitive homage to the Battle of the Alamo – soccer style. Throughout this three-day tournament, four U16 teams from Texas featuring some of the state’s biggest phenoms will clash cleats with four U16 teams from Mexico boasting some of the country’s top emerging stars.

Qualifying games are 6 & 8 PM on Thursday and Friday, final round games at 6 and 8 on Saturday. Admission to San Antonio’s STAR Soccer Complex is $5 per day.

The U16 Mexican teams are Club America, Tigres UANL, Atlas and Chivas de Guadalajara; the U16 Texan teams are Classics Elite (San Antonio), Dallas Texans, FC Dallas and Albion Hurricanes (Houston).

(Via Austin Chronicle.)

ESPN Soccernet: World Cup 2010: Montevideo celebrates victory in defeat

There’s nowhere else quite like Montevideo for feeling the footballing history of a city, and watching a World Cup semi-final in the city where the first ever World Cup was held was quite something. Gio van Bronckhorst’s stunner early on silenced the plaza and seemingly the whole city, but only momentarily – seconds later the chants of “U-RU-GUAY! U-RU-GUAY!” started up again louder than ever. When Diego Forlan pulled the trigger shortly before half-time, the place simply exploded.

Read it all.

SI.com’s Joe Posnanski: The Meaning of Garra

Before Uruguay, soccer apparently was a game of long passes and violence; the sport was direct, forceful, without guile, rugby without hands. In 1924 and 1928, Uruguay took its style to the Olympics — short passes, individual brilliance, something like dancing. Uruguay won, often by spectacular scores — 7-0 over Yugoslavia, 3-0 over the United States and Sweden, 4-1 over Germany. The beauty was what struck people. This was art.

A link to this Sports Illustrated blog post about the history and current state of the Uruguay national team is a little outside the scope of what I usually cover here. But I have more than one reason to share it with you:

1. I have a more or less random but nonetheless keen fascination, almost obsession, with Uruguay. (I don’t know why; blame Bajofondo. And Wikipedia.) So I would have been interested in this anyway. And I also hope that publishing it here somehow gets me introduced to some Uruguayan expats who wind up inviting my family and me to stay for a week or two at their summer place in Montevideo.
2. Uruguay vs Ghana in the quarterfinals, and after Ghana sent the U.S. home from South Africa, we’ll all be Uruguayans on Friday, right?
3. It’s just really an excellent article. It’s a perfect capsule of everything I love most about the World Cup. Soccer, of course, but served with generous helpings of history, geography and philosophy. Fantastic!

One more excerpt, because I can’t resist (though you should really read it all).

But to get to the point, Uruguay had competed in two World Cups… and won them both. When the final ended, Jules Rimet — one of the founders of the World Cup and the man whose name is on the trophy — offered his definition of Garra Charrua, that spirit which had driven Uruguayan soccer. He said:

“In football, playing well is not sufficient. You also need to feel it profoundly as does Uruguay.”

Tampa Bay Online: Rowdies’ Christie proud to represent New Zealand

This time promises to be different. In fact, soccer may be as big as it has ever been in both New Zealand and Australia, thanks to the Australian A-League, a similar-level league to Major League Soccer, and the Wellington Phoenix, based in New Zealand’s capital. Christie made 27 appearances in three seasons for the Phoenix under All Whites coach Ricki Herbert prior to joining the Rowdies before this season.

“I think the Wellington Phoenix has been massive,” Christie said. “The fact that they qualified for the finals and were one game away from the grand final this year, that alongside the All Whites qualifying for the World Cup really sent football into a different level in New Zealand.

Christie came on in the 77th minute in New Zealand’s 1-1 draw against Slovakia yesterday. New Zealand got a dramatic last-gasp equalizer in the 93rd minute.

The Aztex have faced Tampa Bay twice so far this year, both draws. Christie notched one of the Rowdies goals in the game in Tampa on May 8. The team will face Austin two more times this season: at home on Aug. 7, and in Tampa on Sep. 16.

Austin Chronicle: World Cup Watch

This has to be the most comprehensive list of where you can watch the games around Austin. The schedule runs through next Thursday (i.e., when the next Chronicle comes out). From Alamo Drafthouse to Weirdo’s, it’s impressive evidence of the mainstream adoption of soccer that I wrote about yesterday.

Read it all.

Check out that picture. That’s a flyer that was left on the windshield of my car during Wednesday night’s Aztex-Timbers game. The significance, if you’ll allow me: scant months after my fellow Aztex fans and I wondered whether there were any bars other than Cuatro’s where we wouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens, here is this (baseball-named!) chain of sports bars actually spamming me with paper flyers about how soccer-friendly they are.

That, my friends, is the World Cup for you.

It can’t help but make me think of the question that comes up so often in American soccer. It comes in different forms, but it boils down to: will soccer “make it” in the U.S., and if so, when? I like how Steve Davis put it in this post last summer, Stupid questions about soccer:

This business of “Has soccer arrived?” and “What’s it gonna take … ” they represent the laziest of cliched, journalist default questions. Seriously, what do those questions mean?

I mean, has Thai food “arrived?” Has yoga “arrived?” Has Gabriel Garcia Marquez “arrived?”

See what I mean? It’s a silly question. Things are what they are.

Soccer? As a professional enterprise, it’s clearly not as popular in the United States in 2009 as football, baseball and basketball. It’s more popular than hockey (no matter what anybody wants you to believe.) As a participant sport, it’s widely accepted and unquestionably popular. And that’s it. Why does everyone always want to explore where soccer will go? What’s with the obsession over where soccer will land on the pop culture continuum?

From my perspective as a fan of a still-new team in a league that’s had some amount of turmoil since, well, forever, I can’t be quite that blithe about the question. To continue Davis’ Thai food analogy, I’m a big fan of this new Thai restaurant in town, and I want it to do well enough to stay in business. I want Thai food to have “arrived”, especially here in Austin, at least that much.

Now, back to the World Cup. I personally could hardly be more excited for it. I’ll be watching as many games as I can get away with without getting fired or divorced. And seeing soccer here, soccer there, soccer everywhere; having coworkers who usually couldn’t care less tell me to Google for “world cup” and look at the bottom of the page; all of that stuff, it just adds to the fun.

But at the same time, I’m sure there will be plenty of jokes at soccer’s expense, too. Like the Onion story about “the nation’s soccer fan” (note the singular, “fan”). I’m not saying that’s not funny; I love The Onion, and that is funny. But it’s based on the kind of tired old junk that U.S. soccer fans have put up with for years, so it also kind of touches a nerve. And there’s bound to be plenty more backlash where that came from, between now and July 11.

In anticipation of that negativity, here’s my resolution: I won’t care, and I won’t fight.

I love soccer. And for the next month, I’m going to unapologetically geek out on it, and have an absolute blast, and nothing anyone says will be able to put a dent in that. I’m not going to get into goofy defensive arguments, or lecture anyone about how the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, blah blah blah. For the next 30 days, everyone’s going to have more than enough exposure to the game. Let them fall in love with it like I have — or not — on the game’s own merits. It has plenty of ‘em.

I’m sure my local Thai restaurant, er, soccer team (which thankfully seems to be doing good business this year already) will pick up some new fans this summer, which will be fantastic. But some people will try what’s on the menu and not care for it; others, who decided long ago that they hate it, won’t even taste it (but will keep on hating it). That’s okay, too. To each their own.

As for me, I’ll be pigging out.

Austin American-Statesman: How Aztex players view the World Cup

“I’m really hoping the U.S. gets out of their group,” Heath said. “It’s really important for football in this country. We need the U.S. to push on and make a mark on the world scene.”

Also includes favorites & predictions from Heath and seven Aztex players; read it all.

USL: Barracuda FC To Join USL First Division:

United Soccer Leagues continues the expansion of its top professional league Tuesday with the announcement that Barracuda FC of Antigua and Barbuda [Wikipedia] will join the USL First Division for the 2011 season.

Currently a professional association team, Barracuda FC plays at a 12,000-seat stadium in St. John’s, Antigua. . . . As was previously the case with USL teams Puerto Rico Islanders and Bermuda Hogges, the participation of Antigua Barracuda FC in the USL First Division will be subject to the formal approval of both federations (Antigua & Barbuda Football Association and United States Soccer Federation), as well as the Confederation and FIFA.

Read it all.

What this means with regard to how next year’s Division-2 league is run, or by whom, I have no idea. (I doubt anyone does.) At least it’s not a market that would jump up to MLS anytime soon.

AustinAztex.com: Olum Gets Another Chance

The Austin Aztex very own Lawrence Olum has been invited to play for his home country of Kenya in an exhibition match this Sunday against Malaysia. This exhibition gives Kenyan National Team players like Olum the opportunity to showcase their skills in a new environment and in front of a new audience.

Kenya will use this game as a gauge to help eventually determine who will be part of the 2012 Kenyan African Nation’s Cup team.

Read it all.

The Aztex will be hosting World Cup watch parties for select group stage games. What a great way to capture some of this year’s soccer mania and connect it back to Austin’s team. I don’t know if they did it on purpose, but I think it’s great that they’re at a few different locations around town.

We’ll have players, Soccerettes, giveaways, food and drink specials, you name it, waiting just for YOU! We know some of the games are during work hours, but the World Cup only comes once every four years — your boss will understand.

Date	Time (CT)	Match	Location
Fri., June 11	9 a.m.	Mexico vs. South Africa	Third Base at South Park Meadows (9600 South IH-35)
Sat., June 12	1:30 p.m.	USA vs. England	Cuatros (1004 W. 24th St.)
Tue., June 15	1:30 p.m.	Brazil vs. Korea	Champions (300 E. 4th St.)
Thu., June 17	1:30 p.m.	Mexico vs. France	Waterloo Ice House S. Park Meadows (9600 S. IH-35, Suite D)
Fri., June 18	9 a.m.	USA vs. Slovenia	Cuatros (1004 W. 24th St.)
Sat., June 20	1:30 p.m.	Brazil vs. Ivory Coast	Third Base Downtown (1717 W. 6th St)
Tue., June 22	9 a.m.	Mexico vs. Uruguay	Waterloo Ice House Downtown (1106 W. 38th St.)
Wed., June 23	9 a.m.	USA vs. Algeria	Cuatros (1004 W. 24th St.)
Wed., June 23	9 a.m.	England vs. Slovenia	Cuatros (1004 W. 24th St.)

photo: Austin American-Statesman

What a night, what a crowd and what a pile of money raised for Haiti!

Here’s a rundown of other post-match coverage:

• Aztex-Haiti match raises $11,500 — Austin American-Statesman

  The team raised more than $7,000 in its exhibition with Trinity University in San Antonio last week and around $3,400 was tallied after the team scrimmaged FC Dallas over the weekend. The Aztex topped both numbers Wednesday, helping to raise $11,500 in cash donations and several bins full of used soccer gear that will be given to children in Haiti.

  “To be honest, I didn’t really know what we could raise or, on a week’s notice, how big a turnout we’d have,” Aztex owner Phil Rawlins said. “I’m just delighted.”

• Aztex Play Haitian Nationals to Scoreless Draw — AustinAztex.com
  

  After a slow start to the match, the game sprung to life 10 minutes in, when Haiti’s Goalkeeper, Occenat Peterson quickly came off his line to deny Aztex midfielder Stephan Campbell on his first attempt. Immediately after, Haiti countered and Jean Baptiste Fritzson’s shot went just over the crossbar.

  The second half was a similar story with both sides having chances, but most of the play coming in the midfield. The best chance for the Aztex came in the 85th minute after Wes Allen’s shot was blocked and fell right to Max Griffin, whose header bashed against the crossbar.

• Soccer and Help for Haiti — Michael Tuuk Photography
  

  The whistle blew and I prepared to make a beeline to the exit. What stopped me was the fact that as soon as the match ended, the players who had been adversaries for the past 90+ minutes suddenly became friends and began to hug each other. That isn’t unusual after a sporting event but I had a sudden sense of what the Haitian team members must be going through emotionally. I flipped the camera back up and captured a few images of this scene.

• Free Beer Movement in Action — Free Beer Movement
  

  I think one of my newbies fell in love with Austin’s keeper Miguel Gallardo so that will be a good incentive for her to return. In the end I got commitments from all involved to come back for another Aztex match soon.

• Video: Aztex host Haiti — KXAN