Equal Footing

The streets of Santa Ana are full of talented young soccer players like Eumir Mondragon and Jose Guzman. But often, that talent is never showcased because teams from Latino communities, for logistical and financial reasons, aren’t able to compete against the best club teams from other regions.

But U.S. Soccer, the governing body for amateur soccer in the country, is trying to change all that. On Saturday at Cal State Fullerton, Mondragon and Guzman’s under-14 team--Santos--along with 13 other teams from Latino communities throughout Southern California, will compete in the first pre-qualifying tournament for the third Nike International Premier Cup.

Until this year, only sanctioned teams allied with major organizations such as AYSO and CYSA (California Youth Soccer Assn.) were qualified to enter the Premier Cup, one of the more prestigious youth tournaments in the world.

“The registered players are the easy ones to get at, because they’re in the suburbs,” said Tommy Kain, director of U.S Soccer. “By registering kids in the inner city, we’re able to give more kids a chance to realize their dreams. It’s also a way to integrate different cultures.”

Kain said Saturday’s tournament is related to Project 2010, a $50-million overhaul of U.S. Soccer’s youth development program. A particular emphasis of Project 2010 is on Latino communities and inner-city areas that have long been neglected by current youth development programs. The project’s stated goal is to win the men’s World Cup by 2010.

Until recently, Kain said, Latinos had been largely left out of the selection process for the U.S. national age-group teams.

“I think that’s changing,” he said. “But it’s true, it’s not as easy to spot kids from the inner city because they aren’t playing on the top club teams. That’s why we thought this was a good first step, to tap into the Latino market and take advantage of their natural passion for the game.”

Santos is one of the better teams in the Santa Ana Soccer League--winning the under-12 division last year and finishing second this season in the under-14s. But Santos hasn’t played the level of competition it will face this weekend.

“We think we’ll do well,” said Mondragon, the team’s captain and one of its leading scorers. “We’ve been practicing, but I think every team we’ll play will be tough.”

Guzman, the team’s goalkeeper, began playing soccer just two years ago. He expects to be busy on Saturday.

“This is the first big tournament we’ve ever played in,” said Guzman, whose brother, Santiago, is a goalkeeper for Santa Ana College. “I think these teams are going to be doing a lot of shooting at me.”

Santos, which was the name of Pele’s Brazilian team, is one of two county teams playing in the tournament. The other--Chivas of Santa Ana--is the Premier Cup’s host team. The teams were selected by Bela Birscak, an administrator for California’s Olympic Development Program.

Round-robin play begins on Cal State Fullerton’s three fields at 8:30 a.m. The semifinals are at 4:15 p.m., and the finals will begin at 5:15. The tournament champion will advance to the Los Angeles Regional at Cal State Fullerton, March 27-29. That winner advances to the North American Regional in Portland, and the North American champion goes to Barcelona, Spain, for the World Finals in July.

“All these teams have a chance to get there,” Birscak said. “Look at what France did to Brazil in the World Cup.”

Before U.S. Soccer could tap into the Latino market, it wanted a sponsor to cover some of the start-up costs. Nike, which has been involved with sponsoring youth basketball leagues and teams, stepped in.

Nike is also sponsoring a similar tournament in New York. The company is picking up the tab for field rentals, referees, teams’ registration and insurance fees.

This summer, Nike began entering the Latino community by staging eight soccer clinics throughout Southern California.

Santos’ coach, Gabriel Mondragon, is simply hoping to build better lives for his players. He has taken his team to the zoo, library and museums and he has arranged mentors for some of his players.

“We stress that these kids do their homework and keep their grades up,” Mondragon said. “Soccer is a good hobby for them. It keeps them away from gangs and drugs.”

Guzman said Mondragon is more than just a soccer coach.

“He’s always checking to make sure we’re doing well in school,” Guzman said. “I take my school work more seriously now because I know I can get a better job that way.”

One job Guzman wouldn’t mind having is that of a professional soccer player.

“That’s my dream job.”