HAWAII’S NEWEST COACH

I am excited to be one of Hawaii’s newest soccer coaches. It has been a dream of mine to make it here and experience all that I have heard and read about this island paradise. Since the first time I visited in 2005, I knew I needed to find a way to live here. The road leading me to Oahu has been quite eventful and I would like to share some of these experiences.

I remember a calm winter day in California. I was twenty-one and driving from work to my parent’s house in Pasadena when I received a phone call from a teammate of mine at the university. He congratulated me because, apparently, the L.A. Galaxy in the 2002 MLS Super Draft had just chosen me. I was amazed. The next phone call was from my coach and now current Director of Coaching for Hawaii, George Kuntz. He expressed the same news and suddenly, my vision of the next phase in life started looking clearer.

I had never been tested mentally or physically as much as I was when I attended my first professional preseason camp with the Galaxy. There are a lot of soccer players out there and trying to earn a position in a league that had only 200 spots available would put some pressure on a young player.  I vividly remember my first match against the Korean National Team, in town for World Cup preparation. 1 – 0 victory to us, and I never felt so exhausted after a game. The speed of play at the professional level was so much faster than what I was used to at the collegiate level.

While pursuing professional aspirations, many MLS players have to hold other jobs to sustain themselves. With the league struggling for money at the time, there was a great disparity between the highest and lowest paid players. I ended up working for Nike Soccer representing the “Swoosh” as a brand-ambassador. It was an interesting job performing a unique set of skills, demonstrations and instruction to enthusiasts all across the U.S. I also returned to my alma mater at UC Irvine to assist with the men’s soccer program. All of this helped to support me financially while I committed myself to the MLS.

It was difficult to earn a spot or consistent playing time while balancing other aspects of life. To perform at the professional level, it takes complete concentration. But the league wasn’t allowing for that with its younger players, as rosters and money were limited. Their approach to solving those problems came by way of the MLS Reserve League, which debuted in 2005.

The league took strides in developing a solid platform for more players to become professionals. It also allowed for more consistency in games. You can imagine my schedule while training to play for the Galaxy and Chivas USA, traveling with Nike, and coaching at UC Irvine. The combined experiences were invaluable, though. I was able to learn from coaches like Bob Bradley (US Men’s National Team), Sigi Schmidt (Columbus Crew), and George Kuntz (UC Irvine and now Hawaii’s Director of Coaching). Together, they helped pave the way for that one way-ticket to Hawaii.

I finally made it out here in January 2008, and it has been a blast! It was a tough decision to leave a pro soccer career. But I knew other endeavors awaited. A few friends and I started a business called F11 Productions, which is a content production and delivery system created by soccer players for soccer players and fans. F11.com is a major avenue for reaching out to those supporters here and around the world.

Soccer has been a vehicle for me to get to Hawaii and I couldn’t be happier. Le Jardin Soccer Academy invited me on board with their highly experienced staff. Coach Paco Saavedra has done a tremendous job developing a two-year program that has already seen a State Cup championship and the hiring of Chelsea FC youth coaches from England for a camp this coming summer. Kailua is where I start the newest chapter of my soccer life and I look forward to the experiences and challenges ahead.  Just since January I have seen many exciting developments in the Hawaii soccer community, most recently with the Pan Pacific Championship. I see the strides Hawaii is taking as a state to develop enthusiasm and interest in a sport few understand in this country. I am privileged and fortunate to be a new member of this community. I look forward to meeting many of you and sharing in our mutual love for soccer.

 

There is something about that first glimpse of a stadium at any sporting event. In movies, they always get this scene right: panning towards the green grass or turf, the same way your eyes take it all in upon arrival. Emerging from a tunnel, familiar smells overwhelm the senses: salty hot dog water, sun-caked seats and stale beer. Then, the sounds of the stadium fill in the rest of the sensory space: kids pleading for candy, cheers and applause reverberating through the structure and vendors hawking team paraphernalia. Entering Aloha Stadium for the Pan Pac Championships was no different.

I purchased tickets for both the semi-final and final matches immediately. There was no way I’d miss the rare occasion of world-class soccer right here at home. My father was the first to join. He had taken my brother to see Pele play at Aloha Stadium the year before I was born, and, a true fan, still remembers a bicycle kick from that game. The group later filled out with my fiancé, a good friend and my mother.

Friendly tournaments like the Pan Pac can very easily turn into “training opportunities.” The Pro Bowl is a good example of this: some years, players simply suit up, while other years they exchange tough hits with some of the legends of the regular season. An exhibition game can either lock you to a stadium seat or remind you how uncomfortable those same seats can be. This year’s Pro Bowl was highly entertaining, and the Pan Pac followed suit.

Japan’s Gamba Osaka definitely showed up to play, taking home the first-ever Pan Pac trophy. They displayed a powerful offense, relentless and quick. Fans were treated to thrilling scoring opportunities and seven goals over the two games. Gamba’s Brazilian teammates ruled the field, with speedy Mineiro dangerous on the wing and Bare scoring four goals in a one-sided final against the Houston Dynamo.

You have to be proud of local stand-out Brian Ching for all his amazing accomplishments. The planets finally aligning, he played at home for the first time in over a decade. Ching obviously enjoyed the experience, as did his fans. His Houston team played with an exciting tempo in their semi-final match against Sydney FC, but seemed out of synch during their 6-1 loss to the Japanese side.

The LA Galaxy looked sharp. Every ball was played with super-star David Beckham in mind, and the strategy paid off. He delivered one perfect pass after another to teammates patiently positioned in front of the net. It was disappointing that Landon Donovan did not play, as the Beckham-Donovan connection would have been amazing to see in person.

Sydney FC seemed a bit flat, perhaps worn-out coming off a rigorous season. Rarely in possession of the ball for long stretches, they remained a frustrating step behind each opponent. The second half of their semi-final match versus the Dynamo was as entertaining as waiting in line at the DMV, although Sydney performed better in their third-place loss to the Galaxy.

The Aloha Stadium crowd seemed interested but unsure of how to act at a professional soccer game. In 2002, I traveled to see the African Cup of Nations in Mali. There, the fans knew how to do it right. Amid drums and face paint, Cameroon supporters hoisted human-sized caskets clearly labeled with the other team’s logo. Somehow, the “I LOVE BECKHAM” signs scribbled on notebook paper at the Pan Pac didn’t quite cut it. Luckily, the animated Japan fans were willing to share their “Gamba, Gamba, Gamba, O-SA-KA!” cheer with the rest of us.

Beckham admirers were out in full force. Whenever I left my seat, they kindly kept me up to date on his every touch. Following each game, Beckham gave away a sopping, sweaty jersey to one lucky fan. I would have elbowed total strangers or gently nudged a kid out of the way for that dripping souvenir. After each jersey pass-off, the tattooed star would adjust his shorts around rock-hard abs, which had my father wondering whether or not the shorts would be the next to go.

There were lots of familiar faces in the stands: I ran into teammates from my over-30 WISA crew and recognized others from my AYSO days. We also saw such stars as Natasha Kai, a clean-shaven Alexi Lalas and actor Anthony LaPaglia, the cop in So I Married an Axe Murderer.

Aside from the red-carpet attractions, the field buzzed with activities to either admire or learn from. My mother loves a good corner kick, appreciating the artistry of set plays. My fiancé counted along as the ball boys and girls juggled in groups between games. I saw parents pointing out techniques to their kids and began to take note: the pros played wide, switched fields often and constantly battled to control the tempo of the game.

My only qualm of the whole event: the obnoxious BamBam sticks, touted on the package as “The Hottest Item in the Sports Promotional Market.” When hit just right, they make an almost metallic bwaanggg sound. During the semi-finals, we sat near a corner of the field where the Beckham groupies far outnumbered the BamBam fanatics, especially during corner kicks. For the finals though, our 50-yard-line beauties were located in the middle of BamBam nation and my friend actually ended up stuffing Kleenex in her ears.

We could have moved, of course, what with all the empty seats. In fact, the astounding number of vacant sections made me worry the event might flop. After all, if every kid in AYSO had come with a parent, the stadium would have overflowed. As it was, traffic and a school night contributed to the semi-final and final matches drawing only 15,000 and 23,000 respectively, despite the lure of Beckham and Ching. I noticed women standing in line for empty bathroom stalls, only because we expect there to be a wait.

Someone mentioned to me later that the Galaxy’s home stadium holds just 27,000, roughly half of Aloha Stadium’s capacity. More good news: the 23,000 who showed up for the second night were part of the largest crowd in state history to watch a soccer game. Could it be that we die-hard fans impressed the organizers enough to try again next year? I hope so. I want that Beckham jersey!