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A fullback for team Azteca kicks to team Guerrro in a match at Centennial Park in Santa Ana. Soccer is taken very seriously in Santa Ana, where it is more an obsession than a sport. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
The goalie for team Olympo dives for a penalty kick during a recent match. In Santa Ana, more than 12,000 registered soccer players vie for space on just 29 city fields. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
The soccer teams Azteca (in white) and Guerrero square off on a field that is more dirt than grass at Centennial Park in Santa Ana. Unlike summer baseball and fall football, soccer is played year-round in Southern California, and competition for fields never lets up. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
A referee ejects a goalie during a disputed play. Santa Ana has one of the highest ratios of soccer players to fields in the region, higher than Long Beach or even Los Angeles. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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For youngsters just learning to dribble to adults playing on elite clubs, and even for relatives who just cheer from the sidelines, soccer is lifeblood for many in Santa Ana. Spanish-language magazines chronicle the teams ups and downs and track up-and-coming stars. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
