All Tied Up--in Spirit
The score was a 1-1 tie, but the game was one for the scrapbooks.
At least it was for a feisty group of 10-year-olds from the Long Beach United soccer club, which tied Major League Soccer’s Galaxy in a just-for-fun exhibition match Sunday at the inaugural Soccer Extravaganza in San Juan Capistrano.
“This makes their spring break,” said Coach Claudio Igrassia, whose team was one of 100 participating in the seven-a-side matches that took place Saturday and Sunday. The 10-year-olds, along with two groups of older players, matched up with seven Galaxy players during a midday “friendly” at the polo fields on La Pata Avenue. None of the older teams managed even a tie.
Oh, sure, some Galaxy players pulled their kicks and certainly feinted a time or two more than they might have otherwise, but the youngsters were fierce competitors.
Take that moment when striker Kevin Hartman--usually the Galaxy goalkeeper--tried to take the ball around the corner and to the goal against the defense of Nicholas Luzod.
Nothing doing.
Nicholas squared him up about four yards from the corner, forcing Hartman to cross the ball. But nothing was doing there either, as Nicholas stepped up and took the shot in his chest.
The crowd oohed, then good-naturedly booed Hartman for challenging the youngster so vigorously. For Nicholas, it was the purest gold.
“I was trying to block the shot,” he said later, surrounded by his all-smiles teammates in postgame euphoria. “I was not going to let him take it in on me.”
Goalkeeper Mike MacGillivray sighed: “He saved me.”
Parents were wildly pleased that their day at the tournament turned to “pure joy” as Long Beach United won a lottery of teams to match up with the Galaxy.
“This totally made their trip,” Vauna Armstrong said.
If there was one regret, it was that none among the Long Beach team’s parents brought a camera.
“If we had, we wouldn’t have won the lottery,” said one mother.
Hartman, who helped the Galaxy to a 2-1 victory Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, wasn’t among the players scheduled to participate in the Galaxy’s promotional appearance, but said he drove down to be with some friends. Then, the chance to play striker during the competition and the exhibition pulled him onto the pitch.
“It’s a good atmosphere [here] and makes the athletes more accessible,” he said after the exhibition. “In a lot of sports the athletes aren’t that accessible, and that is [something] the MLS will need to avoid if it is to continue to grow.”
Scores of kids lined up before and after the match to have everything from soccer balls to jerseys to scrapbooks signed by the Galaxy players. The team is leading Major League Soccer’s Western Division with a 3-0-2 record.
The club and American Youth Soccer Organization teams paid $230 to play four matches in the event, put together by two former Orange County high school soccer stars: Steve George, who played for Mater Dei and Cal State Fullerton, and Daniel Sparks, who played for Rancho Santa Margarita High School and UCLA.
George, whose brother Seth plays for the Galaxy, hopes the weekend tournament will become a regular event.
He also sees the seven-a-side format--11 play in regulation soccer--as perfect for bringing out the best in children.
“It’s a perfect training device, because a kid can’t hide,” he said.
