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SCHWAN'S USA CUP WEEKEND
| JULY 16, 2011 |
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Jamaican' their way to the CUP
By Karly Wallack
Each year the Schwan's USA Cup, presented by PUMA, attracts thousands of soccer enthusiasts from around the world, and for teams and referees making the trip to the United States can be no small feat. For the Jamaican referees, months of collaboration and planning are put into making a successful trip, but the hassle seems to be worth it all once they've finally arrived.
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Jamaican referee Keble Williams poses for a photo. This is his second year coordinating the trip to Minnesota for the Jamaican referees.
Photo courtesy of Greg Savino.
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Planning the trip to the U.S. requires countless hours of time and coordination for the Jamaicans, and at the center of all the effort is referee Keble Williams. Williams has been refereeing for almost seven years and is now a FIFA assistant referee. This will be his fifth consecutive year at the USA CUP and his second year of coordinating the trip to Blaine, Minnesota.
"We came here for the first time in 2007," said Williams. "A Jamaican who was a naturalized citizen of the U.S and a referee came down to Jamaica and said that it would be good for a group of us to come over and check it out."
Ten Jamaican referees took the advice to heart and came to Minnesota to take part in the USA CUP for the first time. Since then, Jamaican referees have been returning to participate every year. A total of 16 Jamaican referees came to participate in the 2011 USA CUP with three of them being new to the tournament.
"We really don't decide which referees are coming to the tournament. Basically, people hear about the opportunity and express interest. We try to get as many people to come as possible because it's our low season back home right now for refereeing," Williams said.
Referees from throughout Jamaica choose to participate in the USA CUP. This year's list includes several current and former FIFA referees who seized the opportunity to ref the tournament. Being able to represent their home country is exciting for these guests even if they aren't all from the same area.
"Jamaica is an island of many different sections. We have different groups of referees, but they are all linked to one main group," said Williams. "This year we have brought referees from KSAFA and the Eastern, Western and South-central Confederations, but ultimately we are all one group from Jamaica, representing Jamaica."
The planning of the tournament requires a multitude of decisions and the synchronization of ideas. Referees from all over Jamaica have an interest in taking part in the USA CUP, and it's Williams' job to make sure they're all on the same page.
"Planning? That's a headache," said a laughing Williams. "Its hard to coordinate with different people from different areas. Some of the refs are not readily available so you have to do it all by phone and try to organize how and when to get here," Williams said.
So what exactly makes all of the effort worth it? For the Jamaicans it's the combination of the whole experience. The variety of teams and styles of play add to the excitement of the trip and challenge the referees to perform at their top level. Getting the chance to referee with people from across the country allows them to learn from each other. It's fun for the referees to be able to sit down and exchange stories of their own experiences in the game of soccer.
"The USA CUP brings a mixture of culture, camaraderie, friendships," said Williams. "It's always good for the Jamaican referees to come and experience it for themselves. I'll continue to come here for as long as I can afford it."
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Jamaican referees get together for a photo. A total of 16 Jamaicans made the trip to the USA CUP to referee this year. Photo courtesy of Greg Savino.
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What does it take to be a guest player
By Tiffany Willits
It is surprising the various reasons that guest players choose to play at the Schwan's USA CUP, presented by PUMA. The USA CUP guest player program is designed for coaches that are short players due to injury as well as any other conflicting commitments. The guest player program connects coaches with players who want to have a great USA CUP experience and each team can have up to six guest players.
"Interested players registered with USSF or FIFA affiliated associations can fill out a guest player application online," said Zac Carlson, sports service intern and guest player coordinator.
"A high priority for foreign players is to place them accordingly. Having the chance to play with an American team is a great experience and the same idea goes both ways, whether it's an American player on a foreign team," said Carlson.
Just what are some situations that guest players are needed or requested? "Having injuries on a team and needing to fill spots is one reason," said Carlson. Colombia purposely left extra space on their roster to get the experience of playing with U.S. players. One Colombia player is trying to be recruited by colleges, so he is coming as a guest player. Another example would be in the case of a family event that a player can't make the tournament; a guest playing opportunity would be requested."
This year at USA CUP 305 players signed up as guest players and 201 were placed. The Red River Soccer Club Girls' U14 Premier White from West Fargo, North Dakota will be having two guest players from Mexico in the weekend tournament.
"We were short players this year for USA CUP so we decided to add guest players," stated Stephanie Sumers, team manager. "This is the first year we've used guest players and so far it has worked out very well."
Renaud Soccer Club Girls' U14 from O'Fallen, Missouri will be having two guest players from Puerto Rico and one from Canada in the weekend tournament. "The guest players were brought to me from the USA CUP staff. Coach Tom Renaud made the decision to go ahead with adding them," said Shari Lecomte, team manager. "All of our athletes are getting along fine. They jumped right in and started playing and the girls welcomed them."
"During the rain delay on Friday, we all met in the Schwan's hockey rink and my girls asked our guest players about speaking Spanish. The USA CUP guest player program is a good idea and it helps the kids get to know other cultures. Getting the chance to play with teams from other countries to see how they play soccer is wonderful. My girls are really having a great time with it," said Lecomte.
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NWIFC Boys' U19 Galaxy from Spencer, Iowa welcome guest players #7 Menelik Kaza-Amlak from U.S. Virgin Islands and #22 André Santos from Brazil. Kaza-Amlak and Santos pose with their team standing to the far right of the top row next to their coach. Photo courtesy of Tiffany Willits
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The NWIFC Boys' U19 Galaxy from Spencer, Iowa has two guest players. Joining Iowa this year will be Menelik Kaza-Amlak from the U.S. Virgin Islands and André Santos from Brazil. In 2008 Santos played as a guest player on the Alaska USA CUP team. Joining him was Carter Gerdeman, who is a current member of the NWIFC Boys' Galaxy team. They will be reunited on the field this year.
"We added guest players to give our Iowa boys an international and cultural experience. The only small issue of mixing my players from Iowa with the U.S. Virgin Island player and the Brazil player is the language barrier. However, I have high hopes that all the players will presume the language of soccer which is universal and that they will mesh on the field," said team manager Colleen Gerdeman.
"The USA CUP guest player program is awesome. I've been involved with guest players on our own team as it is a tremendous opportunity to meet and gain new friends," Gerdeman smiled. "All three of my kids have been guest players on other teams in the USA CUP. This is my seventh year coming to USA CUP and I've come in many different forms: manager, coach and parent. The opportunity has provided my kids with a lifelong, great experience."
Those interested in adding guest players to their roster for future USA CUP tournaments are encouraged to visit www.usacup.org and search "team central" to find the guest player forms and rules.
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Weather delay puts damper on USA CUP opening day
By Alex Haueter
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Despite the puddles on the sidelines, teams warm-up after an unexpected five-hour thunderstorm delay. Photo courtesy of Kyle Hanson.
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Extreme weather in July is nothing new to Minnesota, but the presence of thunderstorms or high heat still throws a wrench into tournament scheduling. The Schwan's USA CUP, presented by Puma, got off to an auspicious start Friday morning as lightning, thunder and heavy rains came rolling into Blaine, prompting a five-hour delay in opening-day play.
As a result of the storm, tournament organizers lost morning and lunchtime time slots before play finally resumed shortly before 2 p.m. The delay prompted shortened and rescheduled games in a push to make sure every team could play the group stage in its entirety.
The best laid plans, as they say.
So while players, coaches and spectators milled through the Puma World Store, played cards in doorways and splashed through puddles across the National Sports Center's 600-acre campus, stadium headquarters filled up as tournament staff and volunteers were forced to begin rescheduling games only 25 minutes after they had begun.
Tournament director Steve Olson said the fast-developing thunderstorm forced USA CUP staff to quickly go back on the decision to move forward with the first set of games. With lightning strikes within eight miles of the NSC, a shutdown was inevitable.
"There was a lot of infilling in this storm that we didn't expect. The weather forecast didn't include any of this. We have a meteorologist, a live guy, we can talk to, who said the warm front moving in is bringing a lot of instability," he said. "From the time I got in my car for about a half-hour drive, we went from the weather people saying, 'This will not affect the Twin Cities,' to having a severe thunderstorm watch on until one o'clock to having a severe thunderstorm warning for western Anoka county."
Even as the lightning from that storm was subsiding, the high volume of rain turned Friday morning and early afternoon into a waiting game. As referee scheduling coordinator Bill Roll watched the radar and various weather forecasts, campus operations could only speculate about the state of each soaked field, turning the onus of the weather delay from lightning to standing water. Even before the storm had subsided and the all-clear was given, the NSC's turf crew had gone field to field, tasked with determining whether fields were safe and playable after nearly two inches of rain fell in Blaine on Friday.
"The idea is if you have standing water, it's just not safe; the secondary issue is how much damage you're going to do the fields from here to the end of the whole 10 days that we're playing here," Olson said. "The volume of [the storm] really took it to our fields. We had a conversation in the morning where we said we might get to a point where there's no lightning and it's still pouring rain and the fields are not playable, which is pretty much what we got."
Roll seconded the notion that the biggest hurdle for the tournament going forward was the water. Ultimately, many games were postponed until Saturday, leaving all day Sunday for playoff rounds. The changes will mean shortened games for some teams, but Roll said it was better than the alternative.
"The other option was to bump an entire playoff round, but we felt it was more important to make sure teams get the full experience," Roll said. "We understand it's a big inconvenience to wait around, and it's hard on us not knowing what the weather will bring."
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NSC Minnesota Stars close out season series with Islanders Sunday
By Alex Haueter
 | | Joe Warren · Stars GK |
With last Saturday's much-needed win against the league-leading Carolina RailHawks, the NSC Minnesota Stars gained three much-needed points and put an end to a disappointing string of draws at home. The Stars currently sit in fourth place in the North American Soccer League, but can climb up the table with a win Sunday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders, the defending second division champions who lead the Stars by just one point in the league table. FC Edmonton, three points ahead of the Stars in second place, is also in striking distance.
The two teams have faced each other three times this season, splitting the series 1-1-1, with both sides posting a win at home to go along with a 1-1 tie in Puerto Rico on June 1. At 7:30 Sunday night, the Stars will put their unbeaten home record on the line as the Islanders arrive at NSC Stadium for the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams.
"We know Puerto Rico very well from the games we've played against them so far this season, and we have a great deal of respect for them," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. "They're fast and have great playmakers, so we'll have to be on our toes on defense and sharp on the ball on offense."
The Stars will be without midfielder Ely Allen on Sunday night due to a knee injury he sustained at the end of the first half on Saturday. Brazilian midfielder Geison stepped onto the field for Allen, providing the assist on Amani Walker's game-winner at the end of the second half. Geison could feature again against Puerto Rico, but winger Andy Lorei could also receive the nod after Lagos expressed confidence in his squad's depth after Saturday's win.
Jonathan Fana will be a key Islander player to look out for on Sunday night. He has been a vital part of the Puerto Rican offense this year, scoring eight goals, including two against the Stars in April a 3-1 Islanders' win in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The Stars contained him three weeks later, however, limiting his chances to run at the defense when posting a 2-0 win at NSC Stadium. The Stars also held Fana off the scoresheet on June 1 in Puerto Rico.
"Our games against Puerto Rico this season have been open and entertaining for the fans," Lagos said. "I expect this one to be no different, and I'm hopeful we can keep the positive energy from Saturday going."
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NSC Webcasting for Opening Ceremony!
The NSC Webcasting team wants to let you know of an exciting opportunity for you to share your experience here at Schwan's USA CUP Opening Ceremony with all of your family and friends back home!
The Opening Ceremony at 7:00pm Central time on Tuesday, July 19, will be broadcast LIVE with play-by-play announcing at www.nscgamecast.tv
Let all of your family and friends know that they can watch your opening ceremony LIVE if they subscribe to it at the website above for a pay-per-view price of $8.95.
Don't forget to smile and wave to everyone watching from home!
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Activities for Today & Sunday
SATURDAY, JULY 16
PUMA vELITE FEATURED GAMES OF THE DAY 07:00 - 20:00
Fields U1 & U2 · FREE
VIP CENTER/TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS
07:00 - 20:00
Schwan Center - Second Floor
GOLF 08:00 - 18:00
NSC's Victory Links
PUMA ACTIVITY ZONE 09:00 - 18:00
Main Parking Lot Island
PUMA WORLD STORE 09:00 - 20:00
NSC Sports Hall
PUMA MISTER 10:00 - 18:00
Main Parking Lot
SCHWAN ZONE 10:00 - 17:00
NSC Sports Hall
SOCCER EXPRESS® Shirt Kick 10:00 - 18:00
West end of Main Parking Lot
PINS & PATCHES TRADING 13:00 - 15:00
Schwan Zone in NSC Sports Hall
ICE SKATING 14:00 - 15:00
Schwan Super Rink · Rink #1
MINNESOTA LYNX GAME 19:00 - 22:00
Target Center · Downtown Minneapolis
SUNDAY, JULY 17
PUMA 5k DASH 07:00 - 10:00
NSC Campus
PUMA vELITE FEATURED GAMES OF THE DAY 07:00 - 20:00
Fields U1 & U2
VIP CENTER/TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS 07:00 - 20:00
Schwan Center - Second Floor
GOLF 08:00 - 18:00
NSC's Victory Links
PUMA ACTIVITY ZONE 09:00 - 18:00
Main Parking Lot Island
PUMA WORLD STORE 09:00 - 18:00
NSC Sports Hall
AWARDS PRESENTATION 10:00 - 18:00
NSC Sports Hall · FREE
PUMA MISTER 10:00 - 18:00
Main Parking Lot
SCHWAN ZONE 10:00 - 17:00
NSC Sports Hall
SOCCER EXPRESS® Shirt Kick 10:00 - 18:00
West end of Main Parking Lot
WOMEN'S WORLD CUP PARTY presented by PUMA 13:00 - 16:00
Schwan Super Rink #8
MINNESOTA STARS GAME 19:30 - 20:30
NSC Stadium
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