SCHWAN'S USA CUP
JULY 21, 2011
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Edgars Youth Programme from Uganda - Making their first trip to the United States
By Tiffany Willits

Uganda photo

Edgars Youth Programme from Uganda, Coach Peter Makanga and four American guest players pose after their 5-1 win over Minnesota North Metro Fury on Wednesday. Photo credit Tiffany Willits.

Uganda entered the Schwan's USA CUP with a U11 boys' team for the first time ever. While the journey was long and some players didn't receive their passports due to the state shutdown, for the Uganda Edgars Youth Programme (EYP) team that were able to make the trip, it was a time to remember.

EYP has participated in several World Youth tournaments including the Gothia World Youth tournament in Sweden in 2008 and 2009 and the UK Welsh Super Cup in 2009 and 2010. EYP has even traveled to Norway in 2010 to take part in the Norway Cup. Uganda's EYP mission is to provide opportunity to youth using sports and believes every child should be given the opportunity to play soccer. They want to help give back to in appreciation to those who have helped them gain success.

Participating in two previous games at the USA CUP on Tuesday, the Uganda EYP dropped games one and two. Bouncing back from their two losses, EYP played the Minnesota North Metro Fury on Wednesday. EYP would go on to win with a score of 5-1. Uganda had many smiling faces on the players, families and home stay parents. Joining the Uganda team this year were three guest players from Forest Lake and one guest player from Minnesota Thunder Academy.

"This is my first time to America and Minnesota," said player Lydia Alaba.  "I've been playing soccer since 1st grade. My coach is nice and I like the way people study hard in Minnesota.  I liked the skydivers yesterday at opening ceremony," Alaba smiled.

Nakkazi Prossie, a traveling parent with the team, works as a medical assistant and fan. "I help give medication to the kids and this is also my first time to America. America has been very good to us and helped our kids out a lot," said Prossie.

The Uganda team split up and homestayed in three different houses. "This is my sixth year of being a host and it is absolutely wonderful," said Julie Miller, homestay host. "I have hosted Japan, Equador, Denmark, Uganda and Northern Ireland before. My sons wanted to host another team this year and they really enjoyed meeting new the kids. The Uganda families have been nice and so great. The Edgars Youth Programme has been trying to build their club because they know sports will help get their kids to universities."

Tamela Greene and her son Jason Greene are hosting four children from the team. This is their first year being involved with the process. "A typical day involves a lot of soccer. The opportunity has been good. It's a great experience for their kids and our kids to learn about another culture," said Tamela. "We have taught them about McDonald's and ever since the kids have found out about the Chicken McNugget happy meal, they have fallen in love. We've been to McDonald's three times already since they've arrived."

 "When we get some extra time it's fun to play the Wii and Playstation," said Jason Greene.  Jason is on the Edina Soccer Club and is also participating in USA CUP. "Adding more kids to our week and having someone to play soccer with is an experience you don't usually get. Not to mention cheering for two teams-you don't normally get that experience. I would recommend homestay and we'd love to do it again. I would love to have the Uganda team participate again."

Christy Wagner and her son Tommy are the third set of homestay families who have taken Uganda under their wing. "This is also our first year and it has been great. All three of the players staying with us have been very sweet. Adding in our two daughters and Tommy, it's been a little crowded but such a wonderful experience. My husband and I are used to the commotion as we have been boarding school teachers and we used to teach on the east coast. This has a very similar feeling to it."

Just like Jason, Christy's son Tommy is also on the Edina Soccer Club. "We've done team picnics and have adopted together. At such a big event it's neat to watch the kids be very welcoming towards each other. We had a great day last Monday the Edina team and Uganda met at the Mall of America. The kids shared their experiences which travel way beyond soccer. I hope Uganda gets the chance to come back to USA CUP in the future," said Christy.

Coach Peter Makanga has brought positive affirmation to his team.During halftime he stated, "Just continue to play your game. No pressure." Makenga has played from 2000-2008 on the Uganda International team as a defensive left side. He has played against World Cup finalists and is hoping to re-qualify for the Uganda Cranes team again. 

Speaking about the team's travel journey he stated, "My team has made a very long journey and the players have become tired. The weather was so hot and playing three games in one day was hard. However, they pulled together and played. The overall first time experience has been so positive. This is a lively group of players and host families."

"Everyone has been very good to us-words can't explain it. We wish next year to be hosted again. While the weather was challenging, playing with a few American guest players has been a good experience to take on. The players have been getting used to the soccer so that maybe when the time comes to move onto a higher level, they will be ready," smiled Makanga. Uganda will play their Thursday game against EPSC Explosion at 8:45 a.m. on field A5.
The Cayman Islands' teams fundraise their way to USA CUP
By Karly Wallack

Cayman Islands photo

A few players and parents from the Cayman Islands Academy Sports Club pose for a photo. A group of three teams from Grand Cayman raised nearly $48,000 for the trip to Minnesota. (L to R) David Lee, Ennis Ramoon, Corey Ferguson, Cline Glidden, Luca Polloni, Dave Scott, Rose Wright, Betty Ann Scott & Kathryn Guitard. Photo credit: Karly Wallack

Thousands of soccer players make their way to the USA CUP, presented by PUMA, each year, but what exactly does it take for teach team to get here? For teams coming from across the world, a multitude of decisions have to be made about how to make the trip happen. Countless hours of fundraising went into the effort for the three teams in the Cayman Islands in the U12, U13 and U14 age groups, allowing them to depart from the island and arrive at the Minnesota soccer fields.

The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory compromised of three islands, including Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. With a tropical marine climate and relatively cool winters the islands are a major financial center in the Caribbean, attracting thousands of tourists to the long stretches of beaches and tropical environment each year.

The USA CUP can be a costly tournament for teams to participate in, between tournament fees, plane tickets, hotels and a variety of other costs. Raising money is a great solution for international teams looking to get to the United States that have trouble affording the expenses. An enormous amount of hard work and planning goes into the efforts of these teams, but the tournament has been well worth the time spent for the Cayman Island players.
"It's been really fun and different," said U14 team captain Luca Polloni. "I've never been to anything like this and it's exciting."

This is the second year that the Grand Cayman teams have come to the USA CUP, and memories of the tournament from the previous year have proved to be a good incentive in the money raising process. Although not all of the players had the chance to come to the tournament last year they were still looking forward to the opportunity for this year. Hearing stories and explanations from the Cayman Island players who had been to the tournament before was a good motivation for the teams to jump on the fundraising.

"All of the new kids could feel the excitement from last year," said parent Kathryn Guitard. "It made them even more excited to come."

So how did all of the fundraising get started for the Cayman Island players? The teams started raising money in January after organizing events and planning out the details. But it wasn't just the players who took part in the money raising. Coaches and parents were a big part of the efforts as well, playing an important role in the process and working hard to make the trip happen.
"We did fundraising almost every month. We had three garage sales, a raffle and a fish fry - Caribbean style," added a smiling Rose Wright, parent of one of the Cayman Island players.

The teams slowly chipped away at their trip expenses with each event that took place, vastly minimizing their costs. The fish fry brought in nearly $3,000 for the teams, but the raffle was by far their biggest success, raising them nearly $10,000. Each player was required to sell a minimum of two books of raffle tickets, but the incentive of a $150 gift card to the player selling the most tickets added excitement in the form of a competitive edge to the fundraiser, quite fitting for a group of soccer players.

"The team loved selling the tickets. They really got into it," said parent Betty Ann Scott. "They were really excited about coming here and really good about everything."
The players sold tickets throughout the Cayman Islands, gaining sales at malls and other local attractions. The raffle featured an assortment of prizes that included a TV, DVD player and other products and devices, but what sparked the most interest was the grand prize of a plane ticket from the airline Cayman Airways. The raffle seemed to be the favorite event for the majority of the Cayman Island players.

"It was my favorite fundraiser because I was with my friends and I got to meet other people," said Pollini. "We actually met a couple from Minnesota that was visiting the island while we were selling tickets. They knew about the USA CUP. It was really cool."

    After working hard to raise thousands of dollars the Grand Cayman teams received some last minute help from a group of sponsors. A total of seven major sponsors supported the team, including everything from law firms to doctors and other corporations. Through all of the planning, preparation and effort the group of about 80 players, parents and coaches raised nearly $48,000. It truly was an accomplishment of hard work and dedication from the parents and teams.

"We're such a close family," said Scott. "We have a good set of boys and great coaches that care for every single one of them."
Check out today's episode of KickTV featuring Opening Ceremony
http://www.usacup.org/fun-stuff/kick_tv.stm
About Us
Schwan's USA CUP is located on the campus of the National Sports Center, a 501(3)c non-profit organization located in Blaine, Minnesota.