December 2010 Atlanta Footballnet Magazine by Andre Bomar

December 2010 Volume 2, Number 4 FREE

Review of ADASL Featured Matches from November New Atlanta Footballnet Awards Announced December Beauty Katherine

Exclusive Interview

Emsad Zahirovic Bosnia & Herzegovina International

Footballnet Beauty

Katherine Images Frozen In Time Photography We are event photographers that can record your special lifetime and social events. Moments of our lives that we wish could be "Frozen In Time" so that we can later look back at them, smile and remember when...

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December 2010 The Beautiful Game has a more interesting definition with this magazine feature. The beauties you will see in this section are a fitting accent to the game that we all love to follow. Please enjoy the sights and sounds of our Atlanta Footballnet Beauties at the official Atlanta Footballnet website!

CONTENTS Superlatives! Covering the ADASL as a fan this year has been a great joy for me. The action available to enjoy by these athletes is quite extraordinary. Just a review of the past 2 months of action I've been able to report on; (1) goal scoring exploits of 2 of the most prolific strikers in the league; (2) A team left for dead at the end of last year has transformed into a juggernaut at the top of the league. (3) The excitement of the Perrin Cup competition has begun in earnest. Added to that are compelling stories from the mid-table battles all the way down to the foot of the league table as teams battle to get out of the relegation places. For the fan, it's a great opportunity to take the family out for top class sporting entertainment all for free. All games are in the metro Atlanta area through the official website and our Footballnet website, any fan can follow the details of the league week-in and week-out. Truly a great way to experience the sport of soccer to the fullest!

Drefooty Corner

COVER STORY Exclusive Interview

Emsad Zahirovic

B&H International star, Emsad Zahirovic sat down with Atlanta Foorballnet to talk about his time in the game and his outlook on the league.

Page 2 Girl

FEATURE ARTICLE

This month's Footballnet Beauty is Katherine!

Drefooty's Corner

Thoughts from the magazine's editor.

Frozen In Time

Atlanta Fottballnet Monthly Awards

Announcing monthly awards for the selected Atlanta Footballnet Manager and Player of the Month. This is a new awards presentation sponsored by Images Frozen In Time Photography.

Images Frozen In Time have chosen some images from November's action for your pleasure.

NOVEMBER FEATURED GAME REVIEWS Real Pish 1 - 5 Majestic

19 Inkhead 1 - 2 Melchester

Sting Gold 1 - 2 B&H Inter

20 G Tech FC 2- 6 B&H Inter

Images Frozen In Time

November 2010 Matches

B&H International are again showing why they are one of the most consistent teams in the league. By the end of November, B&H had wrestled top spot from Inkhead.com. Copyright 2010 by Images Frozen In Time Photography

Images Frozen In Time for November 2010

If there was ever an award for "playing with heart" you'd be hard pressed to find a better example than Real Pish striker Steve Payne continuing to play in goal after an injury.

Emsad Zahirovic can't stop scoring, leading the league in scoring at the end of Nov.

Inkhead.com fell to Melchester Wings by the score of 2-1 in a thoroughly entertaining match at Kopman Field at the Weber School. This match was a fine example of the entertainment value found in the ADASL.

Experience against inexperience was a factor in the game where B&H defeated new boys Georgia Tech FC.

The first ever Georgia Derby in division one ended with the Red Dawgs of Inkhead.com on top 6-2 against Georgia Tech FC in this thoroughly entertaining rivalry game.

Sting Gold keeper snatches a cross from the air in the marquee game against B&H International. B&H International came from behind to eventually defeat Sting 2-1 at Kopman field.

Exclusive Interview:

Emsad Zahirovic Emsad Zahirovic is football class! He comes from a rich football heritage and B&H International has found in him a Cadillac of a forward. Winner of the ADASL golden boot award 3 of the last 4 seasons and a favorite again this season. When Emsad is on the field, any defense has their hands full trying to cope. Emsad sat down with Atlanta Footballnet to share his story with us and his outlook on the future of the game in the ADASL and elsewhere. by Andre Bomar

Najbolje Iz Bosne (The Best from Bosnia)

Anyone familiar with the ADASL will know about Emsad. His performances and personality are well know on and off the pitch and he has become one of the faces of the league. His reputation continues to grow day by day and with it a self-belief in his ability to inspire B&H International to a first time Division One title this season. I am very happy to be able to bring you this exclusive interview with such a important figure for the ADASL. Emsad and his family showed great hospitality in inviting us into their home for the discussion.

AF: Emsad, I want to thank you for taking the time to sit with us for a discussion about your time in football. EZ: Oh, no problem at all, it is my pleasure. AF: For the fans out there, I'd like to ask you a little about your background and activities. Where are you from originally? EZ: I'm from Bosnia. AF: In Bosnia, how did you become connected with football? EZ: When I was growing up, my dad played the game as a goalkeeper and his brother was a forward. I use to go to their games since I was

INTERVIEW: ANDRE BOMAR PICTURES: IMAGES FROZEN IN TIME PHOTOGRAPHY

very young to watch them play. In fact, I can't remember I time that I wasn't into football. It's always been a part of my life.

the war with. So it was very dangerous where we were. As a result, my father sent me and my mom to Croatia for our safety.

But I personally learned most on the streets growing up. Early in my life it was difficult with the war and everything, but as kids we played when we could.

Despite the danger, we moved back in 1992 to keep the family together. We are a close family and it was difficult to be apart with so much going on. Thank God, nothing happened to my family. But it was really hard on the family and it was a very difficult time in general.

AF: That's right, there was the war and I wasn't sure how that played a part in your life.

AF: I can imagine the horror of the times, but I am happy to hear that your family was able to get through it. But after the war was over, what happened next? EZ: Everything went uphill. After the war, I resumed my life and reunited with friends I was separated from during the war. Where I live, there were a lot of Serbians that lived in and around us and many were my friends. I was happy to get back to be with

What do you remember about that time period and how did it affect you and your family?

AF: Wow, that sounds very scary indeed. What was day to day life like for you at this time?

them and resume our friendships. Everything settled down for me and it got back to normal to the most degree.

EZ: The war in Bosnia was between the years 1991 1995. I was very young at that time, about 3 years old when it all started. Thankfully, we didn't lose anyone in the war. We were very fortunate. My dad was in the war his brother was also in the war. We lived very close to the border with Serbia who we were having

EZ: I remember times having to rush to the basement during the fighting and we couldn't go outside to play. And you are right, it was very scary.

AF: Now, I'm a little surprised to hear that. After everything that went on, wasn't it difficult to get back to normal even with Serbians that lived nearby?

As a kid, I really didn't understand everything that was going on but it was intense times that my family went through.

EZ: No, not really. Remember, we were kids and we didn't have that conflict in our hearts. We were eager to get

back to our lives as kids and that's what we did. Sure there were those who found it difficult after the war. There are many older ones who were dealing with a lot of that rage in their heart because of what they personally experienced. But we as kids did not have that. We were good with each other and were able to stay close friends. In fact, some of my best friends were from Serbia. AF: Thanks for sharing that background with us. It can be enlightening for fans to know about the things you have been through and how it can shape you as a human being.

So Let's move on to your involvement with football after the war. How did soccer factor back in? EZ: Football factored back in mainly because of my dad and uncle. They were still playing in local leagues and though they had opportunities to go play professionally in Germany and even America, they really only wanted to stay and play for the love of the game. I'm that way too. I don't necessarily need to be famous or make a lot of money. I love playing for the sake of playing the game. Don't get me wrong, I do want to excel at the highest level, but the main thing is to play the game because of

the game, not for the money. AF: That's good to hear. I think the fans can see that in your manner of play. So at this time, did you have any soccer heroes or teams you followed or that influenced you? EZ: One Player! Ronaldo (from Brazil)! I was about 12 years old and I remember thinking how amazing he was to watch play. And I was more a fan of certain players than teams. Ronaldo, Figo just to name a couple. I was attracted to the way they played the game. These were flair players and this has influenced my own style of play.

AF: OK, so now we know a little about your soccer influences, but what about how you got over to the States? EZ: It was mainly through my mom's sister who was already here. They came to the States about 2 years before us in 1998. At the time, post-war, it was incredibly difficult to get a visa for travel like that. So my mom sent us the papers to fill out and we did that and traveled to Croatia for an interview. Obviously there was a lot that went on in the processing of the applications, but we later got word we were approved and it was a bit of a shock at the sudden decision, but we were then on our way to America. AF: But why Atlanta? EZ: The reason it was Atlanta was that there was already a rather large concentration of Bosnians here and we felt it would be a good place to help us to get use to the new country. It was a big change for me because the city I

grew up in was much smaller than Atlanta. And there was the cultural differences to get use too. But being in a large Bosnian community made a lot of difference for us to get use to the new environment. AF: So how was the transition like for you? ...like for school, the language, and the like? EZ: It was difficult at first adjusting to the surroundings, but being in a community with other Bosnias really did help. Many of my new friends here already spoke English and learning from them was actually quicker and easier than learning in school. School was also easy because schools in Bosnia are more advanced than the same levels

here in the States. So all in all the adjustments were done with very little trouble. AF: OK, now you were settling in the States. What about soccer? How did that reappear for you here? EZ: I played for a youth teams at "GSA" and "The Attack" as well as playing later for the High School I attended. It was in High School that I was able to get to that next level. While I was playing high school ball, the B&H manager, Junuz Coralic, saw me play and invited me to play for the team. AF: Ahh, I always wondred how you made it to B&H International to play ball. EZ: Yeah, I played against Junuz's cousin in a game in High School when he saw me. So he asked me to play and I decided it would be great for me to make the move. It really started for me right there in high school as far as my contact with B&H. From there it just got even better for me in soccer.

AF: You're a very prolific scorer in the league. Golden Boot 3 of the last 4 years. I also believe you are the most well known player in the league at the moment. But before you came to the league, what did you know about the ADASL? EZ: Really nothing. I had not heard of it before the approach by Junuz. I knew of the Silverbacks and the USL league, but I was most interested to hear that there was a Bosnian team in the league and I looked into it and found that it was a high quality league and I was looking forward to playing for B&H. It was really great to see that there were trophies and Cup competitions along with promotion and relegation just like the European leagues. It's really a wonderful league to play in. AF: Something I have always been curious about is how you became the player you are today? Did you have special coaching or training? EZ: No, I never really received specialized training. I just played a lot and the skills and ability just came over time. Football is in my heart and I play at it to get better and better. I also look to help the team I play for improve in quality so that we can succeed as a group of players.

AF: As I talk to more and more players, I find that the top players generally are great because of their inner passion for the game. Not just tactical training. So would you agree that there is no easy road to developing your game other than putting in the time actually playing? EZ: Yes, I would agree. Though I personally dislike practicing and training, I love to play on game day. I would play every day all day if I could. Even when I watch football on YouTube or TV, I like to watch games of the players competing. I am not a fan of the free-styling and doing tricks with the ball. I like the real play between 2 teams trying to win a football match. AF: One thing I'd like to ask you is about B&H as a team. The last 3 years, B&H have finished 3rd once and the last 2 years you've finished the league in 2nd place. You did win the Perrin Cup 2 years ago, but how much of a motivation is it to win the league after coming so close in the last 3 years? EZ: Yeah, that's a very big motivation this year. We have come so close and even last year, we were 45 minutes from the title but lost it on 2 late goals. But that's soccer. Anything can happen to anyone in this game. But that is the appeal of the game.

AF: Another thing that I wanted to ask you about is the rivalry with the other Bosnia club in the league, FC Ljiljan. What's that rivalry like? EZ: It's mainly a rivalry because we are both Bosnian teams, but we are also great friends off the field. We hang out together and there is a lot of common feeling between us. But for the 90 minutes we are on the field, we are not friends, but all that is forgotten after the match. AF: It did seem that the match-ups with Ljiljan were a little more special but it makes sense that the relationship would be a sort of "Love-Hate" one based on the verbal banter back and forth before, during and after matches. EZ: Yeah, you'll find that both teams have a lot of passion and we may show it in the way we talk to each other on the pitch. But the passion is what makes the rivalry a great one. AF: Emsad, I want to thank you for the time you have taken to invite us into your home to ask you these questions. It's been enlightening and I am sure the fans will appreciate it too. EZ: It's my pleasure and I love talking about football. I hope more people will learn about the league and support us.

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October 2010 Atlanta Footballnet Awards Sponsored by Images Frozen In Time Photography

Atlanta Footballnet sponsor, Images Frozen In Time Photography is proud to present the inaugural monthly player and manager of the month awards for October 2010 in each month during the season. This award is to recognize significant contributions a player and manager has made for his team. Participants in Division One are eligible for the awards. Award presentations will typically be performed the last playing weekend of each month in the season and covered here in Atlanta Footballnet Magazine. The goal of this award is to recognize player and managers that excel at the highest level and also to raise the awareness of the contributions these players make each month for their teams and in turn the league.

Congratulations to October's Winners:

2010 October Player of the Month

Tyler Davis (Inkhead.com)

Inkhead.com forward, Tyler Davis, is the recipient of October's Atlanta Footballnet Player of the Month award. This award is given to the player determined to have contributed the most to their team either by an outstanding performance or superb team leadership. Participating Atlanta Footballnet staff and Facebook supporters give their input on the award each month. October's award determination was made based on Tyler's performance for his club in October. Tyler scored a league leading 11 goals for Inkhead.com over the 4 league matches in October. It was easy for the staff and fans to choose this award based on Tyler's performances and what his play means to the club.

2010 October Manager of the Month

Andrew Adams (Inkhead.com)

Inkhead.com manager, Andrew Adams, is the recipient of October's Atlanta Footballnet Manager of the Month award. This award is given to the manager who has inspired outstanding performance from their team in the selected month. Participating Atlanta Footballnet staff, Facebook and Twitter supporters give their input on the award each month. October's award determination was made based on the record setting pace the club took in October, leading the league in wins, goals scored and goal difference. After nearly being relegated the previous season, Andrew Adams has revamped and lead the team to the summit of the league for October 2010.

November and December Awards will be in the January issue of Atlanta Footballnet Magazine

Featured Games from November 2010 Real Pish 1 - 5 Majestic

Sting Gold 1 - 2 B&H Inter

Inkhead 1 - 2 Wngs

G Tech FC 2 - 6 B&H Inter

FEATURE GAME 1

1 5

Real Pish Majestic Brandon Hall

Copyright 2010 by Images Frozen In Time Photography Majestic climb a little higher in the league table with this comprehensive win over Real Pish at Brandon Hall field. The game will most be remembered for Pish only being able to field 9 players for this match but playing bravely on. Only fatigue and injury doomed Pish late to push them closer to the relegation places. For the first time in our match reviews, the man of the match is from the losing side. Real Pish's Steven Payne gets this honor for the determined performance he put in even though getting injured a little more than half way in the 2nd half.

Already starting the match with 9 men, Real Pish played Majestic even for most of the 1st half but eventually going behind 3-1 at half. Payne injured his leg at about the 70 min mark, but instead of going out, switch places with the keeper to stay on the field. Payne made a number of saves to keep the score respectable. All in all a brave performance in defeat. Man Of the Match:

Steven Payne (Real Pish) 19

FEATURE GAME 2

Sting Gold B&H International

1 2

Kopman Field (Weber School)

B&H International defeated Sting Gold in a very entertaining game at Kopman Field at the Weber School. Goals from Emsad Zahirovic and Marlon President canceled out an earlier goal by Stings' Stephen Gathany. Sting could argue they had the better of possession for long stretches of the 1st half and the majority of the second. Sting also went ahead first from a good goal from Gathany. However, Gathany would later go off injured and this affected the attacking options that Sting had and B&H took full advantage.

B&H's Emsad Zahirovic was instrumental in the comeback victory. His speed and agility as a lone striker was difficult for Sting to contain and he scored one goal and provided the assist for the 2nd and game winner. His efforts in the B&H attack are the reason for being awarded the Man of the Match for today. Man Of the Match:

Emsad Zahirovic (B&H International)

FEATURE GAME 3

Inkhead.com Melchester Wings

1 2

Copyright 2010 by Images Frozen In Time Photography In one of the most entertaining matches we have witnessed so far this season, Melchester Wings traveled to Kopman Field at Weber school to defeat league leaders Inkhead.com by a score of 2-1. Goals from Craig Aitken and David Gussio were enough to overcome a 1st half strike from Inkhead defender Matt Bennett. This was a full bloodied and physical match but contained loads of finesse for those that like to see artistry on a football pitch. Wings defender, Rama Canovas pushed up strong to effectively help the Wings attack, but Inkhead were equal

to the task holding out well in both halves. It's a shame that either team had to lose this match and Inkhead will be disappointed at the manner of one of the goals which will go down as a defense mistake when a ball not properly cleared ended up in the back of the Red Dawg net. But the result of this game sets up wonderful match-ups in the league after the holiday break. Man Of the Match:

Craig Aitken (Melchester Wings)

FEATURE GAME 4

Georgia Tech FC B&H International

2 6

Kopman Field (Weber School)

B&H International stormed into first place after a convincing win at Southern Poly State University against Georgia Tech FC by the score of 6-2. 5 of the goals were scored by man of the match Emsad Zahirovic which catapulted him to the leagues goal scoring leader going into the holiday break. Georgia Tech FC will be aggrieved at the scoreline as it betrays the effort they put into the match. On top for large periods of the game, Georgia Tech made it difficult on themselves by going down by 2 goals early.

A subsequent penalty made it a mountain to climb for Tech, but for all of the good play, the chances did not fall for them and B&H proved why they are now league leaders by taking the chances given them in this match. After being so close for so many seasons, B&H seemed determined to take the league title this year. It's all setting up to be a wonderful post holiday time in the ADASL as these teams battle for honors on all fronts. Man Of the Match:

Emsad Zahirovic (B&H International)

Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League www.adasl.com ADASL.com is the website to go to for all the official results and league information. A great source of information on the league and Perrin Cup. Check it out!

Experience the Action!

If you are interested in joining the ADASL, please contact the ADASL league administrator who will supply you with more information about how to join the league, registering a team, registering players and the general cost of play. Check out their site at:

www.adasl.com

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