Goal Lines Magazine - Issue 18 - August 2017 by Oregon Youth Soccer Association

OREGON YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MONTHLY MAGAZINE

ISSUE #18

GOAL LINES (NOW IN SPANISH, TOO)

CHECK OUT THIS ISSUE AS WE BEGIN TO INCLUDE ARTICLES INSIDE FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKING MEMBERS!

CORNER FOURTH IN THE WEST!

BY THE NUMBERS:

VAR was the savior in a wild game against the Galaxy recently. We’ve seen lot of criticism about the

9-8-7 record

system (whether it’s needed, how effective it is, and it’s speed) but it came to the rescue at Providence Park on August 6th. Zardes was determined to have handled what would have been the go ahead goal, changing the game completely, but the VAR crew was on hand to clearly call off the goal, and restart with a free

42 goals for 39 goals against 43,827 miles travelled this season so far

kick where the infraction happened. Stroke of luck? Perhaps…but it’s around this time of the year

for away games (round trip)

that you need a little bit!

Top scorer - Valeri (12 goals)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Check out our favorite Timbers videos this month that you may not have seen

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT OPPONENT

Here are the most recent match highlights from our favorite team

Friday, August 18

Providence Park

7:00pm PST

EN ESPANOL….AND ENGLISH! Welcome to the Spanish sec0on of the Goal Lines magazine! From now on, you will be able to find at least one ar0cle in this language in our magazine. From Oregon Youth Soccer Associa0on we understand the growth of the Hispanic and La0n community in this country and its tremendous influence that they had over soccer that’s why we would like to offer to our Spanish-speaking readers content in their own mother language. In the following pages you will find an ar0cle, interview or report wriLen in both languages. OYSA is commiLed to support the par0cipa0on of all the ethnici0es in this beau0ful sport. There isn’t a more universal sport than soccer and that’s why we hope that the love that we all have for this sport make a bridge between groups with different cultures or languages.

The ar'cle below is in SPANISH FIRST, THEN IN ENGLISH ¡Bienvenidos a la sección en español de la revista Goal Lines! Desde ahora en adelante podrás encontrar al menos un arTculo en este idioma en nuestra revista. Desde Oregon Youth Soccer Associa0on entendemos el grandísimo crecimiento que la comunidad hispana y la0na ha tenido en el país en los úl0mos años y su tremenda inﬂuencia que 0ene sobre el futbol en nuestro estado y queremos ofrecer un contenido en español para que nuestra audiencia hispanohablante tenga la oportunidad de leer contenido futbolís0co en su lengua materna. En las próximas páginas encontrarás un arTculo, entrevista o reportaje escrito en ambos idiomas para que todos puedan disfrutar leyendo en su propia lengua. OYSA está comprome0do a fomentar la integración y par0cipación de todas las etnias en este precioso deporte. No hay un deporte más universal que el “soccer” y por eso esperamos que la pasión que todos tenemos por este deporte una a grupos con diferente cultura o idioma.

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER La locura en la búsqueda del nuevo gran dominador del fútbol mundial.

Nuestra sociedad lleva desde 1972 jugando a los videojuegos, la primera Magnavox Odyssey dio el pistoletazo de salida y las Atari, NES, Sega Master System… continuaron la evolución de este hobby que hoy en día, en su ya octava generación, presenta unos gráficos espectaculares gracias a la potencia y calidad gráfica que tienen las actuales PlayStations y Xbox entre otras.

El FIFA 17 ha vendido 17.10 millones de unidades y aunque PES2017 ha defraudado con respecto a FIFA si ha conseguido salvar las ventas gracias a sus 30 millones de descargas en su versión para móvil. Football Manager, el simulador de PC donde eres entrenador y director deportivo de un equipo también es de los video juegos más vendidos de la historia. Merece la pena leer el artículo del New York Times donde se comenta como los videojuegos “han ido más allá (de la realidad) pues más que reflejarla, la han alterado”.

De eso va mi primer artículo y primero en ambos idiomas, para la revista Goal Magazine, como el jugar a videojuegos que calcan la realidad cada vez mejor nos está haciendo ver a los jugadores menos como lo que son, personas como cualquiera de nosotros, y más como ese muñeco que controlamos con un mando desde nuestra casa.

1. hLp://www.football-king.com/ar0cles/ﬁfa-17-and-pes-17-sales-numbers/ 2. hLp://www.playsta0onlifestyle.net/2017/07/29/konami-proﬁts-rise-in-q1-2018/ 3. hLp://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Best_selling_game_franchises

4. hLps://www.ny0mes.com/es/2016/10/21/los-videojuegos-estan-cambiando-el-futbol/ Según Oxford Dictionaries, síndrome es “un conjunto de fenómenos que concurren unos con otros y que caracterizan una determinada situación”. La palabra síndrome viene del griego “συνδρομή” que significa “reunión o conjunto de circunstancias”. Lo que en mi humilde opinión califico como “síndrome” del FIFA/PES o FM es ese conjunto de circunstancias dentro del terreno de juego, desarrollo del jugador o mercado de fichajes entre otros, que los fans de este precioso deporte las entienden o determinan como si estuviera jugando a un videojuego.

¿Por qué está este canterano haciendo la pretemporada con el primer equipo y no este otro que me gusta más o pienso que es mejor? Quizás su agente sea el mismo que consiguió la renovación del jugador estrella del equipo y incluyó eso en las negociaciones, quizás ese jugador sea más del gusto del entrenador que ese otro que nos gusta a nosotros, quizás ese jugador se lleva mejor con el grueso de la plantilla y el otro empeora el ambiente en el vestuario. ¿Por qué este jugador no está rindiendo bien en mi equipo si en su club anterior era extraordinario?

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER Quizás no se está adaptando bien al sistema de juego, a la ciudad, no se lleva bien con los nuevos compañeros, lo ha dejado con la novia/o alguien cercano está enfermo o pasándolo mal y está deprimido. El jugador es un ser humano como cualquiera de nosotros y como dijo el filósofo español José Ortega y Gasset “yo soy yo y mi circunstancia”. El jugador, joven o adulto, amateur o profesional, cuando cambia de equipo, club, ciudad, país o cultura está cambiando drásticamente su circunstancia y, por lo tanto, su esencia como tal. No podemos pedirle a un jugador que rinda igual en la Major League Soccer (MLS) que en La Liga, en la English Premier League (EPL) que en la Super Liga China porque las circunstancias del jugador o su familia habrán cambiado significadamente y con ello su rendimiento, para mejor o para peor.

Lo preocupante de esto no son tanto los adultos como los jugadores jóvenes. Un adulto al fin y al cabo toma su propia decisión y es lo suficientemente maduro para saber qué es lo mejor para él. Si Obafemi Martins decide jugar en China en vez de en la MLS o si Neymar prefiere el Paris Saint Germain al Fútbol Club Barcelona puede ser porque el nigeriano prefiere vivir en Shanghai a Seattle, quiere aprender chino o es un fanático de la cultura China o de la comida asiática; el brasileño quizás tenía el sueño de vivir en Paris, ganar la liga francesa o jugar con sus amigos y compañeros de selección Dani Alves, Lucas Moura, Marquinhos o Thiago Silva. Solo ellos lo saben, pero son lo suficientemente maduros como para tomar la mejor decisión para ellos. Lo preocupante vienen con los jugadores jóvenes, tanto los que aspiran a llegar a profesionales por el potencial que tienen como los que juegan por diversión y eso son los que debemos proteger.

Cuando jugamos a estos videojuegos, no jugamos una sola temporada, la calidad y entretenimiento que aportan estos grandes de las videoconsolas nos hacen jugar horas y horas durante un mismo día lo cual nos lleva a completar temporadas y temporadas dentro de una sola partida. ¿Quién no ha jugado 3, 5 7 o 10 temporadas al FIFA, PES o Football Manager (FM)? ¿Quién no ha cogido a un equipo regularmente de mitad de la tabla, Segunda División o incluso semi-profesional con la idea de llevarlo a la elite? Eso lleva tiempo, el cual se refleja en temporadas en el videojuego.

Con el paso de temporadas una de los atributos que más nos ilusiona de los videojuegos es el potencial de los jugadores. Todos hemos ido directamente por esas jóvenes promesas que sabemos que, en 3, 5, 7 o 10 temporadas, serán los dominadores del fútbol mundial y liderarán nuestro equipo a esa élite que tanto andamos buscando.

Como hemos comentado antes, estos jugadores son jugadores que existen en la vida real, estas jóvenes promesas ya son jugadores que o son parte del primer equipo, del B o reservas o de la cantera del club. Hoy en día todos los que jugamos intentaríamos fichar a los Kylian Mbappe, Marco Asensio, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marcus Rashford, Christian Pulisic, Renato Sánchez… porque estos son los jugadores que posiblemente reemplacen a los Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo o Neymar Jr.

El problema es que estos jugadores están ya en los grandes equipos, AS Mónaco está pidiendo 180 millones por Mbappe, Donnarumma acaba de renovar por 6 millones anuales y este Junio acaba de terminar High School y Renato Sánchez costo 35 millones más otros 45 potenciales en primas por objetivos hace solo un año.

Como las jóvenes promesas de 18-21 años están ya en los grandes clubes, ahora estos están gastando parte de su presupuesto para fichajes en jugadores que aún no han llegado a la mayoría de edad. El caso más llamativo es el del Real Madrid que esta misma temporada ha desembolsado 45 millones en Vinicius Junior del Flamengo de la Serie A brasileña. 45 millones es la suma de los salarios de los 6 primeros equipos actuales en la Conferencia Oeste de la MLS, Sporting KC (6,7mill), Houston Dynamo (5 mill), FC Dallas (6.5mill), Seattle Sounders (10.3mill), Portland Timbers (10.8mill) y SJ Earthquakes (6.9). Se ha pagado por un jugador de 16 años que no había debutado aún como profesional lo mismo que valdría pagar 6 plantillas que incluyen jugadores como Nicolás Lodeiro o Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Diego Valeri o Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers) o Mauro Díaz (FC Dallas)

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER

hLp://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/25/mls-team-payrolls-2017/ Graﬁco sacado de Sphera Sports gracias a @JMArcosRuiz7 El Liverpool FC ya pago al MK Dons £2.13m en 2011 por Sheyi Ojo cuando este solo tenía 14 años, el Arsenal FC £8.93m por Theo Walcott cuando el rapidísimo extremo ingles solo contaba con 16. El AC Milán pago la misma cantidad por Alexandre Pato en 2007, el Real Madrid una vez más pago casi 5 millones por Martin Odegaard, la estrella noruega cuando este aún tenía 16 años.

La FIFA ha endurecido sus reglas en cuanto al fichaje de menores y actualmente los equipos europeos, los más propensos a fichar jóvenes, solo pueden fichar jugadores mayores de 16 años si son de países pertenecientes a la Unión Europea y se cumplen una serie de requisitos. Jugadores del Norte, Centro o Sur América, África, Oceanía o Asia no pueden ser federados, por lo tanto, jugar los fines de semanas, hasta la edad de 18 años. El FC Barcelona tiene por ejemplo al jugador Surcoreano Lee Seung-Woo que hasta estado un año sin jugar, aunque si entrenando, por esta medida de la FIFA.

A.S. Mónaco a la edad de 20 años tras 4 años siendo titular, y capitán los dos últimos, del R.S.C. Anderlecht.

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER Pero esos no son los casos que deberían preocuparnos sino los más de 1600 transacciones que se están haciendo cada año de jugadores menores de edad.

Más de 1600 jugadores son movidos de sus hogares, familia, amigos, colegio u entorno en general solo por el sueño de llegar a ser profesional. Si el jugador siempre llegara al primer equipo, con un gran salario y la vida solucionada todos estaríamos más que de acuerdo con esto, pero cuántos de esos 1600 jugadores llega de verdad a vivir del futbol. Estamos permitiendo sacar a niños de sus entornos solo porque todos los clubes quieren a los nuevos “Messis”, “Ronaldos” y “Neymars” pero no quieren pagar los 222 millones que ha costado Neymar, los 100 que costo Ronaldo en su tiempo y el incalculable precio que habría que pagar por Messi, por eso prefieren ficharlos cuando son jóvenes. El problema es que ahora los potencialmente futuros ganadores de Balón de Oro ya valen 180 millones tras una temporada en la elite como Mbappe, o 45 millones sin haber ni siquiera debutado en primera como Vinicius Junior y cada vez los buscan más y más jóvenes.

Está en nuestras manos parar esto porque igual que como fans, no aprobamos un fichaje que no rinde o ha rendido bien y protestamos a la directiva, debemos quejarnos, protestar y revelarnos ante esta loca persecución por el próximo gran dominador del futbol mundial que está haciendo que cada vez haya más niños menores de edad sacados de su entorno para luchar por un sueño que solo un pequeño porcentaje de ellos consigue.

Está en nuestras manos porque como padres, entrenadores, directores de academias o profesores somos los que tenemos mayor influencia en los niños y los padres al final, los que tienen la última palabra en la decisión que toman para él. No nos juguemos el futuro de nuestros hijos a una sola carta. Animémosle a entrenar duro, a jugar su mejor fútbol, a dar lo mejor de sí en cada entrenamiento y partido, pero sin descuidar otros aspectos de la vida que también son importante como los estudios, las amistades o los hobbies de nuestros hijos. No pongamos una presión innecesaria en ellos y dejémosle disfrutar de su infancia porque solo es niño una vez.

Según la NCAA, solo el 1,4% de los jugadores de futbol masculinos llega a ser profesional. De High School a NCAA solo el 5,2% de los niños lo consigue, por lo que en total 0,00756% de los niños que juegan High School llegarán a pro. El resto, tendrán que hacer lo que todos los demás hacemos, aprender una profesión y conseguir un trabajo y por eso importantísimo no descuidar los demás factores de la vida de nuestros hijos por un sueño.

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER Pero esos no son los casos que deberían preocuparnos sino los más de 1600 transacciones que se están haciendo cada año de jugadores menores de edad.

la presión de haber costado 20 o 30 millones en una persona que aún no puede votar y en algunos países, conducir

EL SINDROME DEL FIFA, PES, Y FOOTBALL MANAGER Los jugadores no son como en el FIFA/PES/FM, son seres humanos que como cualquiera de nosotros no rinde igual en un trabajo que otro, no está igual de feliz en una empresa u otra, no vive igual de bien en un barrio o ciudad que en otro y no suele llevar bien estar lejos de su familia y amigos, sobre todo en una ciudad o país con una cultura diferente a la suya. Un jugador, a diferencia de en el FIFA/PES/FM no tiene siempre la “Media” de 80, 87 o 90 o los atributos que le otorgan, un jugador puede “pasar” de 80 a 67 por estar junto a unos compañeros que hablan un idioma distinto, tienen una cultura distinta o practican un estilo de fútbol distinto. Cuando pienses que tu equipo necesita un central o un extremo izquierdo piensa también que no cualquier central o jugador de banda vale para esa posición. En el FIFA/PES/FM? Seguro, puedes poner a prácticamente cualquier jugador específico de esa posición sin que el resultado varíe demasiado, pero en la vida real no es así. Estamos simplificando el trabajo del entrenador o del director deportivo, la química y entendimiento entre la pareja de centrales por ejemplo es fundamental y eso no se mide en el juego. En la vida real no cualquier central vale para acompañar a nuestro central titular, no cualquier central está dispuesto a desplazar a su familia a nuestra ciudad, no cualquier jugador tiene una opinión neutra de nuestra plantilla, afición, liga, cuerpo técnico o directivos como en el juego.

Y no solo en el mundo profesional, cuando decidamos si nuestro hijo debe jugar recreational o competitive, División 1 o División 2, High School o club, o los dos, y, sobre todo, si para ello tenemos que cambiar el entorno o estilo de vida de nuestro hijo, estado, High School o barrio… preguntémosno si realmente queremos arriesgar el confort y bienestar de nuestros hijos por un sueño que por muy bonito que es, solo muy pocos lo llegan a conseguir.

No dejemos que este “síndrome” se expanda, no permitamos que la lotería de ser profesional afecte la vida de los menores, dejémosle que se diviertan y mejoren jugando su deporte favorito. El producto de nuestras decisiones está condicionado por nosotros, pero también por las particularidades del momento y el lugar. Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia, cuidado al cambiar la circunstancia de un menor porque quizás eso le cambie para siempre, algunas veces para bien, otras, no tanto.

THE FIFA, PES, AND FOOTBALL MANAGER SYNDROME Our society has been playing video games since 1972, the first Magnavox Odyssey introduced the genre and the Atari, NES, Sega Master System ... continued the evolution of this hobby. Today, in its eighth generation, presents some spectacular graphics thanks to the power and graphic quality that have the current PlayStations and Xbox among others.

FIFA 17 has sold 17.10 million units and although PES2017 is not selling as much video games for consoles anymore, it managed to save their annual sales thanks to its 30 million downloads in its mobile version. Football Manager, the PC simulator where you can be the coach and sporting director of a team, is also one of the best-selling video games in history. A New York Times article in “2017” commented that video games "have gone beyond reality, rather than reflect it, they have altered it."

Video games that are copying the reality increasingly better and better are making us see our team players less as what they are, people like any of us, and more like that figures that we control with our game controller from our house.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, syndrome is “the pattern of symptoms that characterize or indicate a particular social condition”. The word syndrome comes from the Greek word “συνδρομή” which means “reunion or compilation of circumstances”. What I define as FIFA/PES/FM “syndrome” are those compilation of circumstances around the player development or transfer market situation that the soccer fans understand them as if they were playing one of those video games.

For example, why is this player not performing as well in my team if he was phenomenal at his previous one? There are plenty of reasons that can justify why the player is “worst”. Perhaps the team system is not the ideal one for his/her style of playing, maybe he doesn’t have a good relationship with his new teammates, or just broke up with his partner and is depressed. Players are humans and paraphrasing the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset “I am myself and my circumstance”. The player, young or adult, amateur or professional, when changes team, club, city or country is drastically changing his/her circumstances and therefore, their essence. We cannot ask a player to perform the same way in the Major League Soccer (MLS) than in La Liga, in the English Premier League tan in the Chinese Super League because their circumstances have significantly changed and with it, for better or worse, their performance.   We should not worried when this happens to an adult. Adults can make their own decision and they are mature enough to know what’s best for them. If Obafemi Martins decide to play in China instead of the MLS or Neymar Jr rather play for Paris Saint Germain (PSG) than for Fútbol Club Barcelona it might be because the Nigerian striker prefers Shanghai over Seattle, or wants to learn Chinese or is a fan of the Asian food. The Brazilian winger might had the dream to live in Paris, win the French league or play with his close friends and national teammates Dani Alves, Lucas Moura, Marquinhos or Thiago Silva. When we should be worried is when young players, minors some of them, have to make drastic changes in their life for the slight chance to make a living of soccer.

THE FIFA, PES, AND FOOTBALL MANAGER SYNDROME Why don’t we do so? Because when we play those video games, we are the first ones who sign young players for our teams. When we play those videogames we do not play a single season, the quality and entertainment provided by these great consoles make us play hours and hours during the same day which leads us to complete seasons and seasons within a single game. Who has not played 3, 5, 7 or 10 seasons with FIFA, PES or Football Manager (FM)? Who has not caught a team regularly from the middle of the table, Second Division or even semi-professional with the idea of taking it to the First Division or win the Champions League? That takes time, which is reflected in seasons in the video game.

With the course of the seasons in the game, one of the player’s attributes that most excites us is the player’s potential. We have all tried to buy those young players that we believe will dominate the soccer world in 3, 5 o 7 seasons.

Yet in reality, these novel players already play on the first team, the B or reserves team, or the club’s academy team. Nowadays, all of us who are playing those videogames try to sign Kylian Mbappe, Marco Asensio, Gianluigi Donnnarumma, Marcus Rashford, Christian Pulisic, Renato Sánchez ... because these are possible Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar Jr replacement.

The problem when we try to sign them is that these players are already in the best teams in the world. AS Monaco is pushing for $180 million for Mbappe, Donnnarumma renewed for $6 million per year as a high school graduate. Renato Sanchez costs $35 million plus another $45 mill in potential bonuses just a year ago.

Future 18-21 years old superstars are already in big clubs and they are already very expensive. Therefore big clubs are now trying to sign players under a legal age in order to find this new superstar that will dominate the soccer world. The most shocking case it has been when Real Madrid, this season, spent 45 million in Vinicius Junior, a 16 years old striker from the Brazilian Series A team, Flamengo. 45 million is the sum of the salaries of the current first 6 teams in the MLS Western Conference: Sporting KC (6,7mill), Houston Dynamo (5 mill), FC Dallas (6.5mill), Seattle Sounders (10.3mill), Portland Timbers (10.8mill) and SJ Earthquakes (6.9). Real Madrid paid for a 16 years old kid that hasn’t make his professional debut yet the same amount of money that those 6 teams pay to their entire roster. Remember that those 6 teams have players of the quality of Nicolas Lodeiro or Clint Dempsey, Diego Valeri, or Darlington Nagbe and Mauro Diaz.

THE FIFA, PES, AND FOOTBALL MANAGER SYNDROME In 2011 Liverpool FC signed 14 year old, Sheyi Ojo from MK Dons in a £2.13m transfer fee, Arsenal FC spent £8.93m for Theo Walcott when the English winger came of driving age. AC Milan paid the same amount for Alexandre Pato in 2007. Following the trend, Real Madrid a paid short of 5 million for Odegaard, the Norwegian biggest young star, before he could legally drink or drive.

FIFA tightened the signing rules of young players (below legal age). Currently the European teams, highest numbers of young players sign to these teams, can only sign players over 16 years old if they are from European Union countries and meet several requirements. Players from the Americas cannot be federated, therefore play on the weekend games when they sign for European teams until their 18th birthday, For example, a South Korean player Lee Seung-Woo signed for FC Barcelona, yet spent an entire year training with the team without playing, because of this FIFA rule.

There is a reason teams sign at a younger ages. Donnnaruma is the starting AC Milan goalkeeper since he was 16, same as Alban Lafont, Toulouse FC’s goalkeeper for the last couple of seasons, or Youri Tielemans, recently signed by AS Monaco at the age of 20 years after 4 years being in the starting eleven, and captain the last two, of R.S.C. Anderlecht. There is no doubt that there are some players under 18 who can play professionally.

THE FIFA, PES, AND FOOTBALL MANAGER SYNDROME Those are not the cases that should concern us, but the vast size of underage player transactions conducted each year.

More than 1600 players moved from their homes, family, friends, school, and environment because the allure of becoming a professional athlete. If the player always reached the first team, with a big salary then his dream is accomplished. Yet most of these young players that moved for this dream barely earn a living from soccer. We minimizing childhoods for the slight chance to become the next "Messis", "Ronaldos", and "Neymars". However soccer clubs do not want to pay the 222 million Neymar buyout clause, the 100 sticker price of Ronaldo a few years ago, and the incalculable price of signing Messi. Instead, the clubs sign young and “cheap”. The problem is that now, the potential future Golden Ball winners are already worth 180 million after just a single season in the first division as Mbappe, or 45 million without having even played professionally as Vinicius Junior and big clubs are increasingly overpaying for younger and younger players.

It is in our hands as fans to end this trend. As fans, we do not approve a signing of a player that we do not know, therefore we must complain, protest, and reveal ourselves more childhoods are jeopardized by the next soccer world dominator. When we decide about our kid’s future, we should not put all the eggs in one basket. Let’s encourage them to train hard, to play at their best in every training session or game but let’s make sure we also incentivize them to study and to have other hobbies. Let’s not put an unnecessary pressure on them and let’s just let them enjoy their childhood because we are only kids once.

It is in our hands as parents, coaches, or teachers because we are the primary influence over children. Parents are the legal decision maker for minors when embarking on the pursuit for a professional athlete future. According to the NCAA, only 1.4% of male soccer players become professional. From high school to NCAA, only 5.2% of the kids made it, so in total 0.00756% of children playing high school will become pro. The rest, they will have to do what everyone else does: learn a profession and join the workforce.

THE FIFA, PES, AND FOOTBALL MANAGER SYNDROME Players are not robots, they are people. When we see that our team spends 20, 30 or 40 million on a minor, we should not approve. Although the FIFA / PES / FM player shows potential, let’s not forget reality. They are teenagers being transplanted outside their family, their friends and their home. Let’s think first if that’s the best thing for him. Is a $20 or $30 million transfer fee morally right for a player who cannot elect a president or drive to practice?

The players are not like in FIFA / PES / FM video games, they are human and like any of us, does not perform the same in one job that in another, it’s not equal happy in one company or another, does not live as well in a neighborhood or city that in another and usually does not take well live away from his family and friends, especially in a city or country with a different culture than his own one. A player, unlike in FIFA / PES / FM does not always have the "average" of 80, 87 or 90 or the attributes that they grant him, a player can "change" from an “average” of 80 to 67 just because he or she is with some teammates who speak a different language or have a different culture.

We should be aware of this not only the professional world, but also when we decide if our child should play recreational or competitive, Division 1 or Division2, high school or club. Regardless of the soccer level, it is our responsibility to change their environment in favor of the soccer climate. Is the professional athletic dream worth the risk of a high pressure child soccer career? Let’s enjoy each practice, match, and tournament because soccer creates lifelong memories that shape our generation.

WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S:   FANS OF JIMMY CONWAY  SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

Dear Friends of Jimmy Conway: It has been 8 years, now, since Jimmy was first diagnosed with ‘Trauma Induced Dementia’. Since that time Jimmy’s path has been similar to others with dementia. While his physical condition has unfortunately gradually deteriorated, he remains strong in spirit. He always finds a smile for Noeleen and those who visit with him and you can still catch a glimpse of that indomitable spirit and his infectious smile. Jimmy’s legacy in soccer lives on. In the Pacific Northwest here in the US, his name is synonymous with the growth of soccer at every level of the game. He worked, tirelessly, and oftentimes without great fanfare or compensation playing, coaching and teaching the game he loved. I think it would be fair to say that most persons involved with soccer in the state of Oregon, are 1-3 degrees removed from his influence. Seeing how successful every level of the sport is today, here in Oregon, is a testament to Jimmy and many other 'pioneers’ in the modern era of the game (1970-present). Youth (boys and girls), high-school, college, amateur (adult) soccer have all greatly benefitted from Jimmy’s passion, commitment to and knowledge of the game. He delivered his message with a fiery passion and an infectious smile. He enjoyed a joke with his players, pupils, friends, team-mates and associates. He demanded the most out of everyone because he only knew one way of participating and that was with every sinew of his being. Over the past 8 years our ‘Friends of Jimmy Conway’ team has raised more than $80,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association to help with their research and support programs. We want to help bring about a ‘World without Alzheimer’s'. We hope, therefore, that you will support us by joining our ‘Friends of Jimmy Conway’ walk team at the Portland International Raceway on Sunday, September 10th to participate in the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’ and/or making a donation to our team. You can sign up to walk at the event (free of charge) and/or make a donation at the following address: http://act.alz.org/site/TR?pg=personal&px=5999665&fr_id=10055 You can donate in my name, ‘fund-raise’ in your own name while encouraging family/friends/associates to donate in your name. Or, you can make donations directly to our team ‘Friends of Jimmy Conway’ (button on page - under ‘My team - Friends of Jimmy Conway). Whichever way you to chose to donate your donation will be included as part of our team’s efforts. Thank you, so much, for your consideration of this request. We appreciate your support over the years and hope that, like us, you feel it is appropriate to show our respect and gratitude for the incredible body of work that Jimmy invested in the Pacific Northwest, in England and in his native Ireland. Sincerely, Mick Hoban Team Captain

E & D LICENSES NOW AVAILABLE Oregon Youth Soccer is the sole provider of USSF coaching education in the state, and we are very proud to be offering both E and D licenses this Summer. Details can be found in the Digital Coaching Center by clicking ‘Register’.

WHAT IS THE DCC? The U.S. Soccer Coaching Department was established in the early 1970s by famed West German teacher and coach, Dettmar Cramer. Each level of the U.S. Soccer Coaching License Pathway is designed to meet the needs of coaches ranging from the coach who is inexperienced in soccer to the former professional player who desires to coach in amateur, professional or international competitions. U.S. Soccer’s Digital Coaching Center (DCC), a state-of-the art online educational platform, allows coaches to create a personal profile, register for courses, communicate with technical staff, take part in online courses, create session plans with an online graphics tool, access an archive of U.S. Soccer training sessions and much more.

CORNER Opening up a two-game road swing, Portland Thorns FC received goals from forwards Hayley Raso and Christine Sinclair, and defender Emily Sonnett, extending their

BY THE NUMBERS:

unbeaten streak to five games with a 3-2 win on the road against the Chicago Red Stars in front of 4,934 fans at Toyota Park on Saturday night.

Record: 9-4-4

With the win, Thorns FC (9-4-4, 31pts) have now won four straight games, scoring multiple goals in three of their four wins, and moved into sole possession of second

Goals Against: 12

Goals For: 16

place in the NWSL standings, just two points behind the first-place North Carolina Courage (33pts). In addition, Portland handed Chicago its first home loss of the season, while becoming the first team to score three goals against the Red Stars in 2017.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Check out our favorite Thorns videos this month that you may not have seen

NEXT OPPONENT MATCH HIGHLIGHTS Here are the most recent match highlights from our favorite team

Saturday, August 19th

Providence Park

7pm PST

POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE RESOURCES FOR SOCCER PLAYERS, COACHES AND PARENTS

Like many coaches and parents, you probably wonder how to help young soccer players get the most from the sport. Positive Coaching Alliance – a national non-profit organization developing “Better Athletes, Better People” through youth and high school sports – is here to help. Starting from the premise that youth sports (i.e., organized sports for children from pre-school through high school, whether at a school, a youth sports organization, park-and-rec, or club) should be fun, healthy, competitive, and character-building for youth, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) provides training and education for coaches, parents, student-athletes and school/organizational leaders. Much of the training and education comes in the form of live, group workshops and online courses delivered in partnership with a given school or organization. OYSA member clubs that are among the roughly 3,500 that have partnered with PCA nationwide include Hollywood Soccer Club and Westside Timbers. PCA-Portland, the organization’s local Chapter, launched in 2015 with financial support from the Timbers and Thorns among others. Live workshops are facilitated PCA Trainers with a deep background in coaching and other related specialties, such as education and sports psychology, and comprise leading research in the field and advice from a National Advisory Board of 100-plus top pro and college coaches, athletes and academicians. The all-volunteer Advisory Board includes long-time PCA National Spokesperson Phil Jackson, as well as recognizable Oregonian sports figures, such as Lionel Hollins, Mallory Holtman-Fletcher, Rob Mullens, and Mike White. The Advisory Board also includes many soccer luminaries, including those you will see below, who appear within the collection of 1,500-plus free resources at www.PCADevZone.org. For more information on partnering a school or organization with PCA-Portland, email Jack Hendrickson or phone 503-444-3344. For now, though, enjoy thee following videos that are rich with information, inspiration, tips and tools to help you make youth soccer great for kids throughout the state!

“I CAN DO BETTER!” YOUTH SOCCER REFEREES NEED SUPPORT - NOT HARASSMENT

“Call it both ways!!”  “You’re blind!!”  “Blow your whistle!!”  “Open your eyes!!”  “You need glasses!!” Do these phrases sound familiar? They probably do if you’re a referee, or if you’re a parent trying to enjoy your child’s soccer game on the sidelines. Contempt and disrespect towards game officials continues to plague both sidelines, from disgruntled spectators who feel that everything is being called against their team; to screaming coaches who seem to have a better view from 60 yards away. Needless to say, there is a very high probability that the majority of these “sideline officials” have never bothered to take a referee class, or made an attempt to read the Laws of the Game. Being a sports referee is not an easy task; it is something that requires concentration, patience, excellent communication skills, fitness, and most of all judgement based on the rules of the sport. It is this judgement that usually comes under extreme criticism often regardless of the level of competition. Youth soccer referees arguably have one of the toughest officiating jobs in comparison with basketball, football, baseball, or hockey officials. This is due to the number of players involved (assuming an 11v11 game), the large area to cover, the continuous action, and the split second decisions which are usually correct only 50% of the time based on sideline remarks.    To read the full article, click here.

What are you doing around the state? What does your team look like? Got a crazy picture for us? Want everyone to see what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like playing at your club? Well, nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your chance! Click the submit button and send us your pics.

US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl, who has a mental or physical disability. Our goal is to enable the thousands of young athletes with disabilities to become valued and successful members of the US Youth Soccer family. How do you participate? Check out the list below of areas where clubs already have a TOPSoccer program running or contact your club about starting one. We can help you, too, to set up and run a program within your club, and ALL FEES ARE WAIVED for the TOPSoccer program by the Oregon

EXISTING PROGRAMS Click on any name to email the director of that program.

Albany

Beaverton

Clackamas

Eugene

Gresham

Medford

Milton Freewater

St Helens

State Chair (OYSA)

Youth Soccer Association.

WHERE’S VINNY? WHAT’S VINNY BEEN UP TO THIS MONTH? Vinny has been all over the place this month. It’s been a busy month full of more State Cup semi finals, Presidents Cup finals, and then the actual State Cup Finals. He was also at the Mt Hood Challenge and the C-License. This time he had the OYSA’s newest employee in for an interview. Jose Campos is our new Manager of Leagues and Tournaments and gives us an insight into where he sees the programs going!

ROAD LOG So far this month Vinny has logged over 400 miles visiting diﬀerent places around the state.

CLUBS/PLACES VISITED:

Scappoose, Liberty Stadium, THPRD

Hillsboro, Providence Park, and Washington Timbers.

FOLLOW VINNY ON TWITTER