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WE ARE UP AND RUNNING IN NORCAL!

Monday, August 30th, 2010

OLFC Mendo had their first tournament a couple weeks ago and we are proud to announce that they will be continuing on through the fall, thanks to the stewardship of Mendocino (CA) area ONELOVE Ambassador Jeremiah Heim and the support of the Mendo Rec Center.

OLFC Mendo Crest by JRV Design

Newspapers in Mendocino and Fort Bragg, CA ran the following article last week -

by Jeremiah Heim

This years Skunk Classic produced some pretty amazing matches and truly showed the excellence of Northern California soccer. With some great showings by our local travel teams, it was an honor to be able to participate.

As fate would have it the U-10 boys division was in need of a fill in team, this gave the opportunity to a wonderful group of boys, ages 7-9 years old, to participate in their first ever soccer tournament. Through a joint sponsorship with the CYSL, ONELOVE FC and a huge commitment of some truly dedicated soccer parents. We were able to field a squad of 14 young players, eager for their first tournament experience.

With four practice sessions as a team and having just met two weeks prior to the tournament, the boys took to the field in their first match as a group of kids all wearing the same shirt. We did score a goal in the first match on Sat., and again in the last match on Sunday. All through a gallant team effort. We also held the Sonoma team to a score less first half, which was later told to our boys by the Sonoma Coach, that no team has ever held them to a score less half in any tournament that they’ve played. By the time the final whistle blew in what was their final match of the tournament on Sunday afternoon, those same boys walked off the field as a team, who had just accomplished playing in their first tournament.

To all who were witness to the amazing unity, positivity and growth as a unit these boys showed, we all know that we were witness to the most beautiful aspect of soccer. It wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about the gallant team effort put forth by these young up and coming players. It was as much fun to watch as it was for them to play.

Our team was a last minute fill in team, the spot was given to us by the CYSL and tournament director Tess Albin-Smith, our club ONELOVE FC Mendo is a local club, based out of the Mendo Rec. Center. We are a community enrichment program, sponsored by ONELOVE FC and the Mendo Rec. Center. we have an adult co-ed program, that allows the high school age kids to train for free & we will also be sponsoring a co-ed adult team in the Coast Cup on Labor Day weekend. We’ve been teaching soccer at the Mendo Rec. Center since spring as an after school program and all thru the summer, this fall we will continue to teach out Tiny Tots soccer class which is 3-4 year olds. We are in the process of beginning our fund raising and training to take the same team to the Founders Cup in Dec.

A huge ONELOVE goes to the CYSL & Tess Albin-Smith (tournament director) for the opportunity, ONELOVE FC for the uniform sponsorship and the parents who truly made it happen for these boys but most of all a huge ONELOVE and congratulations to the members of the OLFC Mendo Striker Club, who set out into the unknown and came back as a team.

OLFC Mendo is a collaboration between ONELOVE FC & the Mendocino Rec. Center, dedicated to bringing our community together through the love of the beautiful game. All of this has been made possible thru the sponsorship of ONELOVE FC & Peg Levy Brown(director of the Mendocino Rec. Center), who has given our club a home at the Mendo Rec Center. LIVE BEAUTIFUL, PLAY BEAUTIFUL, ONELOVE.

thanks,
Jeremiah Heim
Head Coach
OLFC Mendo

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CHAMPS LEAGUE: GROUP STAGE PREDICTIONS

Friday, August 27th, 2010

The Champions League group stage begins in about three weeks and we are scouring the ONELOVE community for predictions, opinions, and irrational arguments surrounding the upcoming round.  To get the ball rolling, we caught up with OLFC West teammates Darren Davies and Cameron Araghi.

Davies, an LA area club coach, says: ‘Chelsea will win it (slight bias). They’ve been together, relatively unchanged, for three years and they have depth. Barça could win, especially with the addition of Villa, and Real is pretty damn serious. Picking up Ozil was huge. And then Mourinho has the formula for success.’

Cameron Araghi, another ONELOVE Ambassador, chimes in: ‘I always say Barça.  They have the statistics.  They have an attack-minded forward in Villa and if Mascherano signs, they will be the best team on earth.  I see Real Madrid doing very well this year, but they will fall short in the major tournaments.  And I may be wrong, but something tells me that Rafa is going to ruin Inter.’

What do you say?  Who will surprise us this year?  Who will disappoint?

The group stage fixtures will take place in September (14/15, 28/29), October (19/20), November (2/3, 23/24), and wrap up in early December (7/8).

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ONELOVE Spotlight: love.fútbol

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

As the clock winds down for voting on Nike and Ashoka’s Changemaker competition, we want to get all ONELOVE representers acquainted with love.fútbol. They bring HUGE credibility to the ONELOVE community and right now they need our votes.

click here to cast your vote!!!

Check out the video and read the Q&A to get better acquainted.

LF World Cup Fundraiser Video from Sean Mattison on Vimeo.

What is love.fútbol?

love.fútbol (LF) is a Washington, DC based registered non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that partners with impoverished communities worldwide to build simple, safe soccer fields for at-risk youth. We envision a day when all children will have a safe place to play soccer.

Since 2007, we have built six fields in diverse ethnic, socio-cultural, and demographic regions of Guatemala. Our seventh field, in the community of Juil, is under construction, and we are currently raising funds for an eighth field, to be built in San Antonio Palopó.

Why soccer?

Across the world, youth face great challenges to playing soccer. They run barefoot in trash dumps, chase balls through sewage and dodge cars in the streets. They play on prohibited land at night when there is enough moonlight. They are desperate and determined to play the game they love.

In their efforts to play they are often injured and, in some cases, killed. Less easy to see, they become frustrated and lose interest in the game. In impoverished communities, where sports are often are the sole escape from the daily struggle with poverty, a loss of interest in athletic pursuits often leads to involvement in gangs and increased rates of drug and alcohol abuse.

love.fútbol fields ensure that children have access to a safe place to play soccer, which is a catalyst for hope, inspiration and personal development. The game teaches these children the teamwork, discipline, communication, and leadership skills they need to escape the poverty cycle.

What makes love.fútbol unique?

1. We believe in play

At love.fútbol, we believe in the power of soccer. A love.fútbol field is a safe and dependable outlet for youth to play and express their passion for the game. The opportunity to play can be the difference that keeps children off the street and on a positive life track. When youth play soccer on a love.fútbol soccer field, our mission is realized.

2. We empower communities

love.fútbol mobilizes communities around their own soccer field projects. We provide financing for raw materials and guidance, while communities organize the project, donate the land and volunteer all labor. The project is in the community’s hands and, as a result, locals have complete ownership. A completed love.fútbol soccer field is more than a place to play – it is a lasting and tangible symbol of community strength.

3. love.fútbol is a means, not an end

A love.fútbol project is a value-added opportunity and a platform for future development. Our fields are a significant community achievement that unifies locals and generates momentum that can subsequently be rechanneled toward new endeavors or harnessed by other organizations. Once our fields are complete, our coalition partners – other social ventures and sport for change organizations – engage the community and continue the latter’s development process using the love.fútbol soccer field as a platform for growth.

What is next for love.fútbol?

love.fútbol is currently working with our seventh community in Guatemala, and we hope to break ground on an eighth field before the end of the year. With the 2014 World Cup on the horizon, we plan to expand into Brazil in time to showcase our work during that tournament. Further, we expect to use the 2014 World Cup as a springboard to expand our operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

How can I support love.fútbol?

There are many ways to get involved with love.fútbol, and a number of actions you can take on our behalf.

We are currently finalists in Nike and Ashoka’s Changemakers “Changing Lives through Football” competition. We are honored to be one of twelve contestants vying for the grand prize – $30,000. The public decides the competition winners by online voting – please help us get out the vote and win!

You can vote here until the competition closes on August 18th. Once you have voted, please browse the comments section and check out our video and photos to learn more about our work!

Outside of this competition, we are currently raising money to fund our eighth project. Contributions of all sizes will help make an immediate difference in the lives of underserved youth in our partner community of San Antonio Polopó. To make a tax-deductible donation, please send a check payable to love.fútbol to PO Box 11056, Washington DC, 20008 or make a secure donation online at www.lovefutbol.org.

For youth team coaches and players, we have recently piloted the love.fútbol for All Team Challenge, a movement for and by the global soccer community to provide right to the game to all youth. Teams interested in learning more about how they can support the construction of love.fútbol fields should contact love.fútbol for All Director Geoff Miller at Geoff@lovefutbol.org

We encourage everyone to follow love.fútbol on facebook and twitter. Also, be on the lookout for the launch of our new and improved website, coming this fall!

Soccer is the world’s game, and love.fútbol’s vision is to address a global demand. We hope you will join us in our efforts to provide all the world’s youth a safe place to play the Beautiful Game.

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ONELOVE FC x HOMELESS WORLD CUP

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Teams representing 64 countries will converge on Rio De Janeiro in September for an event that has transformed the lives of some 30,000 homeless people from around the world. Our latest tee, “ORDEM e PROGRESSO” was designed by JRV as a nod to the host country.  All profits go directly to the HWC.

click here for the men’s cut!

Professional skateboarder and ONELOVE baller/ambassador Dan Murphy, Recording artist Dedan Kamisu (courtesy of iHart Photography), and ONELOVE representers Maria Govoni and Andy Donatello are all shown here modeling the shirt which is OFFICIALLY on sale. You can find it at select retailers and in our online store.

A million thanks to ONELOVE Ambassador Chandrima Chatterjee for bringing our organizations together.

…and here for the women’s cut!

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VOTE FOR LOVE.FÚTBOL!!!

Monday, August 9th, 2010

We have until August 18th to help our friends at Love.Fútbol in the Nike Gamechangers challenge. Click below to learn more.

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ONELOVE SPOTLIGHT: HAPOEL TEL AVIV

Friday, August 6th, 2010

by Yoni Ginsberg

Futbol is nothing without the little guy. That hometown team, or small nation which achieves immense success without Manchester City’s bankroll or Real Madrid’s players. Turkey during the ’06 World Cup, Uruguay this year, as well as various small clubs that succeed in European competition. For me, that little guy is everything. Hapoel Tel Aviv, my small hometown club.

Although considered by its fans in their chants as an “empire” we are but a small Israeli side with a few known players (Ben Sahar and Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama) and a small budget. Therefore, when we won the domestic double last season, we celebrated. We celebrated hard. We were automatically placed in the second qualifying round in the Champions League in which we met Željezni?ar, a small Bosnian team, whom we quietly demolished 6-0 on aggregate. However, next came a tougher challenge – FK Aktobe, the Kazakhstani champions.

In the first leg of the two leg tie, we were beaten 1-0 in Kazakhstan from a penalty that was awarded for a hand ball in the area. Although we were favorites to move on to the next round we had a difficult task ahead of us- beating a team that would come to Tel Aviv to play defensively and try to protect its one goal advantage.  On Tuesday, we achieved that task and have positioned ourselves one step closer to playing against teams like Chelsea and Inter Milan. And we did it in style.

Playing in a sold out Bloomfield Stadium, the Red Devils came out strong scoring 3 goals in the first half. Eran Zahavi, Ben Sahar (ex Chelsea, QPR, and Espanyol), and an own goal by Aktobe’s Ba all contributed to my teams excellent first half showing. Sadly, the second half wasn’t as exciting with Aktobe scoring their only goal of the match in the 89th minute.

This game is more than just a small step forward for a tiny club. This victory guarantees that the club will receive in excess of 20 million New Israeli Shekels ($5 million) which for such a club is a huge sum of money. In the playoff round, one before the group stages and Hapoel’s next round they will be drawn with teams like Partizan Belgrade and Red Bull Salzburg. Hopefully my little hometown team will achieve big league fame and glory. 1L!

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SOUTH AFRICA SAYS ‘AYOBA’ TO THE WORLD

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

by Philip Cramer
(ONELOVE Ambassador)

The word ‘Ayoba’ has murky origins but what is known is that it originated in South African townships, originally used to express appreciation of good dancing, something that runs deep in the veins of South Africans. The best description I have seen uses the word ‘awesomeness’, even though that word cannot be found in any dictionary.

June 11th in Joburg – Photo Cred: Alex V.

South Africa’s hosting of the world’s premier sporting event is about to come to an end and ‘Ayoba’ fits perfectly. That was the last thing the world expected four years ago after Germany in 2006.

South Africa’s high crime rate was the main issue but other questions remained. Would the stadiums be ready? Would there be enough accommodation? Would the transport system be a disaster and the attendance numbers pitiful?

The barrage of negative publicity was relentless, especially in Europe and the U.S. It reached levels of absurdity. The German team were considering bulletproof vests for their players, and an English tabloid hysterically cataloged the list of some of the world’s most dangerous snakes that were lurking around the English team’s rural base, just waiting to short circuit their World Cup hopes.

The snakes didn’t have to bother—not that there was any real danger to begin with—as England managed to self destruct without any outside assistance.

It reached a point where even optimistic South Africans began to doubt themselves.

Estimates of foreign visitors were cut down from a high of about 450,000 down to 300,000, which would have been a disaster.

All these fears have turned out to be totally misplaced. Crime has been minimal, most of which has been dealt with speedily by an enhanced police presence and swift justice in special World Cup courts.

The world class stadiums were all ready on time as was the transport system and accommodation has been readily available.

Attendance will be over three million for only the third time in World Cup history, and the post final average attendance will be just under 50,000, exceeded by only two other tournaments. The four largest stadiums which hosted almost half the games have approached full capacity. Bear in mind that attendance at the games is determined by tickets used, not by tickets sold, as is the custom for American major league sports.

Most important has been the welcome and support given teams and tourists alike by the South African people. For them, hosting the World Cup is a miracle, or as the always effervescent Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, described it, “a fairy tale come true.”

A mere two decades ago, South Africans were still living under the throes of Apartheid. The racist system made political violence an everyday reality with no end in sight.

That all changed in the early 1990’s as Nelson Mandela walked to freedom after 27 years in prison. Mandela’s freedom led a new ‘Rainbow Nation’ out of the darkness.

Today, South Africa stands at the threshold of being finally accepted. Not only as an example to the world on how to move resolve conflict, but as a nation with the wherewithal to successfully host the World Cup

South Africans of all colors united behind their beloved Bafana Bafana with even more fervor than they did in 1995 at the Rugby World Cup. Despite being eliminated in the group stage, their fans lost none of their fervor throwing support behind ‘Baghana Baghana,’ as they called the Ghanaian team in their quest to be the first African team to reach the semifinals.

Even their tragic loss at the final hurdle as not deterred the nation. There is a renewed sense of pride, evident when Nelson Mandela became President. While many questioned the sanity of spending over $4 billion on the Cup, that sense of pride and the positive image from hosting the tournament is worth so much more.

As the competition has progressed, more fans have flocked to South Africa. It’s now expected that the number of visitors for the soccer will top 500,000, far more than previous estimates.

On Monday, South Africa will return to reality. It’s country still plagued by crime, poverty, a dreadful AIDS epidemic, a lack of decent housing and an infrastructure that needs a lot more work.

For millions of black South Africans, life has improved little from the rigors of Apartheid. But many others have prospered when previously all the doors of opportunity were completely shut.

The foreign visitors will all be heading home with vuvuzelas packed in their luggage, and memories of a beautiful land and an expansive and gracious people. These visitors will no doubt spread the word about this bountiful land at the southern tip of Africa.

As a former South African who spent the first 25 years of my life during Apartheid, where fear and anger ruled, I look on with pride and more than a little bit of Aboya.

There is talk now of South Africa bidding to host the Olympics in 2020 or 2024. After the World Cup, there is no reason to doubt their ability to host such a major event and this time the fear mongers will find no traction for their skepticism.

Read more from Philip at Irritable Liberal Syndrome!

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PUYOL SHINES BRIGHTEST vs MANNSCHAFT

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

by Marc Roseblade

The European champions, Spain, have joined Netherlands in the World Cup Final on Sunday after defeating Germany 1 nil in Durban tonight.

Carles Puyol’s 74th-minute header was enough to secure La Rojas a spot in their first ever FIFA World Cup final.

No matter who wins at Soccer City on Sunday, history will be made.

Tonight, Joachim Low’s men (minus wunderkind Thomas Muller) were unable to repeat the displays with which they swept aside England and Argentina in previous rounds. Once again, the Germans suffered a semi-final defeat.

This was Spain’s first World Cup semi-final and Vicente del Bosque’s side dominated possession from the start. Spain had dropped Torres from the starting eleven. Instead, Pedro Rodriguez had his first start of the finals and made a mark early on as he slipped a through-ball to David Villa after just six minutes. Despite a solid finish, German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made the save.

In the 14th minute, Spain had a corner where Iniesta drove in a cross that eventual goalscorer, Puyol met with a flying header that flew over the crossbar.

Germany who were happy to play deep in their own half, continued to counter-attack when Podolski played in Ozil on the left before he brought Klose into play on the edge of the box, but the Bayern Munich forward was crowded out.
Spanish keeper Casillas needed to be alert on the half hour mark when he turned a 30-yard daisycutter from Trochowski by the post.

Germany called for a penalty on the stroke of half time when Ramos looked to have brought Ozil down in the box, but the referee waved play on.

The second half began with Alonso driving a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards, then Villa bent another attempt just wide of the post.  Pedro was next to try his luck as he made the German keeper Neuer make a fingertip save. As Mertesacker moved slowly to clear the rebound, Iniesta leaped on the opportunity to fire in a low cross that Villa just barely missed.

Casillas had to make another save on 69 minutes as German sub Kroos side-footed an effort at goal, but it was at the other end that the all-important goal was scored. With 16 minutes remaining on the clock Xavi fired in a corner that was met by the flying Puyol, and powered his header past the diving Neuer.

Pedro could have finished the game off in the final minutes when he and Torres burst through the German defense with a 2 on 1 assault. It looked as though Pedro would set Torres up with his first goal of the tournament, but the young Barca striker held on too long. In the end, Spain won.

We now look forward to history being made as a new name will proudly appear as FIFA World Cup Champions 2010. No one could argue that these two teams deserve to be at Soccer City on Sunday.

The only question that needs answered now is, Will it be La Rojas or the Oranje?

read more from Marc at My Scottish Football!

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BLACKSTARS SHINE, DESPITE LOSS

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

For any real fan, the World Cup is just as much (if not more) about heartbreak than it is about celebration.

Today’s battle between Ghana and Uruguay turned out to be one  of the cruelest operas in modern soccer history.  The game itself was brilliant.

Sulley Muntari showed us that Ghana was not only physically superior to Uruguay, but as dangerous as any attacking force in the final 8.

When Forlan equalized for Uruguay in the 55th minute, it was anyone’s game.  In Extra time, Ghana would have earned the win all over again, if not for Luis Suarez’s goal-line handball.  And that’s when the rollercoaster took it’s sharpest, most unforgiving turns.

it went like this…

Suarez earns a red card for literally slapping a ball that was headed for goal.  Gyan is awarded a penalty shot.  The whole world is overcome with equal parts joy, fear, and heart-pounding excitement.  And then it happens.  Gyan strikes.  The ball coasts up, up, off the crossbar, and away from what would have been the single proudest moment in African football history.

…

Forlan and co may have represented in the shootout, but today was all about the African game.  ONELOVE salutes the Blackstars on a profound run in South Africa.

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USA vs. Ghana: Let The Blame Games Begin

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley
(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

happier days in Ellis Park – photo cred: Alex V.

Team USA’s magical cup run has sadly come to an end. With tons of hype and momentum behind them USA had to beat their old foe Ghana. Unfortunately much like in 2006 Ghana got the better of the yanks once again. In the three out of the four games team USA played they found themselves down a goal early on. In all the other games they dug deep and found a way to claw back and salvage a point. Today though was just not their day.

Many will wonder now who they can blame for team USA’s failure to get past the round of 16. The finger will be solely pointed at one person, Mr. Bob Bradley. Heralded as the saint and savior of soccer in America just this morning before the match, many will be asking for his resignation of his post as head coach of team USA. Bradley did mostly everything right leading up to the game against Ghana. He won the Gold Cup, helped the team finish second behind Brazil in the Confederations Cup, and had team USA finish first in group C of the 2010 world cup. Still though a lot of his decisions need to be questioned.

When you have a good thing going, why change it? Many will be asking Bob Bradley that very same question in regards to playing Ricardo Clark tonight. Clark played poorly in the opening group game and hadn’t played since. Suddenly, and rather shockingly, he was reinstated in the starting lineup for an extremely important match. Bradley has been known to be a gambling man and sometimes taking a risk pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t. Replacing Oguchi Onyewu with Jonathon Bornstein was a huge gamble that paid off for Bradley. Replacing Maurice Edu/Benny Feilhaber with Ricardo Clark was a gamble that most definitely did not pay off. Clark started the Ghana game by giving up possession in the middle of the park that resulted in a goal, and then picking up an extremely dangerous yellow card almost immediately after. Give Bradley credit for admitting his mistake by subbing Clark after 30 minutes, but still he took a huge risk by playing Clark that really hurt team USA.

Bradley has done a wonderful job with team USA and exceeded everyone’s expectations, but after this loss to Ghana USA fans will be thinking that team USA could have, and should have, done better. Sometimes you have to stick with what works, and for some reason Bradley decided not to. USA had a respectable run, but excuses aside for why they didn’t go farther, they need to do better

Player Ratings:

Howard-6- Made some good saves tonight but probably should have done better with the opening the goal. Much like his central defenders in the opening minutes, Howard was ball watching and out of position.

Cherundolo-6.5- Not his best game by a long shot. Had some shaky moments in the beginning but got better as the game went on. Dolo probably has the most dangerous cross on the team and he used it to good effect today.

Bocanegra-6- Had both good and bad moments throughout the game. His poor communication with DeMerit and ball watching cost his team the game unfortunately.

DeMerit-6- One of the more consistent players on team USA throughout the tournament. Today though he made a lot of costly errors that hurt the team quite a bit. Won a lot of balls in the air like he always does, but had a really hard time communicating with his partner in central defense.

Bornstein-7- I never thought I would say this but…Johnny B. had a great game today. The best player on the backline, absolutely owned the left side of the field. A very surprising solid and mistake free game from Bornstein.

Bradley-7- Has raised his stock significantly in this tournament. Worked tirelessly today and did all he could to keep team USA in it.

Clark-3- An absolutely dreadful performance from Clark. Clark put on a real horror show today. His two most cringe worthy moments were giving the ball away in the middle field to help setup Ghana’s opening goal and then getting a silly yellow, which could have easily been a red, for a vicious tackle on Kevin-Prince Boateng. Clark was hauled off on the 30th minute, and walking off the field was the best thing he did the whole game.

Donovan-7- Superbly finished his penalty kick to tie the game and take his goal tally to three, but didn’t play as well as he had in the other games.

Dempsey-8- Great game from Deuce today, did everything but score a goal. Worked hard and was a constant threat on the attack. Made some great touches and was a real nuisance for Ghana’s backline. Drew the penalty that led to the tying goal.

Findley-4- Continues to not take advantage of good opportunities to score. Findley is just not good enough to compete at this level.

Altidore-6.5- Without a doubt the hardest working forward in this tournament, who cannot score goals. He has a real knack for keeping possession and drawing fouls, but his finishing really needs to get better. Solid game today but could have been even better had he done more with the chances he had.

Substitutions:

Edu-6- Made an immediate impact after he came on for Ricardo Clark. Broke up plays and won balls in the middle of the park. If he can improve his passing game he will become an infinitely better player. Wasted a lot of possession with errant passes.

Feilhaber-7.5- What is going on with Benny? Ever since his laser volley against Mexico in the Gold Cup he has been on downward spiral in terms of his form. Suddenly in the last two matches he has featured in, he has looked and played like a new man. Fantastic creative play and a newfound urgency in his defensive game has made him start to live up to his hype. The real question is why did Ricardo Clark start against Ghana and not the in form Benny Feilhaber?

Gomez-6- Next to Charlie Davies team USA only has one other player who has a real eye for goal and knows how to be in the right place at the right time. That player is Mr. Herculez Gomez. The super-sub from Las Vegas came on after regulation to push the Ghanaian defense but didn’t do much. He pushed up hard and did well to make things difficult for Ghana but never got the chance to put the ball in back of the net. Would have been a much more suitable forward to start alongside Altidore instead of Findley.

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