| This Weekend Iraqi Soccer Marks New Beginning
Kids across the nation played in the streets, teenagers aspired to nothing more than play soccer professionally, national team players were regional celebrities and the team would qualify for the World Cup. Then Saddam Hussein put his son Uday in charge of the team and things took a turn for the worst. Uday's motivational methods allegedly included threatening to cut off a player's legs, and failure to show up at practice could result in either jail time or flogging with electric cables. Following the 1990 Gulf War, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and most Arab competitions and in 1996 the team was ranked 139th by FIFA, the world's soccer governing body That was the low point. Over a decade later, after years of having to travel abroad to see their national football (soccer) team, this weekend Iraqis will finally have a chance to see their beloved Lions of Mesopotamia play at home, the first time the team will play a home game since the American invasion in 2003.
COLUMN: Embele Awipi: Guadeloupe joins Gold Cup soccer crowd
Thus, the region's biennial soccer showcase is the biggest international competition the "Gwada Boys" compete in. Being France-lite, however, does have perks. Except for Canada, Guadeloupe uses more European-based players than any other Gold Cup squad. Many players with Guadeloupe roots have been featured on the French national team. With a population of over 400,000, Guadeloupe is arguably the world's most prolific producer of soccer talent. Unlike the rest of the Caribbean where cricket or baseball rule, soccer is Guadeloupe's most popular sport. Yet despite a semifinal run in the tournament two years ago, Guadeloupe remains the mystery team out of their preliminary group. Naturally, most of the crowd was wearing Mexican gear, with a few Panamanian and Nicaraguan flags scattered.
LF soccer star Quon to attend ESPYs
The Lake Forest High School soccer star is headed to California for the 7th Annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards.
The luncheon, hosted by ESPN's Stuart Scott, is set for July 15 in Hollywood and the nominees will walk the Red Carpet prior to the ESPY Awards. The ESPYs will be taped that evening and then broadcast on ESPN on July 19. Quon is vying for Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year after grabbing the national award for soccer players. The midfielder earned the honor after scoring 15 goals and dishing out 11 assists for the Scouts (18-3-2).
The dynamic Quon, who also was a starter on the United States U17 World Cup team and nabbed a pair of All-American awards, will continue her career next fall at Stanford University.
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