Smoke Signals May/June - Oklahoma Soccer Association

SMOKE SIGNALS 1 

MAY/JUNE 2012 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE OKLAHOMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION VOLUME TWENTY-SEVEN - ISSUE THREE 

SOCCER 

CAMP 

ISSUE 

OKLAHOMA CITY 

TULSA 

Lawton Hosts Recreational 

State Tournaments 

Expectations ..................... 3 

ODP Camp Dates ........... 5 

State,Regional and 

National Cup Dates ....... 5 

FIFA Ref Sigurdsson ........6 

Soccer Camps .............. 7-9 

On My Whistle ................ 10 

Outside the Lines ........... 10 

On My Whisstle .............. 10 

Adult News .....................13 

USASA National Cup ....15 

National Soccer Hall of 

Fame Induction ..............15 

Mia Hamm Advice ........15 

New US Jerseys ................16 

Tournament Scores ........17 

Tournaments ...................18 

Kid’s Page ........................19 

Both the Kohl’s American 

Cup and the Mazzio’s 

Italian Eatery Governor’s 

Cup returned to Red River 

Country and the Big Green 

soccer complex of Lawton 

on April 27-28. 104 teams 

enjoyed a weekend of recreational 

soccer along with 

the many parents, coaches, 

Each year, OSA provides 

its members with access 

to many of the summer 

camps offered across the 

state. OSA does not endorse 

these camps, but provides 

its membership the listing 

with the understanding that 

camps should be researched 

for cost, length of the day, 

housing, and personnel. 

The information below is 

from a very useful web site 

players, and family members 

who traveled with the 

teams. 

Adding to the excitement 

of the annual recreational 

tournament was the 

presence of the US Youth 

Kohl’s American Cup national 

touring program. The 

young players were treated 

to inflatable jumping platforms, 

kicking targets, and 

other interactive devices 

that provided entertainment 

and skill development 

in between games. This 

marks the fourth time the 

national group has attended 

the Oklahoma recreational 

tournament. 

Summer Soccer Camps In Oklahoma 

titled www.soccercampguide.com 

and has considerable 

information on what 

parents should consider in 

sending their young player 

to camp. Use this link for the 

soccer camps in Oklahoma. 

The cost, length, and 

type of a camp are not necessarily 

connected with 

"results." For example, an 

all-day, week-long camp can 

produce burned out players 

who end the week hanging 

by the swimming pool. Players 

and parents should think 

about the results they really 

want. Here are some questions 

to ask yourself (and 

logical answers): 

Do you mainly want to 

have fun with your friends? 

(Then go to a cheap camp) 

Do you want to improve 

your ball skills? 

see Soccer Camps, page 2

2 

OKLAHOMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION 

KOHL’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT 

Photos of some of the 

matches will be posted on 

the OSA web site (www.oksoccer.com) 

soon and can 

be downloaded for free. A 

professional photographer 

was present at the site to 

take photos of the Governor’s 

Cup champions and 

finalists. Plaques containing 

the team’s photo and copy 

of the medal distributed to 

the teams will be presented 

to the championship and finalist 

coaches within a few 

weeks. 

(Then you'll need to concentrate--AVOID 

your 

friends and go to a camp 

with coaches who can demonstrate 

skills and take the 

time to correct problems. 

Remedial training can be 

very time consuming. So get 

an understanding up front 

that the camp and its staffto-camper 

ratio is committed 

to it. You may be better 

off hiring a tutor.) 

Do you want to improve 

your tactical sense- 

-that is, to make better 

decisions about when 

For the Kohl’s players, 

all the participants received 

medals and the excitement 

of being given a medal was 

evident Sunday afternoon 

as young U6, U8, and U10 

players proudly displayed 

their gifts to parents, family 

members and anyone wishing 

to see. 

While the Saturday 

games played under a warm 

April sun and windy conditions, 

the Sunday matches 

began with a misting rain 

and a threat of severe 

Soccer Camps, continued from page 1 

weather. Fortunately, the afternoon 

became cloudy and 

the temperatures remained 

comfortable for both players 

and viewers. 

Thanks to the many 

volunteers at Lawton Soccer 

Club for the hours of work 

and preparation. The complex 

was easy to access and 

the large parking lot provided 

ample space for vehicles 

of all shapes and sizes. 

and where to dribble, 

pass, shoot, and move? 

(This is tough to get out of 

a camp, because tactics are 

learned over time and from 

mistakes. Therefore, go to 

a longer, tactical-oriented 

camp with lots of coaches 

per camper.) 

Do you want your team 

to be more competitive? 

(Then your coach probably 

has ideas about attending a 

"team camp.") 

Do you want to get in 

better physical condition? 

(This should only be a concern 

of players over 12 

years, who will benefit by 

cultivating their growing 

muscle mass and lung capacity. 

Check out camps 

that offer this emphasis- 

-but be sure you have a 

medical exam to verify your 

basic physical condition.) 

Do you need your 

mental batteries recharged 

because you're beginning 

to get bored with soccer? 

(Then go to a camp with a 

soccer star you admire or in 

a neat locale--all of which 

may cost some bucks.) 

OSA 

www.oksoccer.com 

Tulsa Office 

9410 E. 51st St. Ste. B 

Tulsa, OK 74145-8169 

1-918-627-2663 

P.O. Box 35174 

Tulsa, OK 74153-0174 

1-800-347-3590 

OSA office in Oklahoma City 

4520 Old Farm Road 

Oklahoma City, OK 73162 

405-286-0488 

Executive Board 

Chairman 

Brandon Story 

Vice-Chairman 

Gail Wettstein 

Secretary/Treasurer 

Larry Faulkner 

SRA 

Ron Poulsen 

Adviser 

Scott Hughes 

Youth Board 

President 

Tom Wedding 

1st Vice-President 

Daryn Story 

2nd Vice-President 

Marianne Ballard 

3rd Vice-President 

Paul Scott 

4th Vice-President 

Risk Management 

Michael Naumann 

Secretary/Registrar 

Russ Lissuzzo 

SYRA 

David Ooten 

Adult Board 

The Smoke Signals is the official publication of the Oklahoma Soccer 

Association and is published bi-monthly. Editorial offices are 

at the OSA office, 9410-B East 51st Street, Tulsa, OK 74145-8168. 

Telephone is 918-627-2663 and FAX is 918-627-2693. E-mail at oksoccer@oksoccer.com. 

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expressed in this publication are exclusively those of the writers and 

do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication. Errors, 

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for any inconveniences. 

Smoke Signals 

Story Submissions 

Smoke Signals welcomes 

story submissions from 

teams, clubs, leagues and associations 

via e-mail or FAX. 

If you have a story or a story 

idea, please e-mail or FAX us 

at the following addresses: 

oksoccer@oksoccer.com 

-or- FAX: 1-918-627-2693 to 

the 

attention: Dale Watts 

President 

Reza Namavar 

1st Vice-President 

Sonny Dalesondro 

2nd Vice-President 

Tekleab Tsegay 

Secretary/Registrar 

Jalal Daneshfar 

SRA 

Ron Poulsen 

Editor- Dale Watts 

Layout & Design- Sandy Bent 

National Ad Director 

Varsity Sports Communications 

1340 Lake City Way 

Seattle, WA 98125-3665 

206-367-2420

I taught high school 

mathematics for 15 years. 

Enjoyed it, mostly; I loved 

the kids and coworkers. The 

paperwork almost killed 

me. Really it was my own 

fault. I kept coming up with 

these creative assignments 

that allowed the kids to 

dig deep into the topics. Of 

course, the projects didn't 

grade themselves. 

Still, other than grading, 

I enjoyed interacting 

with the students and getting 

to know them. I liked 

challenging them to think 

and solve problems in new 

ways. 

Sounds like what a 

good coach is supposed to 

do, isn't it? 

My wife sent me a 

text recently from a futsal 

game. All was going pretty 

well for our daighter's team, 

but the boys team they 

were playing didn't seem 

too happy about losing to 

girls. The coach, apparently, 

was less pleased. 

From my wife's updates, 

it seems this coach 

was losing it. This is not a 

new story. We have all seen 

it on the sidelines during 

games: indoor, outdoor, 

anywhere. Yet her last update 

struck me: 

"Parents, why tolerate 

youth coaches who berate. 

I'd yank my kid from team 

if she was talked to the 

way this guy is talking to his 

team." 

Tolerate and berate. 

My wife is an author of considerable 

skill, so I know she 

chooses her words carefully. 

Tolerate: (v) to allow 

VIEWS FROM THE TECHNICAL BOX 

By Kurt Luitwieler, OSA’s Director of Coaching 

Read Kurt’s blog by visiting this link: http://osadoc.blogspot.com 

to be or to be done without 

prohibition, hindrance, or 

contradiction. 

Berate: (v) to scold or 

condemn vehemently and 

at length. 

Think about it: this is 

the climate youth soccer 

(and youth sports in general) 

offers. As parents, we 

are allowing our children to 

be vehemently scolded at 

length without contradiction. 

Our failure to speak up 

is passive agreement with 

the coach’s actions. Our 

silence speaks loudly. Our 

silence says, "You go right 

ahead calling my daughter 

an idiot. I have no problem 

with that." 

"What?!?!?! Steve!! 

How many times have we 

found the standard deviation? 

Come ON! You call that 

a square root? My grandmother 

does roots better 

than that. Seriously, if you 

EVER want to be a statistician 

for real, you are just going 

to have to work harder. 

Are you even listening? 

You just don't want it bad 

enough. Why do I bother?" 

We've all heard rants 

like that on the sideline. 

If I had behaved toward a 

student in class this way, I 

would have lost my job in a 

matter of days. 

This brings up the central 

issue: Why do parents 

feel like we have to tolerate 

this behavior with our kids' 

coaches? It is NOT “part of 

the game”. For some of us, 

we grew up in sports that 

way. Doesn't mean it was 

right then, or, by default, 

NOW. 

Parents must set as 

high a level of expectation 

in "classroom behavior" for 

our youth coaches as we do 

our school teachers. Make 

no mistake, if we profess 

that youth soccer is about 

development of the whole 

athlete, then we continue 

to hinder that process 

each week when we hear 

our child's coach yell and 

scream at our kid while we 

sit in our chairs. 

So, what can you do as 

a parent when you find a 

coach is berating children? 

Be an adult. Go to 

the coach and express 

your concerns, CALMLY. 

Often, they do not even 

know they are doing it! 

Often they are reasonable, 

caring people caught in the 

moment. A gentle reminder 

may refocus the coach 

on the kids, nipping a potential 

problem in the bud. 

Obviously, approaching the 

coach yelling and screaming 

about his constant yelling 

and screaming will not 

prove the point. 

Go Higher. If that does 

not help, and the coach 

continues his/her ways, 

seek support from someone 

in charge of coaches at 

that club. Ask this person to 

watch the next game/practice. 

The important thing 

is to let those making decisions 

for the club know that 

a coach in their club (volunteer 

or paid) is not meeting 

expectations in the most 

basic and most important 

ways. (If you don't like their 

tactics, or something like 

that, that's another story...) 


Vote with your feet. 

Just like buying a used car, 

you must be willing to walk 

away from the deal. If the 

problem persists and you 

get no support from the 

club administration, you 

must be willing to leave. 

Review the options. Either 

stay and watch a child get 

beat down week after week 

or walk away. One choice 

will provide some possible 

short term blow back from 

the child, perhaps other 

parents, or even the coach. 

The other option is simply 

unacceptable. Which is 

worth it? 

Now what? That 

could be the hardest one. 

Of course, there is not one 

answer. Every child and 

community is different. But 

the most important thing 

is to make sure the child 

understands WHY. When 

they accept that and 

internalize it, they are 

now better equipped to 

recognize it and talk to you 

about it next time. Second, 

they need to get back to 

playing. Not necessarily with 

a team right away, but go 

play with them in backyard 

or with some friends. They 

need to associate that 

round ball with positive 

experiences again. Quickly. 

Of course, I am not 

advocating yanking a kid 

at the first sign of distress. 

We don’t want the coach to 

yank our child from a game 

after the first mistake. There 

will be times when a human 

adult messes up in dealing 

see Technical Box, page 5

4 


Visit the OSA website 

for valuable information 

for player, coach, 

administrator, and referee. 

www.oksoccer.com 

Follow OSA 

on Facebook 

Friend Oklahoma 

Soccer Association 

Monthly Meetings 

Clinton 

COASL - Feb & Aug 

Cordell 

Great Plains 

Hinton 

Lawton United 

NEOASA - Jan, June, Aug, & Dec 

Red Carpet 

Tri-City 

Verdigris 

All other clubs meet “as called.” 

OSA CALENDAR 

JUNE 

4 Metro Tulsa, Norman, Washington County 

5 Youth Board Mtg, Davis 

6 Altus, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Collinsville, NOKC, 

FCSA Competitive, GCSA Ex Bd, Ref Committee 

7 Coweta, Midwest City, Northwest Oklahoma 

9-10 President’s Cup Regional in Greensboro, NC 

10-14 ODP Sub Regional @ OU 

11 FCSA, Owasso 

12 Claremore, Elk City, Logan County, Mustang, 

Ponca City, South Lakes 

13 Durant, Mayes County 

14 Beaver River 

14-21 Region III tournament in Greenville, SC 

18 Choctaw/Nicoma Park, El Reno, Shawnee, 

Stillwater, Westside 

19 Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah 

25 Glenpool, Yukon 

26 Tri-Lake 

JULY 





5 Midwest City, Northwest Oklahoma 








17 Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah 

21 Referee Instructor, Assessor, & Assignor recert 

@ Stillwater 

23 Glenpool, Yukon 

24 Tri-Lake 

24-29 US Youth National Championships, Rock Hill, SC 

AUGUST 



2 Midwest City, Northwest Oklahoma 

4 Referee fitness & Recert @ Stillwater 








16 Bixby 



21 Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah, Sapulpa 

22 Bristow 

23 GCSA 

27 Glenpool, Yukon

Technical Box, 

continued from page 3 

with children. The key 

is simply to raise our 

expectations and standards 

as a whole. When 

we consistently do that 

as PARENTS, then coaches 

who want to maintain 

their rosters will have to 

modify their behavior. 

As we approach 

the end of the seasonal 

year, thoughts turn to 

next year. Look and listen. 

You already know 

how your child’s coach 

handles him/herself. 

Look around at the other 

coaches in your age 

group at the season ending 

tournaments. Take 

stock of them all NOW, 

when they are in their 

element. If you don’t 

like what you see/hear, 

then why listen to their 

sweet words when they 

are recruiting your child 

to come to their club? 

They will be the same 

with your child next year. 

On the other hand, if you 

like what you see/hear 

compared to what you 

are currently getting, a 

change of scenery may 

be worth at least considering. 

Small Club, Big 

Club none of them are 

perfect. No coach is perfect. 

However we can all 

do better raising the bar 

of expectations of our 

coaches. (Of course, we 

as PARENTS must look 

ourselves in the mirror 

and raise our level of behavior 

across the board, 

too. But that is a whole 

other story…) 

Each spring teams focus 

on the attempt to reach 

the finals of the state tournament 

so that many of 

them have the opportunity 

to advance to regional 

competition. In Oklahoma, 

two competition venues 

are available for teams to 

advance to a regional competition: 

the Mazzio’s Italian 

Eatery President’s Cup and 

the WassCorp State Cup. 

For teams playing in 

the President’s Cup (May 

5-6 in Norman with finals in 

Broken Arrow on May 12), 

the goal is for those teams 

in the U13 through U17 

brackets to advance to the 

US Youth Soccer Region III 

President’s Cup in Greensboro, 

NC. The President’s 


State, Regional, and National 

Tournament Dates 

Each summer, the players 

from Oklahoma selected 

to participate in the Olympic 

Development Program 

attend camps organized and 

taught by US Youth Soccer 

administrators and coaches. 

Many of the players have 

used this experience to advance 

to national team sta- 

BOYS 

July 8-12 

July 13-15 

July 13-17 

GIRLS 

June 10-14 

July 6-10 

July 12-16 

Cup regional event runs 

June 7-10. 

US Youth Soccer divides 

the United States into 

4 regions and Oklahoma is 

in Region III. 

For those teams entered 

in the WassCorp State 

Cup, the preliminaries are 

May 19-20 in Edmond and 

semis/finals are the next 

weekend May 26-27 in Edmond. 

Teams in the U13 

through U19 age groups 

who advance will then attend 

the US Youth Soccer 

Region III Championships in 

Greenville, SC. This marks 

the first time U13 teams will 

participate and the event is 

now an 8 day tournament 

running June 14-21. Opening 

ceremonies are on June 

ODP Camp Dates Set 

tus and the eventual goal of 

playing for the United States 

in the Olympics. 

The player birth year 

determines which camp he/ 

she will attend. The ODP 

birth year is based on January 

1 to December 31, not 

the school year as with club 

soccer. 

14 and finals on June 21. 

The teams in the U14 

– U19 brackets who are 

champions of the Region III 

tournament will advance 

to the US Youth Soccer National 

Championships in 

Rock Hill, SC at the Manchester 

Meadows complex. 

The tournament begins July 

24 and runs until July 29. 

Only 60 teams will qualify to 

participate in the national 

championship tournament. 

For more information 

on these tournaments, use 

the OSA web site under 

Tournaments. 

The web site includes 

information on team checkin, 

hotels, schedules, and 

more. 

For more information 

on the camps, contact the 

OSA Director of Coaching 

Kurt Luitwieler or Assistant 

Director of Coaching Jason 

Hawkins. Contact information 

is available on the OSA 

web site at www.oksoccer. 

com. 

Camp - 98, 97, 96 (University of Alabama) in Tuscaloosa 

Camp - Call backs 98, 97, 96 at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa 

Camp - 99, 95 (University of Alabama) in Tuscaloosa 

Camp - 99 (University of Oklahoma) Norman, OK 

Camp - 98, 95 (University of Montevallo) Montevallo, Alabama 

Camp - 97, 96 (University of Montevallo) Montevallo, Alabama

6 


FIFA Referee Gylfi Sigurdsson Returns 

To Iceland After Year In Oklahoma 

When Gylfi Sigurdsson 

arrived in Oklahoma in the 

summer of 2011, he contacted 

local assignor Aaron 

Whitewolf about matches 

and the possibility of officiating 

while studying for his 

Bachelor’s degree in History 

at the University of Oklahoma. 

The SRC obtained clearance 

to register him in Oklahoma 

and with USSF and 

soon Gylfi was officiating 

matches in the Oklahoma 

City area. 

As the first FIFA referee 

living in Oklahoma, Gylfi (as 

he was called by his fellow 

officials) has been eager to 

work with youth and adult 

teams as well as high school 

and collegiate officials. The 

native Icelander deals with 

the many questions of his 

homeland such as: “How do 

you stand the cold weather?” 

and “Do you have automobiles?” 

and “Do you 

speak English?” 

Laughing at those questions, 

Gylfi would patiently 

explain that yes, there are 

automobiles in Iceland and 

that the weather is really 

quite temperate (between 

Gylfi Már Sigurðsson (right) with David Ooten and 

Tony Mensah at the Adult State Cup. 

45 and 72 degrees) and that 

he is quite fluent in the English 

language. 

Another facet of Gylfi’s 

personality is his dry wit and 

humor. He comments on his 

fellow officials and enjoys 

the repartee of encounters 

at referee tents and social 

events. At one event in 

which he was the referee he 

came to the tent at half time 

and questioned a fellow referee 

on a neighboring field 

about the number of times 

the referee had blown the 

whistle. His question to the 

referee: “Do you get paid 

here for the number of 

times you blow a whistle for 

a foul?” The referees in the 

tent laughed at the question 

because the referee did 

indeed have a tendency to 

whistle nearly every small 

foul. 

During the 2012 upgrade 

clinic in Stillwater, 

Gylfi provided some insight 

to the process of obtaining 

the FIFA Assistant Referee 

badge he holds. The referees 

who attended were 

treated to his insights on 

how to manage matches 

and how to work with the 

players during a game. 

“I am impressed with 

how he can officiate a 

match of adults and seemingly 

calm them down from 

anger to acceptance with 

very few words,” says Ron 

Poulsen, SRA. Gylfi demonstrates 

a composure on the 

field that referees should 

copy, adds Poulsen. “He is 

assured and confident in his 

approach to the game and 

when he is challenged he 

simply defuses the situation 

quickly with a quiet word.” 

The Oklahoma referee 

corps wishes to thank Gylfi 

Sigurdsson for his contributions 

to Oklahoma soccer 

and we know he has 

enjoyed his year with us. 

Perhaps in the next World 

Cup you will see the young 

Icelander running line in a 

match and point out that 

you know him. Best of luck, 

Gylfi Sigurdsson and feel 

free to return to Oklahoma 

any time you can. 

Robin Faulkner Leaves Risk Management Position 

OSA’s Risk Management 

Administrator announced 

her decision to 

return to her job of raising 

her three soccer players 

and being a “soccer mom” 

for her family. Robin oversaw 

the fall and early spring 

Risk Management processes 

and was the contact for 

the many adults who are 

required to obtain background 

checks if they are to 

volunteer or work with OSA 

and the youth in the organization. 

She worked with Risk 

Management Chairman Michael 

Naumann in organizing 

the many hearings to 

be held when a volunteer’s 

background check was reviewed. 

With her assistance 

the Risk Management Program 

was completed well 

before the beginning of the 

spring season. 

We wish Robin best 

wishes as she enjoys the 

soccer tournament season 

as family photographer.

OSA Visits Durant 

and Atoka Soccer Clubs 

Mazzio’s Founder 

Ken Selby Dies 


OSA’s Executive Director, 

Sid Goodrich, and Director 

of Coaching, Kurt Luitwieler, 

traveled to visit with 

the Durant Soccer Club. As 

with previous visits to many 

clubs across the state, OSA 

staff visits the club to assist 

in administrative areas, 

coaching, officiating, and 

growth of registration. 

For the Durant club, 

which is growing steadily 

and has joined the other 

Lake Country clubs such as 

Ardmore and Sulphur in 

providing youth soccer to 

the southeastern portion of 

the state, the possibility of 

continued growth and development 

is nearly certain. 

Luitwieler provided 

information on how coach- 

ing courses for the club are 

set up and how the club 

could develop their players 

through the Olympic 

Development Program. He 

also explained how the club 

could have a Fun Day to encourage 

registration and retention 

of players. Fun Days 

use a relaxed atmosphere to 

provide basic skills and fun 

events for youngsters who 

may not have ever played 

soccer. 

Goodrich covered the 

many aspects of administering 

a club which include 

registration and risk management. 

He also provided 

them with information 

on the hosting of a Kohl’s 

American Cup festival. 

For most Oklahoma 

Soccer players and parents, 

the name Mazzio’s that appears 

on OSA’s official publications 

may not connect 

with Ken Selby, originator 

and founder of the company. 

A long time sponsor 

of OSA and youth soccer, 

Mazzio’s Italian Eatery Pizza 

was the brain child of Ken 

Selby while he was teaching 

school Tulsa’s Monroe 

Junior High. After working 

nights at Pizza Hut as a 

Afterwards, the group 

visited Atoka’s new soccer 

facilities and toured the site 

with Atoka’s Wendy Plata. 

cook, Selby created his own 

brand of pizza and created 

the Ken’s pizza franchise. 

Selby eventually 

changed the name to 

Mazzio’s and added many 

new menu items to the 

franchise. 

Selby was an athlete 

who played football for 

Sapulpa and considered 

coaching as a career. But his 

life changed when he first 

tasted pizza in 1956 on a 

trip to Chicago. 

OSA wishes to honor 

Selby’s long support of 

youth sports and especially 

his love of soccer by continuing 

to do what he believed 

important – know 

your goals and work hard to 

achieve them. 

It’s May and thanks to 

a wonderfully temperate 

winter, most schools are 

releasing the young ones 

early. That cry of anguish 

you are hearing is the parental 

units across Oklahoma 

determining what to do 

with the kiddos for the next 

three months. 

“Quick, Martha, Google 

summer camps and find 

something that will occupy 

them during the day, provide 

them lunch, exercise 

them to the point of near 

exhaustion so that when 

they return home they will 

go straight to bed, AND cost 

no more than a babysitter’s 

evening fee.” 

I’m old enough to remember 

that a summer 

Watts’ What 

camp was usually a churchsponsored 

event. None of 

us growing up here in the 

central plains had much opportunity 

to “escape to nature” 

from the big city. We 

were living in nature every 

day. If you wanted to go fishing, 

you grabbed the pole 

and headed to the pond or 

the creek. If you wanted to 

hunt, you grabbed the rifle 

and headed to the woods. 

The concept of going to a 

forest with 20 other kids 

and sleeping in a bunk was 

quite bizarre. 

So, at some point in 

the eighth grade I was loaded 

on a church bus and off 

we went to Camp Egan on 

the Illinois River near Tahlequah. 

I won’t share specific 

By Dale Watts, Editor 

details with you of what 

often happens with adolescents 

in close proximity to 

one another with minimal 

adult supervision. Let’s just 

say we all learned to love 

God and perhaps a few other 

things. 

This is not to scare you 

away from summer camps. 

For today’s kids summer 

camps can be about an escape 

to nature, but for most 

it appears that parents are 

signing up their offspring 

to attend camps that focus 

on skills such as athletics or 

music or self-improvement. 

Oklahoma is fortunate to 

have a large number of soccer 

camps available to its 

youngsters. We’ve provided 

a listing of those camps in 

this issue and on the OSA 

web site at www.oksoccer. 

com. While I can’t speak 

for the quality of every soccer 

camp in Oklahoma, I 

can say that I’ve heard few 

complaints about them and 

I promise you that soccer 

people love to inform us 

about events that are not 

up to standards. 

If you have young ones, 

the half-day camps are the 

best bet. It will require picking 

up and dropping off of 

the little kickers, but it will 

give parents a few hours 

of solitude and yet not interrupt 

the neighborhood 

play dates. As the player 

gets older, a full day camp 

see Watt’s What, page 11

8 OKLAHOMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION 

Soccer Summer Camps 

Sponsor Club or Host Location Program Dates Ages Cost 

British Soccer ...........Guthrie YMCA .......................Guthrie, OK .............May 28-June 1 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Lawton Soccer Club ...................Lawton, OK .............May 28-June 1 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........McAlester Boys & Girls Club ............McAlester, OK ...........May 28-June 1 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Ponca City Soccer Club ................Ponca City, OK ..........May 28-June 1 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Stillwater Family YMCA ................Stillwater, OK . . . . . . . . . . . .May 28-June 1 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Oklahoma City University .OKC ...................May 29-June 1 ......5-12 ........$85 

Get Your Kicks Camps Oral Roberts University .....................Tulsa, OK ..............May 29-June 1 ......5-17 ........$125 

AC Milan Camp ... .......AC Milan.. ...........................Tulsa, OK... .............June 4-8... .........Ages TBA... . .prices vary 

‘British Soccer ...........G.O.A.L.S ...........................Ardmore, OK ............June 4-8 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer . ..........Bethany YMCA .......................Bethany, OK 

...........June 4-8 . ..........3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Canton Public Schools .................Canton, OK ............June 4-8 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Edmond Branch YMCA ................Edmond, OK. . . . . . . . . . . . .June 4-8 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Guthrie YMCA .......................Guthrie, OK .............June 4-8 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Miami SC. ...........................Miami, OK .............June 4-8 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer . ..........Mustang Youth Soccer Association 

......Mustang, OK ...........June 4-8 . ..........3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer . ..........Mayes County Soccer Association .......Pryor, OK ..............June 4-8 . ..........3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer . ..........Troy and Dollie Smith Family YMCA 

.....Shawnee, OK ...........June 4-8 . ..........3-14 . .......prices vary 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Oklahoma City University .OKC ..................June 4-8 ...........5-12 ........$100 

Get Your Kicks Camps Oral Roberts University .....................Tulsa, OK ..............June 4-8 ...........5-17 ........$125 

Soccer Synergy Camps Oral Roberts University ....................Tulsa, OK ..............June 11-14 .........5-17 ........$125 

Soccer City Camps .......Soccer City - Tulsa ....................Tulsa, OK ..............June 11-15 .........4-15 ........$95 

Mac’s National Soccer School University of Tulsa - .................Metro Tulsa Soccer Club ...June 11-15 .........4-13 ........$140 

UCO Camps ............University of Central Oklahoma .........Edmond, OK. . . . . . . . . . . . .June 11-14 .........5 & up ......$110 

Soccer City Camps OKC Soccer City - OKC .......................Oklahoma City, OK ........June 11-14 .........4-15 ........$95 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Oklahoma City University GK Camp..OKC ..........June 11-13 .........12-18 .......$150 

British Soccer ...........Bixby Soccer Club ....................Bixby, OK ..............June 11-15 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Collinsville SC .......................Collinsville, OK ..........June 11-15 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Tahlequah Soccer Club ................Tahlequah, OK ..........June 11-15 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

Mid-American Christian University- MACU campus ..................Oklahoma City, OK ........June 13-17 .........5-13 ........$90 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Oklahoma City University College...OKC ............June 14-16 .........12-18 .......$175 

Get Your Kicks Camps .....Oral Roberts University Resident .........Tulsa, OK ..............June 17-21 ......... 9-17 .......$395 

OSU Camps ............Oklahoma State University - Advanced ....Stillwater, OK . . . . . . . . . . . .June 17-21 .........16-19 .......$480 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Oklahoma City University College Resident ..........June 17-12 .........12-18 .......$400 

British Soccer ...........Okmulgee YMCA .....................Okmulgee, OK ...........June 18-22 ......... 3-14 .......prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Midwest City YMCA ...................Del City, OK ............June 18-22 ......... 3-14 .......prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Sand Springs Soccer Club ..............Sand Springs, OK .......June 18-22 ......... 3-14 .......prices vary 

Mac’s National Soccer School - University of Tulsa .................Tulsa, OK ...............June 18-22 ......... 6-13 .......$230

Soccer Summer Camps 


Sponsor Club or Host Location Program Dates Ages Cost 

UCO Camps - University of Central Oklahoma - College ..............Edmond, OK. . . . . . . . . . . . .June 18-20 .........14 & up .....$210 

Get Your Kicks Camps .....Oral Roberts University .................Tulsa, OK ..............June 24-19 .........5-17 ........$125 

British Soccer ...........Earlywine Park YMCA .................Oklahoma City, OK ........June 25-29 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Ada Boys & Girls Soccer Club ...........Ada, OK ................June 25-29 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Chisholm Trail Soccer Association .......Duncan, OK . . . . . . . . . . . . .June 25-29 .........3-14 ........prices vary 

Soccer Synergy Camps - Oral Roberts University - High School Girls only Tulsa, OK ..............July 5-7 ............14-18 .......$150 

British Soccer ...........Thornton Family Branch YMCA ..........Tulsa, OK ..............July 9-13 ...........3-14 ........prices vary 

Soccer City Camps .......Soccer City - Tulsa ....................Tulsa, OK ..............July 9-13 ...........4-15 ........$95 

Soccer City Camps OKC - Soccer City - OKC ......................Oklahoma City, OK ........July 9-12 ...........4-15 ........$95 

Mac’s National Soccer School - University of Tulsa - Female Camp ....Tulsa, OK ...............July 15-19 ..........9-13 ........$420 

Mac’s National Soccer School - University of Tulsa - Male Camp .......Tulsa, OK ...............July 15-19 ..........9-13 ........$420 

Mac’s National Soccer School - University of Tulsa - Elite Female Camp Tulsa, OK ...............July 15-19 ..........16-19 .......$420 

Mac’s National Soccer School - University of Tulsa - Elite Male Camp ...Tulsa, OK ...............July 15-19 ..........16-19 .......$420 

OSU Camps - Oklahoma State University - Advanced ................Stillwater, OK . . . . . . . . . . . .July 15-19 ..........16-19 .......$480 

British Soccer ...........All County Soccer Club ................Atoka, OK ..............July 16-20 ..........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........Weatherford Soccer Club ...............Weatherford, OK .........July 16-20 ..........3-14 ........prices vary 

Get Your Kicks Camps .....Oral Roberts University .................Tulsa, OK ..............July 16-20 ..........5-17 ........$125 

Matt Potter Soccer Academy - University of Oklahoma ................Norman, OK .............July 16-19 ..........6-10 ........$175 

OBU Soccer Camps - Oklahoma Baptist University - Girls ............Shawnee, OK ...........July 22-26 ..........9-19 ........$300-$375 

British Soccer ...........Altus Soccer Club .....................Altus, OK ...............July 23-27 ..........3-14 ........prices vary 

British Soccer ...........NOSA ..............................Woodward, OK ..........July 23-27 ..........3-14 ........prices vary 

Soccer City Camps .......Soccer City - Tulsa ....................Tulsa, OK ..............July 23-27 ..........4-15 ........$95 

Soccer City Camps OKC - Soccer City - OKC ......................Oklahoma City, OK ........July 23-26 ..........4-15 ........$95 

OSU Camps - Oklahoma State University - College ..................Stillwater, OK . . . . . . . . . . . .July 23-25 ..........16-19 .......$150 

OSU Camps - Oklahoma State University - Day .....................Stillwater, OK . . . . . . . . . . . .July 25-27 ..........16-19 .......$130 

Riverhawk Camp... .......Northeastern State... ...................Tahlequah, OK... .........July 25-28... ........13-19... .....$225 

Matt Potter Soccer Academy - University of Oklahoma ................Norman, OK .............July 29-22 ..........11-18 .......$375 

British Soccer ..........Washington County Soccer Club .........Bartlesville, OK . . . . . . . . . .July 30-Aug. 3 ......3-14 ........prices vary 

Ada Soccer Club Camp... ..Ada Soccer Club... ....................Ada, OK.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 30-Aug. 3... .....3-14... ......prices vary 

Brian Harvey American Youth Soccer Camps - Northwest Optimist Club . .OKC ...................July 30-Aug. 3 ......5-12 ........$100 

UCO Camps - University of Central Oklahoma ......................Edmond, OK. . . . . . . . . . . . .August 6-9 .........5 & up ......$110 

UCO Camps - University of Central Oklahoma - Striker ...............Edmond, OK. . . . . . . . . . . . .August 6-7 .........12 & up .....$80 

British Soccer - Bixby Soccer Club ...............................Bixby, OK 

.............August 6-10 . .......3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer - Lawton Soccer Club .............................Lawton, OK .............August 6-10 . .......3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer - Mustang Youth Soccer Association ..................Mustang, OK ...........August 6-10 . .......3-14 . .......prices vary 

British Soccer - Noble County Family YMCA .......................Perry, OK ..............August 11-15 . ......3-14 . .......prices vary

10 


ODP News…3 Oklahoma 

Boys selected for International 

Trip to Mexico 

1994 Christian Mata; 

1995 Anthony Hernandez; 

and 1998 Whitney Gonzalves 

(actually a 1999). 

The players are on the rosters 

on one of the 5 teams 

traveling to Guadalajara 

Saturday, April 21 for the 

matches. CONGRATULA- 

TIONS! 

Outside the Lines 

Oklahoman selected for 

U20 men’s national team… 

Boyd Okwuonu (Univ. of 

North Carolina; Edmund, 

Okla.) was named to the 

roster of the U20 US National 

men’s team by Coach Tab 

Ramos. The team trained 

for a week, playing against 

the University of Portland 

and one other team before 

attending the national team 

camp April 9-16 in Portland, 

Ore. 

Congratulations to OU- 

A, the new OCCSL State 

Champion for Spring 2012… 

OU-A defeated TU 3-2 in the 

OCCSL championship match 

held in Tulsa on March 29. 

The game was tied 2-2 in 

regulation and OU-A scored 

the final match in the second 

overtime period. The Saturday 

preliminary matches 

featured TU defeating OU-B 

by a score of 3-2 and OU-A 

defeating Southwestern 

Oklahoma State 6-0. 

Lost Referee Badge?... 2012 

referees who have received 

their registration card now 

have the ability to purchase 

replacement or additional 

2012 badges online at 

the link below. Badges are 

$3.50 each, plus shipping, 

handling and taxes. A maximum 

of two badges can be 

ordered per USSF ID #. If a 

referee does not know his 

USSF ID#, email oksoccer@ 

oksoccer.com Lost Badge 

- replacement application 

Let me start off by saying 

that rumors of my death 

have been greatly exaggerated. 

What do I mean by 

that? It seems every time 

I turn around someone is 

saying that I am going to 

quit as SRA. I want to dispel 

that rumor right now and 

let you all know that it is 

the exact opposite of that. 

I would really like to be the 

SRA for a very long time. To 

limit my time by any measure 

would limit any good 

that we as the SRC would be 

able to do. A lot of people 

told me it would take a year 

for me to just be able to figure 

out how things worked. 

I thought they were crazy. 

But they were right. It does 

take about that long just to 

figure out how the system 

works. So long story short, 

On My Whistle By Ron Poulsen, SRA 

if you hear rumors about 

me wanting to quit as SRA 

please correct them and if 

you are spreading them, 

please stop. You are not 

helping the situation. 

I would like to say 

thanks to so many people, 

but that would take up so 

much space and time to 

do here so let me just say 

thanks to my fellow SRC 

members both present and 

past. Their hard work (as 

volunteers) is what keeps 

the referee corps going. 

Thanks also to all of the SRC 

assistants, the instructors, 

the assessors, the assignors, 

and of course all of our referees. 

Thank you for all you 

do each and every weekend 

for the good of the game. 

Let me address the Referee 

Academy. Are we still 

going to have one? Yes, we 

are. Did we run into problems 

with it? Yes, we did. Do 

we have all the answers on 

making it work? No, but we 

are working on it. The Referee 

Academy is a program 

in its beginning stages and 

there will be bumps along 

the way. Other states have 

very prestigious academy 

programs and we want the 

very best for our Oklahoma 

referees as well. The Academy 

will be a work in progress 

for some time so please 

bear with us as the SRC 

works toward our goal. 

Upper level Referees – 

Recently the SRC traveled to 

Chicago and met with the 

SRC’s of all USSF and some 

of the topics discussed included 

“Who are your upper 

level Referees? Who 

are you working to promote 

through the ranks to professional 

Referee?” Oklahoma 

has about 1600 registered 

referees and yet only 100 or 

so are 07 grade or higher. I 

would encourage any referee 

reading this to consider 

taking the steps necessary 

to upgrade and become an 

07 or higher. That higher 

grade will give you the opportunity 

to officiate higher 

level games. 

Another issue discussed 

at the SRC meeting 

in Chicago was referee retention 

and why so many 

referees quit officiating. The 

most common reasons are 

being yelled at, no games 

given, and no return on 

the investment of time and 

money. On average, Oklahoma 

trains 1000 referees a 

year and yet we lose nearly 

600 from the previous year. 

Think of how nice it would 

be to train 1000 refs this 

year and maintain the 1000 

from the past year! We have 

so many games to cover and 

so few of us to do them all. 

My last thoughts for 

you are on recruitment. 

We need more officials. Encourage 

your friends, family, 

teammates, or whoever 

you know to join the referee 

corps. It’s a great way to be 

involved with a great game 

and a great cause – developing 

Oklahoma soccer! All 

the information you need is 

on the web site. Encourage 

people to get involved. 

Thanks to all for now. 

And again a thank you to everyone 

for their help in my 

first year as SRA. 

See you on the field. 

Ron


Watt’s What, continued from page 7 

or residency is a good bet. 

Adolescents enjoy being 

away from their embarrassing 

parents and can feel as 

if they are “on their own” 

for a few days. The parents 

of this age group can still 

drop in on the camp of an 

evening as most of them 

provide some sort of “scrimmage” 

matches most nights. 

If you, as a parent, ever attended 

a soccer camp or 

other residency camp you 

might grow anxious about 

the evenings but rest assured 

that camp administrators 

are vigilant in their 

security. I know all too well 

because I served as a camp 

counselor at a university 

residency soccer camp and 

we were all assigned “guard 

duty” throughout the night. 

June, July, and August 

await and for most of us that 

means at least two months 

of non-soccer events. But 

for you die-hards don’t forget 

the summer Olympics 

will feature our US Women 

and I plan to watch those 

games for sure. Enjoy the 

summer, enjoy the children 

and their exuberance, and 

enjoy their anticipation of 

fall soccer.

12 


PLAY HARD. CELEBRATE WITH PIZZA. 

$ 5 50 

ONLY 

PER PERSON 

ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT-AND-DRINK PIZZA* AND SOFT DRINKS 

Gather your group (15-person minimum) and enjoy All-You-Can-Eat *One Topping Pizzas 

of your choice and Soft Drinks for everyone for just $5.50 per person. Just give 

us a call to schedule your party at the Mazzio’s location most convenient for you. 

Call Us Anytime to Schedule Your Event! 

Supporting Our Local Teams and Schools. 

mazzios.com

The USASA is excited to 

announce a new initiative 

to promote our national 

coaching license to all our 

state associations. We’re offering 

$1,000 to the first 20 

states or leagues to respond 

that have yet to run a coaching 

license of their own. The 

money can be used to subsidize 

operational costs of 

staging the event. 

Our 26-hour course is 

equivalent to the USSF E license 

and focuses on the 

modernization of the game 

while also giving aspiring 

Send Us Your Soccer 

News and Photos 

For the months of 

March and April 2012 we 

will awarding USASA merchandise 

(see below) to the 

first ten (10) members who 

submit stories that are chosen 

to be featured on the 

USASA.com website. 

We are calling on you 

to become involved in our 

adult soccer newscasting 

network. 

Send us your original 

write-up of regional, state, 

local, league, team or individual 

news. News can be 

about anything soccer related 

i.e. charity work, inspiring 

individual or team 

stories, upcoming tournaments, 

etc. *Selected stories 

may be edited for publication. 

Length should be 

Adult News 

USASA National 

Coaching License 

coaches a great opportunity 

to learn the elementary 

principles of coaching. 

States or leagues will 

be responsible for organizing 

a venue and recruiting 

candidates, while the USA- 

SA Coaching Committee will 

provide staff and all materials. 

Contact the USASA National 

Events Manager Kevin 

Frusti at kfrusti@usasa. 

com for more information. 

Application for Hosting National 

Adult Licenses may be 

found at http://www.usasa. 

com/. 

WIN USASA Soccer 

Merchandise! 

at least a paragraph and be 

submitted by the creator, 

accompanying photos are 

encouraged. Selected stories 

and member(s) will be 

featured on USASA.com 

Submitted newspaper 

or magazine clippings in 

your region that mentions 

USASA activities will also be 

considered. Scan and email 

us the high-resolution articles 

to be eligible for USASA 

merchandise. 

We are also calling for 

your soccer related photos. 

Funny, amazing, artistic, 

out-of-the-ordinary are 

some of the types of photos 

we’re looking for. Selected 

photos and member(s) will 

be displayed in our "Photos 

of the Month" area. The 

first ten (10) members 

to submit photos that are 

It’s been a very “out 

with the old and in with 

the new” past week for US 

Adult Soccer. We’ve introduced 

our new, modern 

logo at US Soccer’s AGM in 

Miami along with our new 

website! 

The new logo’s purpose 

is to symbolize an official 

USA soccer governing 

body. The logo incorporates 

Red, White and Blue 

with a stylistic representation 

of an abstract soccer 

ball and American flag. The 

four stars represent the four 

main regions governed by 

USASA, which is split into 

55 state associations across 

those four regions. 


Introducing USASA’s 

New Look 

Extreme Makeover: Web Site 

and Logo Edition 

chosen to be featured will 

be awarded USASA merchandise 

(see below). 

Email us your material 

to: aisabelli@usasa.com. 

Include the following in 

your email: 

For Original News 

*Your Full Name, Age, State, 

The new Web site is 

now geared toward content 

rather than just an administration 

tool. New features 

such as videos, photos, articles, 

a blog and FAQ will 

make the site much more 

appealing and useful for 

our members. We really 

appreciate all the great input 

we’ve received from 

everyone over the past few 

months and are looking forward 

to spotlighting some 

of you on the site. 

We are continuing trying 

to improve the usability 

of the Web site and we welcome 

your feedback. Use 

the “contact us” link on the 

web site to communicate 

with USASA. 

Team Name, Your Favorite 

Professional Team, Story: (1 

paragraph: 3-5 sentences) 

Photos: (Encouraged: Jpg 

format, >500pix x 300pix), 

Email Contact, and Phone 

Contact. 

see USASA merchandise, page 14

14 


USASA Veterans Cup 

The National Veterans 

Cup Committee is pleased to 

announce that the 2012 US- 

ASA National Veterans Cup 

will be hosted by Cal South 

on June 26 - July 1, 2012 in 

Escondido, North San Diego 

County, California. 

Settled in a long valley 

in the coastal mountains 

of Southern California, 

Escondido, which means 

“hidden” in Spanish, lies 

about 18 miles inland, 100 

miles south of Los Angeles, 

and 30 miles northeast of 

San Diego. Surrounded by 

avocado and citrus groves, 

Escondido is a diverse, vibrant 

community with just 

the right mix of small town 

friendliness and big-city 

buzz. 

Cal South has long 

been regarded as the premier 

youth state soccer 

association in the United 

States. With over 180,000 

member players, coaches, 

referees and administrators, 

Cal South is the most successful 

state organization 

on and off the field. They 

represent more than three 

times the number of national 

championship teams than 

any other youth state soc- 

cer association. Since being 

becoming the official adult 

state soccer association of 

Southern California in 2008, 

Cal South has grown to 

13,000 affiliated adult players 

and has won 3 USASA 

National Cup Championships. 

Their motto “Excellence 

in Soccer” is apparent 

in their development and 

execution of high quality, 

affiliated soccer programs 

for adults of all ages, all skill 

levels and all communities. 

For more information on Cal 

South, please visit www.calsouth.com. 

All the games will be 

played at Frances Ryan 

Park, a complex owned and 

operated by the City. Frances 

Ryan Park contains 67 

acres, 42 of which are currently 

developed. The facility 

has seven athletic soccer 

fields, five with lights and 

two without; parking; and 

landscaping. The fields are 

currently home to the Escondido 

Youth Soccer Club, 

and are used by many other 

non-profit groups. By the 

time the tournament starts 

they will have added an 

8th soccer field. We have 

also reserved a couple of 

back-up fields with nearby 

schools to provide additional 

flexibility for scheduling 

purposes. 

Online registration is 

now open - see the Register 

page for details. The 

USASA & Veterans Cup 

website will be updated 

by the end of November 

with hotel information and 

other relevant tournament 

information. We are also 

in the process of updating 

the Facebook site (http:// 

www.facebook.com/group. 

About the USASA Veterans 

Cup 

The annual Veterans 

Cup tournament was established 

in 1998 by the United 

States Adult Soccer Association 

with the intention of 

providing high-level soccer 

to both men and women 

30 years of age and older. 

The current Veterans Cup 

tournament is a 6-day event 

with an anticipated 75-100 

adult soccer teams, comprising 

approximately 2,000 

players, family members, 

and supporters. 

COED Cup 

No information available 

at this time. The web 

site for the Coed Cup is 

http://www.usasa.com/coedcup11/index_E.html 

Check the above site 

for news of registration and 

location of the 2012 Cup. 

Win USASA Soccer Merchandise, continued from page 13 

For Media Clippings 

Your Full Name, Age, 

State, Your Team Name, 

Favorite Professional Team, 

Article Scan: (High Resolution 

format), Newspaper/ 

Magazine Reference (Name, 

Date, Page), Your Email 

Contact, Phone Contact: 

For Photos 

Submissions Only 

Your Full Name, Age, 

State, Your Team Name, 

Your Favorite Professional 

Team, Photo(s): (JPG format, 

>500pix x 300pix), 

Photo(s) Description: (Location, 

Date, Event Name, 

Names of people in photo, 

etc.), Your Email Contact, 

Phone Contact Required. 

USASA Merchandise 

Examples 

Soccer Balls 

Official USASA T-shirts 

Official USASA shoe 

bags 

Plus more... 

Follow OSA 

on Facebook 

Friend Oklahoma 

Soccer Association

Venue: Toyota Park in 

Chicago, IL. 

Home of the Chicago 

Fire and USASA National Office. 

Dates: Weekend of 

July 20-22nd, 2012 

“It is a great honor to 

host the 2012 National Cup 

here in Chicago. We’re going 

to do everything in our 

power to make everyone 

feel welcome and use all 

our contacts to make it the 

most memorable National 


USASA Announces 2012 National Cup Details 

Cup to date.” - Branko Ilic, 

Illinois State President 

The 2012 National Cup 

finals will be held at the Toyota 

Park complex July 20-22, 

2012. 

The National Cup Committee 

met in Chicago with 

representatives of Toyota 

Park, Chicago Fire staff, Illinois 

State Soccer Association 

and USASA staff, to 

view the Toyota Park facility. 

The Illinois State Soccer 

Association will be the 

host State association and 

will lead in the planning and 

support of any National Cup 

needs or requirements. 

The current plan is that 

there will be a minimum of 

2 turf and 2 natural grass 

fields that will be used for 

the National Cup event. For 

all Semi-final round games, 

turf fields are planned to 

be used. All final games are 

schedule to play on natural 

grass. For the first time ever 

3 final games are scheduled 

to be played in the main 

Toyota Park Stadium home 

of the Chicago Fire Soccer 

Club. Games in the stadium 

are planned for taping for 

future telecast. 

The 2012 National Cup 

Championship rounds are 

planned to be run at the 

highest professional level 

that all teams entering the 

National Cups aspire to play 

at. 

NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME INDUCTION 2012 

PRESENTED BY EUROSPORT - LANDOVER, MD 

Claudio Reyna, Tony 

Meola, Desmond Armstrong 

and Tony DiCicco 

will be Inducted 

as the Class of 2012 Ahead 

of Men's National Team 

Match Against Brazil 

Former U.S. Men's National 

Team stars Claudio 

Reyna, Tony Meola and Desmond 

Armstrong and former 

U.S. Women's National 

Team head coach Tony 

DiCicco will be inducted into 

the National Soccer Hall of 

Fame on May 30 in Landover, 

Md. 

The National Soccer 

Hall of Fame and U.S. Soccer 

will hold Induction 2012 

presented by Eurosport at 

FedExField ahead of the U.S. 

Men's National Team game 

against Brazil. The exact 

start of the Induction will 

be determined in the near 

future. Following the inviteonly 

ceremony, new inductees, 

Hall of Fame members 

and invited guests will attend 

a reception. Current 

Hall of Famers, as well as 

the Class of 2012 inductees, 

will be recognized on the 

field before kickoff. 

Both men elected on 

the player ballot made a 

significant contribution to 

the Men's National Team 

and had successful club careers 

both overseas and in 

the USA. Reyna, a four-time 

World Cup veteran, had an 

impressive career in Europe, 

playing for Bayer Leverkusen, 

Wolfsburg, Rangers, 

Sunderland and Manchester 

City. Meola holds second 

place all-time for most U.S. 

goalkeeper appearances 

and was a mainstay in Major 

League Soccer, earning MVP 

and Goalkeeper of the Year 

awards with the Kansas City 

Wizards. 

Armstrong, elected 

on the veteran ballot, was 

a stellar defender for the 

U.S. Men. During an eightyear 

National Team career, 

he competed in the 1990 

World Cup and the 1988 

Olympic Games. 

DiCicco was elected on 

the builder ballot and was 

recognized for his recordbreaking 

tenure with the 

Women's National Team, 

posting 103 victories in 119 

matches and leading the 

squad to the FIFA Women's 

World Cup title at home in 

1999. 

The U.S. MNT will kick 

off against five-time World 

Cup winner Brazil at 8 p.m. 

ET. More than 40,000 tickets 

have been sold for the 

match, which will be broadcast 

live on ESPN2, ESPN3 

and Univision. The match 

will be the team's last 

friendly in the U.S. before it 

begins 2014 FIFA World Cup 

qualifying. 

Established in 1950, 

the National Soccer Hall of 

Fame is dedicated to the 

sport of soccer in the United 

States by celebrating its history, 

preserving its legacy, 

inspiring its youth and honoring 

its heroes for generations 

to come. 

Mia Hamm’s 

Advice for 

Girls, Parents 

and Coaches 

Interview by Mike Woitalla 

American sports icon 

Mia Hamm debuted for the 

U.S. national team at age 15 

in 1987. She helped the USA 

to two World Cup and two 

Olympic titles. The 158 national 

team goals she scored 

before retiring in 2004 remain 

a world record. We 

asked Hamm to reflect on 

her early years and offer 

advice for coaches, parents 

and young players. 

SOCCER AMERICA: 

How involved are you still in 

soccer? 

MIA HAMM: It’s a huge 

part of my life. I’m still involved 

with U.S. Soccer on 

a couple of committees to 

help continue the growth 

of the game and make sure 

we’re going in the right direction, 

in general, as a Federation. 

see Hamm, page 16

16 


New Jersey for US Men’s 

and Women’s Teams 

U.S. Soccer and Nike 

unveiled the new home jersey 

for both the U.S. Men's 

and Women's National 

Teams. The U.S. Men and 

Women debuted the latest 

Nike jersey playing their domestic 

matches in May. 

For the first time, Nike 

has taken a unified approach 

with the USA's home 

kits, creating jerseys that 

feature the same design 

and concept for both teams. 

The American flag is utilized 

as the jersey's inspiration, 

with a shirt that features 

horizontal red and white 

stripes and a blue crew neck 

collar. There is also a subtle 

tonal sash echoing the same 

design on the jerseys worn 

by the U.S. Men's National 

Team when it famously defeated 

England in the 1950 

FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 

Both kits are visually 

identical, but the women's 

kit is designed specifically 

for the female athlete to enhance 

range of motion. 

The new jersey is available 

for purchase in stores. 

The U.S. Women's jersey 

will be available starting on 

July 1. 

The fabric of the new 

home kits is approximately 

23 percent lighter and 20 

percent stronger than Nike's 

previous models. Made with 

Dri-FIT technology, the kits 

help regulate players' temperatures 

on the pitch. The 

shirts feature laser-cut ventilation 

holes to promote 

localized cooling where it 

matters most. 

Environmentally, each 

kit is made using an average 

of 13 recycled plastic bottles. 

The new kit's shorts are 

made with 100 percent Dri- 

FIT recycled polyester and 

the shirt with a minimum 96 

percent recycled polyester. 

The base layer apparel 

includes Nike Pro Combat 

Hyperstrong compression 

slider shorts that feature 

a padded waist and thigh 

protection in the most critical 

areas to provide protection 

during the rigors of the 

game. Mesh fabric is placed 

in heat zones for breathability. 

The new home shorts 

are blue, while the socks 

- now with improved cushioning 

for greater comfort, 

movement and protection - 

are white with a blue band 

at the top. 

U.S. MNT and WNT Authentic 

Nike Home Jersey 

Features: 

- Body featuring red 

and white stripes with a 

blue crew neck collar 

- Inside neck of the 

shirt includes the American 

Stars and Stripes flag 

- Jersey has tonal sash 

on the front 

- Blue shorts, and the 

socks are white with a blue 

band at the top. 

Comfort and Fit 

The fabric is about 23 

percent lighter than previous 

years' kits; embedded 

with Dri-FIT technology; 

laser-cut ventilation on the 

shirt; double-knit structure 

and yarns to make kit 

20 percent stronger than 

past designs. The Nike Pro 

Combat Hyperstrong shorts 

feature a padded waist and 

thigh protection. Nike Pro 

Combat Hypercool 2.0 top 

delivers ventilation and 

sweat-wicking fabric and is 

environmentally friendly. 

the shorts made with 100 

percent recycled polyester. 

The shirts are made with 

at least 96 percent recycled 

polyester. 

Mia Hamm, 


Kristine Lilly, Tisha 

Venturini-Hoch and myself 

started a soccer academy 

called Team First to basically 

help share with young girls 

our experiences and what 

we felt helped make us successful. 

I still watch tons of 

soccer. Both the men’s and 

women’s national teams, 

MLS, EPL … 

SA: What part of the 

coaching you got as a youngster 

helped you succeed? 

MIA HAMM: Everyone 

talks about it being fun. 

And it definitely was. That 

needs to be the focus. Development 

over winning 

was something I felt was 

there. I think as kids, and 

especially the players who 

go on to play at the highest 

level, they’re naturally competitive. 

That’s going to be a 

part of what they do. 

At a certain age, that 

reinforcement is important, 

but at a young age it’s about 

development and making 

sure that the kids really enjoy 

the environment they’re 

in so they want to come 

back and continue to learn 

and listen. 

SA: How different do 

you think youth soccer is 

now compared to your early 

days? 

MIA HAMM: The first 

coaches I had were just 

dads. And [laughs] probably 

wearing too small team uniform 

shirts and a really bad 

hat or visor on the sideline. 

And occasionally saying 

things they got from their 

days of playing football and 

trying to apply it to soccer, 

like “get to the end zone.” 

see Hamm, page 18

Tournament Scores 


Broken Arrow Spring Recreational Tournament 

Midwest City Patriot Cup 

BOYS 

U14 1st – Muskogee SC SSC 98 – 3 

2nd – Metro Tulsa SC Force – 2 

U12 1st – Fort Gibson United 00 (points) 

2nd – Tahlequah Renegardes 

U12 Silver 1st – McAlester Macu 

Wolverines – 4 

2nd – Oologah-Talala SC Bennet – 3 

U10 Gold 1st – Fort Gibson United 02 – 8 

2nd – Muskogee Elite – 0 

U10 Silver 1st – Broken Arrow Troopers – 1 

2nd – Owasso Dynamite – 0 

U8 Gold 1st – Muskogee Boomers (points) 

2nd – Coweta Eagles 

U8 Silver 1st – Broken Arrow Ballistic (points) 

2nd – McAlester Broncos 

GIRLS 

U14 1st – Broken Arrow Poison Harding 

– 2 

2nd – Loco Soccer Guthrie – 0 

U12 Gold 1st – Broken Arrow Eclipse – 

Thomas (points) 

2nd – NWO Shooting Stars 

U12 Silver 1st – Enid Mustangs – 8 

2nd – Broken Arrow Thunder – 0 

U10 1st – Fort Gibson Futball Storm – 3 

2nd – Broken Arrow Girls with 

Attitude – 1 

U9 1st – Mustang Bruisers – 7 

2nd – Broken Arrow Dragonflies – 1 

U8 Gold 1st – Broken Arrow Pixies – 

(points) 

2nd – Fort Gibson Finesse 

U8 Silver 1st – South Lakes Victory – 6 

2nd – Broken Arrow Storm – 1 

U7 1st – Tulsa United Pandemonium – 7 

2nd – Broken Arrow Superstars – 4 

BOYS 

U13 1st – CVFC 99 Red – 3 

2nd – SLSC Cosmos 00 Blue – 1 

U11 1st – WCSC FC Bartlesville – 2 

2nd – Stillwater SC -1 

U10 Gold 1st – ESC Barcelona – 1 

2nd – ESC Manchester – 0 

U10 Silver 1st – CVFC 02 Hagen – 1 

2nd – NOKC 03 Amel – 0 

GIRLS 

U15 1st – SLSC Cosmos 98 Blue – 1 

2nd – MWC Fusion 96/97 – 0 

U12 1st – OK Footbal OFC 99 – 2 

2nd MWC Fusion 2000 – 1 

U11 1st – CVFC 01 Red – 2 

2nd – OK Football OFC 01 – 1 

U10 Gold 1st – Unity SC 02 – 1 

2nd – CVFC 02 Jackson – 0 

U10 Silver 1st – SLSC Cosmos Academy – 1 

2nd – CVFC 03 Claxton – 0 

YOUR GAME, 

YOUR FIELDS 

TULSA 

5817 S. 118th East Ave. 

Tulsa, OK 74146 

918.249.0044 

SOCCERCITYTULSA.COM 

OKLAHOMA CITY 

4520 Old Farm Road 

Oklahoma City, OK 

405.748.3888 

SOCCERCITYOKCITY.COM

18 


OSA APPROVED TOURNAMENTS 

This is not a final listing. Some applications are still pending. 

June 1-3, 2012 

AC Milan Heartland Cup 

All US Soccer affiliated teams 

International Teams 

Tulsa, OK 

Fields: Indian Springs Soccer Complex in 

Broken Arrow 

Web site: www.heartlandcup.com 

Contact: Alex Alston 

Phone: 918-557-6063 

Email: alexalston@tulsasports.org 

U11-U15 Competitive Boys 

Assignor: Neal Mercer 

Email: nem55ba@aol.com 


Adult 3v3 Kick It Tournament 

Union Soccer Club 

All US Adult Soccer members 

Tulsa, OK 

Union Soccer’s Bill Boevers Complex 

Web site: www.unionsoccerclub.com 

Contact: David Dexter 

Phone: 918-798-6028 

unionsoccerclub@tulsacoxmail.com 

All Adult Recreational and Competitive 

ages and gender 

Referee Assignor: David Dexter 

Email: dexterb@aol.com 

Mia Hamm 


It’s changed a lot. Some good, 

some bad. Coaching and the players 

are so much better at a younger age. 

I didn’t specialize until I made the 

national team. I still played basketball 

and a bunch of different sports, really 

kind of followed what my friends were 

playing in the season that was being 

organized. 

I think that helped me not burn 

out so early and helped my overall 

athleticism. 

SA: In your book “Go For the 

Goal” you addressed the problem of 

youth coaches sacrificing “learning 

skills for winning games.” Youth soccer 

has continued to get more expensive 

and paid coaches are the norm, so it 

would seem that pressure on winning 

has increased … 


Youth 3v3 Kick It Tournament 

Union Soccer Club 

All US Youth Soccer members 

Tulsa, OK 

Union Soccer’s Bill Boevers Complex 

Web site: www.unionsoccerclub.com 

Contact: David Dexter 

Phone: 918-798-6028 


U6 – U8 Recreational Boys & Girls 

U9 – U10 Academy Boys & Girls 

U12 – U19 Recreational and Competitive 

Boys & Girls 

Referee Assignor: Nancy Cornett 



Woodridge Cup 

Ponca City Adult Soccer Club 

All US Adult Soccer members 

Ponca City, OK 

Fields: Ponca City Soccer Complex 

Web:poncasoccer.com/club/adult-soccer 

Contact: JB Bohon 

Phone: 580-761-6845 



Referee Assignor: Jim McDaniel 

Email: jim.soccerref@gmail.com 

July 7-8, 2012 

Owasso Benefit Small-Sided Tournament 

Owasso Soccer Club 


Owasso, OK 

Fields: Owasso Soccer Complex 

Web site: www.oscsoccer.com 

Contact: Robert Allen 

Phone: 918-272-7407 

U6 – U8 Recreational Boys & Girls 

U9 – U10 Academy Boys & Girls 

U12 – U19 Recreational and Competitive 

Boys & Girls 

Referee Assignor: Dave Moore 

Email: dave_5511@yahoo.com 

MIA HAMM: You’re right, with 

more money and coaches being paid 

they feel a lot more pressure to win 

and parents want a greater return on 

their investment, whether that’s a college 

scholarship or an opportunity to 

play on the youth national team or 

professionally. 

July 7-8, 2012 

Owasso Benefit Small-Sided Tournament 



Owasso Soccer Club 

All US Adult Soccer affiliated teams 

Owasso, OK 

Fields: Owasso Soccer Complex 

Web site: www.oscsoccer.com 

Contact: Robert Allen 

Phone: 918-272-7407 



August 17-19, 2012 

Beat the Heat 

Edmond Soccer Club 


Edmond, OK 

Fields: Edmond Soccer Complex 

Web site: www.edmondsoccer.com 

Contact: James Soesbee 

Phone: 405-409-2324 

Email: soccer999999@sbcglobal.net 

U11 – U19 Competitive Boys & Girls 

Referee Assignor: Brandon Story 

Email: bstory4@gmail.com 

October 19-21, 2012 

Soktoberfest-Adults 

US Adult Soccer Assoc. Affiliate teams 

Tulsa, OK 

Fields: Metro Tulsa Soccer Complex 

Contact: Melanie Tyree 

Phone: 918-645-1570 

Email: info@neoasa.org 

Website: www.neosa.org 

Men’s and Women’s Comp. and Rec. 

Referee Assignor: Larry Morgan 

Email: l.morgan@oksoccer.com 

U12 – U19 Recreational and 

Competitive Boys & Girls 



Last issue’s winners are listed below 

and all receive Mazzio’s Italian Eatery 

coupons and US Youth stickers. 

Congratulations to all of our winners! 

Alex Bradford Sean Corral 

Priscilla Esparza Maximos Klein 

Precious Olaniran Skylar Poulsen 

Cindy Rodgers Justin Snook

KIDS’ PAGE 


JOKES 

What do you call ham that 

you really want? 

A: Pork – you – pine 

What do you call a sleeping 

dinosaur? 

A: A dino-snore 

What do you get 

when you cross 

a teacher and 

a vampire? 

A: Lots of blood tests 

What do you call 

a teacher who 

doesn’t fart 

in public? 

A: A private tooter. 

When is a 

clock hungry? 

A: When it 

goes back 

for seconds. 

RIDDLES 

What do you call a gorilla with 

a banana in each ear? 

A: Whatever you want because 

he can’t hear you. 

What do you call a kitten drinking 

lemonade? 

A: A sourpuss. 

Why did King Kong climb to the 

top of the Empire State building? 

A: Because he 

was too big for 

the elevator. 

What do you 

get when you 

cross 

SpongeBob with 

Albert Einstein? 

A: SpongeBob SmartyPants 

PUNs 

Did you hear about the man 

who lost his left side? 

He’s all right now. 

Did you know William Tell and 

his family were avid bowlers? 

It’s true. But, unfortunately, a 

fire destroyed all the league 

records, so we’ll never know 

for whom the Tells bowled. 

Why did the little boy who was 

part of the wedding party roar 

as he walked down the isle? 

He was the ring bear. 

QUESTIONS TO 

ASK YOUR COACH: 

When we are in the supermarket 

and someone rams our ankle with a shopping 

cart, then apologizes for doing so, why 

do we say, “It’s all right”? Well, it isn’t all 

right, so why don’t we say, “That really hurt, 

why don’t you watch where you’re going?” 

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch 

something that’s falling off the table you always 

manage to knock something else over? 

Why, in winter, do we try to keep the 

house as warm as it was in summer 

when we complained about the heat? 

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes? 

May & June Puzzle 

Look at the word list which contains words about Summer. Solve the puzzle, 

cut it out and mail to me at OSA, c/o Smoke Signals, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 

74153. Good luck and remember to PRINT your name, address, and zip code 

on the form below. I’ll publish your name in the next issue if you solve the puzzle. Plus, 

you’ll get prizes from Mazzio’s Italian Eatery as well. Deadline is June 15, 2012. 

Name: ______________________________________________________ 

Address: _____________________________________________________ 

City: __________________________ State: ___________ Zip: __________ 

U F M J F R B W W F M P R U E T V N L R 

B E S O T I Q P E I P F E W O Y T D T R 

G N C T F J Q C N D Y S R Q D O U V I Z 

S U H R A F X E R K D T R B U S U D F V 

Z E R F X N A H G A N I E R S J D F T U 

E J R C A G G T Z T X V N Z V O H L G K 

T I Z S N H E R H D R A U G U S T C N E 

M D I L T F D Y A E M I J L G R J K A N 

U S R A S K R O W E R I F V A O L N O J 

C R E N G H S U N B J A J T V N Q W W M 

R H C O M P E T I T I V E D E M F J D Y 

S B R I D E P S B I G X O U Z L U W V U 

I L E T Q I L M A W H S H E G I F J V K 

S Y A A C H T S Z F F B P F F K D H B Q 

G N T N V G X M N W K A G S F V Q Q D D 

X N I P O O L Z J E R X U P Y P Z S U W 

B C O T W I F O U A I E T O I P Q N V L 

S J N X H K G O D I F C E L A J O X E W 

Q K A P U L M E I D X U L X W M A R I A 

T Y L U J M A Y R M X Z K D I Y C S Q D 

WORDS TO USE 

IN THE PUZZLE: 

ANTS 

AUGUST 

BRIDE 

COMPETITIVE 

FATHER 

FIREWORKS 

HEAT 

JUNE 

JULY 

NATIONALS 

PARADE 

PICNICS 

WEDDING 

RECREATIONAL 

REGIONALS 

TRYOUTS 

TOURNAMENT

20 


 

 

 

 

 

 

www.scoresports.com 

American Soccer Company, Inc. - 726 E. Anaheim Street - Wilmington, CA 90744 - 800.626.7774

Smoke Signals May/June - Oklahoma Soccer Association

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