One chance, she screamed, all they needed was one chance.

When it came in the form of a left-footed cross from Megan Rapinoe, Wambach pounced. With one vicious whip of her head, she changed the course of this year’s World Cup and sparked a nationwide frenzy rarely seen for women’s sports.

Wambach’s clutch performance at this summer’s World Cup made her the clear choice for the 2011 Female Athlete of the Year, selected by members of The Associated Press. The U.S. forward received 65 of the 214 votes cast, while teammate Hope Solo (38) was a distant second and UConn basketball star Maya Moore (35) was third.

Wambach is the first individual soccer player _ man or woman _ to win one of the AP’s annual sports awards, which began in 1931. The U.S. women’s team won in 1999, when their World Cup triumph at the Rose Bowl transfixed the nation.

“We, as a team, did something that no team since Mia Hamm was able to do,” Wambach told the AP. “Even the team that won the (Olympic) gold medal in 2008 wasn’t able to inspire and get people excited about women’s soccer. It goes to show you the impact drama can bring.”

Wambach’s four goals in Germany give her 13 in three World Cup appearances. That’s the most by an American, topping Michelle Akers by one, and puts her third on the all-time World Cup scoring list behind Brazil’s Marta and Germany’s Birgit Prinz. The 31-year-old ranks third on the U.S. career scoring list with 125 goals, trailing only Mia Hamm (158) and Kristine Lilly (130).

“When she’s on top of her game,” U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said, “she’s one of the best in the world.”

Wambach was certainly at her best at the World Cup, leading the Americans to the final, where they lost to Japan on penalty kicks.

The U.S. has long been the dominant team in women’s soccer, winning two of the first three World Cups and all but one of the Olympic gold medals since the sport was added to the program in 1996. The Americans were so famous they could go by one name _ Mia, Brandi, Foudy _ and they got rock star treatment during the 1999 World Cup, playing to sold-out crowds in massive stadiums from coast to coast.

Americans grew spoiled by the group’s success, however, and were barely able to muster a yawn when the U.S. won the Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008. Many people in the States may not have even realized there was a World Cup going on this summer.

Then came that quarterfinal against Brazil.

Down a player for almost an hour, the Americans were less than 90 seconds from losing in overtime after squandering an early lead. But in the 122nd minute, Rapinoe lofted a cross from 30 yards and Wambach rose above the Brazilian defenders. One of the world’s best players in the air, she scored on a thunderous header, setting off pandemonium in the stadium that soon spread clear across the Atlantic Ocean.

“It just seemed surreal. Even in the moment, I was feeling like it was a dream because we were so against the ropes and everything was pointed to us going down that day,” Wambach said. “But there was something inside of us that wasn’t going to allow that to happen. We weren’t quite ready to give up.”

There are few things Americans like more than winners, especially those who wear “U-S-A” on their chests. That the U.S. women were a fierce, gritty bunch who refused to be beaten only made them more appealing, particularly in a summer when all the other news _ the economy, home sales, the NFL lockout _ was bleak.

By the time the U.S. beat Brazil on penalty kicks _ Wambach and her teammates made all of theirs _ folks who couldn’t tell a bicycle kick from a Schwinn were piling on the bandwagon. Celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Lil Wayne and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers were quick to show the Americans some love, and the women even got face time on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium.

“People kind of forgot about their woes and were able to celebrate,” Wambach said.

She did her part to keep it going, heading in a corner kick for the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute of the semifinal against France. Wambach also scored in the final, giving the U.S. a 2-1 lead in the 104th minute of overtime. But Homare Sawa tied the game in the 117th, and the Americans lost 3-1 on penalty kicks.

Despite the loss, the Americans were welcomed home like champions. They had inspired the country when it needed it, and that meant as much as any trophy or title.

Almost six months later, the accolades are still coming. Wambach was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation, and the victory over Brazil was named the top sports accomplishment of the year in a Marist poll. The Women’s World Cup ranked 10th in the voting for AP sports story of the year.

“I’m not a person who cares much about (individual) awards, but I really appreciate you guys recognizing this team,” Wambach said. “It helps keep this sport alive, and it’s really important.”

Wambach takes her role as ambassador for the game seriously, recognizing that time in the spotlight is still rare for women’s soccer and it must be taken advantage of. She is as accommodating a star athlete as there is, happy to sign autographs, pose for pictures or do interviews. This is how the game is grown, and that, not the goals or the scoring records, is what she hopes her legacy will be.

“Hopefully when I’m long gone, this team is so good that people don’t even talk about (me),” she said. “Truthfully.”

Not that Wambach is going anywhere.

The Americans are the defending Olympic champions, and Wambach and her teammates are currently training for next month’s regional qualifying tournament. She hopes to be healthy enough to play at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, and fill that last gap in a resume as dazzling as anyone who’s ever worn the U.S. uniform.

“I have to say, of all people, I think she is one of the best role models: interacting with fans, saying good things about the game, saying good things about this country, saying good things about her teammates,” Sundhage said. “I’m very proud of the fact I’ve had the chance to coach her for so many years. It will be a highlight of my career.”

This is Jazic’s first call up to Canada in over a year. The Halifax, Nova Scotia 35 year old savvy veteran defender for the Goats represented Canada in FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers in 2004 (Canada reached CONCACAF semifinal round), he helped Canada reach the semi-final stage of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and represented Canada in FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers in 2008 (Canada reached CONCACAF semifinal round).

“It is obviously an honor to represent my country, especially at my age (35 years-old); I am definitely looking forward to it. I have been around for a long time and the coach (Stephan Hart Canada’s Head Coach) knows what I can do and I’ll do whatever he needs me to do to help, he knows I’m there; I’m just looking to contribute in any way possible.” commented the Nova Scotia native.

“I think this is great, look at Ante, he’s aged and you would figure that by the time you get to that age a national team is solidly looking to younger players for the future. What a statement about how well Ante has played all year. I think is a very fitting reward for someone who has earned it. I think he’s having a very good year, and in spite of his age he continuously plays wells. It is much deserved and I think it’s a great honor and I’m very happy for him.” added Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser.

Jazic made his debut for Canada in a May 1998 friendly match against Macedonia and has up to January 2010, earned a total of 24 caps, scoring one goal. He has represented Canada in 6 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and was a member of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad.

• Ante Jazic’s Professional History, Numbers and Stats.

Thirty-five nations from CONCACAF will participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Qualifiers. After five teams were eliminated in CONCACAF Round 1, there are 24 teams participating in CONCACAF Round 2 this fall including Canada. Six Round 2 group winners will then meet up with six more nations for CONCACAF Round 3, with the 12 teams separated into three groups. The top two teams from each Round 3 group will then advance to CONCACAF Round 4, a final group of six teams from which three teams will automatically qualify from Brazil 2014™ and a fourth team will advance to an intercontinental playoff against the champion from Oceania.

Chivas USA after a month of road games will face Real Salt Lake on Saturday, August 27 at The Home Depot Center. The match will kick off at 7:30 pm (Pacific Time), and will be broadcast on TV through Fox Soccer Channel, and Radio on W Radio 690 AM. For information on the game, please visit www.cdchivasusa.com

The first-leg match in the preliminary round for the CONCACAF region kicked off a sequence of 832 games to decide the 31 teams that will join host Brazil at the next World Cup.

Montserrat was the host, but because the 202nd-ranked team in the world did not have a venue that meets international standards, the match was played at Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad.

The swirling controversy involving suspended CONCACAF president Jack Warner and the Caribbean Football Union was no distraction, and coaches Kenny Dyer of Montserrat and Jose de la Plaza Herrera of Belize said it had no impact on their preparations.

Warner, a FIFA vice president, is banned from soccer activities pending an investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee and was not at the match. He and then-FIFA presidential candidate Mohammed Bin Hammam of Qatar are alleged to have been involved in bribing union officials at a meeting in Port of Spain during campaigning for the election.

Montserrat, devastated when the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted in 1995 and forced two-thirds of the population to leave, has never won a match or played on home ground in three previous World Cup qualifying campaigns.

It was 1-1 at halftime after MacCauly opened the scoring with a powerful right-foot strike from a right-wing cross in the 27th minute for Belize, and Jaylee Hodgson scored an equalizer in the 44th minute for Montserrat.

In front of a crowd of about three dozen people, Belize went ahead 3-1 with goals from Harrison Roches in the 49th and Elroy Kuylen in the 53rd before MacCauly completed his hat trick in driving rain with goals in the 75th and 83rd minutes.

Hodgson scored a consolation goal from close range in the 86th.

Dyer was hopeful of recalling leading players Benjamin Manning and Clifford Joseph for the return match at Belmopan, Belize, on Sunday after both missed the loss in Trinidad.

“We are very disappointed … not so much that we lost, but that we allowed two silly goals in the second half,” he said. “We are going to have to attack Belize in the return game.”

The upper reaches of the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking reflect the teams’ performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, with world champions Spain and runners-up the Netherlands continuing to lead the way, followed by semi-finalists Germany, who have bumped Brazil out of third place.

For the third year in a row, Spain are the Team of the Year, while the Netherlands have claimed the title of Best Mover of the Year for the team that earned the most points in 2010. Other teams have also caused a stir outside the top ten.

Montenegro, who just a year ago were ranked 74^th, gained 368 points to finish the year in 25^th position. Botswana were also successful, starting the year in 118^th position and ending it in 53^rd. A comparison with the continental composition of the top 50 in December 2009 reveals that UEFA (29, plus 2), the AFC (3, plus 1) and CAF (10, plus 1) have increased their representation in the top 50 at the expense of CONMEBOL (6, minus 2) and CONCACAF (2, minus 2).

The top-ranked teams from each of the confederations are Spain (1^st, unchanged), Brazil (4^th, down 1), Egypt (9^th, up 1), the USA (18^th, up 6), Australia (26^th, down 6) and New Zealand (63^rd, down 4). The results of 111 new “A” international matches have been recognised in the current edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. In terms of points, 14 qualifying matches for continental championships in Europe, the Caribbean and Africa were of particular importance, while the remaining 97 matches were friendlies.

With a total of 785 matches taken into account so far this year, the final tally for 2010 may well exceed the 800 mark, bringing it just above the average for a World Cup year.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking will be published on 12 January 2011.  

Ranking as of 15 December 2010

Click here to view the complete ranking. FIFA Communications & Public Affairs Division Zurich, 15 December 2010

The country’s bid, seen by many as one of the best, has been regularly derailed by scandals, internal power struggles and sudden resignations.

And as Thursday’s vote in Zurich for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments nears, officials are being sidetracked from last-minute lobbying by fears that FIFA’s executive committee will be aggravated by a BBC documentary into apparent wrongdoing in the organization.

The fact that only 22 members of the 24-man ruling body are allowed to participate in the vote is down to another English media investigation. An undercover probe by The Sunday Times exposed an alleged FIFA vote-selling scandal, leading to Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii being suspended from duty.

“What has happened has thrown the whole world into a great deal of uncertainty,” bid chief executive Andy Anson told The Associated Press. “We are in this process and aligning ourselves with FIFA. We have to become the best possible partners of FIFA.”

Anson said that England, which is bidding against Russia, Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal, has not lost any votes as a result of the media investigations, however.

“What I am encouraged by is that the people who had indicated they were committed to us have continued to indicate they are committed to us,” Anson said. “Despite all the noise that’s been going on and how much of that noise has been based in this country we feel incredibly encouraged by their support.

“Around the world, different countries’ relationships with their media are different. We have one system in England where certain things are allowed _ in other countries certain things aren’t allowed and some of the tactics used by the English media throughout the last two years are illegal in many countries.”

Such tactics led to bid chairman David Triesman being forced to resign in May after a woman secretly recorded him making unfounded accusations about bid rivals.

The story emerged a day after England’s bid book was handed into FIFA by Triesman and David Beckham.

The first major blow came at the official Wembley Stadium launch in May 2009 when a member of the country’s far-right British National Party was invited _ prompting the first of a series of criticisms from FIFA vice president Jack Warner.

Just as the bid was getting back on track in October 2009, Warner dismissed England’s bid as lightweight and lacking star power.

The CONCACAF president later said he felt embarrassed after his wife was given a luxury handbag by the bid team during that trip to London.

Around the same time, infighting heightened and Dave Richards, the chairman of the Premier League, resigned from the board.

Next week in Zurich, England will be relying on the star quality provided by newly engaged Prince William and former England captain Beckham uniting as a “potent campaigning force,” as Anson described it.

It won’t be hard for them to argue that England has the strongest technical plan of the four bidders. Even Blatter said that staging the World Cup in England would be the easiest option.

England has come a long way from the dark days of the 1980s when hooliganism marred the game and its teams were banned from competing in Europe. Gleaming all-seater stadiums were the result of the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster and little building work would be required compared to Russia.

“You have given to the world security in the stadiums,” Blatter told British Prime Minister David Cameron last month.

England, which last hosted the World Cup in 1966, has pledged to match FIFA’s $120 million annual investment in grass roots football around the world each year by 2018.

“Our bid is not about not what the World Cup can do for one country,” Cameron said, “it is about what the World Cup for the world.”

Beckham said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that he doesn’t know what will happen after his contract expires next year.

“I want to play as long as my legs can take me,” he said. “I know it sounds a cliche, but I love playing football, I love playing the game, it’s my passion. When I stop enjoying it then I’ll know I need to stop.”

Beckham has a five-year contract with Major League Soccer worth $32.5 million. He could buy out the final year and leave next month when the playoffs end.

“I’m definitely going to be here for the rest of my contract,” he said. “My sons go to school here, we’re all happy living here, so I can’t see us moving.”

The former England captain would hurry home, though, if England coach Fabio Capello called on him to play for his country again. Beckham is England’s most experienced active player with 115 international appearances.

“I’d love to continue to play. Whether I do or not, that is obviously down to the manager and obviously down to myself to perform,” he said.

Beckham won’t go on loan to a European team like he did with AC Milan the last two years to keep fit during the MLS offseason, which could dash his hopes of playing for England again.

The Galaxy won’t allow another loan after his Achilles’ tendon injury kept him out of most of this season.

“I would love to say that I’d be able to, but with the injury that I’ve had you have to give it a certain amount of rest,” Beckham said.

Capello has suggested he wants to rejuvenate the England team with younger players and will only consider Beckham for a farewell match in an exhibition. This month, he dismissed the suggestion that Beckham has played himself into contention.

Asked if Capello has fairly considered him, Beckham said, “He’s a fair man. He gives everyone a chance.”

The 35-year-old says he is “80 to 85 percent” fit after tearing his left Achilles’ tendon while on loan in March. He was sidelined for six months and missed the World Cup in South Africa.

“It’s obviously difficult to come back from,” he said. “I’ve been playing just over a month now and the fitness level is almost there.”

The Galaxy open the playoffs next Sunday at Seattle. Beckham scored the equalizer in the team’s 2-1 weekend victory over FC Dallas to help them finish with the league’s best record.

Last year, the Galaxy lost on penalty kicks to Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final.

“I wouldn’t say we’re favorites,” he said. “I believe we’ve got the right team, we’ve got the right manager, so everything sets up right. It’s just about us performing on the field.”

The severity of his injury has kept Beckham from thinking too far into the future, especially when it comes to making the rosters for Euro 2012 or the World Cup in 2014.

“At the moment, I’m just taking each game as it comes,” he said.

Beckham will join the Galaxy for its friendly in Newcastle, Australia, next month.

His latest injury is one of many that have knocked Beckham out since he arrived to unbelievable hype four years ago, stating his goal was to raise football’s profile in the United States.

“We wanted to grow the league, which we have,” he said, citing new MLS clubs, new football-specific stadiums and international players who’ve followed him stateside as proof of the growth.

“I always said it wasn’t going to take a year or two. It’s going to take five, 10 years to be able to get up to a level which could compete with the European leagues. So far, so good.”

Beckham spent Monday in a Hollywood studio doing promotional work for EA Sports Active 2, a line of interactive fitness products set to debut Nov. 19 in Europe and Australia. Wearing a heart rate monitor and a motion sensor, he did a boxing and mountain biking workout with his heart rate and calories burned posted on-screen when he was done.

Tim Leiweke said at a downtown business forum that he and City Councilwoman Jan Perry have discussed a plan to redevelop one of the convention center’s halls into an exhibition space that could double as an enclosed NFL stadium.

Leiweke made his remarks a day after Majestic Realty Co., which is planning a separate stadium some 15 miles east of Los Angeles, said it is tweaking its design to lure World Cup soccer matches.

Leiweke mentioned the World Cup and NCAA Final Four games as events that could take place in the downtown stadium as well.

But he said it would also boost the city’s convention and exhibition business, which he predicted would ripple through the downtown economy.

“Game, set, match. Everything else will come,” he said. “Retail will come, transportation will come and people will move back down here.”

The potential plan would require AEG to invest $1 billion to build the stadium. Leiweke said the company would also consider asking the city for a contract to manage the entire Convention Center site, including the new structure.

Leiweke said the proposal would nearly double the amount of exhibition and meeting space in the convention center from 867,000 to 1.4 million square feet.

Including Staples and the LA Live hotel, retail and entertainment complex, the deal would bring some 100,000 contiguous acres of downtown Los Angeles under AEG’s management, Leiweke said.

Majestic has the necessary approvals to build its 75,000-seat stadium in the city of Industry but has said it will not begin construction on the $800 million project until it secures a team.

Messages left with Perry and the Convention Center were not returned.

Cameras will be installed at every Premier League stadium to provide material for analysis by video game publisher Electronic Arts in time for a planned overhaul of the league’s official player ratings system for the 2011-12 season.

FIFA’s lawmaking panel has yet to reconsider the use of goal-line technology since the World Cup, so the cameras cannot be used to aid officials with the sort of controversial decision that involved England at the tournament.

But they will be able to track players’ movements for what EA Sports and the Premier League hopes will be enhanced analysis of the game including shooting speed and distance covered.

The stats may help the sport compete with baseball and football in areas previously resistant to its appeal.

“As someone who lives in the United States and went over there in the 1970s, but also someone who understands American sports very well, Americans need to statistically analyze everything and this is where soccer befuddles them sometimes because it’s too fluid,” EA Sports global president Peter Moore said Thursday. “That U.S. consumer that is used to waking up the next morning and being able to look at every baseball box score.”

The Premier League will continue to provide its existing player index, which placed Frank Lampard top in 2009-10, for next season. The new cameras should be at all 20 clubs for the Aug. 14 kickoff so that EA and the league can spend a full year working on how to improve the index.

“We’re going to be collecting a lot of that information by camera, a lot of new information as well,” Premier League director of sales and marketing Richard Masters said. “The challenge for us is to work out how that information can be used to enhance the performance of the performance index. How do you make it more objective?

“It’s an important part of how we market the league. We need to be providing an enhanced product.”

EA’s deal with the Premier League will see the EA Sport name and logo attached to the player index and team of the week, which are published after each full round of weekend action.

Neither party would disclose the financial details of the arrangement.

“We’re not discussing dollars or pounds or euros but it’s a great deal for us,” Moore said.

Moore, a British-born Liverpool fan, said EA’s involvement will lead to far more accurate ratings.

He said that the data and technology used in the development of 18 editions of EA’s FIFA soccer game and 22 editions of its Madden NFL game allowed it to successfully predict six months ago that Spain would win the World Cup and pick six of the last seven NFL Super Bowl winners.

EA predicts that Chelsea will retain the Premier League title in 2011 by two points from Manchester City. Moore stressed that the prediction is likely to change as player trading continues until the end of the summer transfer window.

“Pure data, pure telemetry, very objective to move the game forward,” Moore said. “In the United States for many years there’s been the technology element of being able to rate performance on an objective basis, rather than the ‘let’s give him 6 out of 10′ mentality that you’ve seen over the years.”

FIFA confirmed this week that goal-line technology will be discussed at October’s International Football Association Board meeting, but only to decide if it is on the agenda for its subsequent meeting in March.

IFAB this week approved the continuation of an experiment using extra officials behind the goals. That could be permanently adopted instead of video technology.

The debate on goal-line technology was rekindled at the World Cup last month when England was denied a goal against Germany because officials failed to see that a shot by Lampard crossed the line after bouncing off the crossbar.

Had the goal been awarded, the score would have been 2-2 after 38 minutes. Instead, Germany went on to win the second-round match 4-1.

“Even baseball now allows video replay _ and baseball’s been played as long as soccer’s been played at a professional level _ for controversial home run calls,” Moore said. “And that’s the equivalent of a goal.

“It is a little part of why we’re starting to think ourselves we need to help bring the game on a par to where we’re seeing other sports around the world.”

The South African Football Association is involved in a dispute with a local businessman who acquired the rights to the name in 1994. SAFA made a reported $10 million profit from the name during the World Cup.

“I want to avoid saying we are very angry about it,” South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani said Thursday. “We are worried about it. We are concerned.”

He said the future of the nickname was being discussed “at a national level.”

Nematandani suggested the Bafana Bafana name, which SAFA uses on much of its official literature and is the popular term in South Africa for the national team, would have to be changed despite being “a national asset.”

SAFA began an extended legal battle in 1997 to claim rights over Bafana Bafana, but South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed in 2002 a SAFA motion that it had rights over Bafana Bafana.

There is no indication the current owners of the brand will sue SAFA for using the term, but the country’s soccer association is unable to market it and make money from it.

The issue has also reached South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the influential parliamentary committee on sport said Bafana should be changed if the copyright issue wasn’t resolved, forcing SAFA to address the problem.

“We brought it up because we felt that it was not doing us any good as an association,” Nematandani said at SAFA’s headquarters next door to the Soccer City stadium _ the venue for the World Cup final.

Speaking at a press conference to outline new South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane’s vision for the future of the national team, Nematandani said the public could be asked to choose a new nickname.

“It clearly has to be done the right way, but we cannot go on in this way. It is not proper, it is not correct,” the SAFA president said. “The name of Bafana Bafana came from the public and we are throwing the ball back to the public.”

Bafana Bafana means “the boys, the boys” in Zulu.

It is thought to have been used in the early 1990s by journalists in Soweto to refer to the national team after it was readmitted into international soccer after apartheid.

It was quickly picked up and is the affectionate name by which South African fans refer to their team.

In an Internet poll, it was voted one of the words of the recent World Cup _ along with vuvuzela.

This year will be a lot of first for the FIFA World Cup: It’s the first time the competition is being played on African soil; And the first time both teams will compete against each other for the World coveted Cup

We are used to discussing immigration in this country through a political lens, and here in San Jose, it has become a heated debate. The emotions tied to the immigration issue were on display at a recent City Council meeting where dozens of pro- and anti-immigration activists fiercely argued their positions on Arizona’s new law SB 1070. It seems that every aspect of society is touched by immigration, and that includes sports. Just by taking a look at the rosters of most teams that are participating in the World Cup, we can see the reflection of immigration at a global level.

At the first World Cup to be played on African soil, South Africa 2010, we see Arab, Turkish, Hispanic and Polish names on the German team, Brazilian names on the Mexican team, Slavic names on Scandinavian teams, Africans in European teams, and so on.

Here are just a few examples of the shifting national identities of players: Mark González, who plays for Chile, was born in South Africa. On the German team, Mario Gómez’s father is Spanish, Jerome Boateng’s parents are from Ghana, Sami Khedira’s father is Tunisian, and the rising German star Mesut Özil is of Turkish descent. Argentine-born Lucas Barrios defends the Paraguayan colors, the land of his mother. And on the Mexican team, head coach Javier Aguirre is one of thousands born in Mexico of Spanish parents who left Spain during the Franco dictatorship. Most teams have at least two or three immigrant players. Even the North Koreans have players who were born in Japan and South Korea.

These are the sons of immigrants, or immigrants themselves, representing the country that gave their parents a new opportunity in life. Some were professional soccer players who moved abroad to play professionally. Some migrated for the more common story – traveling to a new country in search of better economic opportunities, escaping war or a dictatorship, or just personal choice rather than necessity.

The U.S. team, however, is perhaps one of the strongest examples of this: Fifteen of its 23 players have at least one parent who is an immigrant — from Haiti, Nigeria, Brazil and Austria, and one from Scotland. Four players are Mexican American: Jonathan Bornstein, Carlos Bocanegra, Hercules Gómez, and Francisco “el Gringo” Torres.

Gómez and Torres have similar stories. They both faced discrimination after they migrated south of the border — the same discrimination that thousands of Mexican Americans face when they visit their parents’ home country. Both of them had the opportunity to represent Mexico, but chose to play for the land where they were born. For “Gringo” Torres, that was not an easy decision.

His Mexican father migrated to Texas in search of better economic opportunities. There he met and married Torres’s mother, even though neither of them spoke the other’s language. El Gringo was born in the small town of Longview, Texas, and as soon as he learned to walk, he started kicking a soccer ball, the influence of his Latino side of the family, especially one of his uncles.

During his teenage years, a scout from the Mexican team Pachuca (it is becoming more common for professional teams from south of the border to send scouts to the United States), “discovered” el Gringo, and brought him to play for Mexico’s oldest professional team. El Gringo left amidst tears of joy and sadness on the part of his mother and family.

Once he arrived in Mexico, he began to deal with insults commonly and viciously launched at “pochos,” a derogatory term for Chicanos in Mexico.

“They used to tell me, ‘Why are you here? You don’t know how to play futbol?,’” said El Gringo during an interview with ESPN.

But he fought hard until he was in the starting lineup each weekend for Pachuca. He became such a good player that his skillful left foot was in demand by both the Mexican and the American teams.

Two years ago at the age of 20, he faced a pivotal decision over the country he would represent on the largest sport stage in the world — the FIFA World Cup. The moment a player participates in an official FIFA match, he cannot change jerseys ever again. He chose to play for the United States.

Some Mexicans scorned him for being a traitor to his father’s land. But the fact that he played for the United States in the World Cup does not mean he betrayed his roots. He chose to play for the land that gave his father new opportunities, the land where he was born. He has always been proud of his Mexican background; he carries both lands in his heart, despite only wearing one official uniform.

Gómez, born in Los Angeles, Calif. and raised in Las Vegas, Nev., began his professional career in the Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States. However, like Torres, he moved south of the border to join what is considered to be a more competitive league, which eventually can become a springboard to Europe, the dream of most soccer players.

Gómez soon won a scoring championship while playing for Puebla in Mexico’s top flight, and for the remainder of 2010, he will join Torres at Pachuca.

Both Torres and Gómez, along with the 13 other sons of immigrants, set an example that hard work and fighting adversity will lead you to achieve your dreams. They both saw action during the United States’ surprising run in South Africa. They both had their “American dream” come true, even at a time when laws are attempting to separate young people like them from their families, and to remove their citizenship rights if their parents are undocumented.

Gerardo Fernandez is a contributing writer for Alianza News.
Collage image by Fernando Perez. This story originally appeared at www.sjbeez.org, a hyperlocal ethnic media collaborative project of New America Media, based in San Jose, Calif.

Dashing the hopes of many, the anti-apartheid hero and former president couldn’t make it to the opening of the World Cup Friday. Nearly 92, Mandela is frail, and his family was sent into shock when his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in car crash on the way home from Thursday night’s gala pre-tournament concert.

But Mandela sent a message, via South African President Jacob Zuma, that the revelers should enjoy themselves. They took it to heart.

From the start of the ceremony to the final whistle of the first match, four hours later, Soccer City was abuzz with vuvuzelas _ the plastic horns favored by South African fans that collectively sound like the amplified interior of a beehive.

Most of the crowd of 84,000 wore the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country’s team, with a few pockets of green _ fans of Mexico, South Africa’s foe in the opener.

Even the result did little did dampen the festive mood. Mexico is ranked much higher among soccer nations, after all.

And for one stretch, the home fans were in utter delirium. The level of bedlam and euphoria somehow ratcheted to a higher level when Siphiwe Tshabalala gave South Africa a 1-0 lead with a stylish goal in the 55th minute. Mexico’s tying goal, 24 minutes later, subdued the noise only briefly.

It was a day that many South Africans welcomed with amazement. Only 20 years ago, their nation was still in the throes of apartheid _ and the target of an international sports boycott because of those racial segregation policies.

On Friday, whites and blacks rooted side by side for the home team. And on the clogged highway leading to the stadium, little blond children in their families’ vans waved South African flags and grinned warmly at the black children cheering and dancing along the roadside.

Just before kickoff, Zuma, sporting a scarf in national colors, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke briefly to the crowd from midfield.

Blatter depicted this World Cup as a triumph for Africa, which had never before hosted the event despite its passion for the game. He added: “The spirit of Mandela is in Soccer City.”

The crowd then rose for the Mexican and South African national anthems _ the latter a fusion of the main hymn of the anti-apartheid movement and the anthem of the former white-minority government.

Then it was game time and the horns sounded louder than ever.

Several key players in South Africa’s political transformation were there, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who at one point was dancing in his seat to the music. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also was among the VIPs.

It was not an occasion for those who like it quiet, thanks to the vuvuzelas _ although they were briefly drowned out by the overflight of military jets just before the opening ceremony.

The public address announcer then begged the crowd to ease up on the noise so the global television audience could hear the music. The plea met with limited success.

An all-star cast of musicians, including South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer R. Kelly, performed. Cast members brought out large placards with the flags of the 32 nations competing in the tournament, holding them high as a final burst of fireworks ended the show.

Before long, the video screens were showing South Africa’s players were dancing, singing and chanting in the tunnel on their way to the field.

Soccer City was nowhere near full at the start of the opening ceremony. Thousands of fans were stuck in traffic jams on roads leading to the stadium _ regaled along the way by groups of dancing, chanting young people in Bafana shirts and by vendors selling the multicolored South African flag.

“The traffic was mad! There should have been better organization,” said 24-year-old Farzana Essop, whose party turned back before reaching the stadium, where they’d hoped _ somehow _ to obtain tickets.

Those who didn’t go to the stadium had ample options.

South African city officials set up 10 official fan parks in the nine host cities to cater to fans who couldn’t get match tickets.

In downtown Johannesburg, a viewing area was so packed that a crowd-control barrier was toppled at one point. It didn’t stop the party.

And this time it’s not only goalkeepers who are complaining. Strikers, defenders and midfielders are also lashing out at the Adidas ball just a few days before the monthlong tournament is to begin in South Africa.

The ball is called Jabulani, which means “to celebrate” in isiZulu, but not many are celebrating it so far. It’s hard to find a player who is happy with it, and those who don’t like it are not saving adjectives to describe their feelings.

“It’s very weird,” Brazil striker Luis Fabiano said Sunday. “All of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. It’s like it doesn’t want to be kicked. It’s incredible, it’s like someone is guiding it. You are going to kick it and it moves out of the way. I think it’s supernatural, it’s very bad. I hope to adapt to it as soon as possible, but it’s going to be hard.”

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar on Saturday called the ball “terrible” and was the first to compare it to those plastic ones bought on a supermarket. Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini said the same thing, calling it a “disaster.”

“It moves so much and makes it difficult to control. You jump up to head a cross and suddenly the ball will move and you miss it,” Pazzini said. “It is especially bad for the goalkeepers if it means they concede a goal because they can’t judge the trajectory.”

Adidas traditionally launches new balls for each World Cup and they usually cause controversy because of the changes prompted by the new technology being introduced. Most of the time the ball becomes speedier and goalkeepers are the ones most affected by it. But this time the livelier ball is causing problems to field players, too.

“There is no way to hide it,” Brazil midfielder Julio Baptista said. “It’s bad for the goalkeepers and it’s bad for us. It’s really bad. The players try to cross it and it goes to the opposite direction they intended it to go.”

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas also expressed his anger at the design of the ball after the European champion’s 3-2 friendly win over Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“It’s sad that that such an important competition like the World Cup has such an important element like this ball of appalling condition,” he said.

Adidas said the technology on the Jabulani is “radically new,” and when it launched the ball in December is said that it would sail true because small dots on the surface would help improve reliability in the air. It said the ball would have “an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions.”

FIFA and Adidas did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

Adidas has released some promotional materials in which some of its sponsored players praise the ball, including Kaka, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech and Frank Lampard. Ballack called the ball “fantastic.”

Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa, who also wears Adidas gear, had a simple answer when asked about the ball: “It’s round, like always.”

“It happens every time, the players always complain about the ball,” said former Brazil great Tostao. “It used to be the goalkeepers only, but now we have the others complaining, too. At the greatest competition in the world you would think that the players would like the ball, but that’s not the case.”

Players were already expecting the ball to be affected by the high altitude in Johannesburg and some other host cities. A study by Adidas last year showed the altitude will have an impact of up to 5 percent on the ball’s speed, meaning a 20-yard free kick will reach the goal line 5 percent faster than it would at sea level.

The ball is made up of 11 colors to represent the players in a starting lineup and the 11 official languages and the 11 communities of the host country.

“That’s the ball they chose and we have to accept it,” Baptista said. “But it’s going to be complicated.”

The World Cup begins June 11 with South Africa playing Mexico.

Saturday, Jan. 23 _ Honduras 3, United States 1

Wednesday, Feb. 24 _ United States 2, El Salvador 1

Wednesday, March 3 _ Netherlands 2, United States 1

Tuesday, May 25 _ vs. Czech Republic at East Hartford, Conn., 8:11 p.m.

Saturday, May 29 _ vs. Turkey at Philadelphia, 2:11 p.m.

Saturday, June 5 _ vs. Australia at Roodepoort, South Africa, 8:41 a.m.

World Cup-Saturday, June 12 _ vs. England at Rustenburg, South Africa, 2:30 p.m.

World Cup-Friday, June 18 _ vs. Slovenia at Johannesburg, 10 a.m.

World Cup-Wednesday, June 23 _ vs. Algeria at Pretoria, South Africa, 10 a.m.

Chivas started slow in the first half, getting beaten on defense multiple times.

Maicon Santos came close to putting the Chivas on the board first.   He blasted a left-footed shot that was saved by Salt Lake’s goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Salt Lake took a 1-0 lead in the 46th minute after Javier Morales slipped past Chivas left back Carlos Borja and drilled a low ball toward the far post.  His shot ricocheted off the post and out to Chris Wingert, who blasted a one-touch shot from the top of the box.

The Goats played better in the second half.  Substitute striker Justin Braun found the equalizer in the 81st minute when he tried to control a pass from teammate Marcelo Saragosa.  Braun turned around and let loose a hard volley between two defenders that dipped over RSL goalkeeper Rimando and into the top left corner to tie the game at 1-1.

The tie wouldn’t last long.   Eight minutes later, RSL’s Fabian Espindola received the ball behind the Chivas defense in the 89th minute and fired a low shot past Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

“We came back in the second half and we were able to get a nice goal and play better, but we lost focus in the 89th minute and we lost the game,” said Chivas Head Coach Martin Vasquez.

The match was the first for ChivasUSA without co-captains Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Klijestan, who are currently with the United States National team in Princeton, N.J.  Both players are working to earn a spot on the U.S final 23-player roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

“Anytime you take the heart and soul out of your team, it’s going to hurt you,” said striker Chukwudi Chijindu.  ”But we should have guys that can step in and be hungry to cover their positions.  It wasn’t necessarily just those two guys missing – it was more of a collective play.  We had a couple of lapses, and we got punished.”

Next up: ChivasUSA faces DC United on the road – Saturday, May 29th at 7:30 pm ET (4:30 pm PT)