Local soccer players gaining experience from World Cup

The United States may have exited the World Cup scene long ago, but local soccer coaches are still advising young players that there's still plenty to be learned from this year's tournament.

"I gave them all a schedule from start to finish," Eldorado High School coach Gerald Pentsil said. "We get together a couple times a week to weight lift, and the games are always a topic of conversation."

Bishop Gorman coach Victor Alvarez also has been instructing his charges to take in as much of the action as possible. And just in case they're not, he's got a backup plan.

"All my players are watching, and I've got all the games on tape so we can go back and watch them again and again," Alvarez said.

And according to Doug Smith, coach of the under-12 Las Vegas Premier club team that finished second in the recent U.S. Youth Soccer Regional Championships, his players took inspiration from the goings-on in France.

"You can get a lot out of watching," Smith said. "The whole time we were in New Mexico, they watched the games. You can see how much ball control a player has, a lot of the individual skills."

Smith's squad, which fell to Sereno (Ariz.) on penalty kicks in the final round, became the first Nevada youth squad to make it past the semifinals in seven years -- a sign that the state is coming up in the soccer world, according to Darl Rose, regional director for U.S. Youth Soccer.

And Rose says this year's World Cup tournament should only increase interest in the sport locally.

"This year, they're broadcasting all the games, and that gives kids a great opportunity to watch soccer," he said. "It has a tremendous influence on kids playing the game."

For Pentsil, the games represent a one-of-a-kind chance for his players to learn from the world's top athletes in a way they can't during his practices.

"It's good for them to see this," Pentsil said. "They can see some of the great plays made at the highest level, and they also see some mistakes and hopefully, learn from them."

Alvarez said England striker Michael Owens, an 18-year-old who made a major splash in this year's World Cup, showed his players how much they can accomplish at a young age.

"My son is 18 and he's amazed that at that age he can do that much," Alvarez said. "I also tell them to look at Brazil. They have such great flair. The way they get out of tight situations, they're beautiful to watch."

Still, Pentsil admits the Americans' poor showing may offset some of the interest among young players considering taking up the sport.

"I hate to see it happen at this time because we're trying to boost the sport's popularity," he said. "But it's just part of the growing pains."

But according to Rose, America's last-place finish likely won't translate into a decline in participation among young players.

"I think it was a disappointment that the U.S. didn't go farther, but I don't feel it will have a negative effect," Rose said. "The kids got to watch all the other games, and they'll still want to be involved."

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