Saturday, July 15, 2006 | 7:50 a.m.
At the merciful end of its 3-13-4 season, Frank D'Amelio huddled the Las Vegas Strikers at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex in Summerlin.
Then he resigned as the team's coach.
"I tried to be as professional as I can," D'Amelio said 10 minutes after dropping the season finale July 1. "It's really sad when there are only eight players for a road trip. That really hurts. The product is here, but the commitment is not."
The former UNLV assistant coach said he understands the unique nature of Las Vegas, a 24-hour town where amateur players often work odd and inconsistent shifts. Injuries played a role in short-handing the Strikers. Still, D'Amelio said he was stumped how only a third of a roster of 40 would show for some games.
"I don't operate like that," D'Amelio said of some players' lack of commitment and accountability. "I feel bad for the kids. Most of the guys who stuck with me gave me their heart and soul. There's definitely a good foundation here to build on."
D'Amelio himself missed a home game, June 17 against Denver, for personal reasons, but he gave advance notice to Strikers owners Frederic Apcar and Steve Lazarus. Assistant Bart Farley ran the team that night, a victory during a heady four-game unbeaten stretch.
To be fair, some players did not mesh well with training drills they considered juvenile, and they complained of disorganized game plans that lacked structure.
Lazarus said there was never a situation on the road where the Strikers had only eight players. For one game in San Diego, there were only nine Strikers.
The lack of accountability hurt the owners in their checking accounts. They would buy 18 round-trip airline tickets for each road swing. Often, when only 14 showed, the difference was lost.
"At $250 a ticket, that's $1,000 we didn't have to waste," Lazarus said.
Picking a new coach is just one of the owners' issues. They could get an energetic field general to coordinate a committed roster of a couple dozen players. Without a field, however, that will be pointless.
Lazarus, also the Strikers' general manager, said the lack of a venue for next season is his biggest problem. A regional tournament already has tied up chunks of the weekends at Bettye Wilson. Lazarus seems resigned to contacting UNLV or a high school for help.
"The city of Las Vegas has to decide whether or not it wants to place any importance on the Strikers or any other team," Lazarus said, "in terms of facility time to allow these teams to succeed."
For the club's first two years, the Strikers played in the Men's Premier Soccer League. It became the National Premier Soccer League before last season, and the Strikers finished 2-12-4 in the Southwest Conference. All four seasons, they have finished last in their division.
Lazarus, 39, is the commissioner of the conference. NPSL general managers gather in December to discuss schedules and other matters for the following season, but he hopes to secure a pitch by September.
"If we have contracts for fields by then," he said, "we'll be OK."
Apcar, 30, understands D'Amelio's frustrations with players' commitment. Everyone knows the 20-game schedule before the season, Apcar said, and it isn't unreasonable to notify the coach of work conflicts three weeks beforehand.
"But not the day of, or just not showing up" without contacting the coach, Apcar said. "Have some common courtesy, some respect. Guys are spending money on this who don't need to be spending money on this it's a passion."
That's Apcar and Lazarus, both of whom played in college and at various professional levels. When Lazarus entered the Bettye Wilson gate before one recent game, he was asked for the $5 admission fee.
He laughed and told the young cashier: "I've got more than that invested in this team."
At its peak, about 200 fans showed for a Strikers game this season. A large youth tournament held on adjacent fields, whose crowds sauntered over to the Strikers' pitch, was responsible for that increase.
Apcar and Lazarus insisted they will do everything in their power to keep the team alive.
D'Amelio is seeking a high school post and will continue to coach for the Neusport club team. He said he'll be one of the Strikers' most ardent fans.
"I'll support them and watch them," he said. "The thing that hurt me the most was, I usually prepare for a game to win it. Most of the time (here), I was preparing how to keep it close; how not to get embarrassed. That's the difficult part."
Top Kat
Of the five celebrities we enlisted for their World Cup final predictions, only UNLV women's coach Kat Mertz correctly picked Italy to win the tournament.
Former UNLV men's coach Barry Barto did tab France to lose Sunday's title game, but he had Brazil defeating the French.
Mertz gave a hearty laugh when reached at an out-of-state tournament.
"You know, anything can happen in the World Cup," she said. "And I just got lucky. Don't give me too much credit."
S'il vous plait, Mam'selle Mertz. The former North Carolina State goalkeeper was happy that Gigi Buffon, Italy's stalwart stopper, played so well. Only an own-goal and a penalty kick slipped by him during the whole tournament. Mertz had planned to watch a tape of the entire game, with the rest of the camp's coaches and players, by the end of the week.
"I've only seen the penalty kicks," she said, "and the replay of the (Zinedine) Zidane well, you know. The red card."
Wall fly
We'd like to be one Thursday in Zurich, where Zidane of France and Marco Materazzi of Italy, who on Sunday taunted Zizou into committing that "Head-Butt Felt 'Round the World," will be together again.
FIFA, the sport's world governing body, has summoned the two players to face its Disciplinary Committee. Results, and likely penalties, will be released later that day.
Meanwhile, the story continues to thrive in this country. Comedians David Letterman and Jay Leno have used it as fodder on their late-night television shows. Hey, if that's what it takes for some futbol attention in the U.S.
Worldwide, it is still hot. On Wednesday, a Univision broadcast reviewed assorted Zidane-Materazzi "games" on the Internet. No translation needed. YouTube.com and AddictingGames.com are two of them.
Rising star
Soccer America magazine named UNLV coach Mario Sanchez, 30, as one of its young stars to watch in its current issue. The U.S. Youth Soccer Federation, which gave Sanchez the reins to its West Region 90s team, already noticed.
Sanchez will run that Under-16 team's training camp, starting Sunday, in Oregon. It played in Argentina last year and will again play overseas, at a site to be determined, in the fall.
"In a country as big as this, it's one of the best systems we have," Sanchez said. "From a coaching standpoint, it's a wonderful opportunity to represent the U.S. I'm real excited. It's a great honor."
Beckham camp
A three-day camp for children ages 8-11 will be held Friday through July 23 at the David Beckham Academy at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The cost is $350.
Two five-day camps (Wednesday through July 23 and July 26 to 30) for children ages 12-15 will cost $595. Add another $400 for housing. Those prices include a jersey, shorts, socks and cleats. Call (310) 515-9859 for information.
Boomerang
Former Bishop Gorman High and UNLV ace Boomer Arbelaez's tryout with Ajax Cape Town, in South Africa, did not go as planned. He wasn't picked to fill one of the few international roster positions on the club for the upcoming season.
However, the Johannesburg-based Bidvest Wits noticed his excellent condition and form, Arbelaez said, and is reportedly close to signing him.
Match of the Week
The L.A. Galaxy plays at Chivas USA today. The Super Clasico kicks off again at the Home Depot Center. Both teams are in the bottom half of the Western Division standings, but the Galaxy has won three games in a row and shut out its last four foes.
For those suffering from World Cup withdrawal, tune in to Fox Soccer Channel for a host of AC Milan classics, and past matches from the English and French leagues.
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