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| Seeking to turn professional, Owusu (top right) hopes Alianza de Futbol will grant him a trial. |
By EMMANUEL OWUSU
BHSB Journalism Student
A challenge facing any soccer player who would like to turn professional is how to get discovered by a big club. Many aspiring players just hope a scout will show up at their school or club. Alianza de Futbol is an organization that helps youngsters realize their dream.
As an aspiring professional myself, I am impressed by the way Alianza helps youth. The organization told Fox News soccer columnist, Ben Evansky, that more than 50 of its alums have turned professional since it launched its showcase tournaments in 2008.
"We pay for everything – and for (the teams), there are no transfer fees."
While he was president he oversaw the 1994 World Cup, which the U.S. hosted. He also oversaw the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.
My dream is to eventually play for Manchester United of the English Premier League. I love soccer, and one day I would like to meet one of my favorite players, Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the multi-capped Portugal player who is also a forward for Real Madrid in Spain.
I am currently trying out for a youth soccer club that apparently thinks I am very good, and wants me to play for them. I hope that Alianza can watch me; I care about winning for the team before I care about my stats.
At recent Alianza finals in Miami, Florida, a record number of professional invitations were realized, according to a press release from the organization.
The release said that after "four days of training and matches in front of more than 30 professional scouts, the 56 finalists ... received invitations from different teams to try to reach their dreams of becoming professional soccer players."
The players played against local teams or academies. Led by the Assistant Coach of the U-20 Mexico National Team, they received professional invitations from MLS, USL, Ascenso MX and Liga MX – all of which are in the United States or Mexico.
The players included Salvador Martinez from Mission, TX, who was recognized by the international soccer legend Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama as the player with the most invitations.
Jose Levario was the best college prospect from all the 9,500 registered players. The Golden Gloves was awarded to Francis Yapor from Houston, TX.
May I wish the best to all these players. What a joy it would be to follow in their footsteps.
Emmanuel Owusu is originally from Ghana. His dream destination is England because, he says, they have the best soccer league on the planet. See Emmanuel's earlier report on his soccer goals by clicking here.
As an aspiring professional myself, I am impressed by the way Alianza helps youth. The organization told Fox News soccer columnist, Ben Evansky, that more than 50 of its alums have turned professional since it launched its showcase tournaments in 2008.
"They're an impressive outfit, and they're doing great work," Mr. Evansky told me in an interview.
Alianza doesn’t represent the players it promotes. Nor does the group make money from them. But what it does is a huge plus for the community.
"Usually when people do showcases or try-outs – especially if it's an independent company – there's a financial part to it, and we don't take any part of that," Joaquín Escoto, the Alianza director, told Fox News.
"Usually when people do showcases or try-outs – especially if it's an independent company – there's a financial part to it, and we don't take any part of that," Joaquín Escoto, the Alianza director, told Fox News.
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| Owusu favorite: Cristiano Ronaldo |
That, in my book, is highly commendable. And while the project was created with Latino players in mind, the Alianza director stressed it is very much open to all. I come from Ghana in West Africa. I am now actively seeking to get involved in Alianza.
Because Alianza is a place where they help people who have a lot of soccer talent to become professionals, I would like to try out with the group. I want to become a professional so that I can (hopefully) become a soccer legend. I play forward and love scoring goals.
My three best goals are two from free-kicks and one that was a game winner to land a youth championship at a soccer camp. In that championship game, there were only 30 seconds left when I shot the ball from about 35 feet away, and made it. I am always a starter, and in addition to the forward position, I can also play on the wings.
My three best goals are two from free-kicks and one that was a game winner to land a youth championship at a soccer camp. In that championship game, there were only 30 seconds left when I shot the ball from about 35 feet away, and made it. I am always a starter, and in addition to the forward position, I can also play on the wings.
Sports marketers Richard Copeland and Brad Rothenberg came up with the idea for Alianza, Mr. Evansky reported. Mr. Rothenberg's father, Alan, was president of U.S. Soccer from 1990 to 1998.
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Alanzia's press release on
its latest player placements
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My dream is to eventually play for Manchester United of the English Premier League. I love soccer, and one day I would like to meet one of my favorite players, Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the multi-capped Portugal player who is also a forward for Real Madrid in Spain.
I am currently trying out for a youth soccer club that apparently thinks I am very good, and wants me to play for them. I hope that Alianza can watch me; I care about winning for the team before I care about my stats.
At recent Alianza finals in Miami, Florida, a record number of professional invitations were realized, according to a press release from the organization.
The release said that after "four days of training and matches in front of more than 30 professional scouts, the 56 finalists ... received invitations from different teams to try to reach their dreams of becoming professional soccer players."
The players played against local teams or academies. Led by the Assistant Coach of the U-20 Mexico National Team, they received professional invitations from MLS, USL, Ascenso MX and Liga MX – all of which are in the United States or Mexico.
Some of the teams who offered invitations to them are FC Dallas, OKC Energy FC and Pachuca FC.
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| Former Colombia midfielder Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama |
Alianza broke records from previous events because this year all the players received a total of 216 invitations from teams of the Liga MX, Ascenso MX, MLS and USL.
Jose Levario was the best college prospect from all the 9,500 registered players. The Golden Gloves was awarded to Francis Yapor from Houston, TX.
May I wish the best to all these players. What a joy it would be to follow in their footsteps.
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