Football, in June?
by K. Y., Leominster, MA
Yes, in June, 1994, "football" will be played. However, greats such as Emmit Smith, Jerry Rice, or Drew Bledsoe, among many others, will not be participating. No, it is not the Canadian Football League. In fact, it is a whole different form of "football." It is soccer. In the summer of 1994, 24 teams from all parts of the world will be competing throughout the United States for what is, in my opinion, the most glorified prize in sports: the World Cup.
Twenty-five thousand years ago, the Chinese developed the game of soccer, or tsu chu, as it was called. Since then, soccer has been played and enjoyed by many people throughout the world. It has become the most popular sport in the world. Yet, there is little interest in soccer here in the United States. Over the years, the sports world here has been dominated by basketball, baseball, American football and hockey. With the World Cup being held in the United States, perhaps interest in the sport will grow as more people become aware of it.
However, to hear about soccer is very different from experiencing it yourself. When I was younger, I thought soccer was a boring sport. As I got more involved in the game, I soon realized what an exciting game it really was. In the past four years, I have been playing goalkeeper for a local Hmong club in the Fitchburg and Leominster area and I look forward to playing every summer. With interest in soccer growing rapidly, I hope other teens and children will experiment with soccer. Hopefully, they, too, will experience how competitive, exciting, fun, and fast-paced the sport of soccer is.
By the way, my pick to win the 1994 World Cup is Brazil. Their outstanding mid-fielder, Rai, will be hard to stop.