Reprinted from:	Frederick News Post
	Date:	Jun 14, 2006
	Captivating Cup
	Brandon Oland | News-Post Staff
	Before FC Frederick boys soccer tryouts began on Monday, two youngsters were discussing the merits of Brazilian superstars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Long after tryouts were complete, two others admitted they skipped the final day of school to watch the Czech Republic crush the United States 3-0 in the World Cup. Most of the FC Frederick youth club players seem captivated by the 2006 FIFA World Cup and are learning lessons from some of the best players on the planet. When asked to complete a News-Post survey, 39 of 40 FC Frederick boys players from 11 to 16 years old said they had watched at least one World Cup match. Coaches hoped for this. After decades of American soccer mediocrity at elite levels, the United States Soccer Federation reassessed how to properly teach athletes creativity at the youth level. According to FC Frederick staff, the answer is to not teach as much. Instead, coaches prefer young players learn by watching and doing. The World Cup is helping. For one blissful month, youngsters can watch every match on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Jackson Eskay was impressed by the Czech Republic. "They were so skilled in the air," said Eskay, 11, referring to the many pinpoint headers the Czechs used against the Americans. Before the World Cup began, FC Frederick player Ebony Peralta, 11, watched soccer matches on Telemundo, an all-Spanish cable channel. Peralta, who is bilingual, enjoyed watching France and dynamic star forward Thierry Henry. When asked if he thought France was better than the United States, Peralta nodded his head. "Much better," he said. Many players agree. Just 16 of the 40 players surveyed said they were rooting for the United States in the World Cup. Like many of his FC Frederick peers, Luke Welch is a Germany fan. FC Frederick sent a team to Germany, the current World Cup hosts, to participate in a series of scrimmages. Welch, 13, recalled basketball courts with soccer goals, soccer-crazed fans, talented young players and huge stadiums custom-built for soccer. "I think it would be cool to live in Germany or anywhere in Europe," Welch said. But Welch lives in America, one of the few nations where soccer is a secondary sport. The young soccer players struggled to name the top American players. Just 63 percent of the teens surveyed could name three players on the current U.S. squad. After Landon Donovan, who was named by every FC Frederick athlete who could name three players, just two U.S. players were named more than 10 times -- Brian McBride and DaMarcus Beasley. The goalkeeper is perhaps the most visible player on the field. But United States keeper Kasey Keller was identified by just three FC Frederick athletes. But many of the younger FC Frederick athletes are familiar with the world's best players. At the FC Frederick Academy, a developmental program for boys and girls ages 6-11, players are shown videos of the top players in Europe and South America. The hope is they will be able to mimic the excellent communication and the dynamic skills of the elite. This message comes direct from the USFA, which hopes children are learning from the World Cup, regardless of their rooting interest. "At the highest levels, we don't have athletes that can think like other nations," FC Frederick Director of Academy Bo Eskay said. "Other nations have players that can solve problems as the game develops, whereas in the United States we have kids that have been told what to do."