>>SOUTHERN INDIANA — The preparations are over and Southern Indiana United’s select teams have sprung into action.

This year, the club once again has two teams playing in the prestigious Indiana Soccer League — U16 Mavericks and U17 Rampage. Both of these teams, coached by Michael Dennis and Bruce Rigsby, will finish their spring campaigns at the Indiana State Cup, which will start on Friday, May 14.

SIU also has eight teams from U10 to U18 playing in the Kentucky Select Soccer League, while its U9 Academy is playing in the Kentucky Youth Soccer Academy League.

And if the first games of the new season are a gauge to future success, then there’s much to look forward to.

The U11 Thunder, U13 Strikers and U14 Stingrays all had opening wins against teams from CKSC Lightning of Central Kentucky.

For some it’s all new, including the U10 Revolution team and its coach, Rob Stevens. This is Stevens’ first year at the club, and his first season coaching a competitive travel team. He recently earned his “E” license and has been working under the guidance of director of coaching, Dutch Vigar.

Stevens, who has coached at Clark County Youth Soccer, said his goal is to give his young players the fundamentals to become the best soccer players they can be. 

“Winning for me comes later when, or if, they try out for another club or their high school team and the coach says these kids had good coaching,” said Stevens. “I think some parents have the wrong idea about travel soccer and winning. I am as competitive as anyone and I do not like to lose. However, I do not want to win at the expense of player development.” 

For more information about the club, visit SIU’s Web site at www.siusoccer.com.



BASS, STEWART BLAZING A TRAIL

Two Southern Indiana players have been blazing a trail recently with Louisville club United 1996.

Defender Brett Bass and winger Gabe Stewart are members of the club’s ’94 Internationals team, which followed up its success at the Disney College Soccer Showcase in Florida last December with a victory in the United Cup Classic in Louisville last week.

Bass is a sophomore at Providence, while Stewart, from Henryville, plays at St. Xavier.

Now ranked as the top team in Kentucky, United added to its trophy haul by securing the U16 Gold title. It had wins over Evansville Classic (4-0) and Michigan Burn (2-0), before losing to Classic Hammers FC of Ohio South 1-0.

However, by that stage United had already done enough to reach the final, and went on to beat Metro FC, also from Ohio, 1-0 in the decider.

United 1996 looked set for more success last weekend when it won its first game at the Jefferson Cup in Richmond by beating SYA Nova of Virginia 2-1 in the U16 Superior Division. Unfortunately, the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to bad weather.



WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN — BECKHAM, LENNON AND CONDOMS

If you are a follower of World Cup news leading up to South Africa this summer, you can be forgiven for thinking the United States’ group opponent, England, is the only country playing at the tournament.

Last week, we featured the John Terry-Wayne Bridge saga. Now David Beckham’s Achilles tendon is dominating the news after he ruptured it while playing for AC Milan on Sunday, ruling him out what would have been for him a fourth consecutive World Cup.

Incidentally, the news — also in the past week — that right wing teammate Aaron Lennon is unlikely to overcome a groin injury any time soon is probably more worrying to coach Fabio Capello than Beckham’s sad predicament, but this is the age of celebrity.

And in between we had the slightly bizarre story that the British government will be providing $1.5 million in aid so that South Africa can buy 42 million of a required one billion condoms in the lead up to the tournament to help the fight against the spread of HIV.

An estimated 5.7 million of South Africa’s 48 million people have HIV, including 280,000 children, according to the UN AIDS agency.

“Obviously there’s a big focus on the World Cup coming up and a huge increase in the number of people coming into South Africa,” said British international development minister, Gareth Thomas. “The South Africans have identified themselves the need to get more condoms in place. South Africa specifically asked for British assistance and we are responding to that request.”

The South African government estimates that up to half a million visitors could travel to the country, raising fears of a rise in prostitution and sex trafficking from neighboring countries and eastern Europe, and creating a potential HIV timebomb.

Next week’s World Cup countdown will be English free — I think.

Contact Aidan Kelly at aidokaydo@gmail.com.