Smith provides women’s soccer a healthy kick
By Shira Springer - Boston Globe Staff

Borrowing on his college coaching experience, Boston Breakers president and general manager Joe Cummings recruited Kelly Smith over dinner in London. Before the two-time finalist for FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year would commit to the Breakers, she needed to know more about the city, the team, and the new Women’s Professional Soccer league.

Smith required convincing.

“He really sold it to me,’’ said Smith. “That dinner’s pretty much why I came. It made me feel really welcome. I knew I’d be taken care of and have nothing to worry about. I knew it’d be easy to settle in.’’

Make no mistake, ego played no part. Smith is far from a prima donna who needs to feel the love. Loyalty to her English club, Arsenal Ladies, and English national team commitments initially made Smith hesitant to decamp for Boston.

For Cummings, Smith needed to be on the Breakers’ roster when the inaugural season started. And his determination to sign the star forward has been rewarded. Entering tonight’s home game against Sky Blue FC, Smith leads third-place Boston in goals (5) and shots (36), as well as fouls caused (26), fouls suffered (36), and yellow cards (3).

“Kelly Smith is a game changer and she needn’t do that by scoring a goal,’’ said Cummings. “She can do it by the attention that teams need to give her when she’s on the field. She can do it with a free kick. Good players, great players you can find. But game changers you don’t find very often.’’

Smith is the kind of player you build a team around. She possesses a natural feel for the game, the ability to handle pressure from multiple defenders and maintain possession, a crafty dribble, and a nasty streak. She takes all competition personally and tackles hard. When commentators say she plays like a man, Smith takes it as a compliment. Top male soccer players in the English Premier League respect her game, sometimes e-mailing praise after Smith wins big matches for England.

But for all her aggressiveness and skill on the field, Smith is laid-back, quiet, and humble away from the action. Mention her many soccer accomplishments and she looks downward, dismissing them with nervous laughter. Traveling to Zurich for the 2008 FIFA awards gala as an honoree, Smith found herself on a plane and in a VIP car with Pele. She never mustered the courage to talk to him.

“I was a bit shy,’’ said Smith. “I was gobsmacked that I was sitting right across from Pele.’’

The shyness and self-effacing demeanor combined with brilliance on the field draws comparisons to Mia Hamm. Naturally, Smith doesn’t see any similarities, placing Hamm on the pedestal where the American superstar always felt uncomfortable.

But with England now committed to improving and growing women’s soccer, Smith, 30, is following a career path increasingly reminiscent of the one Hamm tread.

“We’d be out shopping in a mall [in England] and people would be tapping themselves and saying, ‘Oh, my God, that’s Kelly Smith,’ ’’ said Breakers defender Alex Scott, who also plays with Smith on the English national team. “Kelly is so laid-back, she takes it in stride. But everybody recognizes the talent she has. If she was male, she could be a top male athlete, a professional footballer.’’

Instead, the 5-foot-6-inch blonde is the reluctant face of English women’s soccer. Queen Elizabeth II named her a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2008 for services to soccer. (It is the same category of honors that bestow knighthoods on English citizens.) Smith drew Revolution coach Steve Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner to a recent Breakers game. Sports fame earned Smith a spot on the English version of Gladiators for “Battle of the Athletes.’’ (She won.) Now, most significantly, more young girls on both sides of the Atlantic want to play soccer like her.

“All you used to hear about was Mia,’’ said Smith. “I just think I’m seen as one of the top players, very skillful, hard-working, loves the game, and loves playing for England. I don’t really see myself as being that figurehead . . . I’m just little old me. I’m Kelly from Watford.’’

Gifted from early age
When Smith was presented to the Queen for MBE honors, she followed a considerably more formal introduction. Adhering to royal protocol, Smith curtsied, then waited for the Queen to address her before speaking. The monarch asked Smith about her passion for soccer. “It’s what I was born to do,’’ said Smith. Pinning the MBE medal onto Smith’s dress, the Queen said, “Congratulations. Keep it up.’’

“I was just staring at the Queen and [saying to myself], ‘I’m looking at the Queen right now,’ ’’ said Smith. “When I came out of it, the whole occasion, I just felt really overwhelmed. You just look back on your career and all the highs and lows that you’ve been through and who’s supported you throughout those times.’’

From as far back as Smith remembers, she juggled a ball at her feet. Soccer always came naturally and captivated her. Smith played soccer with the boys at school and watched top-level male competition on television, believing the game was just as much her English birthright as anyone else’s. Growing up 30 minutes north of London, she played on boys’ teams and stood out as a forward.

Playing with the boys made perfect sense to a 10-year-old girl who dreamed of competing for the national team. But it made no sense to the parents of opposing players. They didn’t want their sons playing against a girl as talented as Smith. They worried about embarrassment and threatened to forfeit games if Smith took the field. For that reason, Smith was kicked off two boys’ teams.

“That was heartbreaking for me,’’ said Smith. “My dad had to say, ‘Kelly, you can’t play anymore because you’re a girl.’ ’’

Smith joined a succession of competitive girls’ teams in her early teens. She gained experience and skills, but never lost the aggressive tactics she learned from playing with boys. Smith will hold off opponents with an arm raised stiffly to the side. Or she will give an opponent a little tug or nudge to gain an advantage.

“I call it playing smart,’’ said Smith. “If you can get away with it and the ref doesn’t see it, then why not? It goes on in the men’s game. So, it’s just the game. A lot of American players don’t know how to use their body as well as some of our England players do because we grow up with the sport. We watch it on TV all the time, so we know what we can get away with and probably what we can’t.’’

The tactical tricks don’t go unnoticed by Breakers teammate Kristine Lilly, who smiles recalling a nudge here, a tug there, and the innocent expression that always crosses Smith’s face afterward. For Lilly, it’s part of the fun of playing with someone as talented and knowledgeable about the game as Smith. Lilly lists Smith among the great female soccer players. Hamm. Michelle Akers. Marta. Maren Meinert.

“Great players have something that is extraordinary,’’ said Lilly. “Kelly’s ability to keep the ball, maintain the ball, is probably her biggest strength. You know she’s going to get you the ball if you make a run. She’s a lot of fun to play with because she knows the game. We’re on the same wavelength a lot.’’

Winning the world over
To celebrate goals during the 2007 Women’s World Cup, Smith removed her left shoe and kissed it. No telling her wavelength then.

“The emotion kind of took over me and I just didn’t know what I was doing,’’ said Smith. “It was such a dream of mine to play in the World Cup. It was all heat of the moment.’’

The uncharacteristically dramatic gesture celebrated more than goals. It toasted England’s return to the biggest stage in women’s soccer after a 12-year absence. It symbolized the passion for women’s soccer Smith hoped to inspire back home.

Called up to the national team at 16, Smith has felt a sense of responsibility for advancing women’s soccer in England. She leads the national team in goals with 34, and if not for a torn anterior cruciate ligament, stress fracture in her foot, and broken leg, she would also lead in international appearances.

“Kelly has the ability to do all the things you want to see professional soccer players do and she shows it on a regular basis,’’ said Nicol. “That separates her from the majority of players, particularly women around the world. It doesn’t matter if you put the best defender in the league or the worst [on her]. They’re not going to stop her from doing her stuff. That’s the kind of ability she has.’’

Paradoxically, Smith signed with the Breakers to increase English interest in women’s soccer and garner more respect for the game back home. To improve, top international players need to play top-level soccer between major international tournaments. The WPS rightfully bills itself as showcasing the best women’s soccer and best women’s players in the world.

Smith’s search for top competition first brought her to the US and Seton Hall in 1997, then to the Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA. During three seasons with Seton Hall, Smith set school records for goals (76) and points (174) in 51 games. She still holds NCAA records for career goals (1.49) and points (3.41) per game. When Seton Hall retired her number, she became the first non-basketball player at the school to receive that honor.

“There’s respect through all levels of the game for her,’’ said Breakers coach Tony DiCicco. “An international player who’s playing on [Manchester] United respects her as a player. Not a female player, as a player. In England, they need that because as enlightened as we think their society is, they’re backwards as far as really giving the girls and the women the opportunity to play this game. The Scandinavian countries, Germany, the US, are way ahead of them, but they’re changing attitudes a person at a time.’’

Whether selling a city or a country on women’s soccer, it helps to have a game changer.

Rebecca Howell of Topsham, Maine was selected to play this spring and summer season with the Philadelphia Liberty of the WPSL.

The Women's Premier Soccer League is an independent national league whose main focus is on the development of highly competitive amateur women's soccer teams. The 50-plus team national women's soccer league with its five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world.

The WPSL also makes every effort to bring quality soccer to all levels of the community and to promote the stature of female athletes as role models for our youth.

The WPSL was formed in 1998. It is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the ruling body of soccer in the United States and FIFA the world's ruling body for soccer.

The WPSL is unique in that it is an open league that is run by the teams. Each team gets one vote and decides all issues for the entire league. Anyone can access information about our league such as: current teams, rosters, statistics, schedules, results, constitution and by-laws, forms, meeting minutes and the latest league news at our website.

Our league expects new teams to conform to our minimum standards. We expect every team to achieve all WPSL standards. Standards that we stress include: a good playing surface, water for players provided by the home team, ice and a trainer at all games, professional conduct and adherence to the league constitution and by-laws.

The WPSL season runs from May 1st to August 6th. There is a league championship tournament that is held the last weekend of July or first weekend of August. The location of which is determined each year. Teams can expect to play 10-16 games during the season.

by Kori Ellis

  
Filed under Advertisements, Entertainment Marketing, Fun and Games, Miscellaneous

Popular beef jerky brand, Jack Link’s is launching Matador–a new meat snack aimed specifically at teens with an action-driven lifestyle. According to the company, more than 41 million teens in the country spend an estimated $350 million on meat snacks each year.

The company will market the snacks through a comprehensive, integrated campaign with an action sports platform. They will sponsor BMX, skateboarding and snowboarding athletes, which are popular among teenagers, and partner with sporting events such as the 2009 Dew Tour and Camp Woodward action sports training camp.

The Matador snack sticks are priced at just $.99 each and are available at convenience stores across the U.S. They come in an easy-to-open package for on-the-go lifestyles. Jack Link’s will release additional products under the Matador brand later this year.

By incorporating elements from the action sports world, Jack Link’s hopes to tap into the large teen sector. If their campaign uses online components with contests, games, Facebook and MySpace applications, they could really cash in with the teenage demographic.

Jack Link’s has had success before with a microsite–Messin With Sasquatch. It features games, videos, TV commercials, desktop wallpapers and other fun aspects which incorporate their “Feed Your Wildside.” theme of their beef jerky.

Okay, so by now your asking yourself why the heck is Tom putting this on our news page. Well . . . I'll tell you why . . . I am the proud father of the person who did the consulting and design work for Jack Link's new brand, the Matador. So go out and check out the counter of your local food/snack store and see if they have a display. If they don't ask for one. They are tasty!

Skin Deep - Buddy Guy with Derek Trucks
Strange Overtones - David Byne with Brian Eno
Ooh Child - Beth Orton
Do It Alone - Sugarcult
Got Me A Women - Levon Helm
Delta Spirit - Trashcan
Everyday People - Sly and the Family Stone
No One - Alicia Keys
You Are Here - Needtobreathe
Girl On A Swing - Gerry And The Pacemakers
The Broad Majestic Shannon - The Pogues
Right As Rain - Adele
My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
Out Of Reach - Gabrielle
Eye In The Sky - Jonatha Brooke
Love Save The Empty - Erin McCarley
Everyday People - Arrested Development
Take On Me - Aha
Ooh la la - Faces
Like A Boy - Ciara
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin
Bright Side Of The Road - Van Morrison
Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg
My Girls - Animal Collective
This Town - O.A.R.
Happier - Guster
Modern Nature - Sondre Lerche & Lillian Samdal
Joyful Noise - Derek Trucks Band
My Life - Dave Matthews
All I Want - Toad The Wet Sprocket
Ordinary Day - Dolores O'Riordan
Wild Moutain Thyme - John Baldry
Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney
Ooh La La - The Faces
That I Would Be Good - Alanis Morissette
Make Me Over - Lifehouse
Let Your Troubles Roll By - Carbon Leaf
Dreams - Brandi Carlile
Hold On Tight - Electric Light Orchestra
How Bad Do You Want It - Tim McGraw
Say Hey - Michael Franti & Spearhead
Under the Influence - James Morrison
Hope - Shaggy
She's Got The Look - Roxette
Colors - Will.I.Am
Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis
Out Of Reach - Gabrielle
It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas - Pet Shop Boys

Coach Ron and Tom are off to the Mohegan Sun Convention Center for the Soccer Champion Coachs' Clinic. This will be Ron's second trip and the fifth for Tom. They will be joined by over a thousand other coaches from all over the country for, as Anson Dorrance says, 'one of the elite coaching events of the year.' 

The training is led by Tony DiCicco and Ray Reid, and features multiple days of cutting-edge instruction and on-field demos by some of the world's top soccer minds, including: U.S. Men's National Team Coach and MLS Champion Coach Bob Gansler; Finland Youth National Team Coach and Former MLS Coach Timo Liekoski; Dave Sarachan - Former MLS Coach of the Year and 2002 U.S. World Cup Team Asst. Coach; Past U.S. Women's U19 National Team Coach and Harvard University Coach Tracey Leone; and, Jeff Tipping, NSCAA Director of Coaching Education among others.