Where it all began...soccer in LA

The NASL (North American Soccer League) brought the world's game across the pond to the US and Canada. It operated between 1968 and 1984 with numerous teams across the country and players from around the world. Most notably, Pele signed with the New York Cosmos and ignited a fire under the feet of Americans to acknowledge the sport.

Six years after its inception, LA blessed the NASL with its presence and quickly left their mark. In 1974 the LA Aztecs joined the league, finished 1st in the Western Conference and went on to win the Championship against the Miami Toros. This would be the Aztecs only League title but would go on to finish in the top three in their conference all but two years during their existence.

The Aztecs would also boast the Rookie of Year and League MVP in 1979 with Larry Hulcer and Dutch legend, Johan Cruyff, respectively. Manchester United star George Best also played with the squad from 1976-1978.

The Aztecs and the NASL are huge reason why today there is a Galaxy and an MLS or a SOL and a WPS. The cliche goes "You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been." But cliches are such for a reason...they all bare a certain truth. We are privileged in such a day and time where international soccer is broadcast online and on TV regularly and domestic soccer is bigger and more accessible, for both men and women, than ever before. What used to be a foreign sport has now been made our own. What the NASL began has led to kids in schools across the country, wearing SCORES jerseys and playing soccer in the yard.

The country and the sport have come so far and its great to see how things have evolved in our individual city. Los Angeles has a rich history in both culture and sports and a portion which was solely comprised of the Aztecs, now includes the Galaxy, Chivas USA, SOL and LA SCORES!

What describes you?

I am...

thirsty, happy, funny, cute, pretty, a soccer player, smart, HAPPY TO BE ALIVE!!


What kind of shoe are you?

"I'm a high heel shoe because I am tall"- Evelyn L.

"I am Skechers because I wear them every day."- Tiffany L.

"I am Chucks because I like their colors." - Keylan

"I am Vans because they are cute." - Bryanna

What will you be doing in 20 years?

"I will be studying science." - Leila

"In 20 years I am going to be a teacher." - Sofie A.

"I will be doing fashion and clothes." -Paola

"In 20 years I will be baking food!"- Guiliana

"I will be owning a restaurant." -Alexa A.

266 days and counting!

As of today there are only 266 days left until the 2010 World Cup begins. And in honor of this years momentous event here is a video of the theme song for this years World Cup in South Africa- "For the love of the game" performed by Rezza Brothers. Also below is a countdown timer for WC2010!

Week 1 in the books!

Last week marked the start of our programmatic year at Charnock Rd. Elementary. We started on Tuesday with a busy day of registration mixed within an already full first day of school. Regardless of staff and teacher stress levels, we were immediately relaxed when we saw how many kids were excited to participate in another year of LA SCORES. We are continuing to serve the Charnock community everyday after school from 2:30-6:00 providing snack, our 90 minutes of SCORES programming, as well as 90 minutes of homework help. We have more kids than ever and enthusiasm is running high with a few new coaches and more than a few new kids. Even though it is only the second week, we know it is going to be a great year and are excited see what all our kids will achieve!

Here are some pictures from the first few days at Charnock, Enjoy! (Click on the pictures to see them larger!)

Welcome back Poetry!

Here at LA SCORES the summer sun has begun to set in the distance. The beach chairs are folded up, slip 'n slides put away, pools are still and in their place backpacks are dusted off, pencils sharpened and school bells are tuned (I doubt they do this but with the noise they make it doesn't seem like all that bad an idea...I digress). While kids don't quite look forward to the end of summer, students at Charnock, Palms and Braddock know that with it comes another year of LA SCORES. This fall season promises to be another great year and to get everyone ready I have included some ideas for poems below. We know our students' imaginations' are boundless and the topics below are just ideas of ways to help them tap this amazing resource.

Try writing these poems yourself before doing them with your students so you are more comfortable with the process and creative steps you can take to make them into something special. Enjoy!

Put the pen to the pad!

-Speaking from the point of view of something you lost or misplaced.

-In one loooooong sentence.

-Explaining what it's like to wake up in the morning, using sounds.

-Telling what a place will look like in a hundred years, or what it looked like a century ago.

-Saying exactly the same thing over and over in completely different ways.

-In collage, cutting words and phrases (and pictures, if you like) from the newspaper.

-Explaining why you don't have your homework (to your mother, to your teacher, to yourself)

-Without the letter e.

-About things that make you smile.

-About an imaginary city.