Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 33

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL Thursday, April 30, 1992 D5 New League Hopes To Market Soccer Nationally By Sean McAfee served 10 years in the now-defunct JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT As far as visionaries go, Francisco Marcos is on the low-kev end of soccer development is far more about Albuquerque then LA. New York or any other top-50 market. In Albuquerque, the Chiles matter; they're in the pecking order. That's why it's important" for us to get involved in places like Albuquerque and Greensboro (N.C., home of a uled tonight at 5:30 at University Stadium. Free hot dogs and soft drinks will be served to the public The Chiles will play UNM Sunday at 2 p.m., also at University Stadium.

It's the third meeting between the teams. Both previous matches ended in a draw. the spectrum. But to charac- that it would be all too easy to fall into the same monetary trap that swallowed the NASL and which now subjects the APSL to rapid attrition. The answer, Marcos says, is to build from the bottom up instead of pouring money into pro leagues that have no foundation.

"The USISL is right for the market at this time," Marcos says. "This is the future for a long time to come. The NFL wasn't made what it is overnight, and too often we forget that. Now the NFL isn't a product, it's a brand. Soccer in this country is still a product.

We want it to become a brand, and that means establishing a solid base." $0 $5,000 terize the founder and chairman of the United States Interregional Soccer League by his placid exterior only Had we established a developmental league then, the NASL might not have died. "I feel the mission now is about greening the American soccer landscape instead of having little oases of soccer around the country," he says. Marcos' plan of rebuilding American professional soccer from the ground up was given an enormous boost when the United States was selected as the host for the 1994 World Cup. His vision of a coast-to-coast league rooted in community support with an emphasis on player development is becoming a reality. In August, the USISL, currently chartered under amateur status, will decide whether to join the United States Soccer Federation's professional division.

The American Professional Soccer League, of which the New Mexico Chiles were members in 1990, now has only six teams and is the only outdoor league considered professional by the USSF. But Marcos is quick to point out North American Soccer League as vice president of soccer, operations for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and then the Dallas Tornado before founding the USISL (then the Southwest Independent Soccer League) in 1986. Since then, with Marcos as catalyst, the league has grown from a six-team indoor league based in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico to an indoor-outdoor operation that includes 21 cities ranging from San Fancisco to Boca Raton, Fla. But make no mistake, the USISL isn't a professional league. It's a professional development league, a vehicle through which national-caliber players can sharpen their skills before embarking on fullblown professional careers.

"I always felt the NASL should have developed a satellite league," Marcos says. "But they were always concerned only with putting asses in the seats and paying too much money for yet another over-the-hill European or South American star. new usiSL franchise)." NOTES: Albuquerque is planning a bid to become host of the 1992 USISL championship tournament. The new format, termed "the Sizzling Six," would be a three-day event that would include the four USISL regular-season divisional winners, the host team and a wildcard. The tournament, new this year, replaces the old playoff format in which teams played at the site of the highest seed.

"We feel we have the best playing site in the league (University Stadium)," says Chiles General Manager Fred Matteucci "That'll certainly help us in our efforts to host the tournament." Chiles Picture Night is sched Here's how it works to sell your car or truck, run a 4 line ad for 6 days for If your vehicle doesnt sell, well run it for an additional 6 days absolutely FREE. This offer good on vehicles priced up to $5,000. Private parties only. Limited to 1 vehicle. Call for details.

823-4444 Journal Trtbwn Classifies! OvlH IvUbw LUC surface. Marcos Soccer is the medium through which Marcos exerts his organizational talents. Marcos describes the USISL's inception as "a blurred vision, but a vision nonetheless," of a nationwide league devoted to the development of quality professional soccer players. That's the motivation driving Marcos to be one of the few full-time soccer entrepeneurs. Marcos, a native of Portugal, Marcos considers the Chiles, which essentially are owned and operated by the Players Soccer Corporation, to be one of the SISL's model franchises.

"The Chiles are in every sense a professional organization," Marcos says. "But they realized that the APSL wasn't the promised land. Now they can go as far as they want to go. The future of professional Highlands Reaches Final In Conference Softball i 'Y9 3 1 MICHAEL CARBAJAL Undefeated World Champion vs. STATE COLLEGES' JOSE LUIS VELARDE fit Culiacon, Mexico star Alfreda Lareo.

Largo, a 5-foot-4 guard who hit 73 tnree-point goals last season for the Lady Bengals, made the all-state LOUIE ESPINOZA 2-Time World Champion vs. RAUL FRANCO second team, averaging 15.6 points, assists ana six steals a game. Eastern New Mexico coach 1U mAwbiM II lili It 11 JrtfT Wayne Moore has signed Rachelle Plus 3 Other Bouts Featuring STEVE HINDI RUDY LOVATO VIDAL RODRIGUEZ Hester of Clovis High School. Hes And New Ladies All The Time ter, a 5-6 all-state point euard. averaged 10.2 points and six assists THURSDAY, APRIL 30 7 p.m 1 $OA ICA tor the wildcats.

TINGLET COLISEUM inone BB4-0999 "She's quick and a great ball handler," says Moore. "Her ability to snoot trom the three-point line will make her an even bigger asset to me team." AD-VISOR 823-4444 Moore also says he has signed a 5-10 post player from Texas. Leslie By Randy McCoach JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT After compiling a losing record during the regular season, the New Mexico Highlands softball team has saved the best for last. It fought its way through the losers bracket to an appearance in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship game. Mesa (Colo.) State completed the tournament undefeated, stopping the Cowgirls 10-6 in the title game.

The tournament was held last week at Adams State's Crawford Field in Alamosa, Colo. Highlands lost the first game to Adams State 18-2. On the verge of being eliminated in the double-elimination tournament, Highlands then defeated Fort Lewis (Colo.) and Colorado Mines and gained a revenge win over Adams State to advance to the finals. In eight games, 148 runners crossed the plate. Highlands had nine of the 27 home runs hit during the power-filled tournament.

NMHU's Rebecca Galloway and Belinda Aragon each hit four home runs, and Kristy Cruce had one. Cruce led the RMAC in hitting with a .465 average and was named to the all-RMAC first team. She was joined by pitcher Yvonne Quintana (2.00 ERA) and outfielder Michelle Benavidez as first-team Cowgirls. BASKETBALL SIGNEES: Highlands women's basketball coach Cindy Roybal has signed Gallup Shippy, from Canyon High School, averaged 14 points and seven re bounds a game. GREYHOUNDS BASKETBALL CAMP: Eastern New Mexico men's III fl 1111 rr rf wvil'ji si basketball coach Earl Diddle will hold four camps in Portales this year.

The first will be for grades 1-3 and runs May 26-29. Grades 4-6 are MtW IK II li as invited to the June 1-5 camp. Junior ana senior high school players can take part in the June 8-12 camp. A fourth camp, which runs June 1-23, is open to all ages and will be a boarding camo. All practices will take place in ureyhound Arena, and Diddle will be assisted by area high school coaches.

For more information, call Diddle at 562-2433 or 562-2685. Tennis, Golf Teams Gun For WAC Championships FROM JOURNAL REPORTS 'GOLF (mn): Thursday-Saturday at Western Athlet ic iionrsrence roumament Diego), GOLF (women): Thursday-Saturday at WAC roumament (ti faaov TENNIS (men): Thursday-Saturday at WAC tournament (Salt Lake Citvl. A Deluxe Shocks hLMA hi Pl lull Charged Grande 60 7 iUsY rTJt "1 jri Ifll C' mmml II Iff Mil For most pickups, medium-duty PLm I VJJ lUJ li I nf trucks, vans and RV's. Bft -so flMmmmmml Month Battery iffegil IWPA PREMIUM HAPA REMANUFACTURED kltiJLti Air Filters Brake Shoes or Pads Master Cylinders ears and light trucks. lltWiMMs ySS llSsitw.

UK BASEBALL: Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders at Air Force, TRACK ft FIELD: Kirby Invitational Saturday vs. Cal State-Los Angeles men; Oregon women, Texaa-EI Paso and San Diego State, 11 a.m. (UNM Track). SOCCER (men): Sunday exhibition vs. New Mexico iniies, p.m.

(university stadium). would like to start a good run the next few weeks before the "We want to go to win, period," Fields says of the conference tournament. "If there's a tourna ment we want to win, other than the The New Mexico Lobos men's tennis and men's golf teams have a lot on the line this weekend. Both are headed to their respective Western Athletic Conference championships the tennis team as the defending champion, the golfers with a desire to get hot in the month before it hosts the NCAA championships. Coach Tim Cass tennis players, who were ranked in the top 25 early in the year before dropping out, are seeded second at the conference tournament, just as they were last year.

Like 1991, San Diego State is the top seed, but New Mexico again would like to earn the title in an upset. The Aztecs were the only WAC team to beat the Lobos this spring. The conference team champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament "We're heading into the tournament with the same phUosphy we had last year: We don't care about second or third place; we want to win this thing," says Cass. "It's the same, exact draw as last year when we won. Hopefully, the draw is a sign of how things will turn out for us again." Coach John Fields' program is the host for the NCAAs June 3-6 at University South.

His players NCAAs, it this one." The WAC tournament is 54 holes. an 18-18-18 format over three days, not the usual two-day, 36-18. "I think that'll heta us." Fields says. "I think our guys will have a chance to relax, and I thmk that'll help them play better." OTHERS SPORTS: The baseball team, hunting for its first conference tournament bid since 1987, is batting .384 in its last six games. It also has averaged 9.5 runs a game during that span.

The Lobos (25-21-1, 12-8 WAC) have eight games to play and could win at least 30 games for the first time since it was 42-17 in 1985. All-Purpose Cleaner fTY, WlAAiLJ Son of a Gun Protectants Ti JX jiitetf' (32 01 trigger. jf I Si 0765.1694 3 Tire Care fe MjjKH 3 Jl tiW 069 if 9 1 k. i A UNM Meet Includes Top Athletes liiiilil mi fVllr nt NAPA nmnf Tmiur Vrino Vtmowt- Iaa New extended hours: Mon "Fri-8 a-m "8 P-m-! Sat-8 a-m -6 Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

rri'i 1 Wka 7 NAPA AUTO PARTS TSy 'O-1510 2nd Street N.W. '0-932 Sunset S.W. Several world-class track and field athletes, including 1988 Olympic silver medalist Laima Baikaus-kaite, are scheduled to compete in Saturday's Don Kirby Invitational at the UNM Track and Field Complex. The meet, which begins at 11 a.m. with field events, will attract a strong collegiate field plus several unattached runners who train in Albuquerque.

Also scheduled to run will be Kenyan Peter Koech, a former world record holder in the steeplechase; BUI Konchel- lah, the 1991 world champion in the 800 meters; and Nat Page, ranked No. 9 last year in the 400-meter hurdles. In the collegiate meet, UNM's women play host to Oregon, Texas-El Paso and San Diego State, while the men will face Oregon, UTEP, San Diego State and Cal State-Los Angeles, a Division II power. In the women's meet, Latanya Sheffield, formerly of San Diego State and competing unattached, holds the NCAA 400-meter record at 54.64. Admission is $2 for adults.

N.L 881-6835 848-3500 243-2871 mm fer-1415 Wyoming N.E. -1620 Sara Rd. Rio Rancho 0-6714 North Fourth St. N. 294-1544 ByiJ-4Ji 345-5536 HL.

6-4330 Lincoln N.E. (SAm Juan Tahn I BMW QOO OOIO nnn rrn 14G8 San Mateo S.E. Because there are 262-1483 no unimportant parts..