Monday, February 26, 2007

Prep people

One of the 137 stories (okay, it's not quite but it just feels that way) I'm chasing today is a preview of tomorrow's semifinal round of the CIF playoffs. Temecula Valley is hosting Thousand Oaks in a girls' semifinal and Redlands East Valley is traveling to College of the Canyons to play Hart.

Anyway, I just got off the phone with Temecula Valley coach Adam Skumawitz and was gracious with his time. I'd talked to him a few weeks ago after a 1-1 tie and he seemed irritated with the officiating but we had a fine chat regardless. I was researching him this morning it turns out he was once a Yank Abroad. Anyway, he was a star at Cornell University in 1997 and after graduating starred in the Verbandsliga, an amateur league in Germany. From there, he landed a contract with Aalesunds F.K. of Norway (Adin Brown's current club) but injuries forced him to retire, apparently.

Now, he runs the Football Proper academy in Temecula, which is just north of San Diego county.

Several weeks ago, Brad Friedel told me that he thought the youth developmental system in this country is farcical and that 70 percent of coaches here were in it solely for the money. I don't know him that well but I think Skumawitz falls into the other 30 percent.

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