1. Curt Onalfo became head coach of the Kansas City Wizards in two thousand seven. That year, he led the team to the conference finals. The Wizards reached the playoffs again the following year. But his new team, D.C. United, has struggled at the start of the season. The team has only two wins in league play. But, Onalfo knows how things can change — for better or worse.
2. On his twenty-fourth birthday, doctors told Onalfo he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. He received chemotherapy for six months. During that time, Onalfo thought about what he really wanted to do with his life: play soccer. He also says having faced cancer prepared him for leadership in good times and bad.
3. “Your players are always looking up to you, and they’re looking for guidance. And I feel like having deal with adversity really helps me to lead a group of men through difficult times as well.” Looking for the best in every situation is one way Curt Onalfo deals with hardship. He describeshimself as an optimist.
4. “The difference between winning and losing is often so slight and it’s really it comes down to what your attitude is.” A good frame of mind is the start, he says. After that, good things will follow. Last Week, D.C. United defeated a top Italian team, A.C. Milan in a friendly match.
5. Mike Banner’s path to playing Major League Soccer started in the nation’s capital. He played in the recreational league now called Sports on the Hill, based in the Capital Hill neighborhood. But, it was not easy growing up playing soccer. All Banner’s friends played basketball or football.
6. “Initially, you know, I would get made fun of for playing soccer. But, I stuck with it and they respected me for it.” Banner started college at Georgetown University in Washington. But one year in Brazil helped shape his development as a player. When he returned, he knew he had raised his level of play.
7. Mike Banner chose not to return to Georgetown, a top school in the Big East sports conference. Instead, he attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a smaller school with a division two sports program. He would receive a scholarship and have the chance to play a lot of soccer.
8. But could he succeed without the attention he would get at a big school? The answer was yes. Banner’s team played in the NCAA division two tournament all three years he was on the soccer team. The team played for the national championship his first year. Banner got noticed as an excellent player.
9. He was chosen to play for the Chicago Fire professional soccer team in two thousand seven. He has earned a lot of praise as a promising young player in Chicago. As a defender, he does not score a lot of goals— although he does have two in his career.
10. Banner says players get noticed through their ball skills, passing, and quickness. Today’s fans know and understand good play. Banner says coaches can tell if a player is only trying to improve his statistics or wants to help his team win.
11. Mike Banner got his start in the Washington area through local recreational soccer. FIFA, the international football federation, says the United States has twenty-four million soccer players—second in the world. Most are under the age of eighteen.
12. Major League Soccer still does not enjoy the economic success of other popular American sports. Forbes Magazine estimates the league had an income of about one hundred sixty-five million dollars in two thousand eight.
13. But fan support continues to grow. And American soccer is developing “from the roots up.” There is strong support for youth soccer in many places like the Washington area. Mike Banner says American players now are developing their own style of play.
14. “The U.S. is very diverse in its cultures. I would say it’s going to show up in our soccer game as well. I believe the U.S. is creating their own style of play.” The new generation of American coaches and players is building a tradition of soccer that is as individual as each of their stories.
Vocabulary
. although = embora
2. as well = também
3. attended = cursou
- became = tornou-se
- career = carreira
- championship = campeonato
- chose = escolheu
- chosen = escolhido
- college = faculdade
- deal with = lidado com
- defeated = derrotou
- describes = descreve
- development = desenvolvimento
- During = durante
- enjoy = desfrutar de
- following = seguinte
- for better or worse = para melhor ou para pior
- frame of mind = estado de espírito
- friendly match = partida amistosa (amistoso)
- from the roots up = a partir das raízes
- get = obter
- get made fun = fui ridicularizado
- got noticed = destacou-se
- grow = crescer
- guidance = orientação
- hardship = dificuldade
- has earned = tem ganhado
- has struggled = tem lutado
- having faced = ter enfrentado
- head coach = técnico chefe
- Hill = colina
- income = renda
- Initially = inicialmente
Instead = ao invés disso
35. it comes down to = tem a ver com
36. leadership = liderança
37. led = liderou
38. level = nível
39. looking for = procurando
40. neighborhood = bairro
41. often = frequentemente
42. own style of play = próprio estilo de jogo
43. path = caminho
44. playoffs = finais
45. praise = elogio
46. promising = promissory
47. quickness = rapidez
48. raised = elevado
49. reached = alcançaram
50. received = recebeu
51. scholarship = bolsa de estudo
52. score = marca (gols)
53. shape = dar forma a
54. show up = aparecer
55. skills = habilidades
56. slight = sutil
57. smaller = menor
58. start = início
59. stuck with it = me apeguei a isso
60. succeed = ser bem-sucedido
61. support = apoio
62. thought about = pensou sobre
63. through = através de
64. tournament = torneio, campeonato
65. wins = vitórias
66. youth = jovem
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