www.theotherpress.ca

SPORTS.

 

Yin and yang's last hurrah

Captains All and Phelan
demonstrate great
mentorship to young team

Courinie
Martin
Sports Reporter
el
t’s not often that you
hear about two people so
unanimously well-thought-of,
but the 2013-14 men’s soccer
captains are just that. Fifth-year
centre-back Mohammed “Mo”
Ali describes his fellow captain
and centre-back, third-year
Devin Phelan as, “quiet, hard-
working, a leader by example,
and the team’s best defender.”
If you ask Phelan his
thoughts on Ali, he simply
describes him as, “the
inspiration to the team.”
Two men with one common
goal: a national title.
“T think Mo and I are
complete opposites; that’s
why we work so damn good

  

 

Captains Devin Phelan and Mohammed Ali | Photos courtesy of Courtnie Martin

together. I sit back and work my
butt off and he motivates me to
do it,” says Phelan.

The team describes the
two in exactly the same way:
“Devin leads by example and
works really hard. He doesn’t
say much—just shows it. Mo,
he pumps us up. He does all
the talking,” comments rookie

midfielder, Ilias (Louie) Bocolas.
Fullback Estefan Corra and
centre-mid Dorian Colopisis
jokingly describe Phelan as
“Captain Canada” and Ali as
the “passive-ageressive asshole”
they love so much.
With the team carrying
16 rookies and nearly half of
them starting, Ali and Phelan

are thought to be the perfect
yin and yang to the equation.
While Phelan demonstrates with
sweat and passion what the
rookies should be doing on the
field, Ali imparts his knowledge
and wisdom of the game to
the players. Where one may be
lacking, the other isn’t. “Devin
and I are very close; we don’t
just hang out on the field. I can
call him for anything,” says Ali.

Of course, all the kudos
doesn’t go to just Ali and
Phelan. They describe their team
as, “young but well prepared.”
The coaches prepared the squad
for the season by putting them
through gruelling workouts. As
a result, the players all agreed
they had never come into a
season as conditioned and
mentally tough as they did this
year. Although their record was
3-1-2 heading into last weekend
(September 28 and 29), the team
still has high hopes for a very
successful year.

Their most recent game
against Vancouver Island
University (VIU) was by far the

sweetest victory. After losing to
VIU at Nationals in the semi-
finals last year, it was only
fitting that the Royals come
back and set a different tone for
this year, beating them 3-0 last
weekend. Mo smiles broadly,
saying, “It was a great feeling.

I left the game last year looking
at my teammates’ pain. I was
determined to get payback for
the fifth-year players... and we
did it!”

With great captains, the
skepticism of a thick rookie
line-up gone, very experienced
coaching staff, and a team ready
and willing to leave their guts
out on the field, the Royals have
a fighting chance at winning the
league and moving up the chain
to Provincials and hopefully
Nationals. “I stole this from the
rookie, Haden, but every athlete
is created equal. Some just work
harder in preseason,” comments
Ali. “And please, take each year
one step at a time; you only
have five years to compete at
this level. Don’t waste them.”

 

[Insert cliché the Clash song title

A look at the NFls
ambitions in England

Eric
™ Wilkins
3 Sports Editor
| eatoGfesthepeso

ondon is a football city. It

literally lives and breathes
the sport. Unfortunately for the
NFL though, London’s football
is of a rather different variety.
That, among other reasons, is

 

0-6 record), it’s a bit of a mystery
why anyone shows up.

The game’s success is based
purely upon the fact that it’s a
once-a-year event. Contrary to
the NFL's hope, the British aren’t
mad about American football;
there will never be enough
sustained support. The game is
a spectacle. Yes, there are real
fans in the crowd, but there are
probably just as many watchers
there just out of curiosity to
see a rare event. Case in point:
should the Globetrotters ever

Monatchs and the Scottish
Claymores. However, when the
league folded in 2007, neither
team existed anymore. The
British didn’t want it then and
they don’t want it now. One
can attempt to blame the lower
level of play for the teams’, and
ultimately the league’s, failing,
but the fact of the matter is, if
people like something enough, it
really doesn’t matter. Example:
Canadians took to junior and
European hockey during the
last NHL lockout—the quality

One can attempt to blame the lower level of play for the teams, and ultimately the
leagues, failing, but the fact of the matter Is, If people like something enough, it

really doesnt matter.

why the league will never secure
a team in the hub of the UK
Since 2007, the NFL has
hosted an annual game in
London. While attendance for
these games has been good, the
games themselves have seen
some variation in quality. From
the inaugural game (a 13-10
shootout between the Giants
and Dolphins), to last year’s 45-7
thrashing of the hapless Rams
by the Patriots, to this year’s
tantalizing matchup of the
Vikings and Steelers (combined

come through town I'd probably
buy a ticket. Do I follow them

at all? No. Do I even care about
basketball that much? No. But
how many times will I get to see
that again?

Any doubts about the
British lack of actual enthusiasm
can be laid to rest simply by
flipping through the history
books. When the NFL attempted
to establish a European
presence, NFL Europe, there
were initially two teams based
in the UK: the London/ England

certainly didn’t matter.

The NFL's money bag
owners have failed to take
another minor detail into
consideration: the players.
Who's going to want to play
on a London-based team? The
travel times alone would be
a strong deterrent for most.
Assuming a 10-hour flight,
players would spend 160 hours
a season on a plane. That’s the
equivalent of almost seven days
of flying, and it doesn’t take
into account the transportation

to and from the airport. On top
of this, players would need to
pick up house and move to a
foreign country—leaving behind
a lifetime of family and friends.
Players have been fairly
vocal in their complete
opposition to the notion,
including the Steelers’
safety Ryan Clark saying,
“I'd retire before going to
London.”

While the league could
likely force the team through
initially, it would be doomed for
failure. As soon as players’
contracts were up, they’d
jump ship. Free agents?
Good luck. Even draftees
might pull an Eli Manning
and refuse to play. The
only way to attract any
kind of talent would
be to overpay... a lot.
Panthers defensive end
Charles Johnson has
commented on the
issue with, “I’d be up
for the challenge... if
they paid me. More
than I get paid here.
You know what I’m
saying?”

NFLin
London? No
go. Time for an
audible.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

17