Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1922-02-19 | Page 23 | Soccer Game Given Boost

SOCCER GAME I GIVEN BOOST i Many Schools and Colleges Here Are Adopting English Eng-lish Pastime liy ALBERT DRW SKI I I l Secrets ry Ogden Soccer Club. Although Soccer football Is much more popular in Europe than Amorl-ca, Amorl-ca, thero is no doubt that within a very I few ye.irs the game will bo played extensively ex-tensively throughout the country. Today it is played from coast to coast in all the large cities, and the American boys are taking up tho game with great enthusiasm; but with the introduction of 'Soccer' Into the schools the game will have a wider Introduction. Soccer football Is a clean, wholesome whole-some healthy and brainy sport, which can be played by all who are active in body. It is not a rough game and serious accidents are few. It might surprise some people to know that 'soccer' is played professionally in the east by American boyj. Recently a team irom St Louis, tall native born players;, toured Scandinavia, Scandi-navia, winning seven games, tlelng five and losing two. which Is a wonderful won-derful record when one remembers that the Scandinavians are almost the equals of Oreat Britain, where tho game received its birth. Then came a team o: Scotch players play-ers last summer; which toured Can ids and the eastern states of America, they defeated all the Canadian i arns and won five of the aix fames piujcd in the ea.t but Kali KiVer, a Brooklyn Brook-lyn team, tied with the Scottish boys, two goals each, and when the final whistle blew, and tne 10.000 spectators realized that the Scotchmen had Leon checked by an American team, tuoic nrae much enthusiasm. This proves the wonderful development develop-ment ot the game Since ih,'' war, which Is strikingly significant bf i. hat the boys on tills aldp ot the Atlantic can , do at soccer, and it Is Only a ques-' ques-' tlon of a few more years when the j American spirit will carry us to acknowledged ac-knowledged supremacy. The American at.iletes have all tho I necossary qualities to become crcat ex- ponents oi soccer football, speed, ! pluck. Enthusiasm and determination i are all embodied in tnem. and h the) will only take the game seriously, they j must become great players and serious I rivals for the British Soccer football is played on much I the same sized ground a the Amrel-' Amrel-' can rugby; goal posts are lixed at i a h end Oi tne field, but to store a goal or point, the hall muaV po&S under the crossbar and betvseen the posts, without with-out tho use of hands or arms. A team j comprises eleven men, first the goalkeeper goal-keeper whoso duty It Is to keep the I ball from passing through his goal. and incidentally, this is tho only play-I play-I er who can touch the ball with his hands. Then we havo two full-backs. whOBe duty It Is to keep opponents from getting too near the goal; these I nie,n must bo stellar kickers, und sure 1 tucklcrs. Next comes the three half-I half-I backs, who are usually sturdy fellows as thla is a hard position to fill; a half- back must also b a good tackier, and must at all times be ready to assist his forwards, in fact, ho is both a de-fender de-fender and an attackor. Then comes tho flvo forwards, who play about fourteen yards apart, their duty is to I get the ball between their opponents goal posts or In other words, "score." They must combir.o together and bo I fast, especially so tho "ends," and at tho same time they must bo able to shoot the ball swiftly and accurately without wasting much tlmo in tho effort. ef-fort. Much more can bo said In favor of soccer football, as It can be played both In spring and fall.