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Author:BY ROBERT LEE - Journal Sports Writer
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, April 17, 2005
PROVIDENCE -- For nearly 30 years, the Rhode Island Soccer Association (RISA) has represented Rhode Island amateur soccer to the United State Soccer Federation and to soccer's governing world body, FIFA (Federation Internationale De Football Association).
The association gets bigger and better every year, said eight-year president Dave Borts, and this year is no exception, with RISA running eight leagues, including two for women.
"We probably have around 2,000 players playing within our association," Borts said.
Its best league is the Super N League, comprised of eight teams with players from all over the world.
"The Super N League is loaded with talent," Borts said. "The league is a step above amateurs and a step below the pros. We have a lot of former professional players who played overseas playing in the Super N League."
The Super N League regular season begins next weekend and will continue until late September. The Liberian Lone Stars, the defending league champions, recently signed former Liberian International, Swiss and Scottish First Division player Jonathan Sogbie. Sogbie is the second leading scorer in Liberian National Team history, behind George Weah.
"Historically, a lot of good players have come out of the association," Borts said. "We have had several guys who have gone on to play pro in the old American Soccer League, the North American Soccer League, and now we are beginning to get players into MLS, along with the lower pro leagues."
Cranston native Michael Parkhurst, now playing for the New England Revolution, grew up playing in Rhode Island Soccer Association leagues, Borts said.
The Genesis Starz, another Liberian team, along with Italia 90, a Cape Verde team; Club Juventude Lusitana, a Portuguese squad; Real Colombia, a Colombian team; St. Michael, a Portuguese team based in New Bedford; Emigrantes Das Ilhas, a Cape Verde team based in Brockton; and Blooming, a Bolivian team, make up the Super N League.
Emigrantes Das Ilhas' mission is to get many of its players' soccer scholarships.
"They develop young players in the youth league, but when they get older they bring them into this league and they try to bring in college coaches to take a look at these guys and get them scholarships," Borts said.
According to Borts, six players from the Emigrantes team received college scholarships over the last two years.
Several young athletes playing in the Super N League will get a chance to play in front of college and pro scouts when the Rhode Island all-star team plays in the Charles Stiltano Memorial Select Teams Tournament in New York, June 5-6.
"I think, realistically, we have a chance to win the tournament," Borts said. "What will happen at this tournament, a regional coach will select six players from the tournament to take them to an MLS combine out in Los Angeles."
The RISA also runs the USA Soccer League, based in South County; the Central American Soccer League; the Rhode Island Women's Soccer League; the Rhode Island Soccer League; the Rhode Island International Soccer League; and the Rhode Island Futsal League.
"We are in the best financial shape that the organization has ever been in, so what we have started doing is give grants to our leagues for development projects," Borts said. "We gave a grant of about $2,000 to our women's league two years ago just for in-house development, like developing Web sites and stuff like that. We gave a grant last year to our USA League because they ran a tournament with the crewmen of the tall ships that come into Newport."
RISA is paying for all of the expenses for the Super N League this year as well.
"We also put various amounts of money into referee development and whatever comes up from time to time," Borts said.
Each participant within the leagues pay a $22 registration fee, which covers league expenses and provides secondary medical insurance.
"There are a huge number of kids, ages 15 to 22, in Providence that have gotten left out of youth soccer because youth soccer in this state operates out of South County," Borts said. "How many kids in Providence, Central Falls and Prospect Heights [in Pawtucket] have parents that can afford to leave work early and bring [them] down to URI for practice and games?
"Some of those kids end up with us as amateurs because they play in their town leagues. . . . They should probably go another way to develop their talent, but can't afford to go to down to South County to play, so they play with us," Borts added.
Rhode Island has produced a tremendous amount of soccer talent over the past couple of years. The 2003 high school graduating class saw four soccer players receive Division I soccer scholarships on the boys' side alone.
"Considering the size of this state, we have a lot of very, very highly skilled soccer players," Borts said.
La Salle's Nick Colaluca is currently playing for the University of Virginia.
PCD's Peter Karmue and Jeff Cameron are both members of the University of West Virginia squad, and the Knights' Gordon Bengston is playing for Virginia Tech.
"I don't know if any other high school sport in Rhode Island, on the Division I level anyway, can say that," Borts said. "There is a lot of hidden talent here and a lot of unrecognized soccer talent."
For more information on the RISA, visit its Web site, www.risa.org.
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