kulture
6A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005
Going Glo-ball
BY MELINA RICKETTS
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
Soccer is popular in nearly every country except the United States. Next to the Olympics, the World Cup is the biggest sporting event around the world.
The KU campus is no exception to America's low interest in soccer. The University is dominated by basketball and football, leaving international students with few options for channeling their soccer passion
Piero Eugster, Bogotá, Colombia, senior, said from the time he was five years old, he has watched the sport and developed a liking for the running and contact aspects of the game.
"If you're from Latin America it's almost national pride to be good at it," he said.
Eugster is part of a local team called the Drinking Bastards. The team's colorful name is tied to the team's origin.
The team includes players from Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Cyprus and the United States. It is also the only team in the Lawrence Adult Soccer League's open division that has ever had female players.
About four-and-a-half years ago, Eugster, the only original member still on the team, and a few friends tried out for the KU Men's Soccer Club. They were upset when they didn't make the team because nearly all the players chosen were returning players from the previous season.
They put together a team of their own, joined a local league and decided to call themselves the Drinking Bastards. The name was intended to be anti-establishment.
"When we were trying to figure out what name, we were frustrated because KU wouldn't take us, the club wouldn't take us, and I thought that this would be the most anti-organized team that they could be." Eugster said.
Despite their name, he insists that the team plays sober. Although they do party, they only drink after games or "much earlier," he said.
The Drinking Bastards aren't the only team with international players. Other teams, such as the Real Latinos and the Jambars, made up of mostly African and Middle-Eastern players, also compete in the open division of the Lawrence Adult Soccer League.
"It's just the local league, but half the teams seem to be made up of internationals," Tom Casling, Bristol, United Kingdom, senior and Drinking Bastards member, said.
Casling joined the team after Eugster approached him while he was playing at the practice fields one day and asked him to join. He has been playing on the team for about a month, making him the newest member.
The same relaxed attitude that Eugster had when creating the team carries over to his recruiting strategy.
"If you're going to commit, and you're going to come, and you want to, and you're not selfish with the ball, then I will talk to you," Eugster said. There is an official coach to bring this diverse group together.
There is no official coach to bring this diverse group together. Kerem Sengun, Istanbul, Turkey, senior, said Eugster was the team's informal "coach, organizer, defense player and captain."
Euster replied, "We know what we have to work on, so we all communally decide what we have to work on."
Some players on the team, which has seven new members this season, complain that only the strongest players on the team regularly attend scheduled practices. Because all the team's members work or are students, the players have had difficulties coordinating schedules.
They are attempting to restructure practices so more team members can attend and so the team can shift its focus to improving its game strategy.
Currently, about a third of the team members show up for practices and play pickup games with whoever is there and wants to play against them.
The team practices three times a week at the fields on 23rd and Iowa streets and plays games against the six teams in the open division on Sundays at Outlet Park. The open division is the league's most competitive, and there are divisions for players older than 30 and for coed recreational teams. The Drinking Bastards have tied two games and lost two games so far this season. Six games are left, and Eugster hopes that a better practice schedule and stronger ties among the members will greatly improve the team's prospects.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAM
- Edited
  by Katie
  Lohrenz
Illustration by Yelena Pavlik
W