I made reference recently to the significant progress made by Iowa's youth soccer players over the last few years ("Iowa boosts Midwest standing," Press Citizen, July 17). Since which time, further successes have put Iowa even more firmly on the soccer map.
     Some of you may already be aware of the tremendous achievement of the 1984 ODP Girls' team in capturing the Norway Cup in Oslo a couple of weeks ago. After winning a number of exhibition games in England in late July, the '84s swept all before them in Norway, as they took the championship against a star-studded, home-based squad that featured several national team players.
     Scandinavia is one of the top spots in the world for women's soccer, and while it's a long way to go to test yourself, if you pass with flying colors as the '84s have done, it makes for a fabulous trip.
     At the same time, the 1986 Boys' ODP group traveled to England and Iceland to test their mettle against the what was expected to be a tougher and more physical, European style of play. And their opponents didn't disappoint!
     A gentle introduction against a North London club side (Boreham Wood, won 5-0), was followed by SEVEN games in the prestigious Manchester Umbro Tournament.
     The '86s were defeated 0-2 in the quarter finals by the eventual (and previous year's) winners, Dean Sports from central Manchester. An unsavory bunch, both on and off the field, the local side were quite happy to kick anything that moved (sometimes the ball!), in a game that did little for Anglo-American relations.
     A tough loss, but a great learning experience, it followed hot on the heels of six group games which had seen the '86s secure second place in their seven team division. Earlier games had brought wins over Knutton Gunners (Stoke, England, 5-1); Penkhull Valiants (Stafford, England, 3-0); Hindsford (Manchester, England, 1-0); and DeLa Salle (Liverpool, England,
2-0). And two losses against FC Sala (Donetsk, Ukraine, 0-1) and Barr Hill
(Manchester, England, 0-1).
     The highlight of the tour, playing-wise at least, came during a three day stopover in Leicester. After an unbelievable game against Shepshed Dynamo U15s, where the team totally dominated the game but lost 1-2 courtesy of two glaring defensive mistakes, the '86s took on the might of Premier League Leicester City's U14 Academy team.
     Concerned that the team may have bitten off more than we could chew, we rose to the challenge to the group put together an incredible display of skillful, organized and controlled soccer, to totally destroy our illustrious opposition to the tune of 4-0. Leicester city being State Coaching Director Ian Bradley's hometown professional club, you can imagine the size of his smile throughout the rest of the tour!
     One more exhibition game, a 3-2 win over Ibstock Town U15s, and then onto Iceland. There, two games were won in convincing fashion. The first a 5-2 demolition of previously unbeaten IA Akranes (the current U14 Icelandic Premier Division league leaders), and second a 5-1 over Valur Reykjavik.
     So, an overall record of nine wins and four losses. But the trip was about so much more than just results. The whole experience of enjoying other cultures was truly fascinating, while on the soccer front the lessons learned in terms of the need for better focus and concentration, a willingness to compete physically, improved communication and so on, will hopefully stay with all concerned for years to come. There certainly was no doubting the Iowa contingent's  technical and tactical ability, a fact commented on by a number of the teams we played.
     And for four of the players on the trip, there is a quick opportunity to gauge the progress they made in Massachusetts at the Under 14 National Development Camp (August 12-18). My best wishes go to them, and to the rest of the touring group as everyone gets ready for the upcoming 2000-2001 season.
 

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