Cruz Selected Among Top 80

Mateo Cruz from the Ulysses Tigres soccer team participated in recent soccer tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo., for Alianza de Futbol and was selected among the top 80 out of more than 1,000 registered participants. Those selected were to participate in final tryouts the next day, however, as of news time we do not know how well Cruz did. According to the guardian, Alianza de Futbol is a program giving young Latinos a shot at soccer stardom. It is devoted to developing Hispanic amateur soccer in the US – and it does so by differing from the conventional pay-to-play model. Officially founded in 2004, Alianza de Futbol has become the biggest amateur program for Hispanics in the US, and offers what are probably the largest scouting events in the nation. Alianza organizes sponsored tournaments, tryouts and clinics for thousands of young Hispanic soccer players across 12 different cities. In addition, players who wish to follow a collegiate career have a chance to receive academic and financial aid thanks to the non-profit group Alianza U, whose aim is to mentor and guide those who aspire to play soccer in college. Other events include Alianza Femenil, for female players, and the Coca Cola Cup – a national tournament for girls’ and boys’ teams under the age of 15.