Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer camps will be held at Dunsmore Park on Dunsmore Avenue in La Crescenta from July 11th to 15th and Aug. 1st to 5th. Daily, from 9-10:30 a.m., a camp for youths ages 5 and 6 will be offered. The cost is $80. Camps for youths ages 7 and older will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $120. Youths, ages 8 and older, can take the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. camp. The cost is $150. Included in the cost is a T-shirt, but no soccer ball.

Grant Gordon On Friday, via conference call, the Los Angeles Galaxy selected five players in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft. Among them was former St. Francis High standout Ryan Shaw. Shaw, a forward who is UC Davis' all-time leading scorer, was taken with the 34th overall pick in a draft that is meant, "to enable each of Major League Soccer's 12 teams to build their reserve teams, which will begin play this spring," as stated in the Major League Soccer press release.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan Just before Joseph Ngwenya left the Glendale Sports Complex on Monday, the rookie midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy had a moment to take one last photo with his fans. Standing behind Liam Graham, sister Aline Graham and Carlos Suarez, Ngwenya provided a final keepsake for a few of the 130 people who each paid $32 to attend a local soccer clinic hosted by the Galaxy and the Crescenta Valley Soccer Club. Add in a pair of tickets to a Galaxy match, an autographed soccer ball by six of L.A.'s players and a scratch on his left elbow caused by a fall, and 5-year-old Liam Graham had a blast.

The San Gabriel Valley Flyers Soccer Club will host a College Night for all high school soccer players, grades 9 through 12, at the La Cañada High auditorium on Sunday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m. The purpose of the event is to educate players and their parents on the prospects and process of becoming college soccer players. Men's and women's coaches from Division 1 through 3 colleges will be present to assist players in his/her choices and participants will learn how to spark a college coach's interest and create a soccer plan and timeline for each grade (9-12)

Hamlet Nalbandyan GLENDALE -- Heros Baghoumian loves soccer. He's been loving it ever since he was a little boy, playing the sport on the streets of his home country, Iran. His passion for the sport grew even more when he became areferee in 1968, eventually working his way up to becoming an official for FIFA, the international governing body of soccer. And when he came to the United States in 1985, soccer stayed in his blood. In addition to working for Major League Soccer in its first year, Baghoumian, 54, is now the Referee Administrator for California Youth Soccer Assn.

Jim Riggio GLENDALE -- Peter Vagenas might or might not be selected to the 2002 United States World Cup team next summer. But one thing that's certain is that the former St. Francis High boys' soccer star certainly will be considered by U.S. National Team Coach Bruce Arena. Vagenas, 23, was named to the 28-man U.S. team player pool Tuesday for a friendly match between the United States and the Republic of Korea on Dec.9. "It's an honor," said Vagenas, who will be earning his second cap with the United States National Team.

PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL ASSN. Name: Mark Caguioa Team: Ginebra Kings Local Ties: Glendale Community College, 2000 This Season: Caguioa, who averaged 12.1 points in 2000 at GCC, is seventh in the PBA in scoring with a 17.1 points-per-game average through 21 games. He is also 20th in the league in rebounds (7.2 per game), 22nd in assists (2.8) and 17th in steals (0.9). Latest News: Although Caguioa and teammates Eric Menk (20.8 points per game)

The odds were against all of the more than 400 teenagers Saturday at the Glendale Sports Complex, where just five would get to compete for a spot on the Los Angeles Galaxy’s youth academy. Cristian Lopez, 16, flew in with his family from Atlanta to be among the hundreds of teens in the Major League Soccer youth tryout competition, Sueño MLS , which will ultimately give one participant a guaranteed position on an MLS youth development team. “This is a big opportunity to become something big in what he loves,” said Cristian’s brother, 13-year-old Andrew Lopez, who was watching nervously as Cristian participated in drills and scrimmages during the tryout.

GLENDALE — If it’s the path that will lead him to Major League Soccer, then Vardan Adzemian will make sure that nothing will get in his way. Adzemian made a name for himself locally after he competed last summer on the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat chapter’s men’s soccer team in the Pan Armenian Games. While he considers playing in his native Armenia a cherished memory, Adzemian would like to someday make a name for himself playing professionally in the United States.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Name: Pete Vagenas. Team: Los Angeles Galaxy. Local Ties: St. Francis, 1996. This Season: The 27-year old has started all 10 matches for the Galaxy, scoring nine points, which ties his career best set in 26 appearances in 2001. The midfielder is tied for second on the team with goals scored (four) -- also a career best -- and has added an assist. He has two game-winning goals and six shots on goal. Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy with five goals and Jovan Kirovski has four.

Having admirably excelled as a forward at the high school level before becoming a top-flight midfielder/forward in college, Daniel Paladini ultimately hoped his impressive body of work would lead to a professional soccer career. While playing for the St. Francis High boys' team and Cal State Northridge men's program, Paladini continued to impress with his play-making skills. He found ways to score big goals and thread crisp passes upfield for equally big assists. Yet, having been bestowed with plenty of accolades for his accomplishments on the field with St. Francis and CSUN, the humble Paladini knew he needed to work harder at his craft in his quest to become a pro. "It's what I wanted and it's every kid's dream," Paladini said.

The odds were against all of the more than 400 teenagers Saturday at the Glendale Sports Complex, where just five would get to compete for a spot on the Los Angeles Galaxy’s youth academy. Cristian Lopez, 16, flew in with his family from Atlanta to be among the hundreds of teens in the Major League Soccer youth tryout competition, Sueño MLS , which will ultimately give one participant a guaranteed position on an MLS youth development team. “This is a big opportunity to become something big in what he loves,” said Cristian’s brother, 13-year-old Andrew Lopez, who was watching nervously as Cristian participated in drills and scrimmages during the tryout.

It was only three years ago that the Los Angeles Futbol Club was created by Don Sheppard, when he began recruiting local (including soccer players from Crescenta Valley and St. Francis) and distant talent in the Southland, ages 8-18, to form a competitive club. Just this past December, a major dream was realized when the club inked a deal to become partners with Chelsea FC of the English Premier League. “LAFC was created to provide an affordable option for skilled players to play top-tier club soccer,” said Sheppard, who is LAFC president.

GLENDALE — If it’s the path that will lead him to Major League Soccer, then Vardan Adzemian will make sure that nothing will get in his way. Adzemian made a name for himself locally after he competed last summer on the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat chapter’s men’s soccer team in the Pan Armenian Games. While he considers playing in his native Armenia a cherished memory, Adzemian would like to someday make a name for himself playing professionally in the United States.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Name: Pete Vagenas Team: Los Angeles Galaxy Local Ties: St. Francis, 1996 This Season: The 27-year old has started all 19 matches for the Galaxy, scoring 10 points, which surpassed his career best of nine set in 26 appearances in 2001. The midfielder is tied for second on the team with goals scored (4) -- also a career best -- and has also added two assists. He has two game-winning goals and six shots on goal.

Major League Soccer camps will be held at Dunsmore Park on Dunsmore Avenue in La Crescenta from July 11th to 15th and Aug. 1st to 5th. Daily, from 9-10:30 a.m., a camp for youths ages 5 and 6 will be offered. The cost is $80. Camps for youths ages 7 and older will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $120. Youths, ages 8 and older, can take the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. camp. The cost is $150. Included in the cost is a T-shirt, but no soccer ball.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Name: Pete Vagenas. Team: Los Angeles Galaxy. Local Ties: St. Francis, 1996. This Season: The 27-year old has started all 10 matches for the Galaxy, scoring nine points, which ties his career best set in 26 appearances in 2001. The midfielder is tied for second on the team with goals scored (four) -- also a career best -- and has added an assist. He has two game-winning goals and six shots on goal. Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy with five goals and Jovan Kirovski has four.

The San Gabriel Valley Flyers Soccer Club will host a College Night for all high school soccer players, grades 9 through 12, at the La Cañada High auditorium on Sunday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m. The purpose of the event is to educate players and their parents on the prospects and process of becoming college soccer players. Men's and women's coaches from Division 1 through 3 colleges will be present to assist players in his/her choices and participants will learn how to spark a college coach's interest and create a soccer plan and timeline for each grade (9-12)

Grant Gordon On Friday, via conference call, the Los Angeles Galaxy selected five players in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft. Among them was former St. Francis High standout Ryan Shaw. Shaw, a forward who is UC Davis' all-time leading scorer, was taken with the 34th overall pick in a draft that is meant, "to enable each of Major League Soccer's 12 teams to build their reserve teams, which will begin play this spring," as stated in the Major League Soccer press release.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan Just before Joseph Ngwenya left the Glendale Sports Complex on Monday, the rookie midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy had a moment to take one last photo with his fans. Standing behind Liam Graham, sister Aline Graham and Carlos Suarez, Ngwenya provided a final keepsake for a few of the 130 people who each paid $32 to attend a local soccer clinic hosted by the Galaxy and the Crescenta Valley Soccer Club. Add in a pair of tickets to a Galaxy match, an autographed soccer ball by six of L.A.'s players and a scratch on his left elbow caused by a fall, and 5-year-old Liam Graham had a blast.