Soccer pros bring major names, fun to campers

Two of the Tampa Bay Mutiny's biggest stars come out for the first day of a five-day youth camp.

By MATTIAS KAREN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 20, 2000

PALM HARBOR -- Dylan Haslam's head didn't even reach Carlos Valderrama's waist, but the kid soccer player and the soccer superstar known as "The Kid" did have one thing in common Monday: a head full of red hair.

Dylan, 6, had hair that was short, straight and the color of rust. Valderrama, of course, had the biggest and most famous hairdo in the soccer world: reddish blond and fright-wig huge.

But that wasn't the only thing they share. They both have a passion for soccer. So, for Dylan, the highlight of Monday's Tampa Bay Mutiny soccer camp at Putnam Park was having his T-shirt and ball signed by the Colombian superstar.

Dylan and his 9-year-old brother Derek were among about 120 boys and girls from age 5 to 16 who gathered for the first day of the five-day camp. With the help of five Mutiny players, including Valderrama and Mamadou Diallo, Major League Soccer's third leading scorer, they spent three hours practicing their dribbling, passing and shooting.

The best part, though, was the opportunity to talk to the players, Derek said.

"They look a lot different up close," he said.

The camp, which is put on by the Mutiny and the Palm Harbor Nighthawks, runs from 9 a.m. to noon every day until Friday.

"It's a big success," said Nighthawks manager Frank Corey. "Big time."

The kids and players weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. In a lawn chair beside the field sat Howard Wiard, a veteran soccer grandpa who looked as excited as the kids as he watched his youngest grandson, Will, play with the pros.

"This is terrific," Wiard said. "I mean, the coaches couldn't be of a higher quality. . . . (The kids) are going to have a better feel for the game after this week, that's for sure."

Corey said he was surprised by the turnout -- among both kids and Mutiny players.

"(The Mutiny) said they would bring out a few of the players. I didn't know they were gonna bring Carlos Valderrama," he said.

For the Mutiny, the camps are a way to increase interest in soccer among youngsters and help them develop their game, said Ed Austin, the team's senior vice president for operations and administration.

"We feel we need to take a leadership role for the development of soccer in the Tampa Bay area," Austin said.

It was also a way for the players to have some fun.

"I like to do this for the kids," said Diallo, a Senegal native. "It was very nice."

Forward Alan Prampin said it was a way to give something back to their fans.

"They come and see the games, and it's the least you can do," he said.

-- Mattias Karen can be reached at (727) 445-4243 or at northpin@sptimes.com.

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