A single moment of brilliance, seemingly snatched out of mid-air at the 2003 FIFA Under-20 World Cup at the United Arab Emirates, helped propel Josh Simpson of Victoria into a higher-calibre pro soccer career than he might have otherwise expected at that point in his career.
Those are the stakes for many of the young players playing at six sites across Canada in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with Group F set to continue tomorrow at Royal Athletic Park when Japan (1-0) meets Costa Rica (0-1) at 5 p.m. and Nigeria (1-0) plays Scotland (0-1) at 7:45 p.m.
"If I had to give these players any advice, it would be to tell them that the opportunity is right there in front of you in the U-20 World Cup . . . you won't get another opportunity this good" said Simpson, a Juan de Fuca and Lower Island Metro product, now with Kaiserslautern of the German Bundesliga.
Simpson first became noticed because of his riveting goal that gave Team Canada a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in the Round of 16 playoffs at the 2003 U-20 World Cup. That propelled the unsung Canucks into the quarter-finals, where they took Spain to two overtimes before bowing 2-1, but not before going further than any Canadian team has ever gone in a male FIFA World Cup tournament.
"Four or five opportunities came right away after that with different pro teams," said Simpson, an attacking midfielder who left Millwall last summer, and scored three goals for Kaiserslautern in league play last season and six goals total in league and Cup action.
"No matter who is in the stands -- we had only about 4,000 to 5,000 fans in our U-20 World Cup group games in the UAE -- but every club in the world will see these games somehow through TV or scouting DVDs and tapes or whatever. It seems unreal, but what happens at Royal Athletic Park could effect the next three years of your life [in an immediate pro offer] or maybe the next 15 years of your life [in being noticed for better opportunities in the pros down the line]."
Simpson, who returned to Germany this week, said he sees a lot of himself in the young players whose dreams -- both for national and personal glory -- are being played out on the RAP pitch.
"It's like deja vu. The U-20 World Cup tournament is where I got noticed and where my pro career really began," said Simpson, who was unable to play for the senior Team Canada, in its recent run to the Gold Cup semifinals, because of knee and ankle injuries being rehabbed.
"It's a great age for football and a time for top players looking to establish themselves. It's a great opportunity. You may not get a better opportunity. And you can get very lucky."
Even if you're already on pro track -- all of the Scottish U-20 players are signed with Bank of Scotland League teams, with eight already with Premiership experience, and most of the Japanese players are in the J-League -- elite young players are always looking to climb to better pro leagues.
Among those in the stands watching the Group F openers Sunday at RAP were Mike Rigg, head scout for the Blackburn Rovers, and Lee Congerton, youth recruitment officer and scout for Chelsea. The last FIFA U-20 World Cup tournament in 2005 at the Netherlands was good even for the biggest-name clubs, with Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero of champion Argentina now with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, respectively, and Mikel John Obi of runner-up Nigeria going to Chelsea.
Rigg and Congerton are combining the U-20 World Cup with the clinics they are conducting at Hampton Park for the FC Victoria program.
"They were joking about stealing each other's notes, while they watched the U-20 games Sunday at RAP," said Dave Dew, head coach and technical director for FC Victoria.
"Three of the Nigerian players [Brown Ideye, whose dramatic header gave Nigeria its 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on Sunday, midfielder Chukwuma Akabueze and hulking defender Efe Ambrose] were already on their books. They have an incredible tracking system with a software program that can track all of the pros and potential pros in the world."
Also turning heads Sunday at RAP was Japan's diminutive but dynamic midfield leader Tsukasa Umesaki, who ripped a smashing goal past Scottish 'keeper Andy McNeil in the 3-1 Japan victory. The daring and dangerous attacking midfielder, who has played pro in both the J-League and for Grenoble in France, has already been called up to earn caps on the senior Japanese national team. So he isn't easily rattled on the world stage and said he likes to keep it fun.
Victoria is the smallest of the six Canadian cities hosting the 2007 U-20 World Cup, but Umesaki said he is finding it just the right fit.
"It's a beautiful city," he said.
"I can live here."
Hurry, somebody tell Umesaki that Victoria is being considered for a professional team in the United Soccer League, and then hand him a contract.
It's a nice thought, but Umesaki is probably headed for bigger things than the North American No. 2 USL, or even the suddenly Beckham-chic North American top-tier MLS.
The leading names playing across Canada in the 2007 U-20 World Cup - such as Alexandre Pato of Brazil and Barcelona-bound Giovanni dos Santos of Mexico - are easily headed up the pro charts with a bullet. But who knows what hidden gems await to be unearthed in Victoria, Burnaby, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal over the next three weeks?
As Victoria-product Simpson can attest, the dream of bigger and better things can start here at the U-20 World Cup.
- Mexico, Portugal win openers, D3
- - -
On the Tube
TODAY
- USA vs. Poland, 2 p.m. (Country Canada)
-Brazil vs. South Korea, 4:45 p.m. (Country Canada; 11 p.m., same-day tape CBC)
WEDNESDAY
- Costa Rica vs. Japan , 5 p.m. (Country Canada; 11 p.m., same-day tape CBC)
- Scotland vs. Nigeria, 7:45 p.m. (Country Canada, TLN)
