It’s a shame leeches are sucking onto the legacy of Tatu and the Dallas Sidekicks.
Every year I meet club soccer parents who mention their kid’s coach claims to have played for the Sidekicks, FC Dallas or as a professional in Europe, South America or Jupiter.I wondered if it was just me, so I called Tatu to see if he hears the same shady claims.Guess what?Tatu said it happens "a lot" when parents ask him about coaches and he can’t recall the person playing with the Sidekicks."Don’t believe everything you hear out there," Tatu said. "There’s a lot of lies out there. It’s like selling a house. A guy will tell you it’s the best house on the market, blah, blah, blah, and in the end, they just want you to sign the papers. When you sign the papers, they say goodbye, I got a sucker. Unfortunately, that’s the way select soccer came about with guys selling, 'Come play for me, I’m this, I’m that, I’m the best.’ "The area is littered with exaggerated tales or doctored résumés.The North Texas Soccer Association has links to 74 club Web sites, where most include coaching résumés.One local coach claims on his online bio that he played with the Sidekicks during their 2001 championship season, but he doesn’t appear in either the 2001 or 2002 media guide.Sidekicks historian Alan Balthrop maintains the team’s legacy online at www.kicksfan.com.Parents can easily cross-check any coach claiming Sidekicks history with the all-time player register.Another wildly popular claim among local coaches is that they "played professional in the USISL."At least one coach claimed to have played for a USISL team with no record of having existed.Either way, understand that the early USISL/SISL had a tiny number of teams that actually paid their players.Coaches claim a generic "semipro in England," which considering there are four divisions of full-professional soccer in England means they were barely higher than pub level soccer.Ultimately, it comes down to this.Don’t be sold by what a coach tells you.Any coach who begins a relationship by bragging about his playing days is probably just full of talk.Tatu said watch how a coach treats the kids and avoid those who drone on about themselves or promise a college scholarship.He said teams often win because they have one fast goal scorer and don’t mistake winning for good coaching or real development.He’s right.Trust me on this one.Why trust me?Well, I played during a Dallas Burn game at the Cotton Bowl.Of course, it was during halftime for a season-ticket holders vs. media challenge. But, hey, why not follow suit and stretch the truth?TOBIAS XAVIER LOPEZ, 817-685-3868
