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All in the same breath, Bobby Poursanidis described professional soccer player DaMarcus Beasley as the Kobe Bryant of his sport and someone young players can relate to.
Though he's found fame at soccer's highest levels, 22-year-old Beasley hasn't forgotten where he came from, and has teamed up with Poursanidis in the National Pro Soccer School Summer Soccer Camps.
Beasley, his older brother, Jamar, Poursanidis and other professional soccer players will host a camp July 19-23 at the CCAC in Warsaw.
Poursanidis, coach of the Fort Wayne Fever and director of camps, says baseball is America's sport. His goal is to introduce soccer to youngsters, teach them the fundamentals of the game while letting them experience the fun of the game.
He'll do so with the help of DaMarcus Beasley, one of the world's brightest young stars.
"Our message is that soccer is fun," Poursanidis said in a recent phone interview. "We want to introduce soccer to a lot of kids. Baseball is America's sport. We want to introduce them to the game of soccer, something that we feel is a very positive activity."
DaMarcus Beasley was born in Fort Wayne and played his prep career at Fort Wayne South Side.
In 1998, he was selected to the NSCAA High School All-America team.
In 1999, he was named Parade Magazine's All-America High School co-Player of the Year.
Prior to the start of the 2002 World Cup, he appeared on the cover of ESPN the Magazine with Landon Donovan and Clint Mathias.
To say the least, Beasley has been to the top of the mountain in the sport of soccer.
"It's huge," said Poursanidis when asked how big a deal it is for kids to have the chance to meet DaMarcus Beasley, learn from him and hear his story. "He's from Fort Wayne, everybody around here knows where Fort Wayne is. We want them to understand that anybody can do it if they have his work ethic and desire. He's equal to Kobe Bryant and he's only gonna get better."
Beasley's bio on the Internet describes him as "possessing lightning speed, quick feet and intelligent defensive instincts."
In March 1999, Beasley became the then-youngest player to sign a Major League Soccer contract. He was 16 years, 10 months old at the time and was originally with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
At 21, he became the youngest player ever voted to the MLS Best XI.
He has also been named one of World Soccer Magazine's top 100 rising stars in the world.
Beasley is a member of the Chicago Fire MLS team, a World Cup player and a member of the U.S. National Team.
In 1999, Jamar Beasley was a member of the Under-20 men's National Team. The two brothers played together for the Chicago Fire in 2001.
The camp at the CCAC in Warsaw offers three camps - day camp, mini camp and pee wee camp.
The day camp is for players ages 6-17 and cost $95. The day camp runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The mini camp is for players ages 5-17 and cost $75. The mini camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon.
The pee wee camp is for players age 4-6 and cost $45. The pee wee camp runs from a 9-10:30 a.m.
All three camps run June 19-23 at the CCAC.
For more information on the camps, call 260-496-9999.
