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Fuego to test itself against Oregon's top talent By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings Some of the best young soccer talent in the country is coming to Ashland. Fuego, Ashland's semi-professional soccer team, will host the Westside Rangers, Oregon's reining U-19 soccer champions, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Phillips Field. The Rangers have a talented squad that includes former AHS standout Matt Sharp and the Oregon high school player of the year in 2003, Chad Barrett. "They are arguably one of the best under-19 teams in the country," said Fuego team captain Iman Siadat. "Matt Sharp was the first player from Ashland to win a state championship in soccer and Chad Barrett is on his way to UCLA to play." Barrett also plays on the under-18 national team - one of the gateways to making the U.S. World Cup squad. "It's possible to see players that will be in the next World Cup on the field," Siadat said of his competition. Fuego players range in age from 18 to 34. Siadat and head coach Thierry Chouard said their team will have to rely on depth to neutralize the Rangers youthfulness. "It's going to be a tough call (to see who wins) because they are very young and fit, so they will be very good," Siadat said. "But we have maybe eight players that are really quality and they could play almost anywhere." "Their conditioning will be better than ours," Chouard said. "But we have more reserves, so we can balance a little with that." Mike Walsh, Fuego's acting president and goalkeeper, said he's happy to have the Rangers coming to town. "This is an excellent opportunity for people to see a higher level of soccer," Walsh said. The game will be the second of three Fuego exhibition games held this summer at Phillips Field. In their first game, Fuego earned a 3-1 victory over the La Liga All-Star team. According to Fuego officials, about 2,500 fans were in attendance. Fuego's third and final exhibition game, the third annual Firecracker Game, will be July 5 against the Cascade Surge. "We got so much feedback from people who came to the game and had a blast," Chouard said of the last match. Westside's schedule is more arduous. After Wednesday's game, the Rangers will head to Hawaii to play for the U-19 national title. No matter what transpires in the "friendly" match Wednesday, Siadat, Walsh and Chouard think the Rangers have a legitimate chance to be national champs. Part of the reason Fuego holds the exhibition games is to raise money for itself, Ashland Booster Club and local soccer. As in the last game, Pepsi will donate all of the beverages, and that profit goes directly to the booster club. "The booster club said it was definitely worth their while," Walsh said. Another big sponsor of Wednesday's game is Super 8 motel. Walsh said that the motel stepped up big-time to help out with accommodations. "They gave us six rooms for only $170," Walsh said. "And they did it during the middle of tourist season." The cost of the game is $5 for adults, $2 for kids under 18 and free for children 4 and under. The gates open at 6 p.m. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -