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Dailypilot - Amid the cold of Monday night,
Mohammad Khakpour walks from a scrimmage game to an area where children are
running through drills on a field behind Estancia High.
He delivers orders in a calm, yet stern tone that assuredly gets across to
the boys and girls of his MK Soccer Club, the Newport Beach-based club
that's in its fifth year. He doesn't appear to be out of place, though his
background would seem to the contrary.
Khakpour was the captain of the Iranian
team in the 1998 World Cup. He has been offered to coach elite level teams
in Iran, but he's here offering a different concept on club soccer, while
enforcing teamwork along the way.
During Khakpour's MKSC tryouts this week, he's taking every player who comes
out. There are no qualifications required here.
"I believe you cannot tell 10-, 11-, 12-, 13-year-old kids, you're not good
enough." Khakpour said. "I'm totally against tryouts. We have open doors for
everyone who comes in. They are welcome. We are here to teach. We are not
really looking for soccer players because these guys are just kids."
After the week's first "tryout," Khakpour, 38, spoke with Daily Pilot Sports
Editor Steve Virgen and answered a few questions:
Question: What was it like to play in the World Cup?
Answer: For every soccer player it's a dream. When you play
it's a dream come true. That was a great experience for me through my whole
life. I can't completely describe it. For one second you think the whole
world is watching you play, especially when you have the game against the
United States (Iran won, 2-1), which people called the game of the century.
It was a great experience.
Q: What do you think David Beckham can do for soccer in
America when he plays for the L.A. Galaxy this summer?
A: I hope he can help soccer. In the past few years, we've
seen big names from Europe and from all over the world come here and try to
change or improve soccer, and bring more people to the stadium.
Unfortunately, they bring players who are done. That is something missing.
Hopefully, Beckham can help, because he's a big name and especially it's in
the Los Angeles area and people love him. My wish is that he's here to play
not here to have a good time. Probably he'll get a lot of people in the
stadium. The MLS and Galaxy have to put him in the right channel so they can
find a way he can bring people in for a long time, not just a short time.
Q: Why did you decide to make this club?
A: I was playing for the MetroStars (MLS) in New York for a
couple of years. Because I had a lot of friends who lived here, I moved
here. Benny [Zamanian] is an old friend of mine. He told me to start a club.
At first I said, no, but as a soccer player you can't stay away from soccer.
It's my passion. I love to see that the kids are learning and moving up. The
only thing makes me satisfied is when I see a 10- or 12-year-old, learning
something. I love working with kids. I see the potential and talent here. I
hope I can help these kids. I'm just sharing my experience. I had 30 years
of experience playing soccer all over the world, hopefully I can share that
with the kids.
Q: What do you look for in a soccer player?
A: To be dedicated, to work hard and never think I'm good
enough. To always look forward to learn stuff and just working hard and
working hard.
I try my best. It's like school, kids go to school and learn. Kids com here
to learn and I teach. I have eyes behind my head. I can see everyone. I tell
them that I want them to learn and learn. |
