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HOW does he do that?  Pretty amazing, huh?

photo from Chula Vista Police Dept

Chula Vista police have arrested 61-year-old Luis Roberto Raymundo for allegedly molesting a teenage boy, and investigators are searching for other possible victims.

Based on media reports from KGTV, NBC, and San Diego Union Tribune, Raymundo had been giving private and group soccer lessons to boys in South San Diego and Imperial Beach.

Authorities in Chula Vista and San Diego are hoping for the public’s help in the investigation.  Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Jeff Hobson at (619) 691-5182.

After the initial shock and horror I felt when I read this story, I realized this a reminder and a wake-up call for parents.  We must be diligent.  We must have a bulldog mentality when it comes to protecting our kids.  We must keep our eyes open for red flags that our kids don’t recognize.  When a 16-year-old boy wants to spend the night at a middle-aged single man’s mobile home, that’s a red flag!

Let’s back-track a bit to when this private training began.  Did this man have a coaching license?  Did this man go through a background check that’s required of all sanctioned Cal South & AYSO soccer coaches, or did parents just have their kids meet him at a park and pay him under the table?  The days when we can release our kids out in the world without a worry are GONE.   It’s sad but true, and we have to deal the the consequences — not just bemoan them.  We can’t just trust that a nice guy who wants to coach soccer will not harm our kids.

US Soccer Development experts say that youth soccer in America is too organized.  This is a Exhibit A in the proof of why we’ve lost the innocence of unorganized soccer for our kids.  But like I said, we have to protect our kids and not just grieve the loss of an innocent childhood.

Parents:  When you’re hiring a private soccer coach, MAKE SURE he/she has a coaching license associated with an organization that requires a background check.  If you rely on a background check as your only safeguard, you’ll have yourself a lovely false security blanket.   It’s a good start, though, and if you’re asking those questions of a trainer/coach, he’ll know you aren’t a lazy parent.

True, if Luis Roberto Raymundo didn’t have any prior offenses, his background check would have been clean.  But still, background checks for our kids’ coaches and trainers must be insisted upon.  If you really like a private coach you’ve found, STAY CLOSE.  Keep an eye out for red flags.  Keep that coach on your radar at all times when your child is with him/her.  Afraid of being called a helicopter parent?  So what?  Would you rather be a helicopter parent, or the parent of a molestation victim?

While sitting on the couch Sunday night, I was following my twitter feed on my iPhone. I saw that the US U17 Men’s team was playing Canada in the Concacaf championship game, and regular time ended with a 0-0 tie.

I decided to drag my lazy booty off the couch, get my laptop, and watch extra time with Matt on espn3.com.

Good thing I wasn’t TOO lazy and got the computer fired up in time! Mere seconds into extra time, midfielder Josh McBean passed the ball back to Nathan Smith, who was playing left-back. Smith cut into the middle a bit and fired a rocket into the top far corner from 40yds out!

Check out the goal here:

USA piled on two more goals (American excess at its best! gotta LOVE over achievers!) to finish the game 3-0.

USA! USA! USA!

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The night of Saturday, February 26th will go down in the history books as one of the BEST team parties EVER!

If you’re ever looking for a place to have a team party in San Diego, call the folks at Round Table Pizza in Tierrasanta and reserve their group party room! Their prices are affordable, their service is excellent, and the room is the perfect size for a team party. They also had the perfect Sony flat screen HDTV set up. We brought our PS3, and the boys played in a knock-down-drag-out FIFA11 tournament. We also used the PS3 as a DVD player and showed the team’s “year in review” slideshow. It was a fabulous night!

Here’s Jesse taking on (and BEATING) Coach Ryan in a FIFA11 showdown.

Izzy and Christian went to the final, defeating many tough competitors along the way. The championship game ended in a draw, so a PK shootout decided the winner of the coveted bobblehead trophy!

Izzy (Brazil) defeated Christian (Barcelona) to take the prize and the glory.

Video of the PK shootout:

Here’s the team’s “year in review” slideshow we played during the movie:

Rock on, Albion!