Congratulations to Jake Pitcher who correctly identified all 10 soccer players as:

1. Freddy Adu - USA
2. Abby Wambach - USA
3. Thierry Henry - France
4. Christiano Ronaldo - Portugal
5. Mia Hamm - USA
6. Ronaldiniho - Brazil
7. David Beckham - England
8. Kasey Keller - USA
9. Wayne Rooney - England
10. Michael Owen - England

Jake attended the Farmingdale camp this week. His coaches were Jason and Craig who he says were both "GREAT". Jake choose a replica Celtic shirt from Eurosport at soccer.com.

Many thanks to all that entered. Check back soon for more NOGA competitions.

What a great week at NOGA camp. Great weather, great coaches and most of all really great players to work with. To complete your week we have created a NOGA "Name the player quiz."

All you have to do is name the 10 famous soccer players pictured here and then email your answer before 5pm EST today (April 21)

Send your email to webmaster@nogasoccer.com. In your email make sure to include your name, the place you attended NOGA camp this week and the list of players names numbered 1-10.

You have until 5pm EST today to enter. The winner will be announced at 6pm EST here at www.nogasoccer.com. The winner will receive the replica soccer shirt of your choice from NOGA partners EUROSPORT. You can check out all of the shirts they have to choose from at soccer.com

There was an extra player at Highbury in the Champions League Semi-Final game between Arsenal and Villarreal last night. An American Grey squirrel put in an appearance.

Our NOGA coach who was at the game told nogasoccer.com. "The crowd and the players thought it was all very funny, even though it was such an enormous game. The squirrel ran out looked a little nervous at first but, then pulled his favorite move 'a nutmeg' and left the players mesmerized. It was a very short appearance as he then ran off down the players tunnel to great applause from the crowd."

Arsenal went on to win the game 1-0 on Kolo Toure's first goal of the season. The squirrel proved just as elusive as a second goal as Arsenal failed to capitalize on having most of the game and will carry the slim one goal margin into the second leg.

A big congratulations from the NOGA coaching staff on some tremendous play at our very own UMBRO World Cup today.

We now have our NOGA World Cup Champion. But, who will win the real thing this summer? You can calculate your own World Cup champion with the NOGA World Cup Game Chart.

Download the game chart, fill in the scores and you will be able to see who is your personal favorite for the biggest prize in soccer. It takes a little bit of math to work out who wins each group, so you may need your parents to help you. Remember in the group stage there are 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. If teams are tied on points the team with the best goal difference (Goals scored minus Goals Against) is the winner.

Take your chart to camp on Friday to compare your champion with your coach and team mates.

NOGA World Cup Game Chart

After a day spent learning how to be a great striker of the soccer ball and improving your ability to score goals, the NOGA coaches thought you may like to watch the MLS Sierra Mist Goal of the Year from last years MLS. It is a free kick by Dwayne Rossario

It is a quite incredible strike of the ball. Watch carefully as he:

1. Keeps his body steady and in line with the target.
2. Places his non-kicking foot firmly beside the ball
3. Keeps his head steady
4. Uses a long smooth back swing to create power
5. Strikes the back of the ball perfectly just right of the center to make the ball swerve around the wall
6. Follows through in the direction he wants the ball to go.

MLS Goal of the Year

Today you learned about passing and possession and the Italian style of play.

On Wednesday, you will be learning how to shoot and finish and try to be like England's young attacking superstar Wayne Rooney. To put you in the right mood we have created a Wayne Rooney mask for you to cut out and wear to Wednesday's morning camp meeting. Click on the link below to download the mask, then follow the instructions below.

Wayne Rooney Mask

Please make sure that you get your parents permission to make the mask and that you ask them to help you with the directions if you need it.

You will need a some thin card, a glue stick, scissors, tape, and two pieces of string or elastic.

1. Download the Wayne Rooney mask
2. Print the mask out in color on your printer on card or glue the mask to a piece of thin card.
3. Carefully and safely follow the outline to cut around the outside of Wayne's face
4. Tape one piece of string to one of Wayne's ear and another piece of string to the other ear. You can staple the string to the ears through the tape to make your mask even stronger.
5. Carefully and safely cut a small hole in each eye to see through and two small holes in the nose to breathe through.
6. Put the mask on and have someone help you tie the two pieces of string or elastic behind your head
7. You are Wayne Rooney of Manchester United and England - a soccer finishing superstar and you are ready for Wednesday at camp.

After spending your day learning how to improve your touch and completely control the soccer ball like a true Brazilian master. You may want to check out the ultimate in Brazilian soccer skill from superstar player Ronaldinho.

It's called Brazilian ping-pong and you can check it out at Nike.com link below.

Brazilian Ping Pong

If you practise the skills that you learned at camp consistently day after day, perhaps one day you will have the magic touch of a Brazilian.

Check further down the page to test your mouse juggling skills. See you at camp.

If you love soccer and have always fancied yourself as a bit of a Steven Spielberg then here is a very cool little tool that you may like to test drive. It's a soccer movie maker created by Adidas.

Based around the movie "GOAL" which opens in New York on May 12, you can mix together video, audio clips and a sound track into your own mini movie.

The movie itself is about a young Mexican called Santiago. Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional soccer player. However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that a dream. Until, one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.

Kick Here to Make Your Own Soccer Movie

As the excitement builds towards this summers World Cup in Germany, we asked the NOGA coaching staff who they thought would be the top 10 young stars for our own young players to keep an eye on and what aspects of their game you should try to observe.

10. Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) - This 20-year-old rising star of Ghana's talented team has already scored seven goals in his first 10 internationals. Watch how sets himself early to take balanced strikes on goal.

9. Manuel Ferandes (Portugal)- A superb defensive midfield player nicknamed Manelele after Claude Makalele. Watch his tenacity and determination in winning the ball and how well he times his tackle.

8. Philippe Senderos (Switzerland) - Is mature way beyond his years and anchors the heart of the Swiss defense. Watch how he times his jump to leap above attackers when heading the ball.

7. Sergio Ramos (Spain) - The Real Madrid defender could make his breakthrough at the World Cup. Watch how he uses his hips to disguise his passing intentions.

6. Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) - They call him the "Ice Kid" may not see any playing time in Germany as the back up to Oswaldo Sanchez. If your a keeper watch how calm and collected he remains at all times

5. Ryan Babel (Holland) - This 18-year-old speedster is sure to impress if his form with club side Ajax is any yard stick. Watch how he uses his speed in burst to unsettle defenders

4. Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - Super quick and super skilled Ronaldo is every defenders nightmare he was outstanding at EURO 2004 and is sure to star in Germany. Watch the sheer pace he does everything at. Watch his famous quick feet and how all his moves are completed moving forwards.

3. Wayne Rooney (England) - England's youngest ever player and goalscorer he has talent to spare even excelling in goal and in defense. Watch his ability to read the game and strike an exceptionally powerful shot.

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) Seen as one of the finest young players of his generation he has outstanding vision and has produced a number of mercurial displays for his club team Barcelona. Watch his perception of which pass to make and when.

1. Freddy Adu (USA) - Still only 16, Adu has the talent to change the game if he does get a chance he could set the world and USA soccer on fire. Watch how balanced he is gliding past players while looking ahead.

The prestigious NOGA Elite camp is now open for registration. Designed for dedicated players ages 14 and above this years Elite camp will take place in Rhode Island at the picturesque St. Andrew's School from August 7-11.

As ever there are several ways to get more information and register

Kick Here For Online Registration

Kick Here to Download the Elite Brochure

Call NOGA at 1-800-422-6778 to register over the phone with a dedicated NOGA staff member or with any questions that you may have.

Looking to sharpen up your soccer skills this Spring Break? Then look no further than NOGA's superb Spring Break Camps. Kick on each camp name for more information and online registration.

In Rhode Island, there are camps April 17-21 in both East Greenwich at the East Greenwich High School and Portsmouth, both camps run 9am-12 noon.

Why not bring your team to the beach for a fantastic day of soccer games and fun and help NOGA and 1 in 9 to "Kick-Out Breast Cancer"

The Michael Scott Barish Memorial Sand Soccer Festival began in 1994. At that time, the chance of developing breast cancer for a woman living on Long Island was one in nine. Today, the national average is one in seven; and in parts of Long Island, one in THREE. Progress has been made, but not enough - we need your help and your teams to do more.

The Sand Soccer festival will be held on June 24th at Riverside Blvd, in Long Beach. You only need 8 players to enter and it is a great cause and a great soccer day out for all of the family

To get more details, enter your team or volunteer to help please contact Craig Newman in the NOGA office at (516) 489-3900 Ext. 119 or kick the link below.

Learn More And Help "Kick Out Cancer"

Are you an aspiring young designer who would like to see their work worn by many thousands of soccer players this summer. Then this is your chance . .

NOGA is holding a competition open to all designers up to the age of 18 to help create the graphic for our 2006 camp shirt

Learn More . . .

20. If you placed all of the tee shirts that NOGA has given out end-to-end they would stretch from New York to Baltimore.
19. NOGA was originally called Long Island Soccer Camps.
18. The highest ever recorded number of juggles at a NOGA camp is 37 minutes by Andrew Tibbenham in 2002. Then we had to tell him to stop and come for dinner.
17. NOGA purchased the first ever produced portable Kwik Goal.
16. The farthest that anyone has ever traveled to attend a NOGA camp is from Jakarta, Indonesia a distance of 10,053 miles from the camp.
15. NOGA has given out over 100,000 soccer balls
14. Four different NOGA Coaches have won college NCAA National Championships - one at Division One, two at Division Two and one at Division Three.
13. NOGA began as a one week only boys soccer camp based at Adelphi University in New York.
12. David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba to name but a few, have all appeared at NOGA soccer camps.
11. NOGA provided soccer advice and continuity for the final scene of the movie "One Fine Day" starring George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer this included pink soccer goals in Central Park - the favorite color of Ms. Pfeiffer.
10. At a one week NOGA residential camp a player touches the soccer ball an average of 60,000 times
9. NOGA director Tim Bradbury came up with the NOGA name completely by mistake.
8. NOGA's original owner Dr. Mel Less was an award winning sports columnist and coach of Adelphi University.
7. NOGA invented the adventure soccer approach to coaching soccer players of four to eight years of age that is now used throughout the world.
6. NOGA is the only company in the USA to be selected by Liverpool, Celtic, Chelsea, AC Milan and England to direct their soccer camps in the USA.
5. When NOGA announced their intention to have professional coaches work with youth soccer teams everyone laughed and said that the idea would never ever work. Today that move has changed American soccer forever.
4. NOGA director Gary Book is the winningest assistant coach in Division One college soccer.
3. NOGA was one of the first companies in the USA to hold programs for girls.
2. NOGA has helped raise over one million dollars for Breast Cancer research.
1. NOGA coach Ian Sawyers settled in California where he married USA women's national team star Julie Foudy.

We asked a selection of our NOGA staff "What's your all time favorite soccer movie"?

The answers were a little surprising they ranged from the expected all action and adventure to touching love stories.

So, if your looking for something to do the next time your training session is rained out you may like to throw some popcorn into the microwave and pop one of these into the DVD.

NOGA Soccer Movie Picks . . .

Soccer is the not only the world's favorite but also the world's simplest game. For many millions around the world all it takes is a ball.

But, have you ever really thought about that simple, round, air filled object which moves so many all over the globe?

If your looking for a soccer related project for school or, if your just interested in how we got to the high tech design of today's soccer ball then you should check out The History Of The Soccer Ball

We would like to apologize if it has been taking a couple of extra rings for our NOGA staff to answer your calls. But, the office has been consumed by a highly addictive soccer juggling game.

Not of course that the hardest working staff in soccer could ever be distracted from their work, but, if you want to test yourself out against the skill of the NOGA staff the person to beat is Simon Noakes in the Connecticut office who has recorded the best score of 47.

Kick Here To Try It Yourself . . .

We are very sorry to announce that NOGA will not host its traditional Discovery Camp program this summer

The campus at Adelphi is undergoing enormous reconstruction this summer and therefore would not be able to house the Discovery program.

Read More . . .

NOGA's 2006 full color Academies and Community Camp brochure with listings of all NOGA camps is now available. The brochure will be mailed to all past campers in the next week.

Please call the NOGA office if you would like to have one mailed to your home, team or league.

If you would like to preview the brochure online kick on the this link NOGA Full Color Brochure

Nickelodeon’s new live-action comedy series Just for Kicks, about fast soccer moves, fast friendship and the sometimes bumpy road through adolescence of four diverse players on a winning girls’ team called the Power Strikers, will premiere with a special one-hour episode, Sunday, April 9 (7-8 p.m. ET/PT).

The show developed by Whoopi Goldberg's Lil’ Whoop Productions will continue to air Sundays (7-7:30 p.m.).

Nickelodeon’s Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, told NOGA “Just for Kicks is not only exciting, funny and heartfelt, it’s about kids finding their identity and the empowerment they derive from playing sports. Power Strikers learn about perseverance, competition, teamwork and the importance of having fun along the way. We think Just for Kicks will resonate with all kids, and of course, with the 11 million kids ages 6-17, who play soccer across the country today, nearly half of whom are girls.”

Check out more about the show at Nick.com . . .

For those of you who have just picked up the NOGA Newsletter for this month you can find the additional information links by kicking on the list below:

ACL Injury Prevention

NOGA Fitness Work Out

Laurie Story

Parental Code of Conduct