Medina hits town with Vengeance

Saturday, April 8, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

Nelson Medina could almost reach out and touch Wayne Rooney and the rest of England's national team one night in Portugal two years ago.

Medina returned to his roots to visit with his relatives and to see Euro 2004, and he had front-row corner seats at Municipal Stadium in Coimbra, Portugal, to watch England play Switzerland.

Rooney scored twice in England's 3-0 victory. After he headed one in, Rooney pumped his fist in the goal mouth and then sprinted to the corner flag in front of Medina.

"And he started kicking the flag," said Medina, who pointed to the back of a chair about six feet away from him in a Summerlin restaurant. "He was as close to us as that chair. Then David Beckham and the rest of them mugged him."

Medina couldn't click his digital camera fast enough.

That passion, and a wealth of experience as a player and coach, inspired him to move from Southern California to Las Vegas about 18 months ago to establish his own youth soccer program.

The Vegas Vengeance Futebol Academy has 80 kids enrolled on its six teams, and Medina, 34, plans to double the amount of teams under his guidance by June.

His uncle, Joe Balelo, is the academy's technical director. A friend, Shane Barker, is the chairman. Gary Blunk, Medina's stepfather, is the president. The quartet has invested about $50,000 in the academy.

When Blunk married Medina's mother, Connie, in 1987, Blunk became hitched to the globe's most popular sport.

Nelson had been training with the U.S. national youth team in Colorado Springs, Colo., and he was permitted to catch a flight for San Diego for his mother's wedding. The next day, he returned to Colorado.

"That's when his passion started," Medina said of Blunk. "Now, he's a maniac."

Portu-goal!

Balelo was 13 and Connie was 16 when the siblings left the Portuguese island of Madeira for the United States, with their parents, for a better life in 1969.

Nelson was born in San Diego in 1971, and he also owns a Portuguese passport. He is fluent in the language.

Nelson, his uncle and his stepfather celebrated with the rest of the country when they saw Nuno Gomes score the only goal at Jose Alvalade Stadium that gave Portugal its first victory over Spain in 23 years.

That knocked the rival Spaniards out of Euro 2004.

Balelo's favorite game was Portugal's quarterfinal victory over England, which was decided on penalty kicks, at Luz Stadium in Lisbon.

When talking about his own goals for Vegas Vengeance, Balelo is blunt.

"We want to be the best," he said. "It's not important being the biggest. We have the best coaches, bar none. I watch some of these other coaches, and they have no clue."

Medina is a tad more diplomatic. When he brought club teams to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving tournaments before he moved here, he marveled that B and C squads routinely beat A, or top-flight, programs in Las Vegas.

"There wasn't a lot of coaching here," Medina said.

"I knew if I didn't come here and build my own (elite) program someone would beat me to the punch."

Playing with the Vengeance

Bobby Fleming took Jordan, his 10-year-old daughter, out of a bigger, more-established club team eight months ago and signed her up for Vegas Vengeance, a move neither has regretted.

"He's definitely elevated her game," Bobby Fleming said of Medina. "He teaches the game very well and creates a great overall atmosphere. He's one of the best-kept secrets in the valley."

Vengeance players and their families visit with Medina's family almost every other week. Those gatherings mostly take place at his home, where his mother prepares Portuguese cuisine such as shish kebab and tuna steaks.

Balelo's wife, Isabelle, makes bacalhau, a salted cod dish that's a staple in Portugal.

Call the world's most popular sport that Americanized six-letter s-word, instead of football, and you will catch Connie Blunk's wrath. And don't even think of asking Balelo about Major League Soccer.

Medina believes that togetherness strengthens his players' bond.

"It's all about the kids," he said. "They need that down time. It's not about being the best player on the field. It's about camaraderie and friendships. It's not just about the game."

Medina, a former Oklahoma City University captain, doesn't have a star system. Every Vengeance player starts out on defense and gains experience at every position, to enhance their abilities and future opportunities.

Instead of barking at the player with the ball, like many coaches and parents, Medina will pull a kid to the side, to teach, when the action is away from him or her.

Vengeance will technically be a player down for a stint, but the player will be better off the next time a similar situation arises.

He also learned something at Euro 2004, when he saw Luis Felipe Scolari, Portugal's coach, flip forwards Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo every 10 minutes.

"For different looks," Medina said. "It's all about adjusting. You beg, borrow and steal. As a coach, it's all about learning and getting better."

And not humiliating. While some coaches keep pouring it on when ahead 10-0, 11-0 or 12-0, Medina will call off the heat when one of his teams goes up by four or five goals.

"We'll work on possession, knock it around," he said. "You have to teach them respect and fair play. If you don't respect the game, the game won't respect you."

Others have noticed, as Medina coaches one of the state's Olympic Development Program boys teams.

His favorite coach is Jose Mourinho, the controversial Portuguese boss who has established Chelsea as the premier team in the English Premiership.

"I like his confidence," Medina said. "His players love him, and all he cares about is his players."