LOOKING IN ON: SOCCER

Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

Temple at UNLV

7 p.m. Friday, Peter Johann Memorial Field

The home debut of new Rebels coach Mario Sanchez will take place on a plush new Bermuda surface, courtesy of program benefactor Ken Johann.

Sanchez says keep an eye on Peter Rodriguez, a freshman attacking center midfielder from San Jose whose technique is exceeded only by his motor.

At home in Epone, 25 miles west of Paris, new UNLV soccer player Hakim Zermouni couldn't believe Zinedine "Zizou" Zidane lost his head last month in the World Cup final in Berlin.

About 20 friends and relatives sat around the Zermouni family's big-screen television and were shocked when Zidane head-butted Marco Materazzi of Italy.

Zizou earned a red card and an ejection for his action, and the Italians went on to win their fourth World Cup on penalty kicks.

"I said, 'What's happening? What's going on?' " Zermouni said. "I was pretty surprised because Zidane is really a serious guy. He has his head on his shoulders. I said, 'What happened to his mind?'

"It was probably, like, frustration, you know? But, probably, he should not have done that."

Zermouni admitted that any player can lose his cool.

"Nobody's perfect," he said. "Millions of children were watching, and he apologized to them. That was a good thing. And he's still a great player to me."

UNLV first-year coach Mario Sanchez was tipped off about Zermouni by Yohann Mauger, a native of Rennes, France, who played for the University of Akron when Sanchez was a Zips assistant.

Mauger grew up playing the game with Zermouni, who played the previous two seasons at Iowa Central Community College.

Zermouni, 20, speaks English well, having studied the language since he was 11. He helped FC Mantois 78 win two youth club titles in France, and he led Lycee Condorcet to a French high school national championship in 2004.

Sanchez said Zermouni will run at foes and take risks, using his "little French flair" to dribble by opponents and dazzle crowds.

"We brought him in thinking he'll help change the program," Sanchez said. "We're looking for him to play significant minutes and score some goals."

Zermouni starts the season, which began Friday at Gonzaga, behind Scottish right wing Nicky Patterson. Soon enough, Sanchez expects Zermouni to challenge for a starting position.

Zermouni said he'll play wherever Sanchez puts him.

Anywhere?

"Yeah," he said.

Goalie?

"No."

Zermouni dreams of one day playing for Olympique Marseille, his favorite club. One of his favorite players, Thierry Henry, was on the losing end of the last World Cup and Champions League (for Arsenal in England) finals. Henry has led a charge against racism in the European game with a "Stand Up, Speak Up" advertising campaign by Nike.

"Yes, that's very admirable," Zermouni said. "What happens, sometimes, on the field it is 2006. You just want to enjoy and delight in playing soccer."

He also wants to help Sanchez make UNLV soccer a big deal, and he likened the Rebels to the French national team that played in the last game of the World Cup.

"Hopefully, we can win the conference and make the NCAA tournament," Zermouni said. "I think it's possible. Nobody was expecting France to go to the final, then look what happened.

"Everything is possible."

Kobe talks trash-talking

What did one world-class competitor think about another world-class competitor head-butting an opponent on such a global stage?

At Durango High this week, we tracked down Los Angeles Lakers star and soccer aficionado Kobe Bryant for his opinion about the Zidane-Materazzi confrontation.

"It was silly. You know the guy is saying that for the sole purpose of taking you out of the game," Bryant said. "That's the only reason. (Materazzi) doesn't know you from a can of paint. He says something about your mom? He doesn't even know your mom.

"It's not like it's something that's even credible. It's just to throw you off your game. You just have to ignore it."

When Bryant was 6, he moved with his family to Italy - where they lived for seven years - and became enamored with AC Milan.

He saw stars Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, Roberto Donadoni, Giovanni Galli and Carlo Ancelotti, the current coach of the Rossoneri, play in the famous San Siro stadium in the 1980s.

Bryant played goalkeeper when he started playing soccer.

"I didn't know how to dribble the ball, and my arms were so long," he said. "My wingspan was crazy."

Eventually, he picked up ball technique. Once, he scored on a scissors kick.

"If I tried it now," Bryant said, "I'd probably break my neck."

He still keeps an AC Milan scarf in his Staples Center locker for good luck. And when Nike asked him to appear in that Ronaldinho ad, in which a ball is seemingly kicked around the world, Bryant jumped.

"He's my man!" Bryant said of the FC Barcelona's Brazilian star. "I've been a big soccer fan for a long time. Nike knew how much I love soccer. They said, 'There's a chain video goin' on, want to be a part of it?'

"I said, 'Let's go. Get me into it. I can dribble the ball a little bit.' So that's how that went down."

Boomerang

Former UNLV ace Boomer Arbelaez is back from South Africa, where tryouts for three clubs did not work out.

He is back working as a valet at Turnberry and will finish up work on his bachelor's degree this semester at UNLV. He will explore Major League Soccer opportunities in January.