LOOKING IN ON: SOCCER

By Rob Miech (contact)

Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 | 7 a.m.

Herculez Gomez is looking forward to showing off his hometown's strong soccer community when Major League Soccer visits Las Vegas on March 31.

The Las Vegas High grad was traded from the Los Angeles Galaxy to the Colorado Rapids in the offseason. He's expected to lead the Rapids attack when they play Real Salt Lake at UNLV in the final preseason match for both squads.

Before that 7:30 p.m. game, the men's and women's teams for UNLV and Brigham Young will play at Peter Johann Memorial Field.

"I lit up when I found out there was a chance to play in Las Vegas," Gomez said. "I didn't know if I'd get a chance to play before all my friends and family. It will be special."

Gomez has been looking forward to a change , and he has noticed "a buzz" around Denver because the Rapids will open a new soccer complex, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, in April. It will feature an 18,000-seat soccer stadium and 24 full-sized outdoor fields.

The Rapids are billing it as the largest professional soccer complex in the world.

Salt Lake features the well-known Freddie Adu.

"It's been important to reach out to the southern Utah and Nevada soccer communities," Real Salt Lake General Manager Steve Pastorino said in a statement. He also mentioned exposing Real fans to the "fun Las Vegas atmosphere."

Top-flight soccer was last played in Las Vegas in 1977, when the Quicksilvers played for one season in the North American Soccer League.

ODP tournament

The Region IV (Far West) Olympic Development Program tournament will begin next Friday at the Bettye Wilson Complex, with the four finals of the boys' and girls' divisions to be played Jan. 21.

It will be a challenge for the rest of the region to keep Cal North and Cal South squads from dominating.

An annual coaching symposium, by the way, has been canceled.

If you're heading out to Bettye Wilson, keep your eyes and ears alert for a German all-star youth side that will be looking for a game or two that weekend.

Oxygen, anyone?

Details are sketchy, but we've received word about an over-40 tournament today through Sunday at the Kellogg/Zaher complex.

Apparently, Preki, Thomas Dooley and a host of other former U.S. international players will be playing for a New Jersey-based side that fully intends to win the championship trophy. The unofficial word is that 10 national-team players will fill out the squad.

Oops

In a recent column, we referred to the defunct Major Indoor Soccer League. Not so, wrote an executive with the California Cougars, one of six current teams.

The old MISL started in 1978 and changed its name to Major Soccer League in 1990. That's the league that the San Diego Sockers dominated, winning eight of the final 10 championships. It folded in 1992.

The new MISL started in 2001 and recognizes statistics from the National Professional Soccer League, which started as the American Indoor Soccer Association. It plans to add teams in Newark, N.J., and Orlando, Fla., next season. California, based in Stockton, plays host to the league's all-star weekend festivities Feb. 9-10.