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THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: July 12, 2014

| July 12, 2014 9:00 PM

For a sport that doesn't allow you to use your hands, some area soccer players are getting a real hands-on experience this week at The Dome in Hayden Lake.

Thanks to a partnership that has grown over the past year between The Academy youth soccer program and the ChievoVerona International Academy based in Verona, Italy, players have had the chance to learn from an Italian coach.

THE ACADEMY and ChievoVerona International Academy are affiliated through Global Image Sports, which connects European club academy teams with those in the United States.

"It's always good to have them come in here," The Academy technical director Gabe Lawson said. "It's something a little different than what we can offer. It is good to have that exposure, especially when it comes from Europe."

The camp, which began Thursday at The Dome in Hayden, concludes with two sessions today. Players have learned from ChievoVerona coach Davide Caliaro, who was the under-9 coach of the program last year.

"What we're trying to teach them is what we do with our academy in Italy," Caliaro said. "We've focused (Thursday) on the first touch, 1v1, shooting, kicking, passing the ball and all the different techniques of the game."

Caliaro has been in the United States since June 5, also doing camps in Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Alaska before coming to North Idaho.

"I hope to get a better understanding of the development of soccer in this area," Caliaro said. "Each region I went to, they've had a different level of development in soccer."

So how do kids from this area rank?

"They're pretty good for sure," Caliaro said. "A lot of it has to do with the coaches and how they've helped them develop. The facility here is perfect. You've got an indoor field, outdoor field and they're going to build another indoor field soon, so it's perfect."

This is the second year the clinic has been held in Hayden.

"We were really happy with how things went last year," Lawson said. "We're happy to have them and hope to continue it in the future."

SOME DIFFERENCES that Caliaro has noticed since arriving has been the pace of the game in America.

"I've had a chance to see some games," Caliaro said. "The first thing I've noticed is it's kind of a slower pace. Back in Italy, it's a much faster game. It's just a matter of time before the U.S. gets really good at soccer. Soccer is not really new, but it's almost new here."

Lawson - who coached the Post Falls High boys soccer team for 11 years before taking a one-year leave of absence in June - has noticed some players with more of a knowledge of the international game thanks to this year's World Cup.

"We've got a lot more kids that have been watching," Lawson said. "In the past, a lot of the kids didn't know who the (international) players were. And now, they're coming to practice and they're talking about (Argentina forward Lionel) Messi, they're talking about (Portugal forward Cristiano) Renaldo and (Uruguay forward Luis) Suarez, and all those incidents where they didn't know who they were before. We're seeing a lot more interest on the professional side of things, and when that happens, we'll start to see more numbers slowly."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.