At the Copa, they're all in love with soccer

Americans have baseball. The rest of the world has soccer.

They certainly have it in Latin America, where the game is ingrained in the daily fabric of life. There and for the great Latin American diaspora, the sport is more than just a pastime, it's a cultural unifier, a way to connect and relate, a collective passion, a common religion.

All of this was on display on a recent Saturday afternoon in East Boston, where the perpetual bounce of the soccer ball in a championship match was replicated a hundredfold.

All around the track of Sartori Stadium , the newly refurbished turf football field nestled among concrete highway entrance and exit ramps and giant airplane hangars on the edge of Logan Airport, kids of all ages were kicking soccer balls of varied hues, practicing their passes, juggling them back and forth, or bouncing them off their heads.

They were the next generation of soccer hopefuls, there to cheer on the men 21 and older -- many family and friends -- who were thrashing it out for a coveted title.

It was the local finals of the Copa Tecate, a kind of mini World Cup for Hispanic amateur soccer teams from around the country. (Tecate, by the way, refers to its sponsor, a Mexican beer available in the States.)

After winning a series of three single-elimination games against teams from Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the preceding months, Dorado , a team out of Providence took the title over an East Boston team, Super Star, in an even match that ended in a tense shootout .

``This is the reward," said Dorado goalkeeper Edwin Chavez, flashing a megawatt smile after his key saves in the shootout put his team on top. ``Every game I always pray to God to help us out if he thinks we deserve it . . . so I guess he did."

With most players originally hailing from places such as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, the 2,700 teams nationwide in the tournament began head-to-head competition in March.

Now, they have been whittled to 22 squads who will face off in regional finals in Chicago and Sacramento in mid-July. The national championships in Houston in August will bring $15,000 to the winners and a chance to play against a Mexican professional team.

``I think it's going to be exciting," said Ruben Sanchez , of Central Falls, R.I., a midfielder for the Chicago-bound team who works as a landscaper. ``I'm probably never going to sleep."

Aside from the opportunity it holds for the winning players to feel briefly like true soccer stars, with all travel expenses covered by the sponsor and the prospect of playing the pros, the event also means a great deal to the young people in the crowd, onlookers said.

``It really sends a good message to the kids," said Maura Hennigan , a former city councilor and mayoral candidate now running for Suffolk County clerk of courts, as she watched a game from the sidelines. ``Here you have a program that involves adults and children in a wholesome event. It's just a win-win for everybody."

``It's a game that you can enjoy with your family, your children and your friends," said Linda Altamirano , coordinator for the consul general of Mexico's Institute for Mexicans Abroad, which helped promote the event.

For one young fan in the crowd, the chance to pick up some playing tips from the adults was priceless.

``I practice every single day," said Jhon Rivera , 13, of Providence. ``That's my passion, that's all I think about. I play soccer, I go home, I watch soccer, I dream about soccer."

Rivera, who has braces on his teeth and a diamond earring in each lobe, said he plans to become a mechanic if his career as a soccer forward doesn't work out.

And he was quick to point out another benefit of his passion.

When you play soccer, he said, ``you are not going to get into trouble or hang out with people with bad influences."