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On Wednesday the UEFA Champions League crowned a new champion, Manchester United, in a display of some of the world’s finest soccer players. The American game has always strived to match that level of play, but how far has it really come? Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo talked about soccer’s position in this country with Denver Post staff writer Chris Dempsey.
Q: What are your thoughts on the state of American soccer?
A: I think the U.S. Soccer Federation is doing extremely well in recognizing that they were doing a poor job at the time and recognizing that they needed to change. The professional teams have preached for the last 10 years about having a developmental system that we can work with players, and we can have a U16 and U18 teams, and that we can invite people who are doing well to train with a pro team. And we are.
Q: What about the level of players?
A: When this country discovers the best athletes going into soccer, nobody can stop us. It will definitely be the year the United States starts to beat everybody on a regular basis. My biggest concern is that with a country the size of the United States that we’re not doing enough. Again, we have to be happy with what we have, but there should be more: the volume of players should be much better, the quality of the player that we are bringing along should be better, and we’re not there yet.
Q: When do you think player identification will turn the corner?
A: We always keep saying “the next day,” but I’ve been here for the last 30 years and yes, it’s going in the right direction. But we are used to having winners here. At the World Cup level, we’re not there yet. And the number of players is not that many. We need to identify more. We need to do a better job in the development of kids.

denverpost.com

It is tax day, the day that American’s must have their federal taxes filed by. If you put it off until the last minute, we have some information you need to know.
The following retail collection points are available for tax filers on Tuesday, April 15:
Buffalo Main Office Windows, 1200 William St., Buffalo. Full Service until 6 p.m., and stamp vending machines and April 15th postmark available in outer lobby until midnight.
Buffalo Cayuga Branch Post Office, 285 Cayuga Rd., Cheektowaga. Full retail service and April 15th postmark until midnight.
Williamsville Postal Store, 5423 Sheridan Dr., Williamsville. Full retail service and postmark until 7 p.m.
Amherst Branch, 5500 N. Bailey Avenue, Amherst. Full retail service and postmark until 7 p.m.
East Aurora Post Office, 408 Quaker Rd., East Aurora. Full retail service and postmark until 6 p.m.
Hamburg Post Office, 5501 Camp Rd., Hamburg. Full retail service and postmark until 6 p.m.
LaSalle Branch, 9860 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY. Full retail service and postmark until 7 p.m.
Customers will also find automated postal centers open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
West Seneca Branch
Getzville Post Office
Hamburg Post Office
Niagara Falls LaSalle Branch
Grand Island Post Office
Lockport Post Office
Orchard Park Post Office
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wgrz.com

If I were to ask what holiday it was Monday…would you know? Most likely not because I have been going around campus asking people if they knew and nobody seems to know the answer. Monday, was the little known federal holiday of President’s Day.
President’s Day first began in 1880 where it was originally supposed to be a holiday honoring George Washington’s birthday. As time progressed, it became acceptable to honor both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on this day.
According to my trusty calendar, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is Feb. 12, while George Washington’s is Feb. 22, therefore; giving us President’s Day in the middle on Feb. 18.
Did anybody notice that the post office was closed Monday? Or did anyone notice a sign at the bank saying something along the lines of, “Your bank will be closed on February 18 in observance of President’s Day,”? Since this is a federal holiday, it is normal for federal offices to be closed on President’s Day, but what about universities?
As you have probably already noticed, USM had class on President’s Day. On a visit to the Office of the President in the Administration Building, I was told we have classes because the university is only allowed 15 days off on the academic calendar. I totally agree with why we did not have Monday off because instead of having no class on President’s Day, we have wonderful vacation for Mardi Gras and spring break.
However, some universities around the country have President’s Day off. For instance, all public universities in South Dakota and Utah did not have class Monday. I know this because I attended college in South Dakota for two years, and the other day I called the Utah State Board of Regents, and they confirmed this statement.
This is not an attempt to try and get USM to not have classes on President’s Day. This is an attempt to make known and shed light on this obscure holiday on the calendar. Yes, this holiday does come around every year, but some people fail to notice.
For me, President’s Day is a reminder that at one time in the history of this country, we had noteworthy presidents. In today’s world, presidents seem to have a rough time and really get a beating from the public. Agreed, not everyone liked these two presidents at the time, but in the end we give them a sort of halo effect as if they could do no wrong.
Both of these presidents held the country together in times of great crisis, so I think they deserve to be honored with a holiday. All I ask is for you to observe President’s Day with the thought that if these two men never existed, we might not have the country we live in today.
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