MENTAL FOOT BALL: With the American team...

MENTAL FOOT BALL: With the American team for the 1994 World Cup preparing in Mission Viejo, soccer zealots expect a jump in local interest. It’s already a fast-growing sport, especially among girls. Five years ago there were fewer than 9,000 girls in organized recreational soccer here. That number is up to almost 12,000 now. . . . Explains Lolly Keys of the American Youth Soccer Assn.: “We’re focusing our efforts on the girls’ programs. Soccer’s a physical and mental game; we want girls to know they can be players too.”

Soccer Power

Girls soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in the county. Number of female soccer players: 1988: 8,977 1989: 9,740 1990: 10,409 1991: 10,832 1992: 11,702 Source: American Youth Soccer Assn.