It was a warm afternoon in northern Port au Prince, and a group of older students had been waiting for us to arrive for a long time. Wedged in the back of the truck on the way over, one of the teachers and I had to take turns holding the back gate of the truck open so we didn't suffocate in the sweltering air of the downtown traffic jam. By the time we got to La Noblesse school, I was surprised to see anybody still waiting around.

We sat together in the shadow of the crumbled school and chatted about our favorite players. "So, do you like Messi?"

"Messi? Are you kidding me? Of course! What about Maicon?"

"Yeah. He is great. Remember that goal in the World Cup?"

"How about Xavi? Or Donovan?"

Then the kids took turns reading aloud their own (Haitian Creole) translations of Hope for Haiti that had been provided by We Give Books. We spoke about the earthquake and their school, as well as the general state of soccer in Haiti. I was very inspired and impressed by the way they articulated their dilemma. There is a lot of talent here, they said, but there is nobody to shepherd the youth. Nobody to keep them focused on their sport. Nobody to teach them the latest techniques and strategy. So even the most talented youth are forced to abandon any dreams of playing professionally.

Enock Thermistocle, a Haitian youth who wore a stylin' hat and vest combo, told me with piercing, intense eyes that he wished he could do something to help. "We just need some coaching," he said. "We are strong but we need to get organized. Just think what these kids could do if they played on a team?"

Team sports have long been known to provide valuable skills to kids. Not only athletic skills, but fundamental people skills that you build on as an adult. Cooperation, sacrifice, thinking of yourself not as an individual only, but as a part of the whole. These are all benefits of organized, team sports. In addition, competition can be a powerful way of venting the frustrations of a suffering people.

"Enough talk. Time for football!" Enock said with a serious smile.

As we walked past the school toward the game, a trash fire smoldered down the road in the distance and I had the fleeting thought, "Wouldn't it be typical if that is burning on the field we're gonna be playing on?"

Of course, it turned out that the fire was, in fact, burning on the very field we were to play on. I set down the big bags of donated soccer balls I had lugged with me from the states and started pumping. The long afternoon light showcased the pocked field's inconsistencies and I wished I had brought my knee braces. Still, the sun was shining and there was a game on, so I headed out for some footy.

Enock, the young man who had been so sharp in our discussion, turned out to be just as sharp on the pitch. He and his brother both had a soft touch and a strong shot. I was huffing in no time, worrying about how much I wanted to commit to a full on mid-air battle for the ball against a 6'4" wiry Goliath coming toward me. One thing about Haitian players, I tell ya...100% commitment on the field. I watched in silent horror as a kid, maybe twelve, slid in for a beautiful barefoot tackle against a player easily twice his age, and size, and who was wearing cleats.

I tried my best to blast a few shots off, but I admit I was under-gunned. These kids were not going easy on the "blanc" in the "Inter" jersey and I had to do my best just to keep up. But, thankfully, I staved off injury and made it off the field in one piece, though, sweating like a fountain.

I am stoked I got the chance to play this, the beautiful game, again in Haiti, where they do play so beautifully and so hard.

Enock is right. These players need organization, competition, and the hope, even if it is the slightest hope...that if they believe in themselves and work hard, that they could become a professional soccer player some day. May sound like a pipe dream, but where would we be without seemingly impossible dreams to push us to the next level?

Where indeed would the players like Messi, Maicon, Xavi, and Donovan be without youth soccer in their lives? Let's help these kids experience even more of the power of this game by finding ways of supporting organized leagues in Haiti. With the guidance of local heros like Boby Duval, political activist and founder of L'Athletique d'Haiti, these kids can experience some of the joys that have helped shape lives like mine.