Making inroads in inner city

All too often, when inner-city kids show up for a Soccer in theStreets minicamp and see the soccer balls on the ground, they pickthem up and start shooting them toward the nearest basketball hoop.

And you wonder why the United States failed to make an impact atthe World Cup.

When Michael Jordan is the most popular athlete in the countryand Ronaldo might as well be the newest preteen music group, it'shard to convince young ballplayers that converting a corner kick canbe just as fun as scoring on a slam dunk.

But Soccer in the Streets, which has a chapter in Chicago, istrying to generate interest in the sport by targeting city youthswho might not otherwise …