Futbol de Calle a success in Queens

The disco ball and multi-colored lights that adorned the ceiling and wooden dance floor in the center of Extravaganza of Woodside, Queens harkened back to a scene in the days where John Travolta's swiveling and shaking to the Bee Gees was the coolest thing around.

On Saturday afternoon however, instead of free-wheeling, bellbottom-wearing dancers putting their moves on in the dance floor, there were guys and girls in shorts and t-shirts bouncing and soccer balls off their bodies in an almost effortless, and in many cases, flashy manner.

This was part of the scene of Red Bull New York's first preliminary Red Bull Fútbol de Calle event on Saturday, as over 30 freestyle soccer hopefuls converged at Extravaganza and strutted their stuff yesterday, trying to impress judges and book their ticket to the Fútbol de Calle finale and ultimately, a spot on the Red Bulls Freestyle Soccer Team.

Set to hit the streets in March, the team will ultimately represent the Red Bulls at a variety of special events, tournaments and other locations throughout the NY/NJ area. After the prelim events are concluded, participants who are selected will advance to the Red Bull Fútbol de Calle finale, which will be held at a premier location in late February in New York City.

On Saturday morning, a steady line of bundled up participants in all shapes and sizes lined up outside of the event to show what they've got.

After participants registered, they were allowed to warm-up in a designated area. Due to the characteristically bitter temperatures that greet New Yorkers in January, it took a little while for some participants to get into their stride.

"I do a lot of tricks with my head, my chest. I'm pretty relaxed and do whatever comes to me," said the first person to tryout, Kylie Barbosa, who was also one of three female participants on Saturday.

The freestylers were then ushered into a separate, closed-off room where three judges evaluated their skill.

For some, like Omar Herrera, he felt confident of his ability but a little nervous standing in front of a set of judges.

"It was pretty good but I think I was kind of nervous. I had too many eyes on me," he said. "But I think I could definitely do much better."

Next, participants were then randomly interviewed, answering questions about style, background and personality. Then, everyone had a chance to speak in front of a camera to talk about their own performance in a special "confessional" room.

"It was pretty interesting because I watch MTV and it was kind of like the "Real World." It was kind of funny talking to just the camera," said Herrera, who described his style on the field as "fast ... going crazy, [taking] everything to the edge."

With participant levels expected to be high at the other two preliminary events, competition to see who makes it into the Red Bull Fútbol de Calle finale and Freestyle Team will be intense. Yet, despite the outcome of Saturday's participants, most of them seemed to have a good time.

"I think it's such a great idea, bringing a good opportunity to young people like me, to come and show your tricks and be part of something big," Herrera said. "I know the Red Bull Freestyle Team is going to be huge."

"I think it's a really good idea," Barbosa said. "I like street soccer a lot, it's a lot of fun, it's very creative and it's different, so I think a lot of people are going to join it because it's so different."

The Red Bulls other two prelims will take place next weekend at the following loactions:

MANHATTAN

NEWARK

There is still time to register! For more information, log onto www.redbullfutboldecalle.com or www.newyorkredbulls.com, call 1.877.RBSOCCER or e-mail futboldecalle@newyorkredbulls.com.