When Anton Peterlin was 16 years old he called himself "Alex" and played for the San Francisco Seals U17s.  That must seem like ages ago to the 22 year old Anton Peterlin who just signed a contract with Everton.  Yes, that's  "Everton,"  of the better known team, of the English Premier league (EPL).  Anton played for the Seals almost exclusively over the next 5 years during the Spring and Summer seasons until last Summer, 2008. That Summer he hooked up with the Ventura Fusion and Coach Graham Smith who introduced him to Everton FC, of the English Premier League.  

One might ask:  how does a local San Francisco kid, who is virtually unknown in the larger world of soccer, sign with a team like Everton,  a near impossible achievement?  The EPL has strong barriers to the entrance of Americans into their football leagues.  Anton, though, is not just an American.  He's also a Danish citizen and his European passport allowed him to circumvent the strongest barrier to Americans who are trying to break the "iron curtain" of EPL football.  But Anton needed more than a passport.  He also needed to break down another formidable barrier than seems as strong as the EPL formal restrictions that keep out almost all Americans except for a few members of the United States National Team.  Anton needed to convince the Brits that he can play the game. That's a tough one.  That means credibility.   The handful of Americans currently in the EPL struggle (except for our goalkeepers who are among the world's best). Undeterred by all this, and rejected by the Chicago Fire and the San Jose Earthquakes, Anton took off for England and tried out. To nearly everyone's amazement, except for those who are familiar with Anton's exceptional determination, not to mention his growing acumen in the sport, Everton signed him to a contract.

But this is not a simple story:  Just about anyone who knows anything about soccer, or "football" as it's called nearly everywhere else in the world, wants to know how does an American make it to the Big Show in England.  Make no mistake, it's a Big Show, considerably bigger in profile, fan fever, and cash spent than the American brand with the same name.