Former player ready to star against Ronaldinho and the rest of the World Cup favorites Ex-Shell Shocker midfielder Andrew Barron is preparing for the greatest day of his career - the chance to take the field against Brazil and battle it out with World Player of the Year Ronaldinho. As many as one billion people are expected to watch the exhibition game which is being beamed live around the globe. It sold out in days and organizers have issued more than 1,000 press credentials.   Barron is in the New Zealand squad currently touring Europe who take on Brazil in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday. It will be the last game before the World Cup for the mighty South American nation who are red-hot favorites to defend the title they won in Japan four years ago.  They are five-time winners of the tournament which kicks off on Friday June 09. Barron, 25, is a graduate of William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and starred for the Shell Shockers during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He then moved to Northern Irish league club Lisburn Distillery before returning home to New Zealand where he now turns out for Canterbury United. In an email to his friends and former team mates in New Orleans he said: “It’s unreal and pretty exciting. I’m going to try and chop down Ronaldinho - and then ask for his autograph during the match!” Barron is already part of New Zealand soccer history as he was in the squad which defeated Georgia 3-1 on Sunday - the side’s first-ever win on European soil. He appeared as a second-half substitute on Thursday in a 1-1 tie against Estonia in Tallinn, only his country’s second drawn game on the continent in 42 years of trying. Shell Shockers Head Coach Kenny Farrell said on Thursday: “Andrew’s rise has been meteoric and everyone in New Orleans is delighted for him. To get the chance to step onto the pitch and test yourself against the greatest players on the planet is a dream come true. “We wish him all the luck in the world, and it shows that sports fans in Southern Louisiana who come to support the Shell Shockers this year could be watching the soccer stars of tomorrow.” The New Orleans Shell Shockers were formed in 2003 and play in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference of the Premier Development League. Head Coach Kenny Farrell was awarded the PDL’s prestigious ‘Coach of the Year’ title after a spectacular first season in which they won more games than any other team in the country. The league features the best emerging talent in the nation and the season runs from March until August.

Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 (Archive on Sunday, June 04, 2006) Posted by susan  Contributed by susan

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