Seven nations are locked in for competition at the 2009 International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship this summer. One remaining team will round out the eight-nation, four-continent field, and all will be decided on Feb. 14.
Panama's junior national team (ages 19 and under) will travel to face Mexico in Mexico City for the chance to then take on the world on the biggest stage in international football history June 27 - July 5 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States have already qualified for the inaugural event.
However, the players won't be the only ones participating in the game filled with pride and honor. Four U.S. officials - Bill LeMonnier, Alex Barinaga, Roberto Morales and Brent Durbin - are also looking forward to making the trip to Mexico City - as part of the seven-man crew that will officiate the final JWC qualifying game.
"I'm looking forward to a great game and a good time," said Barinaga, a USA Football officiating member and Gulf South Conference official. "I'm excited to see the level of football of countries outside the United States and see where they're at."
In order to face Mexico, Team Panama had its first challenge come from the Bahamas on Jan. 24. But the defense of the newly formed Bahamas junior national team was overmatched and outplayed, as Panama's dominance on offense translated into a 52-6 victory.
LeMonnier, USA Football's Officiating Consultant and a Big Ten Conference official, was able to get a first-hand glimpse of Team Panama a few weeks ago in its matchup with the Bahamas.
"It was only the second year of competition for the Bahamas team and Panama has been playing a few more years, and it showed in how they were coached and handled things," LeMonnier said. "It was a very spirited game from the opening kickoff to the end; the Bahamas team didn't quit.
"The kids were just a pleasure to work with, their effort was fantastic, their sportsmanship was outstanding and the coaches were good to work with."
One thing LeMonnier said he enjoys most about international competition is being able to work with officials from different countries. He worked with officials from both the Bahamas and Panama in January, and together they went over video the night before the game for almost three hours.
For LeMonnier, the challenge arises when the crew actually gets together on the field.
"There's probably a little more tendency by the overall international officials to make more technical calls," he said. "We tend to let them play a little more in the United States, but elsewhere there's a tendency for more pass interference and holding.
"Sometimes that's the biggest adjustment we have to work on as a crew so we're consistent, and we can be on the same page with what we're going to call and not call."
LeMonnier, a college official since 1980, said he is looking forward to working with the three Mexican officials that will round out the officiating crew and welcomes the opportunity to participate in his fourth international football game this Saturday. But for Barinaga, the initial excitement of his first international game hasn't quite set in yet.
"I was pretty awestruck that they would select me," Barinaga said. "And Bill himself having worked the Panama-Bahamas qualifier, it was pretty striking to be considered amongst those guys."
Durbin is also an accomplished Big Ten Conference official, so the trip to Mexico City is a chance for him and LeMonnier to team up again. On the other hand, the Junior World Championship qualifier will be the first time Barinaga and LeMonnier have worked alongside each other - on the field, that is.
Barinaga has shown his enthusiasm for officiating by rendering his services as a contact for both LeMonnier and Tony Michalek, USA Football's Director of Officiating, in the South Florida area. Always looking to hone his skills on the field, Barinaga appreciates the film he receives from two of his mentors.
"With me being toward the end of my career, you look at Alex and you're envious of his youth and energy and things you used to have," LeMonnier said. "He rekindles our spirits; he gets us going. He has a really bright future ahead of him.
"Alex keeps telling me what an honor this is for him, and I keep telling him it's the other way around. I'm really excited about getting a chance to work with him."
Barinaga has come a long way in the 13 years he has donned the pinstripes, having officiated his first Division II playoff game in 2005. But what he will remember most, is his very first collegiate game after being named a Gulf South Conference official in 2003.
"It was the University of West Georgia and West Alabama," he said. "I was full of butterflies and nervous as a kid going to prom. Working your first college football game and knowing you made it to that level is one of the most important experiences."
LeMonnier ranks international games right up there with some of his fondest officiating memories, which include working Michigan-Ohio State games when both were ranked 1-2 in the country and the unforgettable Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma in 2007, and he is confident that this weekend will provide many more.
"Just the experience of the whole thing, I never envisioned when I started officiating 35 years ago that I'd get a chance to do international officiating," LeMonnier said. "I'm looking forward to this as one of those things to remember."
