Where soccer and glamour go together

Hollywood United women's team gaining in popularity, as the men prepare to battle the Timbers

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Jun 9, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Hollywood United Girls Soccer (HUGS) is a branch of the L.A.-based club that will play the Portland Timbers at PGE Park on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately for some Portland fans, and maybe fortunately for the Portland players, the Hollywood United women’s team won’t be on hand when the club’s top men’s team plays the Timbers at PGE Park on Tuesday night.

The Hollywood United men, who compete in the amateur ranks, qualified recently for the first-round match with the Timbers in the annual U.S. Open Cup, a tournament to decide the best team in the country.

But the Hollywood United women – also known as HUGS (Hollywood United Girls Soccer) – can play a little, too. And they are building an even bigger following with their dual emphasis on athleticism and looks.

“We want to send the message that you can play sport and be glamorous,” says team captain Beate Antares, who began the HU women’s program two years ago.

“It all happened because of a broken heart,” she says. “At the time, I needed female camaraderie and wanted some strong women around me.”

The HU women play in a local amateur league and, though the magic of photos and video on the Internet and other means of modern communication, they have become popular in Europe and elsewhere.

“Especially England … we’ve signed with a manager there,” Antares says.

ESPN is looking into coverage of the women’s team, “and we’re working on putting together some sort of tour to Europe and here in the states.”

The HUGS Web site describes the group as “an all girls soccer team chock full of HOT dames! Which means we know how to work it on and off the field.” Players are said to have backgrounds in film, TV, dance, martial arts and other activities. The HUGS mission is “to bring soccer to the forefront of sports in the United States. Through uncompromised discipline, rigorous training and a high requisite in recruitment, we aim to provide the highest qualify of the female athletic entertainer. … Strong character and the will to succeed are hallmarks of the HUGS.”

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