Why Soccer?

Another recollection post and I figured I would talk about one of the most important things in my life - soccer. How did I become so big into soccer when I live in the United States, a country that pretty much shuns the sport despite the the best efforts of many fans in this country? And you know it is rare because I know my fellow blogger Rhys has referred to me on his blog as the Yank who actually likes soccer. My love for soccer started many years ago and I really owe it all to my dad.

I started playing soccer on a club team at the young age of six. Why soccer and not T Ball like all the other kids. Well, as I mentioned before, this is because of my father. He signed me up and it is mainly because he had played all his life. In fact, he was apparently pretty good when he was young and played in some of the finest stadiums in Mexico as a sort of semi-pro. He continued to play when he came to the U.S. and it just seemed like a natural progression for me to continue in his footsteps.

I joined a team with my classmates from elementary school and my dad helped as the assistant coach. By the second year, he was coach as he clearly knew more and he would be my club team coach for the rest of my life. It is here that I made some of my longest friendships and this is partially because not only did I get along with my teammates, my parents got along with their parents. Get togethers were plentiful because everyone got along so well. Friendships were built that lasted many years.

There was not a year that I didn't play soccer as a kid and I never got tired of it. In high school, it was just an understood thing that I would be playing soccer. The high school soccer years were made up of good and bad times, but it was fun to be part of two teams. It was really around high school that my true love of soccer came about. This is the part that separated me from the large majority of my soccer playing friends. This is when I learned to appreciate actually watching soccer. You always (well, usually) like a sport when you are playing it, but soccer here is one of the sports that is not quiet understood and appreciated even by those who play it. Hence, the majority of my friends who I played with didn't really like to watch professional soccer. A major event changed me forever.

We were lucky enough to have the World Cup here in the United States in 1994. The biggest spectacle in the sport and it was in our own backyard. Before this, soccer was fun, but I wasn't a big fan of the international game. When the World Cup came, it was Summer time and in the right time zone. I got to watch all the games at times that were convenient. Not only did I get to watch all the games, but I was lucky enough to even go to a game. It wasn't a huge game. No major super powers were playing. It was just Russia vs Cameroon. But the atmosphere was something that I will never forget. It was something that truly opened my eyes to soccer and probably is the turning point in my love soccer now that I look back. Here I was in a stadium and it wasn't filled with the usual stadium idiots who are too drunk to even pay attention. No, here I was sitting down and to my left were a group of Russians who probably made the journey from Russia, chanting their cheers in unison. On my right, a group of people from Cameroon in their full native garb, banging their drums and dancing in the stands even when their team was getting blown out. This is what soccer was about. This was an atmosphere that is just not found anywhere else. Since then, I have been a fan and the 4 years in between World Cup tournaments is hell for me.

After high school, I still managed to play a little soccer here and there. I played in an adult league which was fun, but memorable for me because I was now on the same team as my father. He wasn't my coach, but my teammate. His good years had passed him by due to knee surgery, but at least once every game, you could see the brilliance he used to have. It was an honor to play with him. I played a little indoor soccer a few years ago, but that has really been it for me. The last two times I have played have been in alumni games for my high school and although they have been fun, they have been less than memorable for me due to my weight game since I used to play consistently.

And now, my love for soccer is stronger than ever. I try to catch every big soccer game I can. Hell, I pay for two channels that are strictly soccer channels. How lucky am I? This has helped me follow my favorite team better, Manchester United. Hard to follow the team when you can never see their games. Now I barely miss a game of theirs. Manchester United got me involved in the biggest sports bed I had ever made in my life. I have talked about it before, but I am happy to report that I won my bet with my friend Rich last week and I am now $75 richer thanks to Manchester! How much do I love Manchester? Here is the flag outside my house...



And oh yeah, here is the new license plate I got last week...



Am I a fan? Yeah, I guess you could say that...