it's no secret i love soccer. i've watched all levels. i've played all
levels. every summer that's a world cup summer are months i never want
to end. i played internationally against some of the toughest
opponents imaginable. i shut down a former indoor super star in an
exhibition match. i've travelled through this great country of ours
playing the beautiful game. i've won big games. i've lost big games.
i've been blown out by strangers and i've been in knock down drag out
battles against guys i've known my whole life. but saturday, i saw the best game of my life when my five year old
boys battled it out with another five year old team. i've often said that despite the fact that neither my brother nor i
became famous pro soccer players even after all the time and money my
family spent for our years of playing, the sport we've both played for
over thirty years helped form us both into the men we are. it taught
us honor and fair play. it taught us camaraderie and discipline and
work ethic. the game taught me to go further than i thought possible,
to dig deeper, to find reserves of strength and power i might not have
otherwise been aware of. it gave me confidence that i can't describe.
some of the things i've had to endure as an adult, i learned to deal
with playing a game. to not give up, to keep trying no matter what
odds are before me, to keep my head even when it would be easier to
give up. saturday i saw two evenly matched teams of five year old boys going
after their goals with determination equalled only by the other teams'
desire not to let them score. they were playing to win. they were
playing for sheer joy and love of the game. and it was a defensive slug fest. Tiny Tank and another boy on our team had played a baseball game
against one another earlier in the day, and by the end of the game,
after a back and forth battle, a gritty game length brawl for the
ball, both were starting to flag. it was awesome to see them both with
hands on knees between plays, then getting right back into the mix and
continuing to fight hard. i lost track of Tank's blocked shots,
defended rushes, and take aways, but i won't ever forget the little
fist pump he gave when he scored and then immediately looked to me for
my reaction. which was me jumping up and down and yelling like i had
won the lottery. because i did. five years ago.
ghost
1 comment: