March 5, 2009Thursday night training on the small field this evening at Gametime. A chore nobody enjoys, but that has been one of the constraints all season. There seems to always be a snafu, glitch, or caveat to this, what it amounts to is, a start-up league.
A few of us who have been playing together for 5 indoor season now are used to dealing with the adversity that comes with trying to keep a positive image of what we are trying to accomplish. A championship season for the city of Cincinnati. Not that anyone would raise and eyebrow to our achievement.
Soccer throughout the nation seems to hit a brick wall after the initial fanfare dies down. A few spectators who wish soccer would catch on, as do the emotional attachments that NFL and MLB fans seem to possess as steroid use, DUI pick ups, wife beatings & drunken brawls are typically news worthy events.
Sometimes even sports related issues as massive financial transactions under ridiculous salary caps amid a league wide scandal and supreme court investigations fuel the fire for more exciting gossip and story telling.
All which basically amounts to as a soap opera for a Man's Man.
We don't get much hype. We don't get much money. I'd like to glamorize the fact that we play because we love the game, which is part of it. Of course we'd love the fanatic hooligans that bolster its club as die hard supporters, chanting and rooting, rioting and looting, and overall generating a rabid fanbase that makes our side want to play for our real hometown heros.
The simple fact is that even my own dad calls me a grass fairy! That's just the way our culture perceives the sport. No blame to them. It's also a generation gap. Ask anyone over the age of 40 and most likely they'll tell you that their high school didn't even have a soccer team.
Regardless of the lack of hype, it is a sport I've never been burnt out from playing too much. Ever since my first ASYO season in Hawaii as a 4 year old, I have never missed a season.
That's endurance throughout my lifetime. The endurance necessary to win championships. The seasons can be long as hell, riddled with injuries, niggles, and disappointments. There have been a few things to smile about, especially the silly laughter that occurs on road trips with a group of unique teammates that just want to pass the time before and after each game.
We are St. Louis bound this Saturday for our last regular season game. If we win, we knock STL Illusion out of the playoff hunt and secure a great victory on the road against a damn good talented organization.
Stockton, California will greet us briefly for an awards ceremony on Friday, March 13th, which we have been told we will be reaping some silverware. Our semi-final game will be played on Saturday versus the winner of the 4 & 5 seeded teams, most likely a team from the Mexican division. Sunday is the grand finale agaisnt, hopefully, Stockton as they seem to gather a few thousand in crowds. Plus, they feel they need to redeem themselves to avenge their loss in the Nati.
It's up to us to bring back the first championship trophy to the PASL professional league. We have our work cut out for us. Cross your fingers.
I believe there is a feature online where the game will be broadcast. More on that later. tater.
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