Sunday, December 13, 2009

Lots of soccer

All of us have our own memories of playing soccer at various stages growing up. What impresses me is how vivid the memories can be. Especially with Dad - he can recount entire games from 1993. We can still talk about fallacious whistles and epic moments whose stories might lead the innocent into thinking they actually occurred in slow motion. It is funny how much fun I used to have with it being as pathetic as I was. I had some strengths, sure, but I was a rather incomplete player. I had some good times though - and it's still fun to commentate.

Anyone else remember how exciting it was to have World Cup 1994 in the US? We were so sure that was soccer's breakout year - America would be forced to realize its superlativeness. Didn't happen.

And then 1998 was better - we watched 2 games a day all summer until we moved. Of course they were on the Spanish channel Univision, so the commentary was sketchy. And there was that pundit who happened puppet with no eyes - just a massive, bushy unibrow. Any laughing I did had little do with what the comedy they were surely spewing. It was purely ridiculous. I remember the World Cup causing some rubs while we were in California that year - we really wanted to watch it, but things like Sundays and families kept interfering with the World Cup. How rude. I remember loving Holland and seeing Beckham botch it and Zidane be an amazing bald jerk. Great stuff.

4 comments:

Chanda said...

I HATED soccer. Mom and Dad forced me to play. I wanted to dance or learn the piano. Ugh.

Tracethenfold said...

i liked soccer, but was terrible at it. anybody remember playing in standing water? the ball was floating. kick it as hard as you could and all it would do is send a wave of water at your enemies.

of course, the pinnacle of my soccer carrier was the Marlton Recreational Council. stronger bonds or more vicious rivalries were never formed.i sprayed my hair blue for cryin' out loud!

Rugo said...

Chanda, blasphemy! If Ruggles were a nation, our national past-time would be hating baseball and playing soccer!

I remember my favorite season was a horridly losing one, scores like 12-0 were COMMON. We also had a very winning season when me, Trace, and Adam were all on the same team. Once, I actually saw tiny Adam crawl through a guys legs to follow the ball he kicked there. Talk about a Brazilian!

Brian said...

About hating baseball - Timmy, do you remember combining forces on Thanksgiving last year at Keri's to rip on the second lamest of pro sports? David was genuinely stunned. Honestly, it falls between golf and bowling - golf being the singularly lamest pro "sport," of course. I think we completing each other's sentences - it was a beautiful symbiosis of acrimony. Ahhh, lovely times.