An Ode to Soccer

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Battle on the Pitch

(An Ode to Soccer)

They dress in pressed uniforms and lace up polished boots

Hair styled to make a statement

Hoping to fuel propaganda

Evaluating many years of training

Sweat trickles down their brows

Lined up in formation, they march down the tunnel

Emerging onto the battle pitch

Enemies absorb their surroundings

Trumpets blare, voices thunder

Opposing forces waving flags

Tempers flare on painted faces

Listen to their violent cries

Stoic they stand while the anthems of nations play

Anxiously they wait to enter into combat

In the distance

Over the cacophony

They finally hear the whistle

The ground shakes

Opponents clash

The captain yells out orders

Attackers dive

Defenders lose ground

One side is heading to the slaughter

Battles rage on, day after day

Blood is spilled

Players ejected

Most dreams end in failure

Few move on, for the next round is reserved

For those who do not falter

Riots erupt, fueled by devoted followers

Refusing to accept defeat

Each day a new hero’s crowned

Worshipped across a nation

And in his hometown

At the culmination of a tumultuous month

The last victor stands triumphant

Hoisting the golden statue in the air – the symbol of a champion

That’s the beauty of the World Cup

Cross One Off the Bucket List

I'm a diehard soccer fan. My father is from Germany, so it's the only ball sport he really knows, so I grew up not only watching games, but also playing since I was five years old. My competitive career ended in the 8th grade because I was a better cross country runner than I was soccer player, but I played intramural soccer in college and indoor soccer last winter with a bunch of guys (I was 1 of 2 girls) from around the world. We joked that it was our own little UN meeting in Mount Pocono.
Even though I haven't kept up on my skills, I have definitely kept up with my fandom. From my memory, I've watched all the World Cups since Valderamma played for Colombia (I remember his crazy hair). I was in Germany for the 2006 Men's World Cup and the 2011 Women's World Cup. When it comes to men's soccer, I cheer for Germany since I'm a dual citizen and they clearly have a better team than the United States. When it comes to women's soccer, though, I struggle because both Germany and the USA are so good. If they aren't playing each other, the choice is easy. But when they play each other, it's a real toss up because I appreciate both teams so much.
Back in 2010, I was bummed that there was a USA vs Germany game in Cleveland the day before I left on my cross country roadtrip. It would have been awesome and amazing to begin the trip by going to the game, but that just wasn't in the cards in 2010. Thankfully, though, I was able to cross a USA vs. Germany soccer game off my bucket list last night. Team USA is currently on a victory tour since they came home with the Olympic gold medal from London. When I was watching one of their televised games, I noticed the billboard in the background advertising that the USA would play Germany, so I quickly went online for details. At first I was bummed again because the first thing that popped up was that the teams were playing in Chicago, but then I realized that there would be a game in East Hartford, CT, only 3.5 hours from home, which to me is just down the road. I immediately purchased tickets and anxiously awaited for October 23rd to arrive.
Yesterday I muddled around the house before I hopped, well more like hobbled, into the car to drive to Rentschler Stadium for the game. I arrived around 5:30pm and was thankful for my water resistant winter coat and Goretex pants since it began raining and did not really let up until the tail end of the game. I waited in line outside the gates since they weren't open yet, and then I made a beeline for the merchandise stand to buy a scarf. On my way there, I quick stopped to purchase a program on the off chance I would be able to get autographs, and plus, I enjoy reading so it seemed like an appropriate fan purchase. I then made my way to my seat, which was in section 121 row 8 seat 9. When I sat down, the woman in front of me turned around for small talk, making me feel welcome and at home in a stadium of over 18, 000 people. She had apparently flown up from Virginia specifically for the game and was a little bummed about the rain, but happy that she was there.
I was really happy with my seating arrangement right at midfield. It made for optimum picture taking, since I wanted to document the moment the best I could. Taking pictures during the game did detract slightly from me focusing on the big picture, but I witnessed all of the goals and don't feel like I missed out at all. I was able to get some great closeups of both German and American players, and some great action shots as well.
Even though the game ended in a tie, I was very happy for the number of goals. Each team scored two goals, and each one was unique in execution. I was thrilled for the header by Abby Wambach, since she is a legend in the sport already. It was also great to see the up and coming Tobin Heath score a goal. The Germans definitely dominated possession in the first half, and I couldn't even be frustrated that they scored since I really like the German team. I'm just a bit rusty on who plays because the team is young and my two favorite players, Prinz and Gerafrekes, have both retired from international play. The game was definitely thrilling, and I felt very at home in the crowd because I was able to answer certain questions about players and I was able to joke about the weather with the woman next to me as she gave me updates on the front from her iPhone. For a diehard soccer fan, the night couldn't have been any better. Drier, but not better.

Pocono Summit

My typical Thursday night involves trekking to Pocono Summit for a friendly game of indoor soccer. It's a good way to slowly get back into shape and blow off some steam from the week. Tonight was no different, but definitely more intense and energizing. Nothing like a ball to the face and getting thrown into a wall accidentally to tire me out and make my whole body ache so I can fall asleep faster tonight...

DC Adventure Part 2

Our adventure on Day 2 in DC didn't begin until about 4:30pm. We had spent most of the day sleeping/recuperating from the previous night's shenanigan's, but then our new friend Bern texted Chrissy saying that he was going rock climbing and was wondering if we were interested in accompanying him. We eagerly agreed and determined all of the logistics and before long, we were on our way to Sportrock Climbing Gym in Alexandria, VA. Once we arrived, Bern greeted us and helped us rent our gear and then got climbing. We began on the ropes on the shorter wall and Chrissy and I easily maneuvered our way to the top. Next was the gigantic wall that Chrissy successfully climbed, while I stopped a little past halfway and decided I was tired and didn't much enjoy being up that high. After monkeying around on another short wall briefly, we moved on to bouldering. Bouldering is a bit more technical and requires a lot of determination to overcome the frustrations of some of the routes. Bern was giving some great advice on how to traverse some of the technical spots. It was also fun just watching him leap around like a spider-monkey.
Once we grew too exhausted to climb anywhere, we parted ways and went back to the apartment to order food. We decided to order sandwiches from the Lost Dog Cafe and eat in so we could get ready to go out dancing. We each had some Boga, which is Tunisia's version of Sprite, and some Jim Beam before going out to Rumors near Dupont in DC. We met some interesting people there who had just gotten back from Afghanistan. We all had a few drinks and danced up a storm most of the evening before catching a cab and crashing for the night. All in all, another great adventure to be had and I'm super excited to have many more in the future. Too bad it's back to reality tomorrow.
Sidenote, the Women's World Cup started today in Germany. France beat Nigeria 1-0 and Germany ousted Canada 2-1. The goal scored by Canada was the first World Cup goal Germany conceded since the 2003 World Cup.

USA vs. Mexico Women's Soccer Game

Back on Sunday, June 5th, Chrissy and I ventured to Harrison, NJ, to witness our first ever professional soccer game.  Chrissy isn't exactly a soccer fan, but she can get excited over just about anything, making her a fantastic traveling companion.
I was super excited to finally get to see the US women's team play, especially in their final game before the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany. A banner was setup for fans to sign as a good luck present to the team. Also, before the game, legendary goalkeeper, Brianna Scurry, was signing autographs. Not only did we get autographs, but we also had our picture taken with her.

Following the autograph session, we found our way to our seats in Red Bull Arena. And let me tell you, they were some pretty fantastic seats. We were 7 rows back off of the field just to the left of midfield. As Chrissy described it, we could have gotten hit by a ball if it was kicked our way. It was cool getting to watch the teams warm-up and then witness the national anthems. Following the anthems, Kristine Lilly, the Queen of Caps (international appearances) was honored because she retired in January after a 23 year career.

Mexico kicked off to start the game, which began pretty slow. Passing wasn't great on either side, and very few shots were actually taken. I was just enjoying the atmosphere and taking lots of pictures. The score was 0-0 at the half. Team USA came to life in the second half, finally. Abby Wambach had some good attempts on goal, though nothing hit net. Numerous shots were taken, but the Mexican goal keeper, who was all of 16 years old, made some outstanding saves. It wasn't until the 91st minute that Cheyney scored a goal for the United States. It came just in time, considering there were only 4 minutes of stoppage time.
Following the game, the US team was presented with the signed banner and Rampone and Wambach were interviewed. The team's coach was also interviewed and also happened to sing a few lines of "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen (how fitting considering he is a Jersey native). All in all, it was a great experience and I can't wait until I'm in Germany for the Women's World Cup final in July.