Friday, July 17, 2009
what does my heart say today? my heart says nothing. it is a muscle, a machine performing a simple, ever-repetitive task. your heart says nothing, it is an illusion created by emotion. the true question is, what are my emotions telling me? they are trying to distract me with superfluous residue, the refuse of stress. my emotions are not to be trusted at the moment, at least those emotions that are dominating the spectrum. so, what is my mind have to say in response? self-pity is counter-productive. it feeds on itself until it flares out of control and starts to effect other emotions and decision making processes. the mind says stop. it says you are allowed moments of weakness. you are allowed to take a break, to retreat and take some time for yourself when you feel overwhelmed, but then that has to stop. i have been given my allowance, so it is time to start today over again as my self, once again surrounded by the familiar blanket of normality.
good morning.
tomorrow is going to be an excellent day. i realize, fairly acutely, that the quality of our soccer team is not that great compared to the better competition that the world has to offer. most of all, it lacks fluidity. you watch great teams, and they flow down the field. the ball does not stop moving. the players do not stop running. what changes is who is propelling the ball as the action progresses down the field. our team is not at that level yet. passes are made, and the ball has to be controlled before the action can reset. sure, they may string a few together, but inevitably the action will pause, and it will allow other players to make it to the ball, schoolyard scrum style.
tomorrow, i get to see an elite team. one of the best the world has to offer, and it will be glorious. and it is ok, even though my team may be outclassed, the other team still has to play our team. to a certain extent, the speed of the game will have to slow down slightly. there will still be a certain fluidity, but it will be somewhat less dynamic due to the lower level of competition. that will open up more opportunities for their players to display individual feats of skill. i have no doubts that my team will lose, and exhaust themselves with effort trying to keep up with a pace beyond what they can handle. that kind of effort is infectious though. i am sure these games are fun for the other elite teams that come to play. they get to show off, as long as they feel this spirit of the game.
therein lies my job. my goal at this game. at this game, and the fc barcelona game we are going to see later, my job is to show these elite international teams that we are real fans. my job is to get drunk, rowdy, and make tons of noise. to follow the action intently, and respond to my teams efforts. to join in singing "the referee's a wanker" when we get jobbed, despite the fact that it is just a friendly. my job is to enjoy the game for the love of the sport, and enthusiastically transmit those feelings to the players on the pitch. these european players may have played mls friendlies before, but they have never played the sounders at qwest with 67,000 strong. i will be there, in the thick of the craziest crazies seattle has to offer, representing gorilla fc. i want to make those elites walk off the field with a new respect for mls soccer, not for the level of play which is still obviously lacking, but for the level of excitement generated by its fans. i want those players to leave saying, "it would fun to play for that team, that is something to think about in the future."
my team has already elevated the level of play in american soccer. that is not to say they are the best team. but they are a good team, in terms of the league. one of the better teams in the league, despite having existed for only a half season. our presence expands the skill threshold. we have dedicated owners and a rabid fanbase. the best part is, it will only get better from here.
i'm sounders til i die. cheers to soccer, for giving me another local sports team to obsess about unhealthily, to the detriment of family and friends.
good morning.
tomorrow is going to be an excellent day. i realize, fairly acutely, that the quality of our soccer team is not that great compared to the better competition that the world has to offer. most of all, it lacks fluidity. you watch great teams, and they flow down the field. the ball does not stop moving. the players do not stop running. what changes is who is propelling the ball as the action progresses down the field. our team is not at that level yet. passes are made, and the ball has to be controlled before the action can reset. sure, they may string a few together, but inevitably the action will pause, and it will allow other players to make it to the ball, schoolyard scrum style.
tomorrow, i get to see an elite team. one of the best the world has to offer, and it will be glorious. and it is ok, even though my team may be outclassed, the other team still has to play our team. to a certain extent, the speed of the game will have to slow down slightly. there will still be a certain fluidity, but it will be somewhat less dynamic due to the lower level of competition. that will open up more opportunities for their players to display individual feats of skill. i have no doubts that my team will lose, and exhaust themselves with effort trying to keep up with a pace beyond what they can handle. that kind of effort is infectious though. i am sure these games are fun for the other elite teams that come to play. they get to show off, as long as they feel this spirit of the game.
therein lies my job. my goal at this game. at this game, and the fc barcelona game we are going to see later, my job is to show these elite international teams that we are real fans. my job is to get drunk, rowdy, and make tons of noise. to follow the action intently, and respond to my teams efforts. to join in singing "the referee's a wanker" when we get jobbed, despite the fact that it is just a friendly. my job is to enjoy the game for the love of the sport, and enthusiastically transmit those feelings to the players on the pitch. these european players may have played mls friendlies before, but they have never played the sounders at qwest with 67,000 strong. i will be there, in the thick of the craziest crazies seattle has to offer, representing gorilla fc. i want to make those elites walk off the field with a new respect for mls soccer, not for the level of play which is still obviously lacking, but for the level of excitement generated by its fans. i want those players to leave saying, "it would fun to play for that team, that is something to think about in the future."
my team has already elevated the level of play in american soccer. that is not to say they are the best team. but they are a good team, in terms of the league. one of the better teams in the league, despite having existed for only a half season. our presence expands the skill threshold. we have dedicated owners and a rabid fanbase. the best part is, it will only get better from here.
i'm sounders til i die. cheers to soccer, for giving me another local sports team to obsess about unhealthily, to the detriment of family and friends.
