I'm Back!

...and better than ever? Maybe.

I realize it's been a while since I've chronicled by adventures on the soccer field and I can blame that on SMU Football. The season has come to a close and I have more time to focus on some of the little things that bring me joy - this blog being one of them.

My resolution for the new year is to publish here more often and on a variety of different topics. Don't worry - I'll still cover my games as I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat, itching to find out how many goals I scored (2 last night), what I said to the ref, and/or how my team(s) are faring in league play. But an added focus is going to be chronicling the adventures of Courtney and me.

Our couples' resolution is to try at least one new restaurant and at least one new activity in the Dallas area each month. Throughout the year, we will try things neither of us has ever done and I will let you know how each event and meal goes. If we aren't able to fit a new event/restaurant into a particular month, have no fear! We'll just double up the following month or the month after that.

In addition to our new activities, I hope to chronicle some of the other things we do in the upcoming year. Hopefully you will enjoy reading my posts as I know I will surely enjoy writing them!

HEY KNEEBRACE!!

So, last night did not turn out as we had hoped it would. With just three subs, we were missing a couple key players that might have made a difference. The game started out even enough and I think we exchanges two goals apiece. After that, though, we broke down for a bit and surrendered a bigger lead, maybe two or three goals.

Down a few goals at halftime, we still felt confident that we could win the game. They were playing as physical as ever and the refs, for the most part, were calling a pretty even game. Starting in the second half the physicality picked up a bit. They became a little more arrogant and talked some trash to go along with the hacks.

I finally lost my cool with about seven minutes remaining. After asking the ref to watch the big oaf in the red shorts as he inevitably throws a cheap shot after every challenge. Two of those instances later (with no ref intervention), I popped back up and gave the guy a shove. Stupid. Blue card and two minutes in the box.

While in the box, I was subjected to more trash talking by the same guy as well as several others on their team. I was fuming, but decided not to check back into the game after my penalty - mainly because no one wanted out and we were down 10-5 with a couple minutes left in the game.

Once the game ended, I grabbed my bag and headed for the stands. As I approached the door to leave the field, I hear the same big oaf call from behind.

"Hey, kneebrace!" Oh, great. What now? I turn to him to see what else he's got.

"Got something to say now?!" he asks. I don't so I tell him to calm down and let it go. As I turn back to leave, he rushed forward and pushed me in the back. Are you serious?

I was furious. I turned back to him (who would most definitely kill me in a fight) and several people rushed in to break anything up. But that lead to more pushing, shoving, and trash talking by the two teams. One guy was whining that I was pushing all game. Right, because only our team was playing dirty...

My problem with that comment is that both teams are dirty each and every time we play each other. So for one guy to start whining about us playing dirty fires me up. Granted this is the same guy he got in Rich's face saying, "Yeah b----, I b----ed you all game, b----!" Right.
Anyways, this game fired me up and hopefully next time a.) we can finally beat them as that is the only way to shut them up, and b.) I won't get beat up by the big guy in the red shorts. I hate him.

That's all for now. Next game is outdoor on Sunday.

Gameday Preparation

Tonight is the highly anticipated match-up against hated rivals, Curb Stomp.

Earlier in the week, we sent out the email to get a head count for tonight and it's looking like we should have a good number. Along with the head count, we had several people offering up some tactical suggestions. That's how you know it's a big game.

How am I preparing today? Good question. Thus far, I have come into work and prepared a large cup of coffee, which was used to wash down the pepperoni & cheese kolaches I ate for breakfast. I have yet to drink any water, but might shut down a couple glasses by day's end. For lunch, I'm envisioning something along the lines of Jack in the Box or Chipotle.

Just though I'd let you in on my secret to preparing for a big game. No hydration and heavy, greasy food. Just another day in the life of an amateur adult league soccer player.

Playing with Fire...

Looking to build off the momentum of last week's victory, we had a tough opponent for last night's game, Fire, a team that is very difficult to beat. They are always a favorite to win the championship. Luckily for us, the best indoor soccer player in DFW (not named Bomber) was not there for them last night. Without their by-far best player, we had a more favorable match up, although it wasn't going to be an easy game by any means.

From the beginning the game was a close one. It took a few minutes of missed chances for both sides before we finally took the first lead of the game. It was nice to take the lead, but almost instantly it was erased as they scored a quick equalizer.

After a few more minutes of close soccer, a few seconds of brilliant soccer regained the lead. Watching from the bench, four of our players combined one-time passes to eventually find an open man in front of the open goal. 2-1.

With the seconds winding down, we were able to tack on a third goal on an impossible freekick by Rich. Halftime score: 3-1.

We were feeling pretty good at halftime but it was important to keep our composure and not come out slow. This was a good team and we couldn't let them feel like they were back in the game. We came out in the second half with good intensity. As the minutes wore on, they began to get more and more frustrated, resulting in us getting hit in kicked more often.

For the time being, I was doing well and keeping my cool and was able to score a couple goals of my own - nothing spectacular; just some good teamwork combined with good finishing.

With a two or three goal lead, I finally lost my cool after a good stretch of games keeping it under control. After getting hacked time and time again, the refs refused to call anything. His justification: if you stopped, i would have called it. I guess the fact that I didn't stop, but was unable to do anything with the ball was irrelevant. That, combined with the defender throwing an elbow into my chest after the play, set me off.

I fired off a barrage of obscenities and borderline racial remarks (oops!) at both the ref and the opposing player. Luckily, either they didn't understand me or they just didn't care, because I was able to just sub myself off and regain my composure.

Unfortunately for them, I did regain my composure and retaliated in the form of a line drive laser fired into the corner of their net from just inside midfield. That goal put the finishing touch on a great win for us and yet another momentum boost for our game next week against hated rival, Curb Stomp. Until then, go read something else.

-Bomber

Back on Track!

Last night was our first game since the embarrassing loss a week ago and we were out for redemption. The opposition was another new team to the league, though the have done signisficantly better than the others in the first four weeks of the season. (Side note: this team, El Fuego Verde (EFV), consists almost entirely of players from my outdoor team).

With our number one keeper in goal and a bench full of subs, we had put ourselves ina good position to get back in the win column. We looked to come out strong and did just that. After blowing a couple of easy chances, we were able to capitalize when a rebound from the keeper bounced directly to me at the top of the arc. I put good contact on the ball (actually it rolled down my shin and slingshotted off my foot) and the ball wound up in the goal.

At this point, we felt like this game would be a breeze and began to play a bit too nonchalantly. As a result, we conceded the equalizer just a couple minutes after our go-ahead. Shortly after their goal, I put a yellow-line free kick into the top corner of the goal, giving us the lead once again. This time we didn't let down and were able to tack on a couple more goals.

Fast forward to the second half and we found ourselves with about a five goal lead and the flexibility to play around with the ball. I took this opportunity to drop back and play defense. I won't do that again. Every time I received the ball I proceeded to play a perfect ball to the nearest EFV attacker. Our keeper got some pretty good practice during the stretch I was on defense, and after one finally got by him for a goal, I switched back to forward.

We closed out the game without incident. Aside from a couple injuries, everyone kept their cool. I was happy to not show my true colors against my outdoor teammates, and even happier to get a big win and put our team back on track.

Outdoor game on Sunday. Here's to hoping it doesn't get rained out again!

I don't want to talk about it...

Last night was our first game in two weeks and it showed. I apologize for keeping this so short in advance, but I am getting angry hashing this back up.

Having to put Marcus in goal to start, we needed to come out strong and play end to end. That didn't happen and, in what seemed like a matter of minutes, we were down 5-0. Unbelievable. This was a team that we had beaten more times than not and they were wiping the floor with us.

After getting a couple of goals at the end of the half, we were looking at a 6-2 halftime deficit. Our real keeper had shown up halfway through the first but it hadn't made a ton of difference. We were playing lazy and little to no defense. The second half was a bit better, but not by much.

We started out strong and may have even closed the lead even more, but our lazy defense got the best of us and each time we scored to close the gap, we let in a soft goal to open it right back up. My temper almost took over with just a couple minutes remaining but I was somehow able to keep my cool. The game ended 9-5 but it felt much worse. We got embarrassed and need to turn it around as we are about to face the strongest teams in the league.

As I said last night, hopefully this is just our once-a-season game that gets the other teams to underestimate us...

Don't call it a comeback!

Last night's game was a good one. We were playing a team call Lions, which sounded familiar but I didn't really recognize any of the players. Saying we started out slow would be an understatement.

We had a good group of players and a solid keeper but we just weren't really playing soccer to start the game and found ourselves in a 4-0 hole at halftime. The best word to describe the first half is embarrassing. After an inspiring pep talk from Ace, we decided to come out and play like we usually do - with structure, passing and finishing. Although 4 goals is a lot to come back from, we were determined.

Out of the gates, we earned a few quick free kicks. No goals. Finally about 2 minutes into the half, we broke the ice. I don't remember how most of our goals were scored, but once that first one went in, we were in better shape. The score quickly started to tilt in our direction. They scored 1 goal in the first part of the half to our 7. With the score at 7-5, the game got interesting.

We went into a defensive shell, but still conceded another goal. 7-6 with about 2 minutes remaining. That's when tempers started rising. Their biggest punk had the ball at midfield and Ace went for an ambitious tackle, coming up with mostly leg. The punk retaliated but getting in Ace's face, calling him a "flop." When Ace stood up, he shoved him in the chest. Looking to get into the action I ran over to get in his face, and he shoved me. Then Rich came over and also got shoved. Red card. As the punk was backing towards his bench, he counted us out, "one, two, three, four...I'll take all of you!" Simultaneously, he held his hands above his head, forming a diamond with his hands signifying that all four of us are, indeed, pussies. 

The bickering went back and forth and another red card was shown to someone on their bench. Above five minutes later, the clock was reset to 1:14 and they had a free kick, down a man. We held on to our lead, almost adding to it toward the end.

Once the game ended, the punk who challenged four of us to a fight came over to apologize for his actions. Our keeper put it best, "It's funny how many people playing sports will shoot their mouths off and challenge the world to a fight. Those people would never act like that in a bar or in public."

Sadly, I am one of those people.

Return of the Bomber

Not on the field but in the blogging world. For whatever reason (and probably as no surprise to those who know me) I lost motivation to continue writing after each one of my games. Perhaps it was the 3 games per week, or maybe I just got lazy. Whatever it was, it's gone and I am, once again, ready to tell the tales of my soccer adventures.

Since we last spoke, there has been no shortage of action and drama. To keep it short, I will just say that: 1.) neither of my teams made it to the Finals, 2.) I "trampled" an opponent's face which nearly lead to my own broken leg/blown out knee, and 3.) in that same game, both benches cleared and a decent shoving match ensued.

Now that we're caught up, let us focus on last night's game - the first game of the new season for ANI Direct. Our opposition for the game was a new team, that called themselves Pie Cookers. Their oldest player was probably 20 years old and from the looks of them, they were going to be pretty bad. From that standpoint, they didn't disappoint. This one was never a game and we quickly jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Though I scored all 5 of those goals, 2 of them stand out to me. In both instances, we had free kicks from about 12-15 yards out. The keeper had an interesting strategy: "NO WALL!!" I didn't know what to make of this. Actually, I did. With no one in my way, and about 5 people standing on the goal line, I decided to kick the ball as hard as I possibly could. Turned out to work quite well as both shots ricocheted of several players (and one face) before finding themselves in the back of the net.

Halftime saw a score of 6-1, after Bryan added a late first half goal. In games like this, the intensity drops and the play suffers. This game was no different. Although we ended up winning 9-1, the second half wasn't pretty with a lot of individual efforts going unfinished, and a lot of ankles and shins getting hacked at. Fortunately, no tempers really got going and the game ended peacefully.

It's always nice to start off the session with an easy game to get everyone ready to go. We don't play the good teams for a couple more weeks so hopefully the other new teams provide us with more opportunities to tune up. The game that is metaphorically circled on the calendar is July 28th when we play Curb Stomp, the aforementioned team with which we cleared benches.

This season I will be chronicling ANI Direct (Wednesday nights) as well as Inferno II (Sunday outdoor) so make sure you stay tuned. It's good to be back.

-GB Bomber

Must Win Wednesday

Our Wednesday night team has found itself in a rare must-win situation. New, better teams added to our division along with poor attendance on our part has led to us being in fifth place with just two games to go, two points out of a playoff spot. Last night we played the team sitting in third place so a win would propel us past them and into a good position to make the playoffs.

The game started it out very even and both goalkeepers will playing well, keeping us deadlocked at zero for maybe seven minutes. We finally broke through when we were awarded a free kick on the left side of the field about fifteen yards from goal. At this point my shot accuracy had been pretty bad, but I took the kick anyways. A low line drive to the near post beat the keeper and we were up a goal. 

Unfortunately, the lead didn't last too long. Rich went out with an injury so we were down to just one sub. Fatigue kicked in earlier than usual tonight (maybe because the game started at 11:15pm), and we were running around pretty winded. I don't remember how they scored but they did and we were suddenly tied again. The rest of the first half was very even, going almost ten minutes without a goal. Just before halftime, with the seconds winding down, a ball was sent deep into their territory. I settled it around the top of the arc. After facing up to the goal, there were two defenders standing in front of me. Two of my teammates ran to either side of me, making the defenders think about what they wanted to do. Their hesitation was just enough, and I blasted a shot that beat the keeper and gave us a one goal lead going into halftime.

At halftime, I had my concerns for the second. Overall, they seemed to be a younger team and history shows that drop off significantly in the second half of games. Tonight was different. We came out very strong. Or maybe they came out soft. Either way, we jumped out to a two goal lead and didn't look back. 

By the time we were halfway through the second half, we had a safe lead and were able to kill the clock a bit. Our keeper, Tommy, proved to be the best keeper we have played with to date and made several key saves to preserve our large lead. The highlight goal for me would have been the shot I sent from just beyond the yellow line deep into our own half. The ball soared over the keeper, but didn't drop fast enough and hit the wall just above the goal. Instead, I will call my third goal the highlight of the game. Jason was carrying the ball just inside our half. I started to make a run at their last defender. Not knowing where Jason was going to play the ball, I saw a lot of open space to the left and ran that way, evading my defender. Just as I turn I see the ball headed in my direction towards the wall. As I get to the ball, I turn it inside away from the wall. Just as I did, the defender closed in slid for the ball. Perhaps luckily, I flicked the ball up and over the slid, against the wall and back into my path. I ran at the keeper from a tight angle and, just like my last outdoor goal, as I closed in I ran away from him to draw him out and slipped the ball past the near post. A very nice goal indeed.

We had no problem putting the game away and ended up on top 7-1, I think. I scored four goals and kept my cool all game long. A successful game.

Tonight I'm back in the dome and hoping I can rebound from my abysmal performance last week.

Thursday Night Smackdown

Every once in a while, even ringers in a ringer league can drop their game down to the level of the competition. That was the case in the game last night. I will spare you most details, as my personal conduct was embarrassing, to say the least.

The game was actually pretty evenly matched, however; about two minutes in, their best player went down with an injury which put the game in our control. They were a very physical team, and made little to no attempt at the ball when going for a tackle. That never sits well with me and I would soon be fed up.

I didn't do too much to establish myself as a game changer. I think I ended up with just 2 goals, which didn't stand out much in our 6-1 victory. The real drama came in the second half of the game.

Cinco de Mayo Soccer

Tonight was a rare Wednesday game in the dome. Though the field is smaller, there is something about the closed in facility that makes it difficult to catch your breath. After starting out the season strong, we have struggled as of late and tonight's game was a must-win for us. We're rarely in this position but some new teams were added this season so competition is  a bit tougher. Tonight's opponent was a team that we have played several times. A few seasons ago, I might have called them a rival but their roster changes so often that I can only recognize them by one or two consistent players. Their keeper was the showboating type, looking to run forward with the ball after making a save. We were definitely looking to make him pay for his constant runs deep into our half, however; he got the first laugh as he blasted a free kick past our wall and keeper for a 1-0 lead. Then your boy took over...

Sunday Afternoon Game

Yesterday was a great day for soccer. Eighty degrees and sunny. I'm starting to remember how hot it gets in Texas during the summer and not really looking forward to it. The team we were playing was a combination of young and old guys and we lost to them earlier in the season, although I was not at that game. From the opening whistle, it seemed to be a pretty evenly matched game.

The other team broke the deadlock about twenty minutes in when a ball was sent over the top to a lone forward running on. With a one-on-one against our keeper, it was an easy finish for him. The problem with our defense is their lack of speed and athleticism makes us very vulnerable to through balls and breakaways. But that's just part of what you have to deal with in NTPSA Division V soccer, I suppose.

We struck back about ten minutes later, kind of. I collected the ball over along the left sideline. And with my love for cross-field switches, I didn't hesitate to find one of our forwards at the far side of the box. I sent a long ball towards him but, just as it was about to reach him, a defender came out of nowhere to get his head on the ball. And put it into his own goal. 1-1. Credit goes to me, right?

So at the half, we were tied but we had the majority of goal scoring chances. My shooting was horrendous and no one else seemed to offer anything much better. We came out in the first half a little stiff and after just a minute, one of their midfielder took the ball in the middle of the field. With no one there to apply pressure, he sent a shot towards our goal from about thirty yards out. Our keeper never stood a chance. Not because it was a great shot. But because it was on target and he's just not very good. 2-1. 

After that goal, we controlled the ball but saw scoring chance after scoring chance go unfinished. Then we caught a break. As their defense was swinging the ball around the back, they hit a bad pass out towards the right touchline. Playing forward, I raced their right defender to the ball. He got there first, but didn't know what to do with the ball. After dribbling towards the sideline, he was running out of options. I was just staying in front of the ball, not letting him get rid of it. Finally, he made a move to dribble past me. Didn't work. I stuck my foot out and got the ball, sending it twenty yards down the line. Now it was a race between me and their last defender. Just as I was about to get to it, I sensed that he was about to slide. I was correct, and was able to knock the ball past him and jump over his slide tackle. Now I had plenty of room in front of me, but was coming in from a tight angle. I had scored many goals like this as a kid and was very comfortable. As I carried the ball along the goal line, I started out to give myself a bit of a shooting angle. And just as the keeper came off his line, I slipped the ball between him and the near post. 2-2. I was exhausted.

I subbed myself off after my tying goal, which was probably a mistake as our attack didn't produce too many chances for the fifteen minutes I was on the bench. Once I got back in, with just over ten to go, we started to attack more. We saw two breakaways go unfinished, but my best chance came with just two minutes to play. I made a diagonal run through the defense to try to collect a pass from my teammate. Just as it was about to get through, a defender got a foot on it, sending the ball straight up. As it came down, I settled the ball to a small bounce and with plenty of space, I sent a shot towards the far post, missing by just a few feet. 

That was our last real scoring chance and the game came to an end shortly thereafter. We fought back from being down twice, but still felt like we left something on the table. We definitely should have scored the go ahead, but it wasn't to be. Our team looks much better than we did at the start of the season, but it appears to be too little, too late as we would have needed a win to have a chance at playoffs. Still one game to play, but it looks to be a consolation game. Here's to hoping we finish on a winning note!

Thursday Night in the Dome

Just another ringer league game last night. The team we were playing (Swingin D's) was short a guy or two at the start so we came out kind of sluggish assuming it was going to be an easy game. Instead of shooting the ball as I normally do, I was making the difficult pass to teammates in front of the open goal. Unfortunately, there was never a teammate to receive the pass. We went down 2-0 in a matter of minutes. I started to get frustrated, so decided to turn my game on. I went back to my usual self, shooting and dribbling instead of passing. Even though the rest of their team showed up, I scored a couple goals and were tied. The game was a clean one. Their two best players were a couple of little Mexicans who like to dance around the ball. Reminded me of former-ringer Jose, who is currently plying his trade in beautiful El Paso. After encouraging my defenders to apply pressure on the ball, we were able to contain them rather easily.

The first half was very even, though we should have been winning by several goals. The highlight of the half was my second (or was it my third?) goal. The ball was sent forward and was bouncing around the top of the arc. Both the keeper and myself ran towards the ball. When he saw I was going to get there first, he started backpedaling towards the goal. As I approached the ball, I put the softest of touches on it. I popped the ball up in the air. The pudgy little keeper jumped as he neared the goaline and reached with everything he had. He swiped for the ball but got nothing. As he crashed down to the ground, the ball dipped in just under the crossbar and hit the net. A truly beautiful goal.

So with the scored tied at the half, we needed to come strong out of the gates to start the second. That didn't happen. Instead, we exchanged a few goals and with about ten minutes to go, we were tied at 6. That's when we kicked into gear. After their latest tying goal, I collected the ball from the ensuing kickoff and carried it towards the goal along the boards. As I neared the corner, I fired a shot to the far post. Goal. A minute later we stole the ball back from them deep in their end and, after a nice pass from a teammate, I tucked the ball into the net. Up by two goals now, the game was ours. We closed out the half with a couple more goals and won the game. When all was said and done, I think I netted five goals. Not a bad night.

Although it was a bit closer than usual, we were able to pull it out and our quest for an undefeated season and championship t-shirt continues. Rain is in the weekend forecast, so a Sunday outdoor game might be out of the question. Oh well - that's the life of an amateur I suppose.

Sunday Rematch

If I cared enough about my amateur soccer leagues, Sunday's game was one that I would have circled on the calendar weeks ago. It was a rematch against the guy who had headbutted me, and the team that had beaten us pretty badly. With the field and weather conditions significantly better, we were confident that we could beat them this time around.

The game was pretty even from the start. I decided to play out wide on the left again, a position that I feel is better for me on a team that struggles to play through the midfield. The first half was full of opportunities, but we weren't able to put them away. Eventually, the other team broke the tie when they sent a ball over the top to a forward who calmly slotted it past our second-choice keeper. 1-0. Here we go again. With about fifteen minutes left, this was about the time we broke down. Coincidentally, this was also the time I was subbed out. After a clumsy tackle in the box, the opposition was awarded a penalty kick. This was getting bad. 

Luckily, the same fucker that headbutted me last game put the ball wide of the goal. There was hope still. Halftime. After the half, we came out a little stronger but still couldn't buy a goal. After many consecutive misses by our strikers, we finally caught a break. I collected the ball along the sideline. Seeing one of our forwards cutting across the middle, I sent a low line drive right to his feet. His first touch was good, and his second was a drop back to the other forward, who one-timed it back in his direction and past the defender. A first time shot found the back of the net and were suddenly tied, with the momentum in our favor.

After the tying goal, we were attacking pretty heavily. I place two corner kicks perfectly on the edge of the six-yard box, but to no avail. With minutes to go, I decided to take matters into my own hands. After finding lots of space in front of me, I took off down the sideline. As a defender approached about twenty yards out, I knocked it around him and ran on. Now I'm free in the eighteen, running onto the goal at a tight (but scorable) angle. As I approach the six-yard box, I know it's time. I unleash a shot with everything I've got. When I look up, I see the ball as it smashes into...a windshield in the parking lot. I blew it.

That was not the most significant of our misses in the last few minutes, but a miss nonetheless. The game closed out and we ended up tying. A big improvement from the 5-0 loss we suffered last time, but it was still a bitter ending. It was nice to get back out there after a few rain cancellations. A bye in the Wednesday league means next game is Thursday at 6:45pm. Catch you in the dome!

Guest Feature: Zombie Street

This is a story written by Graham. Enjoy...

Quinn and I were walking down a wooded street, the day light fading slowly.  The houses were so cold and the trees seemed to reaching for us, telling us to get away.  We were oblivious to the outside forces, continued to stroll, trying to find our way home.  A car suddenly pulled up, screeching while it tried to stop, BOOM!  It hit a tree in front of us, leaving us confused.  A man stumbled out of the car, his eyes slowly filling with a blood red.  "You ok?” Quinn mumbled.  The man moved in a fast, unsteady pace towards us.  I looked around to see what the man was trying to get to, realizing that he wanted us.  I was conflicted, do I run and hope for the best, or do I look for a weapon in self-defense?  I chose the latter, but all I could find was a stick the size of my arm with the width of a #2 pencil.  I slashed at the man, who didn't seem to be fazed by my actions.  He grabbed for my arm but Quinn was able to push him away.  "Let's get the hell outta here, brah!” I shouted.  Quinn and I ran down the street, all alone, but feeling as though we were surrounded.  We decided that we should attempt to find cover somewhere.  Looking around we saw a house that was situated down a long black driveway.  We checked to make sure we had lost the man and ran down the hill.

"Should we knock, or just try to go in?” Quinn asked.  "I don't think we have a choice", as I went to open the door.  I fell into the open hallway when the door opened with no obstruction.  When I looked up from the floor, I noticed I was laying on a red and gold runner.  On my right was a staircase leading up to a dark hallway.  To my left was a fish tank with a couple of goldfish and a tropical tree beside it.  "Anyone here!?!” Quinn shouted in a hushed tone.  Not wanting to give ourselves away to the outside world, Quinn locked the front door and closed the curtains of the window to the right of the door.  I thought aloud, "This sucks... it's like a damn movie."   "What do you think was up with that guy?" Quinn pondered.  "I think he was a zombie... no bullshittin'!”, I stated.  "A Zombie? really?  You’ve been watching too many movies.” Quinn mocked me.  The truth of the matter was, I could tell in Quinn's frightened eyes that he believed me.  We didn't know if we should check the house for the living or stay in our spot for an easy get-away.

I decided two hours into our peep hole watching to explore the house.  Not knowing how long we would be stranded in that house, I thought it would be good to know the escape routes and/or people who might be with us.  I stepped softly down the stairs, not wanting to make myself known to anyone.  The moonlight draped the basement in a soft, blue hue.  There was a door to my left and two doors to the right.  A giant window with a 5 x 5 matrix was directly in front of me.  I decided to try the doors to the right first, hoping that they would be unoccupied.  The first door was a storage room, filled mainly with boxes and piles of books.  The second door was locked; I decided that I probably should leave that room alone for now.  I turned around and looked at the door across from me; I would need to go in it.  For some reason, I didn’t have a good feeling about this door.  I put my ear to the door and listened, all I could hear was the sound of my breathing.  I put my hand on the knob and turned it….

To Be Continued

Wednesday Night Recap

Usually when I write about my soccer games, I can easily write with the  intensity that I had during that game However, this time I'm having a little bit of a harder time finding that fire that I had throughout much of last night's game. Surprisingly, when the ref told me "just chill out" as I served my 5-minutes in the penalty box for dissent, I listened to him and finished the game on a much calmer level. Let's rewind to the beginning of the game.

Playing shorthanded on the big field at Inwood is always troublesome and last night was no different. Having no subs and our worst player in goal, we were going to be lucky to stay in the game. Not only that, but tonight we were playing our arch rivals from many consecutive seasons. They are pretty good but also pretty scrappy. Our games always get a little heated. After giving up a goal right away, we were able to get it back almost immediately. One of our defenders dumped a ball over the top to the corner. Their defender underplayed it and the ball bounced off the wall and over his head to me, and I calmly finished a left-footed volley. Maybe we were going to be alright. One of our players received a blue card (2 minutes) followed almost immediately by a yellow card (5 minutes) so for much of the first half we were down a man and it showed. Still, after scoring a goal with seconds remaining in the first half, we were only down by two goals at halftime.

The second half wasn't much better and the score started to get away from us. It didn't help that the referees were called yet another shitty game that benefited the team with six subs as opposed to ours with none. My snapping point came around the 14 minute mark. After the ball was kicked by one of their players into the leg of one of ours, it popped up to our keeper. Without hesitation, he picked it up, which resulted in the only passback call I've ever seen in indoor soccer. I, much like the rest of our team, was livid. Probably taking it out the wrong way, I launched into a profanity-laced tirade aimed at the ref and, after he told me several times not to cuss at him, I continued. Not surprisingly, I was given a yellow card and five minutes in the box. After looking like an idiot and slamming the door, still talking back to the ref, he told me to "just chill out." And I did. And it was pretty relieving. Up to that point, I was playing so pissed off and wasn't even sure why. Yes, these guys were our nemesis and they were playing dirty and talking shit, but it's still amateur indoor soccer. Even as a write this and realize how stupid it is to get so mad, you can bet anything that I will be back at next game. Oh well.

Anyways, after serving my five minutes, I came back into the game as we attempted to stop the bleeding, as they say. We were able to score a couple goals before the end of the game and I think we lost by something like 9-4. It was a tough game, but as I said last night, a big advantage to have in these indoor leagues is to be underestimated by teams when the playoffs roll around. In that respect, last night was a success...

The Story of the Brace

I want to use this downtime in between games to share a story about why I wear a knee brace. Back in 2008, I was in the middle of a ringer-league game inside the dome at Inwood Soccer Center. As usual, the competition was not great and we were winning pretty handily. Also as usual, I was attempting shots and tricks that my body was not capable of completing. About midway through the first half, the ball rebounded from the wall behind the goal to where I was at the white line (about 15 yards from goal). As the ball bounced above my head, I decided to attempt a head-height, right-footed side volley. As I swung my right leg forward to kick the ball, I used my left to plant my body. Unfortunately, my knee had a different idea. As my thigh shifted with the play, my shin stayed put, twisting my kneecap to the side of my leg. 

I wasn't sure what had happened and, at first, I didn't really feel any pain. It was until I looked down at my leg and realized the knee was not in its usual spot that I decided that I was in a considerable amount of pain. My reaction was an extensive use of profanity. Between the pain, discomfort, and my teammate asking me if I wanted him to try to rearrange my knee, I was in a minor state of shock.

I didn't know what to do, but the thought of moving my leg was pretty disturbing. Rescue 911 was called into action. After securing my leg in place, I was propped up onto a gurney and carted out of the dome and into the ambulance. The ride to the hospital is a little fuzzy in my memory as I believe the started with the painkillers. After arriving at the hospital, I went through the process of x-rays and everything.

Rain-Outs and Bye Weeks

It feels like it's been a while since I last posted (and it kind of has been), but I wanted to put up something to let everyone know I haven't already lost interest, which is a problem I sometimes have. Since Wednesday night, I have a had bye week in the Thursday league and a cancellation due to rain in my Sunday outdoor league. Needless to say, I am getting pretty restless and am looking forward to getting out there on Wednesday against some team called Curb Stompers.

Unless I come up with something to write about, I won't be back until Thursday with a Wednesday re-cap. See you then.

Wednesday Night Rematch

Last night's game was a rematch of last session's championship. After going down early in that game three weeks ago, we battled back to force overtime, eventually losing after ten rounds of penalties. They are a pretty good team and, with us having only one sub, last night's game was always going to be a difficult one. With our manager's wager still on the table, we needed to win or, at the very least, get a tie out of this game...

We started out very strong. Just seconds into the game, I collected the ball around midfield and took off towards the other goal. At full speed, I cut the ball to my left and fired a strong shot past the keeper. That gave us a little confidence and we quickly jumped to 3-1 lead. Then we started to get tired. The last ten minutes of the first half were difficult. We couldn't catch our breath and one particular player on their team couldn't miss the goal. All he needed was a little space (which we continually gave him) and he dropped goals both left- and right-footed on us. Of their ten goals scored in the game, he must have had seven or eight. After our slump towards the end of the half, we were losing 7-4 at the midway point. 

After halftime, we came out a little sluggish and the other team expanded on their lead. We finally were able to re-group and show a little fight throughout the final fifteen minutes of the game. Up until this point, the game had been fairly clean. As the game appeared to be out of reach both teams got a little scrappy. We were chipping away at their lead and their ankles. One guy retaliated with a shove and found himself in the penalty box for two minutes. I stayed clear of the fouls until I chased a loose ball along the boards. With two defenders on either side of me, I felt that I got shoved to the ground, yet this whistle blew in their favor. I got mad.

Note: I am not a racist. But at the same time, I have no problem identifying others as racist in certain situations. Ten times out of ten, that situation is a soccer game and the person in question is a referee of Mexican descent. The act of racism: making a call that is not in my favor. Last night was no different.

"Maybe if I was a bit more tan, you'd have given me the call."

What is wrong with me? Although I still believe I was fouled, I do not still believe the ref was racist. I'm not sure what is so appealing about being an adult league soccer referee. Game after game, they face constant criticism laced with vulgar profanity. I don't understand why they do it, and never will.

Down three goals (though we all swear they didn't count a power play goal of ours), there was just not enough time left in the game. We lost 10-7 and the bet was off the table. We won't be getting our season fees refunded to us, but consolation can still be achieved in the form of a session championship. Season continues next Wednesday.

Sunday Soccer Recap

This outdoor soccer season has been a tumultuous one that has seen its share of ups and downs. Being my first season with this team, I started off in typical GB Bomber fashion, netting two goals in the opening game. The following games were not as glorious as I struggled to finish opportunities and keep a cool head, having received two yellow cards in a span of 3 games. In one game, my troubled knee was giving me problems (easy excuse) and I was having trouble reacting quickly to the run of play. I received a yellow card for an off-the-ball shove of an opponent. Pure stupidity. The point where I realized I shouldn't have been playing was when I lost the ball on a lazy cutback and subsequently kicked the defender hard enough to cause some damage and late enough to warrant a straight red card. Fortunately, the ref pitied my apparent lack of skill and coordination. Rather than card me, he suggested I get off the field before one of their players inevitably retaliated against me. So I did. A good decision.

Fast forward to two games later, this time against a team of speedy Asians. With the Texas winds in full force and the patchy field being a constant obstacle, this game was never going to turn out well. For a while, it was pretty back and forth and I thought I had scored the go ahead after I slotted a through ball home. Unfortunately, the offside flag was raised and the goal called back. A few minutes later, I reached for a ball and as I made contact so did an opponent's cleat to my ankle. Those are the types of fouls that I hate and rather than shake the guy's apologetic hand, I offered him a different response. F*ck you. I would later come to regret those words.

Thursday Night in the Dome

These types of games are the reason I needed to start this blog. Not because it was a good game of soccer (It wasn't. We won 8-2). But because, I was typical GB Bomber - scoring over half our team's goals and receiving the biggest penalty of the game, which I will get to later. Before I get into this game, I need to let you know about the Thursday night league I play in.

We play in Division 10 at Inwood Soccer Center. The games take place on the smaller field in the adjacent dome. The competition week to week varies but, at it's best, is not good. Evan, Jose and I joined the team as "ringers" a couple years back. Basically, it was a confidence booster that, with the 3 of us playing, almost guaranteed a championship t-shirt at the end of the session. Evan and Jose are gone now, but I have re-joined the team as one of 2 ringers. I'm confident we will still win a championship but it's going to get a little chippy along the way. Last week, we won our first game pretty handily against a very bad team. We were a bit rusty but, fortunately, the opposition was as bad as they were. That brings us to last night's game...

Introducing Black Glove, Red Boots: A Softball Player

For the sake of getting this blog off the ground, I am asking the different GBC contributors to publish something right off the bat. By doing so, all of our loyal readers will know what to expect of the GBC in the coming years. Please get to know my brother Graham a.k.a. Black Glove, Red Boots...

Some call me a legend, most call me an average player. I am the older brother of the Golden Boot Bomber. I retired from "futbol" a couple years back to become a Professional Recreational Softball player. I currently play for Dip It & Grip It, a below-average co-ed softball team. In this current position, I play manager and shortstop while leading the team in at-bats. My men's team , Bada Bing, is currently 4-1. On that team I rarely play right field/ second base. I bat about ninth in the lineup with a fairly good amount of singles and pop-ups. Yesterday though, against a team sponsered by Atmos Energy, I had my second career inside the park homerun. While my ultimate goal is to hit a homerun over the right field wall, I'll take the ones of the inside the park variety. Of the two inside the park homeruns, both should of been singles but the outfielders miss played the balls. I normally wouldn't tell people this pivotal information, but I want my readers to trust me. Here at the Goldenbootchronicles we aim to be honest and professional at all times. I look forward to sharing my softball stories with you from week to week. Hopefully we'll be watching the weather together on Monday/Tuesday evenings.

Sincerely,

Black Glove, Red Boots

Wednesday Night Indoor...

Before getting into a game recap, I should make mention of the season-long wager put up by our team manager. He decided that if our team were to go undefeated through the regular season AND win a championship, he would personally refund all of our season fees, about $60. Why he would make a $600+ bet on a mid-level amateur soccer season is beyond me. I think he has a gambling problem. But that is beside the point. Our first game was last week. It was kind of a joke - an 11-3 demolishing of some guys rocking white sneakers.

Last night's game was the bigger test. Everyone was wearing appropriate footwear, which is a pretty clear indication that they had played soccer before - not always a given in these leagues. We went down early 4-1 on some weak goals. As usual we were playing with about 4 forwards to our 1 defender and that never works out well. We gained our composure and were able to cut the deficit to 4-3 by halftime. After finishing strong in the first half, we felt confident going into the second.

Physically, the game was fairly clean. We saw a blue card for a check into the boards and some typical shittalking (not by me), but for the most part it was respectable sportsmanship all around. Anyways, the second half was pretty even. We exchanged goals throughout the first fifteen minutes and with three to go, we were down 7-6. That's when your boy took over. I Collected a 3/4 length throw from our keeper, cut the ball between two defenders and coolly put the ball past the keeper. 7-7. Less than a minute later, the ball was switched across the narrow field to me standing on the corner of the arc (equatable to the corner of the 18 in outdoor soccer) about 12-15 yards from goal. I chested the ball to the floor. It bounced once. I realized the defender was going to just watch. As the ball fell back towards the ground, I dropped a left footed volley into the roof of the goal. 8-7. After a goal like that, I might normally be inclined to yell a demeaning remark at the defender but I wasn't in a trashtalking mood. With just over a minute to go and exhaustion kicking in, I subbed myself off. I figured we would be able to hold on to the ball and run out the clock. Wrong. The other team ran right through us and put in the tying goal with a minute to go.

I cursed on the bench. The ref ran by, "I love this game!" I thought that was weird. Anyways, nothing really developed over the next 60 seconds and the game ended in an 8-8 tie. Exhausting game.

I thought we blew our chances at the bet, but after looking up the email I realized we just have to go undefeated, not win every game. There is still hope. I want my money back.

Thursday night game kicks off at 10:30pm.

The Goodbye Dress Blog

Check out my post over at thegoodbyedress.blogpost.com

It's the story of how Mrs. McShay got fired.

Welcome to the Golden Boot Chronicles!

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Golden Boot Bomber, a nickname a gave myself because I score goals. Lots of goals. Mostly in shitty adult leagues. Right now, I ply my trade in Division 5 of the North Texas Premier Soccer Association as well as Divisions 6 and 10 at Inwood Soccer Center (indoor league).

I started this blog to document my various feats (last night I scored 4 goals) as I play 3 times a week against players whose skills range from terrible to pretty good. In addition to scoring goals, I display poor sportsmanship - a trait that I hope to rid myself of. Maybe by writing about my soccer games, I will be able to channel some of my anger into a different area.

In addition to writing about my games, I hope to post some non-soccer pieces to change things up a bit. If you are interested in posting something on the GBC, please drop me an email at qbranson@gmail.com.

Enjoy!