Outdoor soccer

The weather was finally nice enough today to play a pickup game of outdoor soccer. It was awesome. Good for my body, good for my mind. For one hour and half, I have nothing else to think or worry about excapt the position of ball on the field, the position of my body and feet in relation to that ball and the field demarcations, and movement of the players around me. It does wonders.

Once school starts in August, I hope that I'll be able to start having regular Sunday pickup games again. Check that, I don't hope that I will, I know that I will. I will just have to make time for pickup games, because they're a joy.

Not just a February blog

I realized I haven't written anything in more than week. So here my first March entry. Ta da!

I just broke the toe-nail on my big toe on my right foot playing soccer. This is the 2nd time in like 4 months. I hope this isn't going to be a continuing problem. The nail didn't fall off yet, so I've electric taped it on. Still hurts. Damn, this sucks.

Also, I've been sick for a few days. Playing soccer today actually did wonders for my sinuses. I hocked a bunch of loogies after the game ;) I remember commenting to my Dad a few months ago about how strange the phrase "hocking a loogie" is. I couldn't find a way to end that sentence without is... Help me with that, you linguistically skilled ones. Anyway, hocking a loogie doesn't even sound like it's English. I did a quick search to try to find the phrase's origin; no luck.

Furthermore, I'm really getting sick and tired of living this double life in Kansas City. At work and with my friends from work, I have to pretend to care about this job, about advancing, about summer plans in KC, etc, etc. I don't. My life here is fait accompli and it's getting so hard to not scream that out loud when I walk in to work knowing that I'm going to be bored out of my mind the entire day. I've written a mini-manual for the guy/girl that replaces me, trying to make it easier for them to learn the stuff that I had to drag out of my crazy, old/experienced coworker on my "team." After that, what can I do? I show up to work on time, get my stuff done. I go home and...

I tried finding a girlfriend (or even a date) for a few months on those dating websites. No luck. Only girl I met had just fallen out of an engagement. She was nice, but seemed a little unstable.
I can't talk to my friends about my exciting hopes and plans for the future.
I don't know anyone in the city with whom I can converse extensively about those subjects.
I'm far away from everyone and everything that I know.
I'm breaking my freaking toe-nail when I play soccer.

I guess I sound like I'm really despressed. Sometimes I am, but right now I feel just completely exasperated. April 24 can't come soon enough.

2-0

Suck it, Mexico. Go USA!!!

10th Circle

The 10th circle of Hell is having an 11:30PM indoor soccer game, playing like crap in said soccer game, being a key ingredient in your team's loss, and then having to come home and try to fall asleep at a reasonable time so that you can wake up tomorrow and go to your crappy-mcCrap job.

(insert fart-like noise made by sticking your tongue out and blowing)

USA vs Mexico, 2/11/09

The United States Men's national soccer team starts the final round of World Cup Qualifying against their biggest and most (more?) talented rivals a week from tomorrow. I think this article may go a little too far, but the competition between "my" country and Mexico is certainly fun to watch and very evenly matched.

I do believe that Brazil vs Argentina is the biggest rivalry in international soccer, but I cannot think of many more that would qualify as bigger than USA vs Mexico.

Mexico is coming in having played very poorly during the previous round of qualifying, going winless (1 draw, 2 losses) in their final 3 games. Sven Goran Erikson had always seemed like a strange hire to me; these latest results sure haven't changed that opinion. Some of their top players (or rather, most hyped players) haven't been playing for their European club teams. Carlos Vela, Giovanni Dos Santos, Guillermo Franco, and Nery Castillo have been, at best, occasional starters for their club sides. That isn't good for their confidence or skill sharpness.

That being said, the United States' players comes in with playing problems of their own:
Heath Pearce: rarely leaves the bench for a Bundesliga.2 side.
Damarcus Beasley: doesn't even make anymore the bench for Rangers
Maurice Edu: this guy seemed like the real deal six months ago, but since moving to Rangers, he too has disappeared.
Jozy Altidore: moving to Villareal was definitely a good career move, but having him sitting on the bench for 4 months doesn't help the USMNT.
Landon Donovan: has said many times that he doesn't travel well. He didn't impress me at all during his brief playing time against Hamburg. As he's a guy with fragile confidence, I hope he and Juergen Klinsmann saw more positives than I.
Steve Cherundolo: He's been out with injury for a month at least now. We have a capable backup in Frankie Hejduk (woot!!), so this loss isn't as big a deal.

I can't say that I follow the Mexican players close enough to give a starting lineup. Here is my best guess at the US lineup next Wednesday, barring further injuries in the training camp:

----------------Howard---------------
Hejduk--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Pearce
-----------Bradley----Clark-----------
Dempsey----------------------Beasley
---------Donovan----------------------
--------------------Ching--------------

Bradley has, historically, not thrown any surprise lineups in big games, despite club form. The US has owned Mexico in home WCQ qualifying matches recently, but our left side in particular is a big worry. We may not win....

Jose Fransisco Torres is too green to start for Beasley, I think. Bornstein was at fault for the two US goals conceded against Sweden, so I doubt he'll start over Pearce. Kljestan had a great match against Sweden, but he isn't as defensive minded as Clark. It wouldn't shock me if he started over Rico, though.

We're not the best soccer country in the world, but this is my team, so I'll still be watching, despite my fears.