EMAIL: Brian@therowdiesobserver.com

TWITTER: @RowdiesObserver (play) and @BrianMacWriter (work/play)

JAN. 11, 2019

I remember well when I was working for one of my newspaper editors and he told me he didn’t “get” soccer.

“There are not enough points!!!!,” he exclaimed. “There’s not enough scoring in it, it should be more like hockey.”

My reply? — “A goal in soccer isn’t a point, it’s a moment … a moment in time that you cannot predict the timing of.”

Next thing I know, I’m fired.

Kidding.

Like most of you, soccer’s been a major part of my life since being a little kid. My first coach was my dad, just like many of you. Did the HS soccer thing, played against guys who made it to the MLS and ACC etc. That was many, many pounds ago.

But I’ll tell you when I really learned the game — writing about it, for years. First at the high school stage, where no other reporter wanted the winter beat in Florida. Learning the teaching aspect of soccer by getting to know coaches who played in college and professionally.

The beautiful game is beautiful because it is its own language. You can go to Cameroon or Ghana or Korea or Paraguay and they’re all playing it the same way in pursuit of the same prize … a cup, a title, what have you. Everybody plays it. Not everybody plays American football or basketball or baseball, but everybody plays soccer.

And how lucky are we? All of us within a quick drive down to Al Lang Stadium to watch a USL team play with a gorgeous backdrop of Tampa Bay. Last year we watched a guy (Joe Cole) who once scored one of the prettiest goals ever in World Cup history. We had Rowdies players who’d represented Germany, Scotland, Denmark, Jamaica, etc in international play.

Folks, this isn’t minor league baseball, this is high level soccer. Right down the street. Yet you wouldn’t know it by the players’ behavior towards the fans and especially the kids. There are no massive egos. I watched Joe Cole talk to kids as if they were his long lost friends.

I watched David Villa sign autographs and take selfies with fans for more than 30 minutes last year after notching a Hatty for New York City FC in an MLS friendly at Al Lang. He’s one of the era’s greatest players in the world, and he’s giving of his time.

This is a sport that “gets it” and is growing by leaps and bounds after only a trickle from the 1990s through its first 15 years or so. Trust me, we made the pilgrimages to Mutiny games back then. Even with US national team players coming through town and players like Valderrama playing here, the energy was missing.

But now, 15 to 20 years later that energy is now here. You can sense it, going hand in hand with a slight decline of interest in other sports. Americans are finally wising up to it.

Really looking forward to blogging about our local team — the Tampa Bay Rowdies. We’re lucky to have one here and my family can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.