MLS Saturdays

Don't get me wrong. I love college football on Saturdays. In fact, I barely left the couch last weekend with all those top-25 matchups. But, to be perfectly honest, my true excitement stems from MLS soccer. I know... it's not the greatest league in the world. But it's our league, and if there was ever a chance for soccer to make it in America, it will come through the success of Major League Soccer. After ten interesting years, the league has blossomed from something that hardly resembled professional soccer to something that now finds teams building brand new soccer specific stadiums. This is a sure sign that survival is a possibility. Like I said, it's not the best soccer in the world (see the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, Spain's La Liga, or Germany's Bundesliga), but I'm a fan. Not having a hometown team from Arizona, I've somehow morphed into a Colorado Rapids fan as they were the first to represent the four corners region (Real Salt Lake entered the league this season). It should be noted, however, that I first really got into soccer watching DC United games when I was in college. While I have never actually played organized soccer, save for when I was a kid, I've found myself getting more and more involved with the sport. The deeper my understanding has become of the players and leagues around the world, the greater my appreciation has grown. I'm even trying to play a little bit - Saturday mornings at Piedmont Park. There, I'm definitely the worst player on the field, perhaps even pissing off a few of the hard-cores, but I enjoy it. It's great to get out there and play some footy, and hopefully get a little better at the sport I have grown to love. See Soccer? I Hardly Know Her in the Essays Etc. link. (Pictured here: Pablo Mastroeni of the Rapids and the US National Team... despite being born in Argentina, he calls Phoenix his hometown)

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