Introduce Yourself

[Evilo]

Maybe. But to see him ranked with the most stupid footballers out here (L'Equipe even did a poll last week) is beyond ridiculous.
One action, by a young player, in a youth competition, probably out of frustration, doesn't define his career, nor his character.
Right now, he should play with the NT instead of Evra. That's how good he is. But it seems the media absolutely want to ruin him because of one mistake that indeed he'll learn a lot from (without media stuff anyway).

 

[Pyromaniac]

Maybe. But to see him ranked with the most stupid footballers out here (L'Equipe even did a poll last week) is beyond ridiculous.
One action, by a young player, in a youth competition, probably out of frustration, doesn't define his career, nor his character.
Right now, he should play with the NT instead of Evra. That's how good he is. But it seems the media absolutely want to ruin him because of one mistake that indeed he'll learn a lot from (without media stuff anyway).

I find the media in football to be much more vicious than in hockey. They are merciless and dont show any restraint. It doesn't seem to matter to them about the age and maturity of the player or how much damage they can do. So definitely not surprised.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

As a kid, I was a AAA baseball shortstop and a mediocre hockey right-winger. I only played soccer for fun at school or at the nearby park. I starting playing soccer for real at 13 after being cut from the AAA team the year prior*. I played rec league as striker and I finished top scorer on my team. The next year, we moved from Trois-Rivières to Asbestos and I played on a much better team, was converted to full back and sucked. Played the year after and sucked even more (was 15 by then and had discovered beer and marijuana, not a good mix for a sports guy).

Never really played after that until this very summer when my friends and I started a rec league team. I played striker at the beginning then got moved to DM and that's where I hit my stride. I am by no means a good player, but I am good defensively (mostly because of positionning and understanding of the game) and I have great vision for my level (best passer on the team even though I am bad at dribbles and running with the ball). Basically my role is to track back, drive the ball carrier into a trap/get the ball back (I either take the ball away from the carrier or receive a pass from my defense) and then distribute. I really like playing that position, REALLY REALLY like it. We play 7 on 7 for the fall/winter season and my position doesn't really exist so I am a bad striker that can't score and that spends too much time in front of his defense. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE 11 on 11 SEASON!

As far as being a fan, I started to get interested in soccer in 1998. Rooted for France because, you know, I am French Canadian. Fell in love with Zidane (like everybody else did) that year. Since we didn't have a lot of soccer on TV outside of the big competitions, I didn't pay much attention after the World Cup. Watched Euro 2000 and learned there that Zizou would play for Madrid, so I started to casually watch Madrid. I have been a fan ever since, been watching most games, thanks to quality streaming, for the past three seasons.

However, Real wasn't what revived my interest in soccer. The MOntreal Impact did. I always followed them from afar (watching games on TV when they would be playing or listening to games on radio while working the night shift), but was never a "real" fan until the joined the MLS 3 years ago. Attending their first home game at the Big O made me addicted and I have been a season ticket holder ever since. I will have to drop my tickets next year because of time constraints, but god I will miss it. Because of my renewed interest for the sports, I started following European football semi-religiously (well, Real to be quite honest, but I will watch everything I can when I have the time). Fell in love with Ozil so I have a soft spot for Arsenal even though I don't really like Ozil anymore. Was a big Gareth Bale guy when he was with Tottenham and was absolutely estatic when he signed with Real. He is my favourite player and I wear 11 because of him

Internationally, I support France and have done so since 1998. The only reason why I picked that team was because, well, French is my first language. I try to watch CMNT games when I can and I hope that the program will grow and that we will one day qualify for the World Cup.

*: Long story short, I was one of the better players, but I acted like a star during training camp and got cut as a result. My dad told me it would happen and I didn't believe him - afterall, why would they cut their star SS? I ended up winning MVP of the biggest tournament the AAA team played anyway - I was first call up and played all the big games - so I didn't learn anything about my behavior that year. Learned a few years later, fortunately - about 7-8 years too late which would be about 4 years ago.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Fell in love with Ozil so I have a soft spot for Arsenal even though I don't really like Ozil anymore.

I feel this so much. I started liking Real and Germany because I loved Özil, and as time went on I started liking him less and less. One of those players that you love at first sight because of their flash, then once you think about it, you really don't like them

 

[bluesfan94]

Hey guys, I'm Jerry. I'm from St. Louis, Missouri, which is one of the soccer hotbeds of America (Just ask the 1950 English team how they feel about St. Louisans - as an interesting aside, my dad played alongside a lot of the sons of the players and knows the Keough family quite well) and I currently play soccer in college at the DIII level. I'm a goalkeeper, which means I'm just inside of mentally insane. I've played goalie ever since I was 5, although I've had stints at various positions around the field typically in rec leagues.

I always loved playing FIFA and watching the World Cup, but I didn't get big into soccer until high school. My best friend is from Argentina and so I'd watch soccer with him all the time, and the 2010 World Cup kinda sealed the deal. Growing up, on FIFA, I would always play as Arsenal, because they were first alphabetically in the EPL and so I ended up following them and becoming a huge Gooner. I saw my first live Arsenal game this summer during the Emirates cup when Sanogo had a hat trick. It was a blast to say the least. I also became a Gladbach fan this summer after I spent a few weeks in Germany at the house of a family that were all Gladbach fans. I didn't really have a German team before that although I kinda pulled for Bayern and Dortmund due to my sister's pen pal, who was from Dortmund but whose dad was a big Bayern fan. There are a few other teams I follow casually, but those are definitely the big two.

Internationally, I obviously support USA first and foremost. However, due to various other reasons, I have soft spots for other teams. I'm actually a pretty big Germany fan - I've been there twice and have a bunch of German friends. I was in Germany for part of the World Cup, so that definitely helped solidify it. I also like Israel, because I'm Jewish, and Poland because I'm Polish. I understand all the contradictions in here, but to make it worse, I also have a slight soft spot for Ghana because my sister studied abroad there. I'll also cheer for Argentina because of my best friend. His sister actually played on their U-20 girls team, which is pretty cool.

So yeah. That's me in a nutshell.

 

[ecemleafs]

Im from NY. Im a Celtic fan. When i was a kid in the early mid 90s my best friends at the time were celtic fans as their parents were from Glasgow and Ireland. I root for the USA first in international play and Ireland when they dont play the USA.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I'm from Pittsburgh...so soccer wasn't something I played growing up (tee-ball & dek hockey as a kid), watched on TV, or really acknowledged until I moved away. I started watching a couple games of the 2006 World Cup, but couldn't get too into it because I was working 80 hour weeks at the time. In 2008 I started watching some World Cup qualifying games and decided to pick up a used copy of FIFA 08, the first FIFA game I'd played since 97 for the Genesis. I played around a bit, picked my first couple teams, and was brutal at the game, but it helped me understand the game a bit better. When studying abroad in Denmark in Fall 2009 I really started to appreciate the sport, finally seeing a game in person (AGF vs. Silkeborg IF...US National Benny Feilhaber scored for AGF) and following World Cup qualification (and a US-Denmark friendly in Ã…rhus). I've only missed one US National game since then.

Getting into club soccer was a little harder since I was from Pittsburgh, living in Montana, and the one team I had a connection to isn't exactly on TV ever in the US (and they keep getting relegated on top of it). The Seattle Sounders helped me break into the MLS, but once I knew I was moving to LA I shifted to them, and now I'm a partial season ticket holder and watch every game that I can. My interest in the sport grows with each passing month.


The teams I root for are generally because of a small reason, other than Tottenham which sorta fell into by not already hating them when I picked up FIFA 08. LA & AGF make sense, Bayern is because of my family emigrating from there, KuPS because Kuopio is basically my home base in Europe, and...that's about it. The teams I hate are basically anyone that was good in FIFA 08
Internationally I'll root for countries that I have ties to when they're not playing the US (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, & Germany namely), but as I said earlier I do not miss US games.

 

[Ugmo]

I first got into soccer watching the English First Division in the very early 90s (wasn't even the Premier League yet back then), on Sportschannel New England, if I remember correctly. Got into the U.S. national team around the same time - this was the group that had just qualified for and played in the World Cup for the first time in decades, so Harkes, Wynalda, Paul Caliguiri, Hugo Perez, Tab Ramos, etc. Moved to Europe temporarily in 1996 and then permanently in 1998. Lived in Leverkusen and was a season-ticket holder there at the time when they were a European powerhouse with Ballack, Ze Roberto, Emerson, Jens Nowotny, Ulf Kirsten, Dimitar Berbatov - too many great players to name and I'm probably forgetting some. I've lived in Vienna since 2002 and my favorite club is Rapid (I'm also half Austrian), but my favorite league is MLS. Been a fan since the first game (San Jose Clash vs. DC United in 1996) and watched it grow from a dire affair played in huge, empty stadiums, to the solid league it currently is. And I can't wait to see how it develops in the coming years, with NYCFC and Orlando next year and LAFC and Atlanta the year after that.

 

[Power Man]

^
The US didn't have to qualify for the WC as they were hosting it.

 

[Ugmo]

^
The US didn't have to qualify for the WC as they were hosting it.

They had to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. That's the group I was talking about. They spent the lead-up to 1994 basically playing as a club team, under contract to the USSF. And they hosted a mini tournament called the US Cup in 1992 and 1993... that's when I got into them.

 

[Power Man]

They had to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. That's the group I was talking about. They spent the lead-up to 1994 basically playing as a club team, under contract to the USSF. And they hosted a mini tournament called the US Cup in 1992 and 1993... that's when I got into them.

I completely forgot the U.S were in the 1990 WC

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

Huge Pool fan from Edmonton AB. 2005 Champions League was one of the first footy matches I had ever seen and that comeback was so epic I ended up becoming a fan of the Reds. Steven Gerrard basically became my hero and I've followed the team since. My interest waned a little over the past few years as they weren't so good but last season I started watching them more and more for obvious reasons.

I'm a die hard at this point and would love to one day catch a game at Anfield.

 

[Ugmo]

I completely forgot the U.S were in the 1990 WC

It was a pretty forgettable performance, by most accounts.

 

[Bad News Bears]

25 from Sydney. Played soccer for 15 years for St Marys, stopped 2 seasons ago from ankle issues. Love playing, and love watching. Uncles all way into soccer, mostly with German roots.

Grew up loving Marconi Stallions (they supported my junior team and would always send players around), but by the time I was 15 or so, I'd started supporting international clubs.

I never wanted to seem like a bandwagoner, so I always picked teams that we're going great - which works for most sports, but not so much in EPL's salary system. So I lasted as a Bolton fan till they were relegated, and while I still support them, it's tough to watch games. Like Omar above, I've always loved Steve Gerrard, so I became a Liverpool fan in the last few years, just to have someone in the EPL to follow and watch on TV. Though I'll freely admit, I kind of care more about Gerrard than the rest of the team.

My family has also always had this weird connection to Borussia Monchengladbach, I assume my uncles were fans throughout their success in the 70's.

So Bolton, Liverpool, BMGB and the almighty St. Marys Saints.

 

[YNWA14]

Though I'll freely admit, I kind of care more about Gerrard than the rest of the team.

I don't think this is uncommon. For a few years I watched most of Inter's games and followed them closely because of Sneijder. Have a kit and everything circa 2009. Was pretty fun while it lasted but I didn't feel the same connection to them as I do say Heerenveen, Liverpool or Ajax since it was just to follow Sneijder. There will always be certain other teams that I really like to watch or may even buy the kit for because they have a player I really like, but I wouldn't consider myself a real supporter of that team.

 

[Power Man]

I don't think this is uncommon. For a few years I watched most of Inter's games and followed them closely because of Sneijder. Have a kit and everything circa 2009. Was pretty fun while it lasted but I didn't feel the same connection to them as I do say Heerenveen, Liverpool or Ajax since it was just to follow Sneijder. There will always be certain other teams that I really like to watch or may even buy the kit for because they have a player I really like, but I wouldn't consider myself a real supporter of that team.

Same for me before with Milan because of Van Basten

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

About me:

I was born in Montréal in 1983, but moved to Greenville, North Carolina as a kid. I took to football the second i picked up a ball and instantly became hooked and played keeper for pretty much my whole life. Still do in rec leagues. After college (ECU for undergrad and Alabama for grad school), i moved to Sweden for a year on a youth exchange program. After that, bounced around a bit and have been in Calgary since August 2009. I'm currently looking into becoming a youth coach.

Team's I support:

My two favorite Premier League teams are Aston Villa and whoever is playing Chelsea. I've been an Aston Villa fan my whole life. I have family in Birmingham, Alabama (used to spend summers there as a kid and loved the city) and Aston Villa is in Birmingham, England. As a seven or eight year old, it seemed to make perfect sense and it stuck

Honorable mention to Bolton Wanderers as they were the first team I ever saw live. I'm also a big fan of and follow Sounders FC.

Nationally, I vehemently support the USA and, like most Americans, consider the Canadian team my biggest rival in any sport (probably going to get some stick for saying that, but it's true ). Despite being born in Canada and spending my first six years here, I consider myself American.

 

[Maverick41]

I was born in Berlin but our family moved to the Rhein-Main-Area when I was 6 years old. My father and older brother support Bayern so I decided to root for one of their biggest rivals at the time Werder Bremen. Because back then I just had to do the "opposite" of what my brother did. Also my favourite national team player at that time, Rudi Völler, played for Bremen.
Later when I was 12 or 13 years old I became a fan of Hertha BSC as I started to root for all teams in major sports from Berlin. And this is my favourite team to this day.

There are a lot of other teams that I like at any time, however those teams may change depending on the personnell involved, and the kind of game they play. But there are few teams that I will always like and while I won't consider myself a fan of any of these teams, I follow their seasons and root for them most of the time. In the top two leagues these teams are Karlsruhe, Gladbach, Darmstadt, Union Berlin, Bremen and Mainz.
There are some other teams in lower tier leagues.

As a kid I "hated" Bayern, and I do not use that word lightly. Once I grew up my feelings towards them varied from "rooting for them in international play" to "who cares". At the moment I couldn't care less about that club.
There are now other teams that I dislike (e.g. Schalke, 1860 München, Hoffenheim) but the time for "hating" any club is over for me.
Internationally there are several other clubs I strongly dislike (pretty much all the so called big clubs) because I am so sick and tired of watching them, hearing about them and reading about them.

I have pretty much stopped following the Cahmpions League, and while I still watch the Bundesliga I don't care about it as much as I used to. These days I prefer 2.Bundesliga or 3.Liga over Bundesliga.

 

[Win Jiggys Loft]

Lot of Chelsea fans here. Yuck.

West Ham United since the early 2000's for me. Only seriously started following since, strangely, the year they got relegated to the Championship. Hopefully going to travel there this winter to see a game at the Bolynn Ground before they move away next year. Waiting for the day to come where the Premier League isn't dominated by Chelsea, Arsenal, or Manchester anything. Don't like Tottenham either...

 

[Thegreatwar]

I'm from New Hampshire and don't play soccer (outside of gym class), but I really love the game, including playing, even though I suck as a player (I'm really short and can only mark and tackle). I guess I became interested in soccer because of my HS's boys soccer team, which has been historically quite successful, and my dad being a big soccer fan b/c he's from SE Asia. I don't really support any particular team in Europe, and I support the NE Revolution in MLS, though not too strongly. I am a Germanophile, so I try to find reason to root for Germany internationally, but it's hard, b/c I detest Ozil and Muller. My least favorite teams are Manchester United and Real Madrid, but I can't really say I hate those clubs, just that I will never root for them. Also, I never really root strongly for any team in any sport, unless it's my school or national team (USA) or anybody playing against Canada in hockey

 

[Rocko604]

Born and raised in the Vancouver suburbs. When playing hockey as a kid in the very early 90s, my Saturday practices were always early morning, and would be done in time for me to go home and watch Soccer Saturday. For whatever reason, I liked Arsenal. So they were always in the back of my mind. I watched a lot of Euro 96, cheering for England, captained by Tony Adams. Then the 98 double happened, and then the addition of Henry, another Double, the Invincibles, the Cup drought and now here we are.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

arsenal is dumb

 

[Rocko604]

arsenal is dumb

You ARE a bad troll.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

The FA Cup final still stings. I am sorry

 

[Thegreatwar]

I'm from New Hampshire, USA, so no top-level soccer in the area. Am probably the worst soccer player in the world offensively, and an okay (but small and slow, with asthma) 1-on-1 defender. Sometimes play goalie too. Love playing, esp in gym class.

I don't really support any team. The closest I've come to that was Barcelona a few years ago because of Messi, less so since they got Suarez. More of an "admirer" than a supporter, as I think of it. Actually, the one team I do support is my local high school team, who have been pretty good historically, and whose coach has "links" to one of the most successful programs in the state . I also hugely admire our archrivals in boys soccer because this past year they played so beautifully, although they lost in the DIII final after winning the year before. I'm also a Germanophile, so I root for Germany sometimes.

My dad grew up in Burma and went to school in India, so he has always been interested in soccer. My interest in the game has increased as my understanding of it has. In 2010 I was dumb blind and deaf in terms of soccer knowledge. I don't think I really started to get it until ca. 2013.