Gooaaaallllllllllllllll

This past Sunday I had the good fortune to attend my first Major League Soccer match. Our local team the San Jose Earthquakes play just a bit too far for me to make the trip but twice a year when they play the LA Galaxy the match is held in the Oakland Coliseum to accommodate the throngs that turn out to see David Beckham. It was quite a nice surprise to be given a free program upon entering the stadium. The program was very helpful as I didn't actually know any of the San Jose player's names. There were a few people in the crowds with Earthquakes jerseys, t-shirts and sign though I think they were outnumbered by the people with #23 Beckham on the backs of their shirts. I remember when I was in England last year just before Beckham was to come to the US an Englishman said you haven't seen anything like the media storm that David Beckham will bring. In truth he's lived a fairly quiet life in the US, he's not in the papers much but he does bring people out for Major League Soccer.

Game time was 12 noon, there was a short introduction of the players, a ceremonial first kick and the playing of the national anthem. The match started well for San Jose who scored at the eight minute mark. At the professional level the soccer players are great fun to watch, they're playing hard and fast. You can feel the tension build in the crowd as the ball gets near the goal, then a collective breath let out as the goal shot is missed or the goalie grabs it. It seemed the LA players were right on top of the Earthquakes but the Earthquakes kept fighting for the ball and soon they were ahead by two. It's amazing how these guys run up and down the field with hardly a break then jump up real high to head a ball, often missing. It was a hot day and the grass seemed to be slowing the ball down a lot so I imagine a lot of games are at even faster pace. The Earthquakes managed to tie it up in the second half and with the clock winding down it looked like that's the way things would end. But then in the 89^th minute San Jose had the ball in front of the goal, took a shot it was blocked they shot again and scored!! And the hometown crowd went home happy.

The whole game including half time and opening introductions took just about two hours. It was pretty exciting game and action the whole time but there is some truth to the general American thought that in soccer not much happens. In a way there's always something happening but generally there aren't the fantastic plays you get in baseball. It all happens so fast that, there's no long home run, no slowly developing double play. I can see why the game has trouble catching on. There's also no singing take me out to the ballgame, no dot races and hardly enough time to have more than one beer so I imagine the games don't generate all that much revenue.

The athleticism of the players is unsurpassed. They move along the field with grace and speed. People say Beckham isn't that great of a player anymore but I had the feeling more than anyone else on the field he knew exactly what was going on around him. Who was open for a pass, where he needed to be, how to get the ball to the right guy to score. A great athlete is always fun to watch. Ever the showman David Beckham took his shirt off as he walked off the field at the end, receiving loud cheers from the crowd. But the best part is, he gave his shirt to a little kid.

I hope the league succeeds and more cities get teams. From what I've been reading there are some efforts afoot to have the MLS teams play against teams of other countries in a sort of Premiere league setup. I'm sure that would raise the level of competition and probably bring a larger audience to the sport. Two hours of Major League Soccer was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon and I can't wait to go again next year.