Winning 11

I have a new-found love of soccer, a sport that is just gaining traction in the US. While there were soccer leagues and my grade school had a soccer team, it was a sport that really hadn't made it to my small Nebraska town when I was growing up. At that point, I probably would have been too scared to try it anyway.

As I was exploring the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood on my bike last night and admiring the amazing views, I came across a street that dead-ended into a steep drop-off. At the bottom was a park with tattered, spotty grass and two soccer goals. I put a foot down from this perch high above the ground to watch a full 11 on 11 soccer match. While we silly gringos can't even get 5 people pulled away from the TV to play the awkward herky-jerky game of American football, these hispanics had a full contingent out on this makeshift field. There were no lines -- just two goals and half-dead grass -- but for them, it was the perfect soccer pitch.

This was some of the most entertaining soccer I'd ever seen. These guys were awesome. They loved the game. They played creatively. Shots were powerful, crosses were on target, through balls met their runners perfectly. The chatter of Spanish being called back and forth was constant. The play was very competitive, but friendly.

At that point, I realized I could never understand soccer like these guys do. They love it. They live it. While most people I know are racing to get that plasma TV or new car, these guys got together to go down the street and play soccer in their worn out running shoes. I should turn over the new soccer cleats I bought to play on the Sprint league. I don't deserve them.

All in all, it was just an awesome show of community. In exploring the city, it seems like these low-income, often minority areas are the only ones that feel like real communities. They aren't attractive markets for the big retailers to come in and assault the streetscape, so enterprising locals have fixed up old buildings to proudly open small shops and cafes. Small, dense and pedestrian friendly "main street" districts are maintained as many people don't have the means to travel anywhere else. Without that plasma screen TV, people are on the streets talking to one another, playing sports or just relaxing. I've visited tons of neighborhoods in my explorations. I love them, and none of them feel more real than these small, proud clusters.

And you know what? I bet those people lead happier, fuller lives than most of the people I meet everyday. I bet that life of working hard for your family and enjoying the simpler things out of necessity makes for some amazing character.

I could only dream of being that good at soccer, and I could only dream of being that free spirited.

I think I'd like to have season tickets in that spot overlooking the park. You get to see so much more than a soccer match.