The annual tournament was today. Held every year in honour of a local soccer star who passed too early, eight teams from Toronto to Chelsea, Quebec in the 35 and older category showed for two pools of three games each. I was picked as our keeper. We scored 1-1, 2-0 and then lost 0-5. Funny enough, the last was the best. While those who know me know I am big and slightly glacial, I actually managed a few honest to goodness tips over the bar as well as two real cracked shot toe saves...and also got to scream instructions to everyone on on the field - call me "Aliver Kahn". The last game was against Chelsea, Quebec and saw a few fists flying, a red card for a punch in the face, and us down to ten men fairly early on. But it was great fun.
I have a great friend who in his youth was a great rugby player in a great rugby nation. Once, while we were playing pick-up soccer, he shared that he never told us truly who he was, told about his skill in that other football and that once a stadium of 60,000 chanted his name in a national level contest. Today, after I made each save in the 0-5 game, the beer tent of the team that was in the 1-1 game cheered. It was my small slice version of my pal's greater fame. It was good.
Comments
Wayne - September 12, 2004 10:15 AM
In your pic, the sky looks blue, as it was here. I wonder will Sept 11th continue in our memories to be a day of clear blue skies, much like Nov 11th seems to always be cloudy and gray?
To get back to the topic at hand, are fists and screaming common to the sport, or only applicable to those "more mature in years"?
Alan - September 12, 2004 12:38 PM
I had't seen that kind of really rough play since I played for Truro against Pictou county teams in the early 80s. I never thought I would see one 40 year old walk up to anoter and plant a fist in his jaw either. Pretty disgraceful and we were lucky to only be down 0-1 at half. Screaming instructions in the field is, however, the proper job of the goalie.