The simple description is just a guy who likes to watch football (and I mean actual football, not that NFL crap).
A few years ago, if you asked me anything about international football, I'd probably have no clue what to say. I played soccer as a kid and was a pretty decent striker. Then I went to play high school soccer and the coach never saw anything special in me. I ended up being that veteran attacker for the JV team: one of those old players that the manager subs on in the 70th minute and then scores the game winner. I played until after my Junior year when I decided that soccer just wasn't for me anymore. I believe it was around that time when I got starting watching the game.
I don't remember how exactly I became addicted to football, but I bet it had something to do with FIFA 15. A lot of my childhood friends played the game and suggested that I get it too. It took some time, but eventually I got pretty good against my peers. My passion for this video game exposed me to the players and their teams. My go to team was always Arsenal because Theo Walcott was one of the fastest players in the game at the time and he would always outrun my opponent's defense and score. Now, I was good at the game, not great. But I was better at understanding player stats and building teams, so I spent a lot more time trying to improve my "Ultimate Team" rather than improving my own skills. The problem I ran into was that I either give it time and eventually have a solid squad, or I pay money to increase my chances of adding better players. I have patience but not enough. I do have a bank account though. My addiction led me to use my own money that I worked hard for on a video game. And when I realized that I didn't have much money left, I happened to get my hands on my parent's credit card. So basically my young teenager self had a gambling problem, and when my parents discovered my spending habits with their money, I was left in their debt. I stepped away from the game and spent the next summer working a job. I didn't earn much because I had to pay for my consequences. It is kind of embarrassing looking back at it, so chances are you probably will never find me at a casino.
So although I stopped playing FIFA, I decided to watch the actual sport instead. One early Saturday morning, I woke up, went downstairs to the living room, and watched an English Premier League match. Arsenal was playing against some team, I don't remember who. But I enjoyed watching them play, and continued watching them every weekend. For my 17th birthday, I got my first soccer jersey: A Theo Walcott Arsenal jersey. That spring, I was part of an exchange program that went to Italy and I experienced my first professional football match where Genoa FC took on some random team from Serie B. My interest in the sport grew from there as I started watching more leagues in Europe. I watched an El Clasico match between powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid. I watched the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic score some impressive goals for Paris Saint-Germain. I followed the Leicester City story when they surprised England and won the league. I loved the sport, and I continue to love it to this day
But why? I ask myself why I am so addicted to this sport and not any other sport, or thing in general. I grew up playing ice hockey and I still consider this sport as my favorite to play. I'll watch it from time to time, but I can't follow it as closely as I do with soccer. But why am I willing to wake up early on weekends when I have the opportunity to sleep in? Why do I have hand crafted documents on my laptop of stats that I constantly update? Why am I even creating this blog in the first place? To be honest, I don't know. I just enjoy watching the sport. Maybe I like the fact that there are so many professional leagues in Europe and that I could watch them all at the same time (if I had access to maybe 30 TVs). Maybe it has something to do with the World Cup, a competition that never fails to showcase 32 countries with 32 talented teams. Almost every country plays the sport and it has become an international language. Most of these club teams are comprised of players from different parts of the world, and although they may not speak the same language, they can communicate through this sport and understand each other. Everyone follows the same rules, so everyone plays the same game.
What I am trying to say is that it is confusing to me why I follow this interest so heavily, but I feel like I have reached a point where I can add my own opinions about the sport because I am well informed. So today, I opened my laptop and decided to create a blog because I want to share my passion with others. I consider myself more of a writer than a talker. I sometimes struggle to communicate verbally with audiences, but if you give me time to organize my thoughts, I can effectively share my knowledge clear and concise. I like to discuss about different matches that occur as well as offer my thoughts on how the teams performed. I have gathered lots of information over the years, and now I feel like it's time to use it for my own good.
Sideline Soccer is my way to communicate with you, and you are welcome to join my discussions and offer your own input. I want to create pre-match and post-match posts about every game in Europe's top five leagues (EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1). However, that is a lot of work that would require a lot of time, a construct that can be difficult to find when you are in college trying to earn your degree. Therefore, my posts are going to be limited to the English Premier League, Champions League, and international matches. I may also try to include other important matches that happen (for example, El Clasico). I love talking about football and I invite you to do as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the content!
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