Do I Like Soccer Now?
A journey towards mild interest
With the World Cup only a few days away, I find myself having slightly more than lukewarm feelings towards soccer. So much so that I nearly called it ‘football’ in aforewritten sentence. Just how does one get to this point?
My name is Dustin Walker and this is my story.
Late 1980’s
I’m in elementary school and my childhood best friend is somehow part of a traveling soccer team. I don’t recall how, when, or why he signed up for the team but I find myself spending several weekends in Steamboat Springs, CO to cheer him on during tournaments. I usually wind up bored out of my mind as I don’t pay much attention to the games, but wholeheartedly appreciate the hotel stays, sharing platters of pre-game spaghetti with my friend, and the hours long ride in his mom’s T-Bird to get to and from the resort.
1997
I immediately think of a specific episode of The Simpsons whenever someone mentions soccer. This phenomenon continues to this very day for nearly every other aspect of my life. I’m not complaining.
1999-2001
I serve a religious mission in Chile, South America. I work to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people and, in turn, the people preach the gospel of Chilean fútbol to me. I find myself purchasing a knockoff jersey from a street vendor and am instantly beloved by Chileans of all ages.
I still don’t know the rules on how to play the game and can only name one position on the field (goalie), but I am taught how to play a miniaturized version that they call Baby Fútbol. We find ourselves playing it on a weekly basis.
2002
I’m back in the U.S. and the movie Bend It Like Beckham is released. Something stirs inside of me as I see it in the theater. I think that it must be a newfound love of soccer having been surrounded by it for so long in South America. Turns out it was simply an appreciation for Keira Knightly and British accents.
2020
Soccer virtually disappears from my radar as I no longer play weekly Baby Fútbol. Keira Knightly also decides to move on to pirate movies. Yet, like pretty much everybody else on the planet, I find myself enamored with a little show called Ted Lasso. As Danny Rojas scampers around the pitch (do you see what happened there?) I find myself wanting to believe his mantra…
Futbol Is Life
Ted Lasso was making soccer funny, interesting, and cool for those of us on the fringes. Concepts like loans and relegations depicted in the series had me curious. I am older now. Wiser. I am ready to be taught.
Summer of 2022
My wife and I take our two oldest sons to the UK for a two week vacation. Entirely on a whim, we decide to book tickets for a stadium tour of Old Trafford; home of Manchester United (essentially the New England Patriots of Premier League Soccer). As part of the tour we are able to run through the team tunnel, sit in the best seats in the stadium, and visit the actual team locker room where, much to our surprise, our second born rushed up and sniffed Ronaldo’s jersey. As I succumbed to FOMO and did the same, I had a stark realization; football (see?) feels very accessible to fans. It would likely cost me one billion dollars to have the same tour experience at an NFL stadium, yet here we were; at one of the top teams in the world, sniffing their star player’s jersey. Sitting in the seats you realize how important these teams are to their communities and fans.
The Last Three Months
My jersey-sniffing-son and I have been playing a lot of FIFA on Xbox.
Like, a lot.
We’ve been making players, managing teams, and are now working through the World Cup itself. I even created a custom team and managed it through a glorious season and several cups. Yet I make one odd trade and am promptly fired? I’m over it. Really I am.
But the pièce de résistance was when I posted a 2 part story on my Instagram about a Scottish player I created named Keithen McSweeney.
Here’s the link to the actual post.
Now if you happen to click on the link and check out the post, pay close attention to who has liked it. You’ll see that both Brett Goldstein and Cristo Fernández gave it some love. That’s Roy Kent AND Danny Rojas!
That’s it y’all. I’m in.
I’ve played street fútbol IN South America while yelling and communicating with teammates who only spoke Spanish. I’ve stood on real life football hallowed ground and sniffed the sweat of greatness. I’ve had online interactions with fictional football stars, and have even been fired by my own virtual club. Yup. I’m beginning to think I may like this a little bit more than I used to.