Ok, first time I wrote this I lost it......when I clicked to post, I had timed out on the site and wasn't smart enough to copy the post. Maybe I should have taken that as a hint.....
In any case, I've been home now for a couple of days after having spent 4+ days in the metro Dallas area where my wife and I went to watch our son's Academy team play in the playoffs. Kind of a lot of money to spend.....but my wife said we were going, period. And she's the boss.
And all in all I was glad we went, had an excellent time and kind of had a preview of what an empty nest could look like (Mikey stayed home with grandparents) in a few years and honestly it was pretty cool.
So, time to channel my inner Larry King and share my thoughts on the experience.
--In a weird sort of "everything is bigger in Texas" way, Frisco kind of reminded me of Daniel Island. Very sweet soccer stadium surrounded by high end commercial, retail and apartments/condos. Frisco Square is several blocks of restaurants, bars, etc etc etc...with racing neon lights at night. Looks like a great place to play soccer, watch soccer, eat, drink, people watch.
--Pizza Hut Park is run by FC Dallas, I guess either in conjunction with Pizza Hut or with significant sponsorship by PH. The complex has 17 fields I think....with 2 of them turf.
--The crown jewel is the stadium where FC Dallas played. Stunningly beautiful. All I could think of was, WOW!! Screw baseball, Charlotte needs to put one of these within walking distance of downtown/uptown. Imagine watching DC United play then sauntering over to Epicenter afterwards.
--Unfortunately, the game was pretty rough. We watched FC Dallas play Portland and the game was pretty much a perfect description of what ails the American game. All clutching and grabbing...speed and brute force. No art to the game whatsoever. Portland was dreadful. Only player who caught my eye was one of the Dallas players. Some whiteblondehaired guy with a funny name who at least from a distance bore a resemblance to Dustin Swineheart from the Eagles. Was very good on the ball...moved all over the field. Was very calm and controlled and one had the sense that at least onthis night he could do anything he wanted to. Dallas won 4-0.
--Attendance was poor......assume the US-Mexico game had something to do with it. Too bad....with 160 Academy teams there.......you would have thought attendance would have been stellar.
--Weather in Texas made SC seem chilly. 100 degrees every day......we had an 8pm game one night and it was still 94 at kickoff.
--We had an 11am Sat game, an 8pm Sunday game, off Monday, and an 11am game Tuesday. The kids were exhausted after the 2nd game, recovered a little on their offday, but clearly were out ofgas midway thru the third game. Makes me think of all of the double headers we used to play in SCSCL days.....what in God's name were we thinking? At this age and at this level, 3 games in 4 days is bordering on too much, particularly in that heat.
--Speaking of which....what in God's name is USSF thinking by putting a late June Showcase in Texas? Is there something wrong with Boston, Albany, Chicago, or Seattle? Do you have to go to one of the hottest places in Christendom to put on an event? Imagine, what the WC will be like in a couple of years.
--Having said that.....the complex was beautiful, fields immaculate, and everything was very well orchestrated and planned.
--Saw some pretty good soccer and some disappointing soccer. Mostly good. Saw some excellent young players. Liked one in particular from u16 Chicago Fire. Kid must have been 6'3 or 4...and 200 to 210. yet he was very good on the ball, very clean technically, very savvy tactically. Used his size well, but didn't rely on it. Wish I knew his name. Loved how their 18's came and supported them and started singing with maybe 10 minutes left in the game. Very soccerish.
--Went to church on Sunday.....Frisco is the home of Chuck Swindoll's church. We went.....service was too traditional for me, but Swindoll gave a marvelous sermon that was worth it.
--Ate well......hit a Japanese restaurant for lunch in Frisco Square that my wife swore was the best sushi she'd ever had. I wouldn't go that far....but it was excellent. Great bbg place right near the fields....named Brad's, or some such place. Looked like an old gas station/country store. Excellent texas brisket for $6.95 I think for 1/2 pound, served on a sheet of wax paper. Really good. Lots of coaches in there to eat and relax and talk.
--You could tell that Presidents from Texas had been in the White House for 12 of the last 22 years, as the level of investment in infrastructure was amazing. Highways everywhere...with very little auto density. Trying to compare Dallas traffic to Atlanta or Charlotte is crazy, as the latter two cities appear to have 4x the traffic of Dallas.
--Last comment....my first Academy Showcase and yeah, there were lots of college coaches there. But IMO....still doesn't match up to what I saw this past Disney, in terms of masses of coaches.
On to summer time.......
