Why do I love soccer?
It takes a lot to answer that question. It’s been part of my life since I was 5, but I was inspired to pursue “the beautiful game” after I watched the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
After two AYSO seasons and a myopic view of the expanse of Bay Area soccer, I joined my first club team: De Anza Force 97 Black. Little did I know, I would be sticking with this team for the rest of my childhood.
Our team struggled for the first four years, consistently finishing close to the bottom in the league. I had constant doubts about us. We lost and gained several players, but there still remained six original players by 2012, when our team started to turn in the right direction.
We were able to ensure a consistent team for a couple seasons and my soccer career was taking a turn for the better. We finally found our stride and placed high in our leagues and State Cup groups.
Then came 2014.
The year started off rough. Our team’s spring season was disastrous, to say the least; we finished third to last in our league and were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the NorCal State Cup tournament in early May. It seemed like another case of déjà vu.
Fall season came around and with a new coach and a new training regimen our strong defense at the beginning of the season set the tone for the rest of the season. We proceeded to go on a 7-match unbeaten run with road victories in Antioch, Davis, Walnut Creek and San Francisco, and home draws against Union City, Richmond and Yuba City. It had been a while since I felt this successful feeling, and I was hoping it would never end.
But as our team had experienced before, that sinking feeling came back.
On the penultimate weekend, we fell 2-1 to the fifth place team in a game that would put one hand on the championship if we had won.
The last weekend of the season proved to be the most crucial. Our Saturday match pitted us against the then first-place Antioch team. With the kickoff set for 3:15 p.m., our team was ready to try to beat the first-place team so as to secure a chance to win the league.
But lo and behold, we learned from the team manager that the team we were supposed to play had forfeited the match because of a lack of players and had essentially handed the championship to us. All we had to do was either draw or win Sunday’s game to celebrate the league championship.
The game was set to kickoff at 4:30 p.m. in Danville and we would take on a team from Mustang Soccer Club to compete for the top spot.
Tensions rose early on and the intensity kept increasing. Fights between players broke out as the each team was pressing to score the vital goal. The first half ended 0-0, and the next 45 minutes of the game were set to be possibly the biggest in my soccer career thus far.
The breakthrough came late in the second half by our right winger who volleyed home a corner kick to make the game 1-0. The sidelines erupted into cheers and the team gathered in the center to celebrate the goal that could put the title in our hands.
However, five minutes later, our defender scored an own goal. But if we held this result, we would be champions.
It took two goal-line clearances, several point blank saves, and many sacrificed body parts to keep the ball out of our net. We adjusted our defense to accommodate seven defenders to assure the result.
We held on to a 1-1 draw and won the league championship, a feat we had been working toward since I was a 10-year-old boy.
However, the league title wasn’t the only thing I took away from my experience in soccer thus far. I cherished most the sense of successful camaraderie that came with the success. And that’s why this sport was, is, and always will be my favorite.
