freedom festival 3x3 soccer tourney

We are spending the week here in Utah hanging with our families. Today was a goody. It consisted of feeding ducks at Sugar House Park with cousin Cash, watching Matthias' 3 soccer games, and Hawaiian shaved ice down at BYU. A super hot day, but lots of fun!

Matthias' team, the Red Glare, won all 3 games today and are heading to the semifinal tomorrow on the fourth of July. He's pretty pumped. Note, Matthias chose the name from the Star Spangled Banner. Would be very fitting if they pulled out a final win on Independence Day.

meeting Real Salt Lake

One day out in Utah, Emily had a genius idea to take the kids to go watch the RSL team practice. Matthias was busy taking the UT bar, so he couldn't join us, (much to his disappointment). We got there and sat on the sidelines. I felt a bit sheepish sitting there as close as we were watching them all play... it brought me back to my high school days. The boys loved it of course, which was really the reason we went. When they were running ladders at the end, Ty ran with them on the sideline. It was fun being able to spot the players we knew. I didn't dare ask them for pictures, so I left it to Emily and she & Ty were brave enough to walk right up to them take shots when practice was over. How could they not?? Thanks for the good time Auntie Em. GOOOOOOOO RSL!

Ty & Nick Rimando

Ty & Beckham with Chris Wingert & Tony Beltran

Ty with Nat Borchers & Robbie Russell

rsl

We went with the Sayer's to see RSL play while we were in town. They lost. But we still loved it.

spring soccer

Soccer season is in full swing. It seems the time has come that our weekends are now being run by sports. Part of me wants to resist, but the boys (all three!) are so excited to be playing, and well, I love watching them! Matthias is coaching Beckham's team this year. He is the youngest on the team, and also the smallest if you can't tell from the pictures. It is also still very cold here. Because of these factors, Beckham was unsure of how he felt out on the field. When he subbed out, he ran to me to sit on my lap, underneath a blanket. Beckham trailed the pack of ballers most of the time, but got to the ball on occasion when he decided to run hard. He was super cute to watch. At the end of the game, he said it was not a good game because he didn't score. We refuted his statement and told him that he ran hard, passed well, and had some good strong kicks - and that he tried his hardest, so he actually had a great game! At this age it's hard to understand that you can still do great even when you don't score! 

Here Beckham is with the ball in his oversized tan jersey.

His best play of the game, he got a stray ball and took it for a run!

Matthias reassuring Bex that he could still play even though he got a grass burn on his knee.

I took this picture to remember just how small Beckham is.  Fernando is the tallest player on our team, wow, what a difference! 

Ty is a new kid out on the field this year. He is very enthusiastic, and is trying so hard to fight his timidness. He's getting in there and trying to take the ball away from the kids. It is such a change, we are so thrilled! He had a smile on his face much of the time, and kept on trying!  

Perfect picture of how he felt out there! All smiles!

Good sports.

Coach's After-Game Analysis: they had fun and passed well!  It is so neat to have such a positive coach. We feel lucky.

Post-Game snacks!  Ty and his buddy, Grant.  They go to the same school. 

summer steps

Matthias gave the boys summer hair cuts, World Cup style. Soccer players are known for their extreme hairstyles. Ty wanted a mo-hawk but Matthias doesn't allow mo-hawks apparently. I wanted to grow out Beeks hair again, but he says he just wants it short. Boooo. Side steps are pretty sweet though. We try to tell Bex that they make him run faster. He says he already runs fast.

goooooaaaaaal!

Who's excited for the world cup, eh? WE ARE!

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REAL Loyalists!

There is plenty going on these days in the world of sports, college football is rife with talk of the BCS, who will be playing in the BCS Championship (notice the qualifier "BCS" championship not national championship), who will be "busting" into the BCS from the unwashed masses (frankly none of the non-BCS schools in the mix are deserving as none have the pedigree of wins nor the quality of team necessary to play with the "big boys," sorry Ute fans I simply don't think you are as good as you think you are, as well, you have two games left to play so lets not be too hasty), the NBA is in full swing and boy am I glad that DWill is back with the Jazz (nice win tonight over the Sixers!), college hoops is just getting started and we are praying that Coach Crean can work some miracles and keep the Cream & Crimson competitive (we did pick up a win over Anderson?), but all of these intriguing stories must be put aside.

Real Salt Lake (RSL) is playing in the Western Conference Championship en route to the MLS Cup! After four years of setbacks, trials, hurdles, losses (oh the heartache we have endured) RSL is legitimate, we are a contender! Given our current residence in the Hoosier State we have had little opportunity to see RSL in live action, although we did travel up to Chicago this Summer and cheered them to a tie with the Fire. We have supported the team through thick and thin, we watch most matches online and listen to those online that we are unable to watch. Now, for those of you who are not yet converted to the sport or the team, this is your chance to be baptized. This Saturday RSL hosts the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium. For those of you who live within the confines of Salt Lake (and the surrounding area), you should be at the game. Seriously, you don't have anything going on and the groceries can wait, they always do. For those not in SLC, the game will be on Fox Soccer Channel and promises to be a doozy. We will be following the game somehow and somewhere and hope for a positive result. So, BYU and Utah fans, put aside your differences for two hours and involve yourself in a meaningful game (Utah vs. SDSU = not meaningful, BYU vs. Air Force = more meaningful than Utah vs. SDSU but still not as meaningful as RSL vs. NY) I know, putting aside our differences can be challenging, I am having a hard time with it right now too. Anyways, be a Loyalist, a REAL one!

Check out highlights of the last game here:

-Matthias

soccer mom

I've heard the term "soccer mom" used a lot, and am confused by what it actually means.

A friend of mine is of the opinion that the term denotes a mom who drives an SUV, who parks in the up-close handicapped parking spot so she doesn't have to walk from long distances in the parking lot; the mom who thinks she can bend the rules to make life a little easier on her, cuz she's got-so-much-to-do-with-4-kids, ya know.

A parenting book I was trying to get some tips from suggested that a soccer mom is one who over schedules their kids, commenting that 3 sports per child is becoming the trend, and that soccer moms spend most of their time in the car, driving their busy brood around.

I always thought of a soccer mom as the mom who made everyone feel embarrassed. The screaming lady on the soccer field sidelines, sitting in her fold-up camping chair, yelling at refs, players, and coaches.

Well, I don't really know what soccer mom is, and don't really want to be any of these definitions of a soccer mom, but today, I was a mom of one cute little soccer player. It was his first game EVER!

The field conditions were far from ideal. The game was indoors on a basketball court (even though there is plenty of green grass available on Saturday mornings for soccer games???), there was no real out-of-bounds barriers so the ball would get lost behind chairs, would get shuffled around the feet of spectators and would eventually end up trapped in the corners of the court. Finally there were far too many people screaming instructions inside this echoing gym. These conditions, however, did not stop the players (well some of them), from playing some crazy soccer.

A handful of the kids were more than a little bit confused as to what was going on. Too many kids, too many screaming voices, and not enough soccer balls. These somewhat perplexed children tended to stand and stare, turning their bodies and watching with curious and frightened interest as the other seemingly possessed boys and girls chased after the ball with stunning intensity. Ty was amongst the intense. He was a chaser, a hard core chaser. He would get a kick in here or there and give serious chase to the ball, or the pack of kids when the ball could not be located. His dad was pretty excited by the aggressiveness with which Ty would chase, and the determination he demonstrated in his attempts to get the ball where it needed to go, and his ability to shield the ball from would-be-ball-stealers.

Ty's moment of glory came after a hard fought battle to get the ball up the field (court), which he did despite the defensive efforts of a few opponents, then to get the ball out of a corner, which he did after shielding "his" ball from a potential ball-taker, and finally to get the ball positioned in front of the goal were he directed it safely into the net!!! He didn't really react to the moment in the moment, but he loved it. After the game when we asked him what he liked about the game, he smiled a big smile and said, when I scored! Ty is the player with the green over sized shirt tucked tightly in his green shorts, with the messy hair fitting an early morning 9am game!

props to Chicago and Indiana Dunes

We decided last minute (surprise, surprise) to go to the RSL - Chicago Fire soccer game in Chicago to watch our favorite and currently first place soccer team!

Quick rundown for ya: we spent our first day and night at the Indiana Dunes with our rad friends the Bruncliks... this doesn't look like Indiana does it? It was the most dreamy trip (minus the rain in the evening and morning, and the too-hard-to-sleep-on ground... what grad students have money for sleeping pads? I swear, I won't go again until I have one to sleep on!) Anyways, our two mile hike in the sand took us two hours due to, well, sand and blueberries. We played on the beach, and grilled at our camping spot. We woke up to lots of rain - our pancake breakfast was cooked underneath the picnic table and had to be eaten in the tent. Then we headed out to Chicago!

I have so many things to say about Chicago... impressive, friendly, expensive (parking and toll booths for 1 day cost about $50), beautiful buildings, hustle bustle, clean, big. We spent most of the day at Navy Pier at the Children's Museum and walking around. I felt so out of style with all the beautiful people there. The skyline view from the ferris wheel was amazing with the mist, not to mention frightening. We had another hour to kill before the game, which we spent driving around downtown checking out the sights. We really wanted to go to Millenium Park, but didn't have enough time to park and really see it. I felt kind of overwhelmed being there - we didn't know beforehand that we would be able to spend the day there, so we went in a blind - six hours is definately not enough time to see Chicago without more of a plan. I hope I get to go back in the near future and stay a couple of days.

The game was so fun! We were hoping for a win, but were happy with a draw. We got close enough to the players to yell their names and wave - we got smiles and waves back from Kenny Cutler, Matias Mantilla (Ty yelled "Hola Matias" and he gave a smile and a wave back) and a nod and wave from Robbie "blazing fast" Findley. It was so exciting to be there. I must give the Chicago Fire and their fans props, there was so much energy there. Their stadium rocked, fireworks, huge crowd, tailgating, mascot. I'm sure in a couple of years RSL will be there as they're still such a new team. I loved watching Javi and Beckerman play. Such a fun event for the boys!