So, being an American and unfortunately nonathletic, I have never been much of a soccer fan.  I feel like when I was a kid we were just at the beginning of every little kid playing soccer at some point.  I did not play soccer.  It’s probably mostly because there isn’t really a way to get away from all the running.  I’m not a fan of running.  Unless of course you are the goalie, in which case you don’t have to run much, but you do have to voluntarily stand in front of a net and have other people (far more athletic people) kick a ball at you face.  Playing goalie always seemed lose-lose to me.  If I stop it, I get hit with the ball, but if I don’t get hit with the ball I don’t stop it.  See, lose-lose.  What I’m saying is that soccer is for athletic people.  It’s not like baseball where it’s possible to have a beer belly and still be an All Star pitcher.

Anyway, the point is that I have never really gotten in to soccer.  So, when Seattle got a soccer team I mostly ignored it.  I like sports a lot, especially baseball, but I just couldn’t muster any excitement for soccer.  However, when Liezel suggested we actually go to a game this year I was game.  (You may have noticed Liezel write about the Sounders once or twice…or more) So I tossed on a green sweater (that was the best I could do, gear wise) and she and I went to watch the Sounder’s battle the Columbus Crew for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  I really wish I had a better understanding of the soccer system to really understand what that meant.  But I know we won it (for the second year in a row)and it was a lot of fun.

The Sounders in all their highlighter yellow glory!

Since I don’t follow soccer the whole system seems a little confusing.  There are regular season games and games against teams from other countries and “friendlies” and other games that also seem to have no meaning and I just haven’t spent any time trying to figure it out.  I think I will need to go to a few more games to really get energized enough to follow them if I’m not there.  The Sounders are sort of a Seattle sports anomaly as well.  They have a bunch of fans fright off the bat, they seem to actually win things occasionally and I’m pretty sure they shrunk Drew Carey (part owner of the Sounders if you didn’t know).

So, if you’d like to support a Seattle team that actually wins occasionally, check out the sounders.  www.soundersfc.com