The year of soccer
2022 was the year that soccer became a big part of our life. When our son was in Kindergarten and 1st grade, it seemed unlikely he would take to team sports. He’s smaller than most kids his age and didn’t seem to show any interest in the sport (he seemed to enjoy basketball more). He ended up joining a rec league team with his classmates, so twice a year we did end up playing several matches. Then in the second half of 2019 something changed. He got interested in soccer and started to look forward to playing beyond just having fun with his buddies. I still feel the Messi shirt I bought him during a holiday in Barcelona had something to do with it. The Fall 2021 rec league season was his best yet as he figured out that he was a good dribbler and could carry the ball forward. He also started watching a lot of Premier League and La Liga (about the only time we watch TV) and started breaking down his favorite players to pick up their moves.
This year, following a long conversation with my dentist who had three kids go through Seattle United, we decided to try out. Tryouts were intimidating but he got into the Seattle United regional select team, and even managed to get his chosen number 8 (inspired by Andres Iniesta and Pedri). Over the summer the team, none of whom had played together before, ended up winning one of the tournaments they played in. During the Fall he ended up playing rec league with his friends and the North Puget Sound League (NPSL) with his Seattle United team. Practice during the week and two matches every weekend meant that our life became full of soccer. That it was a World Cup year made it even more of a soccer year (Vamos Argentina!). Getting formal coaching, learning how to play as part of a team (mostly as a left midfield player in a 2-3-1 formation), and playing against quality opposition was a great experience. He ended the NPSL season more confident than he started. Seeing him get better every week was a very satisfying experience.
I’ve been taking pictures and recording his games for a while, and ended up recording all his Seattle United games. During the Fall, almost all my photography and video was soccer with birds and other activities taking a back seat. What started as hand held video transformed to an R5c in a cage with a monitor, shotgun mic, and battery pack, and eventually a Veo2 camera to get proper soccer video from a height with automatic highlights and the ability to live stream. At the end of every match I send a highlights package to the other parents. Switching to the Veo has really cut down on my editing time although I am no longer shooting in 4K. The ability to live stream is a huge bonus, especially for grandparents and those who live farther away. All in all a worthy investment.
The following clips were taken from his last rec game (red shirt, number 2) and last NPSL game (light blue shirt, number 8) this Fall season. With the Founders cup coming up, try outs in spring, and World Cup induced soccer mania, it looks like soccer parenting is going to remain a big part of our lives.
