"God Bless America"

Ask anyone who knows me, whether it be from only a couple of casual conversations or it be someone who has known me since I was a little kid, they know that soccer is a huge part of my life. The game of soccer has been one of a limited amount of constants for me throughout my years growing up. As a child, I went to countless games of my fathers where I could learn how the game is played… and how not to talk to your teammates. I started playing at a very young age and for many years was coached by the best, the hardest, and the most invested coach I have ever had, in my father. Although we did not always see eye to eye, my father challenged me to grow both as a player and as a person each time I stepped foot on the field.

Coming to South Africa, I knew that I was getting a chance to live in the place where the most recent world cup was held, just last year. Through my various posts I have mentioned my hopes that this trip would enable me to grow as a person, but I have been reluctant to discuss my plans regarding soccer. This disinclination came as a result of my inability to set expectations or visualize what the world of soccer, especially for women, would be like in this country. Of course I knew that it was an extremely popular sport, however I was also aware that in many countries around the world, the world of sports among the female gender was nowhere near the level at which Americans have reached. My only plans up to this point were to find a way to continue playing so that I could keep a familiar touch with the ball and hopefully maintain some sort of fitness level, which for me shouldn’t be too hard since I never really set the bar that high in this category anyway.

With these goals in mind, I signed up for the University of Cape Town Women’s Soccer team and found out the date of trials. Upon our arrival to the field, I was quite nervous, as I had absolutely no clue what to expect. Unfortunately, it did not take very long for those fears to subside. Just by looking around, seeing women of all different shapes and sizes, wearing various forms of equipment (and I use that term loosely), I could tell that this experience would not challenge me in the way that I had feared. I won’t get into the details of the first week of trials because it is honestly hard to discuss without reiterating the stereotype of a pompous American, but I will say that the more we played, the more my appreciation for what our country provides for women grew.

After the first week was finished, we were told the initial cuts and the tentative “first team” was formed. It was not a surprise that the squad consisted of an abundance of American girls, who would most likely take the starting spot in almost every position. To be honest, it had been quite an ego boost for the group of us (not that I need any of that), as our mediocrity in the States is considered to be of the highest level in this country. This idea of the American “superstars” was only solidified in our team’s first preseason scrimmage against a professional South African team. Once again, I will refrain from giving too much detail of the game because it seems inevitable that my discussion will be largely focused on my American teammates. However, I will say that we won the game 5-3 and all of our goals were scored by an American player, while all of the goals against us came about when the bulk of the Americans has relocated to the sidelines (take what you want from those statistics). Regardless of the score and the level of talent (or lack thereof), I have been enjoying the chance to get back on the field with a completely new group of people. I have actually been able to take the field on the same side of three of my NESCAC conference opponents, which has allowed me to get the opportunity to become familiar with, and maybe even friends with, those that I will be facing next fall. I am looking forward to using this experience to improve on the areas in which I need to work on, my right foot and my tendency to get frustrated (which will undoubtedly be tested), being the main focuses. I have resorted to doing many of the drills completely right-footed (come see if you don’t believe it, Dad) and have tried to turn my irritation into self-motivation throughout the course of a practice or game. Through all of this, there has been one thought that remains constant, and that is, “God Bless America,” for allowing me the opportunities that are as omnipresent as one would think.