Soccer provides important lessons for young men both on and off the field.
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Saturday. Early evening.
After enjoying a beautiful day with some friends, I went home to prepare for what was to come. No, not the copious amounts of aloe vera that would be needed to reduce the incoming sunburn. I grabbed a quick shower and threw on a pair of shorts along with my USA Centennial Carlos Bocanegra soccer jersey.
Saturday night was the last international friendly match for the United States Men’s National Team before heading to Brazil for the World Cup, which began yesterday. The #USMNT faced Nigeria, another country headed to the World Cup for their final tune-up before competing in the “Group of Deadliest Deathly Death” against Germany, Portugal, and the USA’s World Cup Nightmare, Ghana. Overall, Jozy Altidore scored twice and the diamond midfield configuration seemed to work well. Enough analysis; I digress.
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Every year, during every day of tryouts, I busted my ass up and down the field, kicking, passing, and shooting to make the team.
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I grew up enjoying soccer as a kid. My hometown did not have any sort of American football league, so my mother signed me for what they call “the beautiful game”. It was something to do and all my friends were doing it; running around in swarm-like formation around a soccer ball was really good for six to eight year olds. As I got older, I realized that my big body frame would not be suited for an attacker, so I found my spot on defense. I considered myself to be a “Bash Brother” for our less than mediocre high school soccer team.
Every year, during every day of tryouts, I busted my ass up and down the field, kicking, passing, and shooting to make the team. I earned my spot on the team each year and contributed to our success, or lack thereof. Our record did not represent the effort and heart we gave on the field.
Soccer taught me a few lessons:
Giving your absolute best is enough.
Coach would say to the kids who were slacking during practice, “Look at Catalano, giving it his all. He might take your position!” I was never the best, but I would be damned if I stopped trying. Young men exist in a culture where this is not accepted enough. Young men are sometime expected to achieve above and beyond their parent’s and other’s expectations. Encouraging men to do the best they can, and having that be enough, can positively impact their experience on a larger level.
Mentorship is powerful and doesn’t need to come from an older figure.
He pushed me to run as far and hard as I could. His passion encouraged my passion.
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I credit my passion for soccer to Edwin, one of our team’s strikers. Edwin eats, sleeps, and breathes soccer, a game that he would eventually go on to play in college. Many of our conversations revolved around our next match, his love of the Columbian National team, his dislike of the US Soccer team, and goals we wanted to accomplish in our lives. Our love for soccer fueled our connection. He pushed me to play in pick up games to prepare for tryouts. He pushed me to run as far and hard as I could. His passion encouraged my passion. Male mentorship, regardless of age, is important and can guide us as we progress throughout life. We need more positive male role models. Accept mentorship. Give mentorship.
Leadership isn’t positional.
I was never team captain. Showing up each day for practices and games with the mentality that I could influence my teammates to play their absolute best motivated me to do the same. In this case, senior leadership sometimes trumped positional leadership. For some, this isn’t easy to recognize. Societal roles tell us that one person, or a group of people, are chosen to lead. What about the guys who start movements because they do not like how society tells them to be or act?
Take risks.
If I never took any of these risks, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. Resiliency within young men is powerful.
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I took shots on goal and missed every time; the closest I came was a header that was knocked away by the goalie at the last second. I aggressively challenged the other team’s players when they approached our goal. If I, or any of my teammates, didn’t take risks to advance our team, we wouldn’t have made any progress. After soccer, I took risks in going to college, moving to the Midwest and then to the West Coast, making friends, losing friends, and starting or ending romantic relationships. If I never took any of these risks, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. Resiliency within young men is powerful. We learn from our experiences and make better supported decisions throughout our lives. Soccer was a vehicle for me to develop this skill.
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The Beautiful Game, as Pele called it, has positively impacted my life. As we move forward into the beginning of the World Cup, these lessons remind me of the power of soccer and its influence on those who enjoy the game. (Prediction: Argentina beats Brazil in final on PKs; USA gets out of group stage and makes it to quarterfinals.)
Happy World Cup to you and yours!
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Image credit: cliff1066™/flickr