My Soccer Wishlist

Well, I do have a soccer wishlist; thanks for asking.

I decided to post up some of the items I have engraved in the back of my mind to make sure I keep an eye out for. Am I looking for random people who check out my blog to buy and mail me some of this? No way. Although we all must do as the Lord leads us, right? I want to promote the sport as much as I can. Soccer (and I am using soccer instead of football here for less confusion) is wonderful exercise, a great fix for that person who's just itching to compete at something, and the best way to humble someone that you think needs to be a little more like Jesus.

First up is the Adidas F-50+ X-TRX SG. To date this is the greatest boot (soccer shoe) ever created. The style and design is superior to that of Nike, who tend to value look over comfort. Personally, Adidas shoes in general fit me best. In soccer there is no difference. I have some F-10's right now. They are very comfortable, stylish, and it almost feels like I am playing barefoot; not quite, but almost. This will be a great pickup some day; at $160 that day may never come. Either way, when you buy your shoes, after you think about how they fit, the comfort, the price, and the longevity, think about the reaction of your opponent when he sees you put those on. This is part of the mind game.

We now move on to the core of the game: the ball. This item is of course the most important in the sport. Without it, there's not only nothing to kick, but nothing to put in the goal. And if you are going to nutmeg a hotshot midfielder who's been talking all game long, then Maradona or rainbow by a defender who uses both feet to slide tackle your shins in a pickup game, and finish the strike off with a side-step and flick over the oncoming goalie and drop the ball perfectly into the lower right corner of the net, why not do it with some flair.

The Nike T90 250 HI-VIS is much like soccer itself, and in the fanciful, beautiful, dancing style one might only find in Brazilian soccer. Can you just imagine no-looking the ball between the legs of your defender to a teammate making a run? Or doing a step-over, backheeling the ball off the wall and behind your defender as you run around him and speed down the wing? Again, it has to be done with flair. Plus, the game can be that much more fun when your playing with a sweet looking ball, and not just some white ball with occassional black spots. You're playing soccer, not eating Breyer's Cookies and Cream.

The last item is what any striker or offense-minded midfielder loves to see: the goal. Now, sure you can use a garbage can, cones, someone's car, a spot on the fence, whatever's in reach. But there's something extra when you see your ball hit the back of a net, curl up and roll out. Everyone saw it. They cannot deny it. The 6 ft. Pugg goal is perfect for a pickup game. They setup anywhere, collapse easily and compactly, and are used by professional and national teams for practice.

Well, that is my wishlist. I don't need anything fancy like jerseys, shingaurds, training aids, bags and so on. That's one of the great beauties of this game. You simply do not need anything special. But if you are going to play, bring some water and your imagination. The one thing this game will never be is boring.