The last time I “watched” a soccer game, I was eating pizza at The Oven in Seaside. It was the 2018 World Cup semifinal. England was up against Croatia. I was watching with my partner at the time, a Brit who is probably the least fanatical person I have ever met when it comes to sports. But to my surprise, he wouldn’t shut up about the match for the entire week leading up to it. The phrase “it’s coming home” was a common refrain I saw and heard everywhere. (I came to find out later that it was apparently a reference to a tournament song and to the British claim that they were the inventors of the sport.)
Unfortunately for my English friends, England did not, in fact, bring it home. They lost to Croatia. And that day, my normally non-fanatical ex was visibly disappointed when his team lost, sipping his sorrows away with beer. I was amused to observe the change of behavior.
Today, as the United Soccer League—the organization that is just one division under Major League Soccer—announced its expansion to Monterey County through the creation of the Monterey Bay Football Club, I’m reminded of that magical power sports can have. Part of it is in bringing people together.
Monterey Bay FC is planning to bring people together in more ways than one. They’re entering into a multi-million dollar deal with CSU Monterey Bay to renovate Freeman stadium so the club has dedicated home turf. They’re going to hold virtual listening sessions so prospective fans can have a say on the team’s crest and colors. And eventually, they’ll be another pro-sports team locals can cheer on.
“This is a club that will be committed to the community and our first priority will always be to listen to our fans,” team owner Ray Beshoff said in a statement released by USL. “We will build this club and community with our fans and invest in retaining its talent and diversity, starting with revitalizing a stadium on the campus of CSUMB.”
It is hard at the moment to imagine gathering in a stadium with 5,999 other people. But it is, in a way, a local version of “bringing it home.” After all, Monterey County loves its soccer. You could find it everywhere in the Before Times. Whether it was a pick-game in a park, at an after-school youth soccer organization or even in the confines of Soledad Prison. It’s about time we owned our love for the sport. Come 2022, we’ll have a stadium dedicated to it.
-Marielle Argueza, staff writer, marielle@mcweekly.com
The last time I “watched” a soccer game, I was eating pizza at The Oven in Seaside. It was the 2018 World Cup semifinal. England was up against Croatia. I was watching with my partner at the time, a Brit who is probably the least fanatical person I have ever met when it comes to sports. But to my surprise, he wouldn’t shut up about the match for the entire week leading up to it. The phrase “it’s coming home” was a common refrain I saw and heard everywhere. (I came to find out later that it was apparently a reference to a tournament song and to the British claim that they were the inventors of the sport.)
Unfortunately for my English friends, England did not, in fact, bring it home. They lost to Croatia. And that day, my normally non-fanatical ex was visibly disappointed when his team lost, sipping his sorrows away with beer. I was amused to observe the change of behavior.
Today, as the United Soccer League—the organization that is just one division under Major League Soccer—announced its expansion to Monterey County through the creation of the Monterey Bay Football Club, I’m reminded of that magical power sports can have. Part of it is in bringing people together.
Monterey Bay FC is planning to bring people together in more ways than one. They’re entering into a multi-million dollar deal with CSU Monterey Bay to renovate Freeman stadium so the club has dedicated home turf. They’re going to hold virtual listening sessions so prospective fans can have a say on the team’s crest and colors. And eventually, they’ll be another pro-sports team locals can cheer on.
“This is a club that will be committed to the community and our first priority will always be to listen to our fans,” team owner Ray Beshoff said in a statement released by USL. “We will build this club and community with our fans and invest in retaining its talent and diversity, starting with revitalizing a stadium on the campus of CSUMB.”
It is hard at the moment to imagine gathering in a stadium with 5,999 other people. But it is, in a way, a local version of “bringing it home.” After all, Monterey County loves its soccer. You could find it everywhere in the Before Times. Whether it was a pick-game in a park, at an after-school youth soccer organization or even in the confines of Soledad Prison. It’s about time we owned our love for the sport. Come 2022, we’ll have a stadium dedicated to it.
-Marielle Argueza, staff writer, marielle@mcweekly.com
Click Here to see the Original Article.
Click Here to see the Original Article.
