Per Klinsmann, Be Courageous
Dear Trixie,
There are few things as wonderful as a home opener but one of them is winning 3 points in your home opener. Â And there are few things as wonderful as winning 3 points in your home opener but one of them is hanging a banner before your victorious home opener. Â And there are few things as wonderful as hanging a banner before your victorious home opener but one of them is when that banner lets everyone know last year you were the league CHAMPS.
(Here in action.)
Maybe as you were browsing MLS articles this afternoon, you read something along the lines of:Â
The Sounders are back. It took a long time, but the MLS Cup Champs have finally found their form the season after lifting the cup. Such is the unpredictable quality of MLS. Get ready to put another star on your kits, hang another banner from the staidum rafters, and revel in the sweet taste of repeat victories until next March.Â
Trixie. Do not listen to them. To, once again, take a page from Men in Blazers, we are 3/34th through the MLS regular season.  Trix, that’s not even a tenth.  You certainly wouldn’t say a round of golf was wrapped up on approaching the second hole.  A dime isn’t a dollar.  And your mom and dad are never going to say it’s ok to eat 10% of your veggies.
But there are some great takeaways from the Sunday’s match and possibly the most important is one of those unquantifiable qualities of sport: chemistry.  We can try and look at the numbers--possession, completed passes, tackles won, the list goes on and on--but, I promise you, they never add up.  So much of what we love about playing and watching these games are the unmeasurable aspects of humanity.  Determination.  Rhythm.  Momentum.  Discipline.  Passion.  Heart.  The beautiful work in the midfield was unselfish almost to a fault.  But it’s a fantastic indicator of who this team is, what they’re like in the off the field, and how they intend to pursue the other 9/10ths of this season.
There are a hundred thousand ways to learn these parts of life but I remember getting lessons right alongside your pop during high school wrestling season.  I learned more about respect, perseverance, and dedication on a wrestling mat than I ever could have from anyone or anywhere else in those formative years.  Often from old man himself, as we went from practice to practice, match to match, tournament to tournament.  Regardless of what you pursue, I’m sorry to say you’ll likely have to learn some of these important lessons the hard way.  If it’s like me, it might be while getting your nose ground into a wrestling mat or while sustaining wall sits that seem to know no end or watching your best friend push beyond limits you did not know were possible.  But the important thing is learning them.  And the lessons you learn the hard way tend to stick with you.  Also, you have to eat your veggies, Trix.
But yeah, we won. Â And that was awesome. Â And we hung a banner. Â And that was awesome too. Â Cheers to the first of the season. Â May many more follow.
Intrepidly Yours,
Uncle Nick
