Rookie Report: Capitol flashback
07/14/2008 3:54 PM by Dane Murphy
Once upon a time a scrappy thirteen year-old with big dreams came to the city of big ideas for "The Cherry Blossom Festival Soccer Tournament.” He was supposed to get to play soccer on The National Mall with a better-than-average club team. Let it be known that this kid was a bit excited at his prospects. He was previously confined to smaller tournaments in Connecticut and New York but was now able to realize a dream of his by playing in the Capitol. The excitement, however, was short lived.
Mother Nature would have her say as the tournament could have been renamed "The Frozen Rain Festival." The team would end up playing one game at a local elementary soccer field in Maryland. But, as is often the case in the District, someone who knew someone who knew someone, got this kid and his teammates the opportunity to watch a D.C. United training session. Afterwards they all got to meet the team – Eddie Pope, Marco Echeverry, John Harkes, Jamie Moreno and others. They got autographs and got to shake hands with some of the club’s best-ever players. The cancellation of the tournament turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the dream of playing in the Capitol was no longer big enough for the boy. The new dream was to play for the Capitol, to play for D.C. United.
Now almost 10 years later that same kid is part of D.C. United. I came up with the idea for this post as I watched the 4th of July fireworks on The National Mall where a young kid once dreamed. Words cannot begin to describe the enormity of the thrill and the sense of pride in being a part of this incredible tradition and this incredible town. Through perseverance and hard work dreams do become reality.
As an update on my current status – I have been named to the team in each of the last three games, including a 2-1 loss to Guadalajara de Chivas this past weekend. That was our first loss in nine games in all competitions and we’ll look to rebound by advancing in the SuperLiga group stage, starting with a game against Atlante tomorrow.
Remember D.C. fans, if you ain’t first, you’re last. Vamos Vamos Vamos, Dale Dale Dale United!
Comments
2 Comments
About This Blog | Contact Us | dcunited.com
© 2008 - 2009 D.C United & MacFarlane Chang DC Soccer, LLC - All Rights Reserved
07/14/2008 4:58 PM by nairbsod
great post, dane! give 'em hell - look forward to seeing you on the pitch, representing our colors!
07/14/2008 5:28 PM by UnitedTerp
great post! There's nothing quite like watching the 4th of July fireworks on the mall.