In the Discuss series, we usually debate the latest happenings around MLS. But with Father's Day right around the corner, we decided to go a different direction. Instead of getting our staff's hottest takes, we asked some of the MLS Digital group to share the most memorable soccer moments they've shared with their fathers. Here's what we came up with – see how our dads shaped our soccer fandom and be sure to share your own memorable experiences in the comments below!
Ben Couch, Senior Editor
My dad played Division-III soccer at Grinnell College, and then coached my AYSO teams, occasionally coordinating our age division, until I abandoned him for misguided HS (American) football dreams. MLS started a little late for us to latch on from the jump, but last year I got him out to his first game – RBNY’s ridiculous 7-0 destruction of NYCFC. Yes, three generations of Couches were actually there.
Eric Goncalves, Social Media Manager
I thank my dad for my love of soccer and where I am today. Whether it was going to every single one of my soccer games growing up (home and away) or bringing me to MetroStars games at Giants Stadium – we cultivated our love of soccer together. One of my favorite memories was going to my first professional soccer game in Portugal to watch our family’s hometown team C.F. Os Belenenses and getting to stand on the field pregame with my dad.
Steve Kur, Manager, Production
My dad and I were watching the 2010 USMNT world cup match vs. Algeria together in his living room. When Landon Donovan put in that last-second goal we both jumped up, screaming and hugging each other. We have a great relationship and have been to a lot of sporting events together but that reaction was the most raw emotion (pure joy) that we had ever shared together.
It’s not much but I know people in the US soccer world always talk about where they were when LD scored that goal. I was with my dad and it was absolutely incredible.
Nicholas Rosano, Senior Editor
I had just finished kindergarten in the summer of 1994 when our household caught World Cup fever big time. My dad had already gotten a taste when Brazil met Cameroon in the group stage, and when the tournament came back to the Bay Area he took me on my first train ride to see Romania face Sweden in the quarterfinals.
At that age I didn’t quite grasp everything that was going on in front of me, but the excitement of a 2-2 draw and penalty shootout was infectious even then. Even though I can't quite remember the details of the game, I will always be thankful to be able to say I saw some of the greatest players of the era play in person: Romania’s famed frontline led by the inimitable Gheorghe Hagi, Serie A star Tomas Brolin and even a young Henrik Larsson, to name a few, and it wouldn't have been possible without my dad.
Like many young Americans of that generation, the 1994 World Cup was seminal moment in my upbringing as a soccer fan and I have no doubt that without my dad sharing those moments with me that summer, my love for the game would not be what it is today.
Abner Aceves, Senior Producer
When my dad first moved to this country from Mexico, he always looked for a fix to his soccer addiction. When the league launched in '96 he finally had that chance to make a league his own! He made it a point to go out to the Rose Bowl and support the Galaxy on the good and the bad days, even with no real reason other than the chance to see the sport he grew up playing, in person. MLS and soccer have always been a part of my life, and I have my dad to thank for that.
Simon Borg, Editor-in-Chief
You need to bring your nose up really close to see it on a world map, where its printed name is often way larger than the scaled drawing of the land mass. My dad, Tony, is from the tiny island of Gozo in Malta, just south of Sicily, where soccer fans also go to their small 4,000-seat stadium on weekends to watch their semi-pro teams in action.
Before the current grass field was installed, the matches at Gozo Stadium were played on dirt in the early 90s. In those days doubleheader tickets were just shy of $3, the soccer was slow, the fouls vicious, the uniforms were not exactly form-fitting and every shot was followed by a cloud of kicked-up dust.
With my brother and me in tow, my dad would always make it a point to be there on Sundays, no matter the villages that were playing or the manicured, televised soccer we were forsaking. And that’s where I watched him hold court, with a crowd of 10-15 fellow fans who would slowly gather around him and serve as his own personal laugh track, egging him on as he delivered wisecracks, hot takes on the game, observations out of left field and even the occasional R-rated dig at the other villages on the island. My dad invariably lost his voice by the end of the afternoon, but it was a small price to pay for a good time had by all.
The matches were inconsequential in the big picture, but what was obvious is that they represented a social experience for the fans in the stands. A reason to be together. Strip everything else away, and it’s obviously the reason we all love this game.
Alicia Rodriguez, Contributor
Truthfully, my dad has never really been into soccer, and our first collective experience of the sport was USA vs. Switzerland at the Pontiac Silverdome at World Cup 1994 (he was in the stands with my mom having won two free tickets in a raffle, I was watching the game at home on TV). But he's been the kind of father who has always encouraged his kids to pursue their interests. And while our shared sports memories revolve around other sports, his support in life overall made me feel like I could do whatever I wanted, and pursuing my love of soccer is pretty much what I'm doing right now.
