Today, Tuesday March 8, 2011, the Vancouver Whitecaps have announced 2,500 more tickets have been released for the home opener of their inaugural Major League Soccer season. On March 19th the Whitecaps will take on their Canadian rival, Toronto FC. I, for one, cannot wait to experience this new league.
I grew up minutes away from Empire Stadium, now Empire Field. I played for a local juvenile soccer team, in fact, the same organization that Mr. Bob Lenarduzzi played for, Grandview Legion. I idolized Mr. Lenarduzzi, he even attended the same high school as me, or maybe it was the other way around. It was through soccer that my father taught me how to be a team player. He explained that it didn't matter who scored the goal, as long as it was someone on our team.
This lesson rings true in all aspects of life. When you make WE greater than me, everyone that is included in WE wins.
I think it goes without saying that in order to be successful in soccer, you need to play as a team. This is more important in soccer than in any other sport in the world. A strong eleven is a must, not a strong ten or nine. The truth is that it doesn't end at the starting eleven. There are several players that may not make the starting line up, that are just as vital to winning.
Speaking of "WE", this goes even further than the players on the team. It takes great long term coaching, management, marketing and support to be successful. If everyone thinks as WE, anything can be accomplished.
I look forward to the next few decades and the experiences that this team will not only give us current fans, but all of it's future fans. Sports are an imperative part of a balanced upbringing and the lessons that are learned on the field can be converted into life lessons.
The bottom line is, if WE work as a team, WE will win. It's inevitable because:
"WE is greater than me."
