Your first time

[BrianCappellieri]

Originally posted by Gar7
First US Open Cup Match: CT Wolves vs Tampa Bay Mutiny, 3-2 Wolves

I was there too. Irasto Knights jumping into the crowd. :)

[NER_MCFC]

First game on TV: Pele's farewell match, the Cosmos vs. Santos. At least that's the first I remember.
First game live: First organized game I saw was my high school team in a pre-season tournament, August of 1980. First professional game I ever saw in person was USA-Nigeria in Foxboro in 1995.
First played: something vaguely resembling soccer was one of the 1v1 games my brother and I played during the 70s.
Originally posted by LeeS
First time I played in a real match: Uhhh, I have NEVER played in a "real" match. I am 36 now, so I don't see it happening!
First played organized: Boston area rec league, June, 1998
LeeS, I was 35 at the time with no history of organized athletic activity AT ALL, so it's never too late.

[csc7]

First Game on TV-- I remember seeing a game from Italy 1990, but didn't know what I was watching. So it's probably a Champions League game on tape involving Ajax (I don't remember more details than that)

First live Game-- Pro--Nigeria v Bulgaria Dallas, 94
first ever was a D3 college championship game when I was little. I remember it went to 4 or 5 rounds of penalty kicks

First game played--I started U-8, so I don't remember the first game, but I do remember my first goal...ball popped out of a pack in the 6 and I put it in with my left foot.

First real game--not counting U-12 rec championship games (we finished 3rd) because I didn't really know what I was doing. so I count U-13 when I joined the club team (1991). we got crushed 8-0 by a team a year older than us.

First USMNT game-- US v Uruguay warmup for Korea2002, DC.

Last real game (I know its first but indulge me)-- Third game of group play at Regionals '98 in Columbus, Georgia. Tie 2-2 against South Texas. Left the field holding back tears knowing that was the last one.

[Professor B]

First game on TV: World Cup 1986, although my high school soccer coach had shown portions of taped games prior to that

First game live: Tampa Bay Rowdies (featuring Tatu!) versus someone on July 4 in the early to mid 80's . . . wait a minute, I just remembered that I saw an Atlanta Chiefs (Diamonds?) game at Fulton County Stadium when I was very, very little. I can barely remember it so it was probably in the mid to early 70's.

First (and only) European game live: Chelsea at Tottenham, FA Cup (semi, quarter?) 2002

First played and first real game: Some youth soccer in Atlanta when I was very young. I only have vague memories of playing up front, wearing yellow and black uniforms and getting nosebleeds a lot.

First MLS game: Revolution vs DC United, first ever Revolution game at Foxboro. (DC lost)

First MLS Cup:1996 at Foxboro (DC won)

First USWNT game live: US vs Sweden in Decatur, GA during the build-up to WWC in 95.

First USMNT game live: I'm not sure but it was probably at Foxboro or RFK during the qualifying for WC 98 (saw Jamaica at RFK, Mexico and El Salvador at Foxboro).

Professor B

[Red Star]

Originally posted by LeeS


First time I played in a real match: Uhhh, I have NEVER played in a "real" match. I am 36 now, so I don't see it happening!

After 20 years of watching his son play and officiating my brother began playing at the age of 52 in an over 35 6v6 league. Don't give up the dream.

First TV: Must have been NASL but I REMEMBER Soccer Made in Germany, 8:00 am on Sunday. I didn't know what the heck I was seeing but I was enthralled. I seem to recall Keegan and maybe Ray Mann (?) and of course Toby Charles, the man against which all announcers are judged (by me). I still miss the halftime roundup of news around (West) Germany.

First Game Live: Tulsa Roughnecks v. Memphis Rogues NASL in the tight confines of War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock Arkansas. Must have been about 1977. Probably on Astroturf, I was amazed by how high they could kick the ball.

First played during a junior high PE class called Individualized Sports, nobody, especially the polyester wrapped football coaches knew what the heck to do. I think that we used two 5 man blocking sleds as goals. All varieties of toeing poking were explored. 1974?

First Game YMCA, 1976. Second game of the season, the jerk Iranian exchange student in charge only played his buddies in the first match.

First Goal 1982 As a Freshman in college I came home for springbreak and one of the mens teams let me play with them. We were down 2 late and I came up for a corner, put a left footer in the lower left corner off a scramble at the penalty mark. I think I shoved two opponents and one teammate out the way to get to the ball. It took 6 years to get the first one and they continue to come at about that rate.

[John Boy]

Originally posted by usscouse
[b]First on TV. Sometime in the early 50’s a neighbour had a TV and let us watch the FA Cup Final. Man. City vs. ???
The City won but what sticks in the memory was City’s goalie, Bert Trautman, got his neck broken with 15 minutes to go and stayed on till the end for his team. No subs in those days. (I knew I was going to be a goalie after that..!)


Was against Birmingham City

[salange]

First on TV: Argentina v. England, Hand of God
First in person: Atlanta Chiefs v. somebody
First in person I was old enough to remember: Atlanta Attack v. somebody (indoor)
First played: U-6 team circa 1982
First real game: ditto

[ManuGarcía]

it was on summer, she were 16...

[Boro_lad]

First match attended: Boro vs Port Vale. Back in the day when we were in the 2nd division. I think it was 1989. We lost 3-2

First televised game: Cant remember..but it was very early in my life...

first game played: Nunthorpe athletic v someone else. Someone else scored an own goal and i got the blame :(...but i scored the next game from 40 yards..and i was only 9 :D i scored an impressive 3 goals in my career. PLaying from 9-15 played every sunday. Played in goal, left back, rightback, center back, midfield (once), and center forward (due to injuries). Due to bad knees i retired at the tender age of 16

highlight: playing at victoria park(heartlepool's ground) in the final of a tournamet. But i missed boro's promotion game against oxford in 97/98 season for that game. but it was on sky in the pub next to the ground so i go to watch it with all my teammates and we all acted really stupid...such fun.....also boro this season with the return of TLF and macca, boat, and geremi!!

lowpoint...: when playing for my school we were in a 6 a side tournament and i was in goal. It was 1-1 and ref blew full time. however he said it was going to extra time. but then proceeded to give a corner to them. and they scored while some were walking toward center circle. it was a crap decision from the biased ref and although i was 10 at the time some 7 1/2 years ago i still hate that man.....also boro getting beat in 2 cup finals then going down(96/97)..with the departure of TLF and rav

[Duff]

First match on TV: 1990 World Cup. I was a big Italy and Pagliuca fan.

First match attended: Mid 80's, it was indoor...I went to a Kansas City Comets game with my dad. Outdoor, 1999 in SAn Jose...were they the Quakes or the Clash then?

First time I played: 10 years old, youth leagues

[CrewDust]

First Match live: 1980 Minnesota Kicks, I was five
TV: 82 World Cup final, don't remeber much.
Played: That same year.
A USA match, Olympic Qualifer in 1991 against Panama USA won 7-1 I think.

[paulo]

First match on TV: 1986 world cup finals. my dad pestered the cable company for 3 months to get the spanish channel (in Lexington, KY). We did not have cable before the WC. My mom still calls me Burruchaga sometimes.

First pro or international match attended: was probably the Marlboro Cup in Miami (1988) where I got my picture taken with Pele. I saw Mario Kempes (the player not the BS poster) and Edu scored 2 goals (he was over 55 years old at the time). The Marlboro Cup was for O-35 national teams.

First time I played: We have home videos of me dribbling around my brother and sister at about 3 years old (Boulder Colorado 1977)- I knocked my brother over and my sister went and told on me.

Real Match: first real big match I played in was qualifying for final four high school teams in Florida in front of about 2500 people. Incredible atmosphere. Came on as a substitute, did not score. We won. That would have been 1990.

[whirlwind]

First TV: Toby Charles' "Soccer Made In Germany." The first specific match I remember seeing was the Germany-France WC Quarterfinal in 82. There were also a lot of Chicago Sting games on WGN.

First in person: some Chicago Sting game. I've been to a bunch.

First US Nats game in person: USA 1, Commonwealth of Independent States (post USSR, pre Russia) 0, Pontiac Silverdome, 1990-ish. Goal scored by a young kid named Chris Henderson.

First played: age 8, Chicago Park District youth league, 1975.

Best-attended game played in: Niles/Buchanan (MI) All-Stars vs. South Bend St. Joseph prior to Notre Dame vs. St. Louis U game. Thousand or so fans.

Highest level played: U of Michigan vs. Spring Arbor College, September 1984, as a freshman. Won 2-1, gave up a PK. Nervous as hell.

[evilcrossbar]

First match on TV:
Hard to say, I grew up with the background 'noise' of Spanish football matches on TV for much of my early childhood. (Although I do distinctly remember watching the WC 82 matches on TV).

First match in person:
Must have been around 1981, Real Madrid home match my uncle took me to see (I was 5 and really don't reamember much of the game except the crowd, the cigar smoke, and the chocolates my uncle bought me after the game; it must havbe been my first match because my mother took pictures of both of us before we left for the stadium).

First played:
Pick-up games with the other kids in the building and in the kindergarten, must have been when I was five.

First 'proper' match played:
When I moved to the US my parents signed me up for youth soccer, I was eight (don't remember the game but it was the first time playing with 11 players on a large grass field, etc. I hated it because it seemed boring (and the daily drills and the practices really sucked) so after that season I never played in an organized match again.

[riphamilton]

first match attended: usa v. t&t, june 16, 2001
first game: september 1993, recreation soccer for the yellow team
first 'real' goal: one-touch volley that nutmegged the keeper in 1997 (i had played defence prior and scored dumb goals)
best game: 4 goals in middle school against a team that was undefeated 2 years in a row.... i scored on corner kicks from both sides
also, assisting on the lone goal to beat our archrivals my rookie year of hs soccer

[BackOtheNet!]

First time I played: 1965 on gravel, hard to forget the gravel.
First match seen in person: Mexican local league match. they had one guy who could throw the ball in damn near 50 yards.
first professional match attended: San Diego Toros
first match watched on tv: they didn't have soccer on tv back then. I remember going to a local hall and watching the 66 cup final on super 8. A lot of drunken brits were there.

[usain2010]

the game that got me hooked- manchester united vs bayern munich 1999 champions league final

[benine]

first time:
Mom goes to sign young four year old benine up for teeball.
Mom comes back home, says that teeball sign up is closed, signed benine up for soccer instead.
Benine asks "whats soccer"? Goes to first day of under-7s practice. runs around like loose cannon, learns bell drills and does them every minute that GIJoe, Pinwheel or MASK is not on TV.

I really didnt even become totally aware of pro soccer still existing untill a much later date. We used to go to Charlie Mitchell's (restaurant) all the time and I'd see all the old Roughnecks stuff up on the walls and every now and then Charlie would be there and tell some story about playing Pele (it was customary to wear your kit into charlie's if you were a kid). Anyway, one time I was there I wondered into the bar to get my dad as our table was ready, and on the tv was the ManU-Crystal Palace FA Cup final. I was hooked and so enthralled that they didnt care I was under age and at the bar (its illegal in Oklahoma for minor to be in the bar area of a restaurant). Since then, my concept of soccer opened up exponentially and that was that.

anyway, borring story I know.

[nicodemus]

First match on TV: Some game in the '82 World Cup, I don't remember who it was, I was closer to 5 years old than 10 years old. First real memories of watching televised games were watching USA in the 1990 World Cup.

First match in person: my older brother's game, I was 2 years old. First "big match" in person was USA vs. Argentina in 1996 Olympics.

First time I played: too early to know, virtually born with a ball on my foot.

First time I played in a real match: once again, too early to know, played in offical organized match by age 6 or 7.

[russ]

On TV:NASL matches c.1967 with Danny Blanchflower doing commentary.

Live:My school didn't have gridiron,so soccer was our main fall sport.

Played:From 3rd-4th grade on,the first 10 weeks of gym class was soccer.

Would like to see a live pro match sometime.

Would like to find an over-40 league.

Does anyone remember Soccer Corner?That was a nice mag.We had it in our HS Library.