No, this isn't a Free For All thread, so we're talking about soccer. Sorry. I'd like to know when you were first exposed to the game, especially the US posters who may not have grown up with the game. First match on TV: Liverpool vs Everton, Charity Shields 1986 First match in person: Barnet vs Huddersfield (?), FA Cup 1st Round, sometime in the late 80's First time I played: my neighborhood in Kobe, Japan, sometime in the early 80's. First time I played in a real match: Woodridge Primary School, London, 1987
sdg First match on TV: USA's matches in '94. Watched them all religiously. First match in person: Still not that lucky. Too busy to travel for MLS games. My aunt lives in Manchester so I hopefully will get to go see them this winter. =D First time I played: My mom signed me up before I even really knew what soccer was when I was 6 for a local Kids Inc. season. First time I played in a real match: That Kids Inc. season. From then on I played both seasons each year until I was 13 and had surgery.
First match on TV - around '92 or '93, AC Milan vs. Ajax in Champions League final, or maybe UEFA cup, or something. Actually, now that I think about it I think this was in '95. So maybe my first match on TV was the opener of WC '94. First match attended: USA vs. Switzerland at Cal State University Fullerton in January or February 1994. In the months before the world cup I was also able to see Romania vs. Sweden at Trabuco Hills High School of all places. There was also a match at CSUF, I think it was US vs. Korea followed by a match between the LA Salsa and some Korean club team. First time playing: Kindergarten playground, then went into AYSO. I was not very good, didn't make the high school team. Picked up soccer again in '93 and now play on an over-25 men's team.
First Match on TV: Germany-Argentina '90 final, and even after that atrocious mess I still became a soccer fan. Well, I was only seven at the time so I was still in awe of the players skill. First Match in person: Some Richmond Kickers game I would imagine, but first big match was US vs. T&T WC '98 qualifying. First Time I played: My parents say when I was little, before I could walk, I'd hold onto two rails and try to kick a soccer ball. So maybe it's then, I know I've got a scar from playing soccer when I was three. First time I played in a real match: As soon as I was old enough to play in the local rec league I started, which I guess was when I was five.
d First Match on TV - Chicago Sting vs. NY Cosmos 1981 final. First Match in Person - Chicago Sting vs. San Diego Sockers (Semifinals- '81) First Time I played - 1975 when I was 6 years old. First Time I played in a real match - 1975 Youth Soccer in Hanover Park, IL
First match on TV. Valencia Real - Madrid 1973 - heavy duty, nonstop watching during WC74 in Germany. First match in person Atletico Madrid-Barcelona 1974 First time playing in the second grade American School of Madrid early 1970's First US Nats: US vs Trinidad and Tobago in Torrance CA during late 80's (1988 or 1989).
First Match on TV: USA-Switzerland - WC '94 First Nat/MLS/European Match in Person: USA-Ireland 2000/New England-Chicago 2000 playoffs/Barcelona-Zaragoza April 2001 First Time Played: U-6 3v3 league '91/'92
Lets see i first played when i was 5 I went to countless indoor Chicago Power/Sting games First game on TV was some EPL game that involved Sheffield Wednesday and some other team. Just the fact that there was a team with the name Sheffield Wednesday got the biggest kick outta me. i was like 9 or 10 at the time. First match was Greece vs Bulgaria world cup 94 in Chicago. Amazing atmosphere. bad game. i was 11 or 12 at the time and i still remember it do this day. as you know Chicago has a huge Greek population, so they introduce the Bulgarian line up and some cheers go up and and then they accounce the starting lineup for Greece and the whole end of Soldier's Field gets covered by a Greek flag. then the game started and it was quite awful but thats not the point.
First Match on TV I can remember:- Man Utd vs Southampton, FA Cup final 1976...although according to my Dad we used to Match of the Day together since I was about 5 ('74) First live match:- Newcastle United vs Manchester United March 1977 First started playing...no idea...I guess ever since I started school age 4 and 5...its a religion in the NE of England so its been as long as I can remember... First real match..no idea..can't remember again probably at infant school (see above) -Richard
First match on TV: ManU match early 90's i have a godawful memory. First match in person:Atlanta Sharks indoor soccer late 80's early 90's can't remember First time I played: probably 4-5 i used to play with my uncle who was a really good keeper but never had the grades to get into the NCAA and traveling leagues never got him anywhere. First time I played in a real match: from 8 to 13 i was a top defender in youth soccer in GA edit- haha 8 to 13 oh the irony for some reason.
My first time First match on TV: (probably) highlights from 1958 World Cup - Pele First match in person(not youth): Drake vs Notre Dame (~1980) First pro match - KC Wizards - Mutts 1996 First time I played: senior year in college with roommate's German class (Bier following) - 1966 First time I played in a real match: IBM Company League (1968) Kingston, NY.
My first match in person: Some Dips game at RFK in the mid to late 70's. I was 10, maybe. My first match played: about 5 years ago, at age 30, for my firm's team playing in an indoor league - I'm the player/coach!! (I kicked it around as a kid, but never played organized ball) My son's first match in person: MetroStars 2:1 victory over New England in the 2001 season opener. He was 10.5 months old. My son's first match played: Not yet, since no league seems to start young enough (he's now 2.16 years old)!!! Though he does kick it around pretty well, and he's really fast!
My first match in person: A Leicester City game in the mid 90s v Coventry or Derby First big club match: Real Madrid-Rayo Vallecano at the Bernebeau My first match played: at 4 or 5 in a rec league.
First match(es) on TV: WC 1990 First Round First match in person: Ireland v. Portugal, US Cup 1992 @ Foxboro First USMNT match in person: USA v. England, US Cup 1993 @ Foxboro First MLS match in person: Revolution vs. DC United, home opener for NE @ Foxboro in 1996 First match abroad: Korea v. Belgium, WC 1998 in Paris First match played: 1988, local youth leagues.
Re: sdg First match on TV: Crystal Palace v Liverpool 1990 FA Cup Semi is the first I remember watching. First match in person: West Bromwich Albion v Portsmouth 3rd March 1990 First time I played: God only knows First time I played in a real match: Hammerwich u10's v some other team.
First Game on TV: "Soccer Made in Germany" on PBS in the early 80's (or very late 70's) First Match in Person: 1996 Olympics Semifinal, Nigeria beat Brazil in Athens, GA. A great game! First Time I Played: I began playing organized soccer at age 5 and continued until I was 14. I still regret giving up playing at such a young age.
1st match was Cosmos vs somevody when Pele was on the team. BUt it wasnt until 1979 in Brazil as a 12 year old that I got hooked. Internacional 1 x 0 Figuerense, 1st match of the Brasileiro that year that Inter went on to win undefeated, something that has never happened again.
First match on TV: WC 1990 First Round First match in person: LA @ Chicago 1998 First USMNT match in person: USA vs Barbados @Foxboro 2002 qualifying First MLS match in person: LA @ Chicago 1998. 36K people there. First match abroad: Argentina vs Mexico @ Merida, Mexico 1996 First match played: 1984 or so through the YMCA
Move over kids..? 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..!) First in person My favourite uncle took me in the Kop about ’50 to see Billy Liddell and the reds. The team was even known as “Liddellpool” back then. First time I played Don’t remember NOT playing..! First real team My school in Liverpool at 13 You are who you pretend to be. Kurt Vonnegut Jnr.
First TV game: ABC's Wide World of Sports coverage of Pele's first game for the Cosmos (though it's possible I'd seen a little "Soccer Made in Germany" before that). First live game: Washington Darts at the local High School First time playing: 1969 Annandale Boy's Club First real game: Same year, but you could say that 1976 for Jefferson High School was the first with a professionally coached team (we had to pay for the coach). Played with Scott Norwood (later of the NY Giants of pointy ball fame) who was the typical two-sport player of the time. Great memories. Too bad my mind is going. dadman
I'll add a few more to mine: First J-League match in person: Gamba Osaka vs Yokohama Marinos, August 1993 First MLS match in person: Tampa Bay Mutiny (RIP) at DC United, Fourth of July 1997 First international match in person: USA vs Haiti, Gold Cup, Miami Orange Bowl, 2000 First goal/assist in a real match: Ravenscroft JV vs ?, Raleigh, NC, September 1990
First match played-U-7 league, Alexandria, VA, 1984. First TV match-1986 WC final (ARG v. FRG), in Fort Belvoir hospital waiting room (as the only person cheering for Argentina) after my brother got a concussion. First live match (that I paid to get into)-Doylestown, PA, Aug. 1996, A-League, New York Centaurs v. Colorado Foxes. I can be seen on the Prime Sports broadcast as the guy in the DC United shirt standing near Wolde Harris while surrounded by 12 year old girls doing the Macarena. First MLS match-Washington, DC, October 1996 MLS Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1, DC United 4-1 over Tampa Bay Mutiny. Gorgeousness and gorgosity made flesh.
First ever game, back in 2nd grade which was about 13-14 years ago. I even got a goal in my first game. An Own Goal. . . . So 14 years later I watch my first ever soccer game after being personally scarred as a 6 year old and Korea beat Poland 2-0. I have yet to attend a game, but my best bet is that it will be a Metrostars game since they're the home team.