First Cap

This morning I played in a soccer match against the English National over 60 team. We were originally scheduled to have 20 players available, half from my Concord United team, half from neighboring teams. Given my cracked rib, I brought my camera gear and planned to photograph the game rather than play in it. When only 13 players showed up, I was needed on the field and wound up playing for a good 70 minutes in the sweltering heat. With the score tied at 2-2 in the second half, I scored a nice goal to secure the lead when their goalie mishandled a header. Unfortunately, they responded with two subsequent goals for the win. We enjoyed a great barbecue with them after the game and I was pleased to have earned my first cap (goal scored during international competition – see better definition here). It is a trivial accomplishment compared to Nicolai’s 17 caps but one I am am happy to have made. In other soccer news, the Concord Journal ran a nice story about our championship victory last week.