I follow a number of sports, but for participation soccer has always been my game. I began playing in middle school, and for whatever reason the sport clicked. Unfortunately, in Sarasota, Florida, in the late 1970s, there was no organized youth soccer. Nor were there teams in high school.
My only chance to play in those days was with a local men’s club that played league soccer in Southwest Florida. Most of the players were foreign born, and our sponsor was Lowenbrau beer. For a teenager it was quite an education—I learned how to swear in five different languages.
I went to the University of Central Florida, and made the team there as a walk-on. After two years it became clear Manchester United wasn’t going to come calling, so I began making alternate career plans. That’s when the flying began.
I’ve long been a follower of Manchester United, and was able to take my boys, who both played, to Old Trafford for a game when they were young.