Mr. Supplement rules all over the world

I always love talking about football. Now after the standard season has finished, I can finally talk about the competition here in Berkeley. I play on two teams here: 1 outdoor 6v6 and 1 indoor 6v6, the outdoor on Monday night, and the indoor on Tuesday night. Sound familiar? Those are the same days I play back in Perth with the almighty Mr. Supplement. I love it how quirky parallels pop up all the time, a little deja vu here and there is always a nostalgic, if a bit creepy, experience.

OK enough touchy-feely bullshit. I'm here to talk about football. I did mention at the beginning that the leagues here are either open (meaning men and women by choice) or coed (men and women by obligation). I did say it wasn't bad, since a number of girls here are definitely beasty enough to give most guys a run for their money (speaking of which, the other day some lady was leg pressing 360 pounds). But, at the end of the day - and I don't mean to be sexist - it's just not as good as solid man-on-man action.

Having said that, most of the higher divisions are just made up of all guys teams so it doesn't really make a difference anyway. In terms of the standards with the guys, I'd have to say the top divisions for outdoor are a bit better than UWA div 1 (especially in recent years) but the top divisions in indoor are probably similar to the top for Leeming indoor, though there are maybe a few more outstanding players who play college soccer (sorry I can't say football in this case).

In terms of the quality of the refereeing, and the pitches and such, all the college sports here completely overshadow whatever service we see back home. Everything is organised so well, and maintained so well. There are at least 2 referee's per game, and they use their whistles. Similarly, cards are actually given out. Finally, there's also a sportsmanship rating that goes down along with the final score, and if all else is equal, that get's taken into consideration when they do the final tallying for the play off as well, which I think is a nice touch.

So a bit more about outdoor. As you can see, the pitches are blissfully huge, which means loads of space. But you need it. On Monday nights it's on the astroturf at Maxwell Stadium and not the grass at Underhill (which is where you go for pick-up games or training), which means soft soft touches or else you'll send the ball over the byline. Kind of like the hockey pitches we played on at Challenge. But the goals are also bigger, and no they don't make that satisfying thump noise like the hockey goals do, but instead, you can here Tommy Smyth's (with a 'Y') voice in your head as you "bulge the 'ol onion bag". However, I prefer to replay the La Liga commentator's goal celebration instead: "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL in LA LIIIIGAA".

Way more dramatic. Plus it gives me time to run around with my shirt over my head.

Outdoor games at Maxwell Stadium

Alright, moving on to indoor. This is the cool thing that I hadn't told you guys about. It is literally the indoor soccer variety - not futsal. Yes, this means you can use the walls! It adds a whole new dimension to the game, and was pretty hard to get used to in the beginning. But, it definitely opens up the door for beating opponents and crossing it into the box. It's also good if you have a weak foot - your crosses from your weak side can actually come off your stronger foot and just rebound off the wall to make the angle. I still advise getting some coordination, but it's just one of the differences of getting to use the wall.

One thing in particular is running the line. It's never been so hectic. If you're a defender, you can't just see it over anymore. You've got to do something about it. If you're attacking, then damn, you've just got a whole new angle to beat the guy with. Of course, there's a few extra rules about using the wall to shield the ball and stuff, and they're quite necessary - I've seen and been in some pretty nasty tackles that involve two players and a wall.

Indoor at RSF. Our keeper, Vadzim, is the Lithuanian version of Kev. Except he can do the splits 'cause his calves aren't quite as big. Seriously though - he is a damn good keeper.

A consequence of allowing the wall to be in-play

I love nderhill. It's the football version of blacktop pick-up. Awesome grass surface, caged all around, and it even sits on top of a multi-story parking lot! Best place to play outdoor besides a real pitch.

OK maybe I spoke too soon. The other week we actually went down into Memorial Stadium (the Cal Bears home ground for college football) and played there. It was awesome, we went in through the tunnel that the players run out of. Because it's University property, you can just stroll in and play as long as it's not being used for official stuff - try that at the MCG.

Anyway, both my teams have made the playoffs (another blatantly US term) and they'll be getting underway next week. So, hopefully I can bring some glory back home and show these yanks how Mr. S does it!