The Ten Shirt
An excerpt from the new novel by Michael Maddox
How the USMNT (might have) won the 1982 World Cup
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“Too small,” Coach Messina answered, knowing full well that he would be questioned again. “Five-foot-nothin’, and what, about a hundred pounds – soaking wet?”
“But Tom, you can see this kid’s a player, can’t you?” Gary Rickman was...
the making of pelada
the filmmaker on a global journey and the fight to make sure you see it
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You’ve probably heard of the soccer documentary Pelada, and probably wished it had been you who made it. If not the travel alone, than how about the film? To have that document for the future–stories for the grandkids–and...
forced from home
so you want to be a soccer writer?
Stay in the game long enough, doing whatever it is that keeps you afloat, and you’re bound to get the email – how do I become a soccer writer? How do I make money off my website? They come from kids and adults, from established bloggers and newly...
the boys from little mexico, pt2
years in the making, a book at the right time
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“Sometimes players say things to get in our heads, call us short, brown. This guy said, ‘You ain’t nothing to me, man. You’re only to my waist!’ I thought, ‘I’ll take you, man.’ They say, “Stupid Mexicans, go home, go back to Mexico.” If they do...
the boys from little mexico
years in the making, a book at the right time
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So maybe you’ve heard. Mexicans love soccer. Maybe you’ve heard. Hispanics are a growing force in the American soccer world. But you haven’t heard the story of the the boys from Little Mexico.
Steve Wilson was kind enough to give TIAS the longest excerpt rights for his...
an end to things
a giveaway, a tackle, a hug, another four years
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Was it just a hug or something more? And what can we all learn from that most intimate moment filmed for millions to see? Penn State writing teacher Casey Wiley looks for long-term meaning in an emotional moment as he wraps up the fan’s four-year cycle… before...
not just another name
a life toward soccer, pt 4
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The TIAS Diary Project continues with the 4th part of a series put together by Los Angeles artist Noe Valladolid. This is his life story, his soccer story in words and pictures. For the first installment, I referred to it as a stab at...
Danielle
a life toward soccer, pt 3
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The TIAS Diary Project continues with the 3rd part of a series put together by Los Angeles artist Noe Valladolid. This is his life story, his soccer story in words and pictures. For the first installment, I referred to it as a stab at a TIAS comic...
dolphin days
Hating On Kickers: One Fan - Two Sports
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The TIAS Diary Project returns with an essay that hits close to home for me. Home–I should say head, as it was my head and long hair the American football coaches at my high school would grab during gym class when they called me a pussy, called me...
why do we care what they think?
The TIAS Diary Project returns.
While mainstream America media fawns over the game for the next month (not that there is anything wrong with that), I thought it important to return to the people who are always there, no matter no four-year cycle.
First up teenager Shaj Mathew, who found himself not so much questioning his national...
something to look forward to
the TIAS Diary Project continues with a personal essay on the meaning of soccer
I’m off to South Africa for a week. While I’m traveling, enjoy this latest entry to the TIAS Diary Project. Read past contributions to the project; send your personal stories and photos to thisisamericansoccer@gmail.com for inclusion in the readers’ project now 5...
a life toward soccer, part 2
Los Angeles artist Noe Valladolid continues his illustrated soccer biography
The TIAS Diary Project returns with the 2nd part of a series put together by a young man in Southern California. This is his life’s story, his soccer story in words and pictures. Consider it a stab at a TIAS graphic novel.
For the first installment, I...
