#u18s league cup final

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester City U18s 1-2 Manchester United U18s

MANCHESTER IS RED (go with it)

When United are mint, everything is mint, and fuck me are United's Under-18s mint - and also double winners. Up the fucking reds!

United started strongly at Leigh Sports Village, with a driving run and fizzing shot from Ethan Williams in the 3rd minute testing City keeper Brits. Three minutes later and Ruben Curley was doing the exact same again, but to no avail. Then, one minute later, magic happened.

A deep ball from just over the halfway line by Nolan lofted into Ethan Wheatley's path perfectly, but the touch and control to bring it down into a shooting action was technique Dimitar Berbatov would have applauded. Unreal composure and confidence, and topped off with a great finish at the near post past the stunned Brits.

City came back at United, and the game opened up into more of a back-and-forth affair, trading shots on goal, but United's organisation kept a very tight defensive structure and limited the Citizens from any real threat on Elyh Harrison's goal - not that the wunderkind needs too much help. Kid's a future star keeper.

The middle of the half approached and Harrison punts a goal kick up field towards RW James Scanlon. The Gibraltan international nods the ball wide to attacking full back James Nolan, who drives a curled pass forward along the ground into the path of Ethan Wheatley. A defender slides, he knocks it, but Wheatley has the pace. He nips in, rounds the keeper, slots home. 2-0 United and LSV is in bits. SCENES.

City kept up the battle though, and a great killer through ball nearly opened United up in the 34th minute but for a huge body interception and block by Harrison in net. City captain Heskey was potentially fouled in the United box by Jack Kingdon - no foul given though - but otherwise come half time there could be no complaints at United's lead.

The second half was more City, with United making substitutes for rotation's sake but also due to the dearth of depth in the first team squad meaning certain promising youngsters have been requested by Erik Ten Hag for Wednesday's Premier League game against Sheffield United.

Both sides had reasonable chances on goal but nothing too serious until Stephen Mfuni nodded home from a corner to give City five minutes of hope... which was almost realised but for a fantastic full-stretch save by Harrison off Alfa-Ruprecht's header.

City's play and persistence did deserve a goal, and with the arguable penalty in the first half, on another day it could have been a different affair. It is nice to see the best two teams make the final though, and make it a memorable contest.

It's the result that matters though, and the silverware is ours. The league and now the cup. What a bunch of lads.

Two games remain this season - both at home. Sunderland visit us this Saturday, and then there's one last game versus Everton on May 4th. Lets end strong. GGMU.

[notthequiettype]

about an ash

hello hi howdy etc, since tumblr has completely fucked up the way a blog's subheader looks on mobile and it can't be expanded any more, we're making a pinned post!

the basics: ash • old and unhinged • ao3 • twitter • ask • currently into hockey and hrpf, always into something • i block u18s and bad vibes on sight • if you consider text nsfw, i'm the definition • nsfw images are (usually, but imperfectly) tagged unsafefw • i keep a full queue, do not tag anything consistently, and generally don't use read mores • like and reblog at will, you're not bothering me • i know the difference between fiction & reality. do you?

i am a wild and oilers homer with a third team that just kind of alternates depending on my interest but i do follow most of the league throughout the season and there's not a single team without a couple of guys i like and i will read and write anything if it interests me enough, including probably every kink and kind of """problematic""" content you can imagine (well, not that one... or probably that one, but no palette can hold every color, right?)

i love asks and love chatting with you guys but am sometimes bad at responding (as we all have the right to be! be nicer to yourselves!) and often save nice messages instead of replying so i can hoard them. also if you don’t want to send anon or if i have anon turned off, please know that whatever account you send me a message from is always safe with me, if you ask me not to publish your name if i answer a q, i am happy to do that <3

i hate the tumblr messaging system, but i do try my best to use it if someone sends me one, tbh the easiest place to have a conversation with me is twitter (which i also have an info post about lmao)

i block ruthlessly and plentifully -- bad takes, annoying content, not appreciating leon draisaitl like he deserves, being mean to connor mcdavid or the minnesota wild -- my definition of 'bad vibes' above is broad and it's probably not personal and tbh i will tolerate a lot if i like you and i'm very easy to please!

i will not ever block you for being horny in my notifs tho, even if it is not my flavor of horny, for i respect no greater freedom on this here website than that one

tho i have begun mildly defrosting toward him after the cup final results, if you are primarily a matthew tkachuk fan (or only here for my matthew/leon content) i am afraid you are likely to be disappointed for the foreseeable future

okay, that's it, i think! sorry to have to be a pinned post guy, i really was so close to doing a sarcastic dni and didn't so at least there's that, love you!! <333

[onmytape]

please do tell about the pg cougars

okay i’m kissing you on the mouth rn for asking. i’ll try to be chill about this

in general the team is very close. partially bc prince george is so much further from other teams so travel is longer and also bc there’s nothing to do in pg and it’s so isolated from other cities so they basically just spend a lot of time with each other. something about being the joke of the league makes you closer…idk. the team this season has been the best they’ve been in a long time. they made it to round two of the playoffs for the first time in 17 years this season (only to be swept by seattle) but they’ve been fun to watch! and they have two top prospects that will be drafted in june. 

here's the notable players from this season. i was going to make a separate post for wheaty/wiebe to beg dallas/anaheim fans to like them next season but whatver. I can’t wait. 

chase wheatcroft #29 (from calgary, ab) was traded a few times and had a mediocre juniors career and went undrafted. winnipeg traded him in the 2022 offseason to pg because they had other 20 year olds and couldn’t keep him, but everyone likes to bring up that he was traded for a fourth round pick and then became one of the whl's top scorers. he’s said that he didn’t fit into the role winnipeg wanted for him, which was an older, enforcer type. he’s a lover, not a fighter. Even though pg has a reputation for being a physical, dirty team, he was a perfect fit. they gave him an “a” and the team and city loved him. literally so humble. he was a favourite for media stuff and the post-game show. he was signed by dallas in march.  

jaxsen wiebe #22 (moose jaw, sk) another undrafted overager, wiebe was also traded a few times. he won the ed chynoweth cup with edmonton last year. He’s a bit of a short fuse and is hated by most whl fans. before getting traded to pg he had five suspensions over three years for a total of 18 games. A lot of dirty hits/fights and generally a poor attitude, yelling at refs and fans, etc. he was suspended on his last team when he was traded in november but eventually he became really well liked in pg. eventually he and wheaty were put on the same line (the team socials call them wiebecroft) and wheaty tamed him...???and taught him how to love...<???idk??. he was invited to and attended the columbus dev camp in 2022 and he was signed by anaheim in march. during the playoffs he was kicked out of game three against seattle for a hit on colton dach and given a suspension so he didn’t get to play his last whl game. 

dynamic duo - riley heidt #27 (saskatoon, sk) and koehn ziemmer #13 (mayerthorpe, ab) are two forwards projected to go first round/early second round in the draft. Both were drafted to pg (ziemmer in 2019, heidt in 2020) and have played their whole junior careers there. despite technically being draft competition, they’ve been dubbed the “dynamic duo” because of their linemate chemistry. theoretically heidt is the playmaker and ziemmer scores the goals but in reality heidt's a princess and ziemmer is his enforcer. they played on opposite teams at the chl prospect game.

ethan samson #4 (delta, bc) was drafted by the flyers in 2021. unanimously voted the captain by the team in 2022 and totally deserves it. looks like he could kill you (and he could) but he also pats his teammates heads like mama duck when they score. was invited to 2022 wjc camp but didn’t make the team. part of the trio.

Honourable mention: goalies (the "ty's") tyler brennan #30 (winnipeg, mb) drafted to new jersey in 2022, ty young #33 (coaldale, ab) drafted to vancouver in 2022. brennan was the third goalie for canada's u18 team in 2021, also invited to the 2023 wjc team camp but didn't make the cut. part of the trio.

blake eastman #28: the third and final part of the “trio” with samson and brennan. he’s not the best player, a fourth liner. not tough enough to be an enforcer but he is definitely a shit disturber. has never blinked in his life. Eastman is the only one of the trio that wasn’t drafted and no pro team has taken interest in him. the trio was all drafted to the whl in 2018 and have played their entire junior careers in pg. samson and brennan will be moving on next year and it’s highly unlikely the cougars will keep eastman as one of their 20 year olds. i firmly believe he could be the new mascot. If he’s not already. 

the team vibes:

[hardtchill]

When is the conversation about US soccer turning a blind eye with their youth system going to happen?

Also the fact that only 5 NWSL players will be in the Quarter Finals !

The rest of the world has caught up & the USA has slowly fallen behind. The talent is there in the US, but unfortunately, NWSL is falling behind in terms of where young and exciting talents want to go and play. The level of competition isn't even that exciting to watch, if I'm honest. It is a somewhat decent challenge cup and a league where I struggle to find any sense of style that I would and can see compared to the European leagues.

2022 U20's - 3rd in Group

2022 U17's - Out in the QF

2018 U17's - 4th in group

2018 U18's - 3rd in group

2016 U20's - 4th overall

2016 U17's - 3rd in group

2014 U17's - Did not qualify

2014 U20's - out in QF

2012 U17's - 3rd in group

2012 U20's - Champions

Jup, i have said it before and i will say it again. Without a good youth system you're screwed. In a lot of top countries academies are popping up like mushrooms giving young players quality training from the age of 8 onward.

The US still relies on clubs (that a lot of parents can't afford) and schools to train their youth which results in them learning very bad habits. Then they rely on colleges who don't play a full season and are a glorified youth league at best. Plenty of great players come from the college system but as woso moves forward it's not going to be enough anymore. Just like players playing for an amateur club until 16 won't be enough anymore for other countries.

A player being trained in an academy and moving towards the senior team at 18 is always going to be more prepared for pro football than a players who doesn't start playing against actual adults until they are 22.

The NWSL needs to stop the insane drafting bullshit, allow clubs to set up academies and scout their own talent. No club is going to do that if there is no guarantee they can hold onto the talent they develop.

[mleonhispath]

U17 & U18 Tottenham teams on their own Finals

It's been a long time since i became a Spurs fan. However, it will be my first time to witness them championing their U17 premier league cup and U18 premier league cup. Although that thing is not a significant trophy for us, It will be their first glory for them and our Spurs future. COYS

[kicksaddictny]

Adidas Eurocamp Announces Roster of Top Next-Generation Basketball Prospects

Adidas Basketball has revealed the roster of top draft-eligible athletes, seasoned coaches, and special guests for the 17th edition of the premier pre-draft scouting event, adidas Eurocamp. The event will take place from June 1-3 at Ghirada La Città Dello Sport in Treviso, Italy. This renowned talent showcase aims to discover the next generation of star athletes, ages 18-22, who aspire to pursue professional basketball careers.

Led by Coaching Director Bill Bayno and Scouting Director Gianluca Pascucci, the high-profile coaching lineup includes David Vanterpool (Washington Wizards), Jason Terry (Utah Jazz), Dave Joerger (Milwaukee Bucks), Jordan Ott (formerly Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Fleming (Chicago Bulls), and Rico Hines (Philadelphia 76ers). These coaches will train and mentor the elite group of players invited to this year’s camp.

Joining the esteemed group of coaches and mentors are adidas NBA athletes such as Nikola Jović (Miami Heat), Austin Rivers (NBA veteran and current ESPN commentator), and Vasilije Micić (Charlotte Hornets), with more special guests to be announced. Additionally, NBA future-Hall of Famer and adidas signature athlete James Harden (LA Clippers) will make a special appearance to support the Harden Vol. 8 "Eurocamp" PE, which is exclusive to this year’s adidas Eurocamp athletes and participants.

The following teams and draft-eligible standouts are slated to participate in this year’s adidas Eurocamp:

Team Next Gen

Jack Kayil (Germany) – MVP of the U18 Final Four Tournament

Savo Drezgic (Serbia) – ABA League champion 2023

Egor Denim (Russia) – FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021

Nikola Bundalo (USA) – Consensus No. 1 player in Ohio, the No. 7 power forward in his class, and a top-30 overall player in the class of 2025

Michael Ruzic (Croatia) – Hoops Agents Player of the Week

David Mirkovic (Montenegro) – 2023 U18 Euro Championship B All-Tournament Team

Team World

Wei Zhao (China) – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023

Mohammad Amini (Iran) – France Espoirs Elite 2022-23 and Euroleague Adidas Next Generation

Lucas Giovannetti (Argentina) – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023

Assane Sankare (Senegal) – U18 Next Generation Team Paris

Julius Halaifonua (New Zealand) – Ambassadors Trophy for Male Junior Player of the Year

Team Eurocamp

Nikola Djurisic (Serbia) – ABA League Top Prospect 2023, Euroleague NGT champion 2022

Mohamed Diawara (France) – FIBA U18 European Championship 2023

Martin Kalu (Germany) – FIBA U16 Challenger 2021

Mouhamed Faye (Senegal) – NIJT All-Tournament Team 2022-2023, Zadar Tournament (ANGT) All-Tournament Team 2022-2023

Ousmane Ndiaye (Senegal) – Early entry candidate for NBA Draft 2024

Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia) – MVP of the ABA U19 final tournament 2024

Reynan Dos Santos (Brazil) – All-Star Five honors at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022, MVP of the FIBA U18 South American Championship 2022

Ruben Dominguez (Spain) – Silver medal FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, MVP of FIBA U16 European Championship 2019

Michael Caicedo (Spain) – ACB All-Young Players Team 2023

Team USA

Darryn Peterson (USA) – Top 3 HS prospect Class of 2025, Consensus top-5 2025 guard and U16 USAB Gold Medalist

Caleb Holt (USA) – Consensus top-5 2026 guard and U16 USAB Gold Medalist

Moustapha Thiam (USA) – Five-star 2025 center and Central Florida commit

Nate Ament (USA) – Five-star 2025 wing

Joson Sanon (USA) – Four-star 2025 guard and Arizona commit

For more information on Eurocamp and to register, visit adidaseurocamp.com.

[emiradamalief]

[lboogie1906]

Wilfried Nancy (April 9, 1977) is a French football manager and former player, who is managing Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.

He was born in Le Havre to a Guadeloupean father and a Senegalese-Cape Verdean mother. His father was in the French Navy and spent his early childhood in different regions, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Djibouti, and Réunion. At the age of 11, his family moved to Toulon and there he started playing organized soccer before moving to the academy of Toulon at the age of 14.

He played professionally in France as a defender. He had stints at various amateur and semi-professional clubs, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans before moving to Canada to play with the UQAM team.

In 2005, he became a coach for Collège Stanislas, while at the same time playing for his university team, UQAM Citadins. He was voted MVP in Quebec and named to the first all-star team in Quebec and Canada. He helped the Citadins finish second in the Quebec conference. He became a full-time coach in 2006 and started coaching AAA soccer. He coached Québec’s provincial teams and was assistant technical director of the Association régionale de soccer de la Rive-Sud.

He was part of the Montreal Impact Academy since its inception starting with the U18s, and the U21s in 2014, followed by the U16s (2014-15). He was promoted to assistant coach for the first team (2016).

He was promoted to head coach for CF Montréal becoming the club’s first coach following their re-branding from the Impact name. It was announced that CF Montréal had exercised its option on his contract for the 2022 season. He lead CF Montréal to the final of the 2021 Canadian Championship, beating Toronto FC 1–0, qualifying them for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.

He was announced as the Columbus Crew head coach. In his first season as coach, the Crew finished third in the regular season. Columbus would overcome their archrivals FC Cincinnati in the conference finals and outlast defending champions Los Angeles FC in the final. He became the first Black coach to win the MLS Cup. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jrpneblog]

A better week and some improvement

A better week for North End with four points out of six from the two home games against Wigan and Coventry. The first half of the Wigan game was a little bit Deja-vu but North End certainly improved after the break and staged a good comeback to take the three points and leave the Latics deep in relegation trouble. On Tuesday we had a quite entertaining 0-0 draw against Coventry City at Deepdale with North End showing a considerable amount of improvement over the ninety minutes from what we had seen in recent weeks. Some of it was probably facilitated bu Mark Robins team coming to play football and trying to make a game of it instead of just counter attacking which has been our downfall at home in recent weeks, A tougher assignment lies ahead this week with a trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday but it should hold no fear for North End and I expect the improvement seen this week to continue.

Last Saturday saw Wigan Athletic visit Deepdale and with a good following of 3,700+, the Latics must have fancied their chances against a North End side with an appalling home record this season. Things were not looking good by half time with a Greg Cunningham own goal giving the visitors the lead. A stiff talking to at half time by Ryan Lowe seemed to do the trick as North End came out in the second half and were soon level albeit by a soft penalty converted by Daniel Johnson. Soon after Tom Cannon gave North End the lead with a good finish and from then on we looked in control even though the visitors had several corners late on which all came to no avail.

Tuesday saw us play the game rearranged because of the Tottenham cup-tie against Coventry City under the lights at Deepdale. Mark Robins has done a fantastic job with the Sky Blues and his brand of football is one that is very easy on the eye compared to some I have seen this season. The game was competitive and played at a decent standard but, once again North End could not convert a couple of really good chances. Mind you the same could probably be said for Coventry and the draw was probably the right result for two teams bang in the middle of Championship with Neither looking like they are going up or going down this season. The only low point of the evening was the fact that it was our lowest attendance of home fans this season with just 13,045 paying to watch the game.

On Saturday North End visit Watford for the first time since November 2020, a game that was played behind closed doors due to the covid restrictions. Indeed you have to go back to February 2011 of the relegation season for the last time North End visited Watford in the league in front of spectators. That game ended a 2-2 draw and I am fairly sure North End would take that on Saturday. The Hornets currently lie eighth in the Championship four points behind the play off places but they have only won one of their last five games drawing three and losing one. At home they have won eight and drawn four of their sixteen league games to date so North End are going there not without a chance. Backed by over a thousand fans it should be a decent afternoon down in Hertfordshire so lets hope the boys can bring something back up the Motorway with them.

And finally this week:- the gallant U18 youth side bowed out of the FA Youth Cup on Thursday evening going down 1-3 to Southampton. The scoreline didn`t really reflect the game and if North End had taken their chances we could be having a very different conversation. It is a great achievement for a team with only a level three structure to get to the last eight and I hope some of the lads are rewarded with Professional contracts come the end of the season.

.

JR`s HIGH FIVES

Gillingham to beat Harrogate 13/8

A £5 Stake returns £13.13 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £142.63 Stake £140.00

Percentage profit+/-loss + 1.89%

Predictions 28 won 13 lost 15.

[wjcicehockey]

IIHF bans Russia and Belarus tournaments 'until further notice'; Russia dropped as 2023 world junior hosts

The International Ice Hockey Federation banned Russia and Belarus from tournaments "until further notice" on Monday in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia will also no longer host the 2023 World Junior Championship, set to begin in December. A new host will be determined in the coming months.

The suspension applies to Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs in every age category at IIHF competitions, the federation said. The IIHF noted six competitions between March and September in which the moratorium will apply:

Read More >> U20 Ice Hockey stream free

2022 Men's World Championship (May): ROC and Belarus would not participate

2022 Women's World Championship (August-September): ROC would not participate

2022 World Junior Championship (dates TBA): Russia's U20 team would not participate

2022 Men's U18 World Championship (April-May): Russia and Belarus' U18 teams would not participate

2022 Women's U18 World Championship (dates TBA): Russia's U18 team would not participate

2022 Continental Cup (March): Belarus club team HK Gomel would not participate

The IIHF did not announce a cutoff date for the countries to be reinstated. Russia is slated to host the 2023 Men's World Championship, which begins May 5, 2023, in St. Petersburg. The IIHF did not announce a change to that tournament on Monday. SKA St. Petersburg is building a 21,500-capacity arena with a planned opening in time for the tournament.

“The IIHF is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine,” IIHF president Luc Tardif said in a statement. “We nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program.”

“We were incredibly shocked to see the images that have come out of Ukraine. I have been in close contact with members of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and we hope for all Ukrainians that this conflict can be resolved in a peaceful way and without the need for further violence.”

The invasion has led to reactions from members of the hockey community, including Wayne Gretzky, who called for Russia to be removed from this summer's rescheduled World Junior Championship tournament in Alberta while on-air with TNT.

"I think international hockey should say we’re not going to let them play in the world junior hockey tournament," Gretzky said. "I think we got to, as Canadians, take that stance since the games are going to be played in Edmonton."

USA Hockey released a statement in support of the IIHF's decision. "The actions of Vladimir Putin and the support from Belarusian government officials, are beyond reprehensible," the federation said.

Hockey Canada released a statement supporting the IIHF's decision. It also is prohibiting Russia's participation in events held in Canada that do not fall under the IIHF's jurisdiction, including the Hlinka Gretzky Cup scheduled for Alberta this upcoming summer. “While this is a humanitarian crisis that goes beyond sports, we also stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian hockey family and all those impacted around the world,” the federation said.

Other sporting federations have already imposed sanctions on Russian teams. FIFA suspended Russia from competing in international games until further notice. UEFA also moved the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris and suspended Russian club Spartak Moscow from European competition. The governing bodies of skiing and Formula One pulled upcoming races from Russia.

The International Olympic Committee requested sports federations not invite Russian or Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competition, and to cancel or move all events planned to take place in Russia or Belarus.

Read More>> Pre-tournament schedule announced for 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship

[jiminy-crickets]

someone chirped him and called him a "turd" when he was eight, when he broke his wrist at age 11 he spent 12 weeks not using his arm so that he wouldn't compromise his future, him and his family temporarily moved to sweden during covid so he could train, and when he got there he at age 15 was "too good for u18" so they moved him upto u20, he was rookie of the year at age 15, he attended the 2022 draft as an observer and the new york times profiled him and called him "the most exciting future NHL player attending this week’s draft", he nearly sold out the saddledome as a visiting player in the whl, when people were wanting him to get traded so he could get a chance at the cup his coach said "Connor has the final say. He wants to be a Regina Pat and finish his career in Regina, clear?", he played eleven less games had 36 more points then second highest scorer in the whl his last year playing, entire teams tanked to try and get a higher spot in the lottery so they could pick him, when asked at his combine interview by the team he would get drafted to "many years ahead, when you are done playing what do you want to accomplish" he said "my whole life is just hockey", when he got drafted the first thing he did was hug his parents and say "thank you, i love you", he signed his contract on his eighteenth birthday, he drinks coffee only before games and he takes it black, they sent him to media tour to become face of his team before he played a single game, he was asked in an interview if he has any secret talents and he said "i just play hockey, it's all I do", he's leading his team in goals, assists, and time on ice, he watches his old team play every chance he gets, and only missed one game because he was flying, one of his teammates and his wife and dog stayed over the night he broke his jaw

he will never live up to the expectations we have set out for him because no one can. he was mythologized before he stepped foot on the ice, by the media, by the league, and by his team.

hes eighteen, he will never have normalcy, and he hasn't had it for years, hes eighteen, when his mom comes to town he gets excited for home cooked meals, hes eighteen, all he wants to do is play hockey, hes eighteen, he can't go out in public without getting recognised, hes eighteen, a franchise is rebuilding around him, hes eighteen, at training camp he was worried about not 'making the team', hes eighteen, hes eighteen, hes eighteen, hes eighteen.

what the tabs look like, of a normal girl, who is doing normal things, and is not thinking too hard about 'gifted' kids and the downfall of an adulthood no one prepared you for

[unitedbydevils]

U18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

The women win the FA Cup, the U21 women become national champs, the U18s win the northern league, and now they have beaten Chelsea 2-1 - at Chelsea - to be crowned national champs.

In what was a tough and slightly nervy final at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United came out on top against a strong Chelsea side to be crowned U18 national champions.

Both sides traded blows early on but United mixed it up between the high line and high press with sitting deep and playing long balls for Ethan Wheatley to run on to, which saw the young striker unlucky not to score when he hit the left post.

United's front 4 of Ethans Williams and Wheatley, Jack Fletcher, and James Scanlon look strong though, and it was Wheatley who finally got his deserved goal in the 21st minute with a cool finish off an outstretched Williams pass through the centre.

Chelsea fought back and used the physicality of RCM Ampah to push past United LB Harry Amass, as well as having chances from Runham and George, but good defending from Louis Jackson off the line and keeper Elyh Harrison kept United in front at the break.

That lead lasted for 120 seconds. Sake.

Chelsea held possession at the start of the second half and built a nice attack up the field, before whipping a deep cross in to back post and letting the tall Acheampong dwarf Harry Amass and easily pressure him off to nod home the equaliser. United were very bunched up in the box though, especially towards the front, and the coaching staff will be disappointed with the team's poor marking and positioning to allow Chelsea back into the game.

Chelsea's confidence shone through George in particular, and United's attacks were met with equally fierce counters. The boys in red smartly slowed the tempo down though to allow themselves a foot back in the game, which gave Ethan Wheatley the chance to break on the right side of the Chelsea box for a lovely cutback to Jack Fletcher. His effort was spurned, but the deflection from keeper Merrick fell perfectly to Ethan Williams to make it 2-1 United.

Some great footwork in the 63rd minute by Ethan Wheatley could and should have put United 3-1 up but for a good save and an average shot, but that's experience - and the footwork to get through the box defenders was top notch. Same can be said for James Scanlon the Gibraltan international; a right-sided attacker drifted central and coasting through the Chelsea midfield. Confidence, composure, and determination. Lovely stuff.

Poor defending in the 81st minute from the Chelsea goalscorer Acheampong let Ethan Wheatley in for a shot on goal but again, experience would have helped as the striker was indecisive and tried a late shot on goal rather than the pass to either Williams or Fletcher.

Chelsea continued to attack hard, and had United sat deep and scrambling to stay in the lead, but their wasteful finishing allowed United another two chances on the break - both to Ethan Wheatley again. How he didn't end the night with a hat-trick, let alone a second goal, is baffling, but perhaps it was the pressure of the final or bad luck or fatigue... who knows.

All that matters is that United won come that final whistle in a tough battle against a strong Chelsea youth team, and I'm sure it's a battle we'll see in years to come for some of these aspiring professionals.

[whalepropaganda]

In honor of the start of the season, here’s this!

Now with the promised text-only edition below!

Slide 1:

[image: The Connecticut Whale logo (a blue silhouette of a whale surrounded by a blue, white, and green letter C appears in the background]

Your 2022-23 Connecticut Whale—a primer by whalepropaganda

 Slide 2: Overview.

The Connecticut Whale is a professional hockey team that plays within the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF; formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League, or NWHL). The Whale is one of the Founding Four teams in the league and the only one of those four that has yet to win the Isobel Cup. They were really bad for several years, but now they’re really good!

NUMBER ONE IN THE LEAGUE LAST SEASON BAYBEYYYY

[image: A red arrow points toward a partial screenshot of the 2021-22 PHF standings. The Whale are at the top of the standings.]

anyway then they lost to Boston in the Isobel Cup Final and honestly I’m still Quite Annoyed About It

Whale games are broadcast on ESPN+ in the US, TSN+ in Canada, and ESPN Affiliates in other countries.

Whale home games will (mostly) take place at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury.

[image: a partial map of New England. The location of the International Skating Center of Connecticut is circled in red and has an arrow pointing to it. The city of Boston is visible near the edge of the map and is crossed out with a red X]

 Slide 3: Oh Captain My Captain

[image: Shannon Turner smiling while surrounded by several teammates, all wearing the Whale’s 2021-22 pride jerseys]

Shannon Turner (prev. Shannon Doyle)

Position: Defender | Born: March 6, 1992 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Markham, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 2 | A 5 | Pts 7 | PIM 10

•        One of the few remaining original NWHLers!

•        Also an English teacher!

•        Was part of the first Canadian roster to win a gold medal at U18 Women’s Worlds (2010)!

•        Won a 2021–22 PHF Foundation Award!

•        Came out of retirement for last season and got soooo close to winning the Cup, but alas L L L She says this will be her last season, so I’m gonna need the Whale to remember one thing:

[image: “Do it for her” meme from the Simpsons, with photos of Shannon added to it]

This is Theo! He’s excellent.

[image: A red arrow points toward a photo of a very cute German Shepherd dog]

 Slide 4: Alternate Captains

Alyssa, Janine, and Emma are returning As; Kennedy is new to the leadership group [smiley face emote]

Alyssa Wohlfeiler

[image: photo of Alyssa from during a game]

Position: Forward | Born: May 6, 1989 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Saugus, California, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 8 | A 8 | Pts 16 | PIM 8

•        Wohlfy!

•        An original NWHLer

Janine Weber

[image: headshot of Janine in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: June 19, 1991 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Innsbruck, Austria

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 5 | A 8 | Pts 13 | PIM 6

•        The first player ever to sign an NWHL contract!

•        Won 2015 Clarkson Cup (CWHL), 3x D1A Worlds silver & more

Emma Vlasic

[image: photo of Emma in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Position: Forward | Born: September 2, 1996 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Wilmette, Illinois, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 4 | A 9 | Pts 13 | PIM 4

•        Like basically every player with the last name Vlasic, she’s Pickles

Kennedy Marchment

[image: photo of Kennedy in street clothes, flashing a peace sign]

Position: Forward | Born: December 6, 1996 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Courtice, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 13 | A 20 | Pts 33 | PIM 8

•        Holy crap she’s good

•        2021–22 PHF MVP!

•        Led league in assists and points last season

  Slide 5: Returning Forwards

Amanda Conway

[image: photo of Amanda Conway wearing her 2021-22 pride jersey]

Born: December 26, 1996 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Methuen, Massachusetts, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 12 | A 9 | Pts 21 | PIM 4

•        Nineteenth overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Ranked second in goals and third in points on the Whale last season

•        One of the most, if not the most, underrated Whale players imho

Janka Hlinka

[image: photo of Janka from during a game]

Born: October 31, 1995 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Stratford, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 2

•        Born in USA but represents Slovakia in international competition!

•        Also known as Janka Hlinkova

•        Won D1A bronze in 2022

Taylor Girard

[image: photo of Taylor in athleticwear, giving a thumbs up]

Born: July 17, 1998 | Height: 5’10” | Hometown: Macomb, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 11 | A 13 | Pts 24 | PIM 14

•        First overall pick in the 2021 Draft!

•        2021–22 PHF Newcomer of the Year

•        Ranked second on the team in assists and points

•        Also tied for second in PIM lol

Melissa Samoskevich

[image: headshot of Melissa in her Whale jersey, doing the Brandon Tanev stare]

Born: March 31, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Sandy Hook, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 7 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 0

•        Second overall pick in the 2018 draft!

•        Won U18 Worlds silver in 2014 and gold in 2015 (and scored the most goals of the 2015 tournament, with six)

•        Won gold at Worlds in 2019

  Slide 6: Returning Defenders

Tori Howran

[image: photo of Tori in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: June 11, 1998 | Height: 5’9” | Hometown: Bancroft, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 0 | A 8 | Pts 8 | PIM 10

•        Seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Won silver at U18 Worlds in 2016

•        Co-owns a business called A&T Sewing and makes very cute stuff

Hannah Bates

[image: photo of Hannah wearing an athletic shirt with the Whale logo]

Born: May 20, 1999 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Trenton, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 1 | A 4 | Pts 5 | PIM 6

•        Twentieth overall pick in the 2021 draft!

•        Currently youngest player on the team

•        Adorable tbh

Allie Munroe

[image: photo of Allie wearing her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: April 20, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 3 | A 10 | Pts 13 | PIM 14

•        Led Whale defenders in scoring last season

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Defender of the Year

Slide 7: Returning Goalie

Abbie Ives

[image: photo of Abbie in street clothes, holding her sticks]

Born: October 7, 1998 | Height: 5’11” | Hometown: Bedford Hills, New York, USA

2021–22 stats: GS 15 | W 10 | L 3 | OTL 2 | Sv% .894

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Goaltender of the Year!

•        The tallest member of the team

•        Notorious among her teammates for her phone always being dead

  Slide 8: Whalecome Back

(players who used to play for the Whale and then didn’t play for the Whale and now are once again playing for the Whale)

Kateřina Mrázová

[image: photo of Katka in her Team Czechia jersey, holding her bronze medal from 2022 Worlds]

Position: Forward | Born: October 19, 1992 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Praha, Czechia

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Brynäs IF (SDHL)  

•        Katka!

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won 2013 Clarkson Cup (CWHL)

•        Won D1A Worlds gold in 2014 and 2015

•        Won bronze at Worlds in 2022 (Czechia’s first medal at that tournament!)

 Meeri Räisänen

[image: photo of Meeri in her Team Finland jersey, sticking her tongue out]

Position: Goalie | Born: December 2, 1989 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Tampere, Finland

Most recent team(s): Team Finland; JYP U20 Akatemia (U20 Mestis)

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won bronze medals at Worlds in 2015 and 2021

•        Won bronze at the Olympics in 2018 and 2022

Slide 9: Primer I Hardly Know ‘Er!

(the new additions)

Caitrin Lonergan

[image: photo of Caitrin in her Clarkson University jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: September 10, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Clarkson University

•        U18 silver (2014)

•        U18 gold (2015)

Lenka Serdar

[image: photo of Lenka in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: July 21, 1997 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Lexington, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Born in US but plays for Czechia

•        Competed at 2021 Worlds and the 2022 Olympics

Justine Reyes

[image: photo of Justine in street clothes]

Position: Forward | Born: February 14, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Chino Hills, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Was 2018–19 MVP at St. Lawrence University

Emma Keenan

[image: photo of Emma in her Buffalo Beauts jersey]

Position: Defender | Born: November 26, 1997 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Mission Viejo, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Buffalo Beauts (PHF)

•        2x NCAA champion with Clarkson University

Mallory Souliotis

[image: photo of Mal in her Boston Pride jersey and a bucket hat after winning the Isobel Cup in 2022 (sigh)]

Position: Defender | Born: April 1, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Acton, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

•        Won a 2018–19 PHF Foundation Award

Tori Sullivan

[image: photo of Tori in her Boston Pride jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: August 4, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

  Slide 10

Misc. Fun Facts

•        Jessica Strack, who was a practice player for most of last season and officially signed with the team late in the season, is back as a practice player for 2022–23. She’s also the Whale’s current equipment manager.

•        Longtime NWHL/PHF player and 2018 Isobel Cup champion Kiira Dosdall-Arena (D) is a practice player this season.  

•        Meeri and Katka are sharing a beach rental in Milford for the season (seemingly also with the Whale’s new athletic trainer). Taylor, Amanda, Tori H., and Hannah are also sharing a rental on the beach. (I feel like these are fun facts, idk)

 “Is [Whale Player] Related to [Dude]?” Containment Zone

•        Mason Marchment is Kennedy’s cousin

•        Alex Vlasic is Emma’s brother, and Marc-Édouard Vlasic is her cousin

•        Mackie Samoskevich is Melissa’s brother

•        The cool guy who showed up to the 2022 playoffs in a whale costume is Janine’s husband, Bruce

 Team Staff

•        Coach: Colton Orr

•        Assistant coaches: Jeff Devenney, Sue Merz

•        Consulting coach: Jack Han

•        General manager: Alexis Moed

 Where Are They Now?

(i.e., are players from the 2021–22 roster playing hockey this season, and if so, where?)

•        Hanna Beattie: Whale director of youth hockey and gameday operations

•        Kaycie Anderson: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Taylor Marchin: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Catherine Crawley: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Kati Tabin: Toronto Six (PHF)

•        Mariah Fujimagari: AIK (SDHL)

•        Rebecca Morse: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emily Fluke: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Cailey Hutchison: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emma Polaski: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

[animalbks]

Football Manager 23 Canadian Database

Compete in a complete restructuring of the Canadian soccer pyramid, complete with 11 levels of competitions, featuring a total of 528 teams from leagues across Canada. Fight for league cups, and a complete overhaul of the Canadian Championship, from an expanded Canadian Premier League of 16 teams, with full Promotion and Relegation. A completely reasonable future for Canadian Soccer, this file allows you to compete as any team in Canada as if Canada was England, allowing little Surrey United to fight a battle against Vancouver at BC place for the chance to represent Canada in CONCACAF.

Download here -> https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886012558

Check out my discord if you would like https://discord.gg/6dBFcPzRNa

A Full List of Changes

Structure

There are 11 levels of Soccer in this database

The first 2 leagues feature 16 teams, and play for the Sinclair Cup

Level 3 features 32 teams across 2 leagues, and play for the Schmidt Cup. 

Level 4 features 48 teams spread across 3 leagues, and play for the Fleming Cup. Top 8 teams of the Fleming cup play against Level 3 in the Leblanc Cup

Level 5 and Below feature 60 teams, spread across 3 leagues, divided into 2 groups of 10. The top Level 5 teams in the Canadian Championship feature in the Grosso Cup

And then Finally, USports, matching their real world structure, but in 3 leagues instead of 4, complete with a post season Memorial Cup style league, featuring both the League Winners, and the Cup winners, for a 6 team single round robin format

The best of these leagues play for the 3 League cups, to determine who gets a bye to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship, alongside the winner of the Sinclair cup

Each of the senior teams has a U23 team, and a U20 team, which feature in Regional Youth Leagues, which feature relaxed rules, and a 10 level structure alongside applicable Usports teams, creating a spliced pyramid

Usports gets U18 teams which play in an HSports (Highschool analogue) league

All leagues mandate a certain number of Canadians, a few U21 players, and a U18 player in your match squad

5 subs from 12 for all competitions, some exceptions may be 6 subs, or max of 3 stoppages

Each league comes with a number of awards, such as Canadian Team of the Year

Added Teams

Every team from the following leagues features in the database, up January 2022:

USports, Canadian Soccer League, Pacific Coast Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League, Vancouver Metro Soccer League, Fraser Valley Soccer League, Alberta Major Soccer League, Saskatchewan Premier Soccer League, Manitoba Major Soccer League, League 1 Ontario Reserves, Ontario Soccer League, Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec, Nova Scotia Soccer League, , New Brunswick Premier Senior Soccer League, and Newfoundland and Labrador Challenge Cup

Also featuring teams like Algonquin College, who have their stadium in the game, to operate as owner for that stadium

Expanding joint teams out, to represent the future where these teams can compete without merging. A joint team will have two parent teams, with the parent teams being whatever the original organizations are

Future Proofing by including future expansion teams like Saskatoon, Langley*, and Windsor [*See note Above]

And just for fun, a minimal amount of fantasy, like a Bundesliga expansion, and my College, BCIT, and Ayr United Sudbury, so Quill18 can have his fun

This brings the total number of Playable teams to 528

Staff

Most teams feature their real world head coach when one was able to be documented

And of course, some female staff from the various Womens league such as Bev Priestmen, who takes over the Canadian U23 national team, hoping to bring home another Gold Medal at the Olympics, or Karina LeBlanc who manages the Portland Timbers 2nd team, an analogue for the Portland Thorns, and Stephanie Labbe who manages Vancouver 2, for the same reason. Give me that NWSL license, Sports interactive

Features

Every team plays in a stadium, all 528

Some teams have their stadiums updated, or changed. Teams like FC Edmonton are future proofed to play into the larger, right next door, Commonwealth Stadium

Every stadium in the game has a team. Olympic stadium houses an amateur team. Can you get them to fill the stadium?

Every team has a proper Jersey, or if one could not be found, one assigned. You wont be encountering any default generic red and blue teams as you make your way up the pyramid

Some teams such as the Church based teams, or the ethnic Community based teams, have club visions to match their status. Churches are asked to develop through their own youth system. Academy teams are asked the same, but also to sign young players, USports teams are asked to recruit out of high school, and teams such as ICSF Columbus are asked to sign Italians. Some fun visions exist too. Can you guess what you might need to do as Goals City FC?

The 2020 Gold Medal Winning Canadian Women's National Team have been added as icons and legends to the applicable teams. Can the Whitecaps live up to expectations and move into Christine Sinclair stadium?

Be on the look out for some interesting challenges. The worst team in the game is Unathletico Vancouver. Can you lead them to Glory?

[gaywoso]

Some women's basketball dates for the rest of 2021:

MAY

FIBA South American Women's Championship: Monday, May 10th-Sunday, May 16th [CANCELLED]

WNBA: Friday, May 14th-Sunday September 19th (Regular Season) & latest possible final is Tuesday, October 19th

JUNE

FIBA Women's AmeriCup: Friday, June 11th-Saturday, June 19th

FIBA Women's European Championship for Small Countries: Tuesday, June 15th-Sunday, June 20th

FIBA EuroBasket: Thursday, June 17th-Sunday, June 27th

FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship: Sunday, June 20th-Sunday, June 27th

JULY

FIBA U20 Women's European Championship Division B: Saturday, July 3rd-Sunday, July 11th

FIBA U20 Women's European Championship: Tuesday, July 6th-Wednesday, July 14th

FIBA U16 Women's European Championship Division C: Tuesday, July 13th-Sunday, July 18th

Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship: Wednesday, July 14th-Sunday, July 18th

FIBA Women's U18 European Championship Division B: Friday, July 23rd-Sunday, August 1st

FIBA Women's U18 European Championship: Saturday, July 24th-Sunday, August 1st

Olympics 3x3: Saturday, July 24th-Wednesday, July 28th

Olympics Women: Monday, July 26th-Sunday, August 8th

FIBA U18 Women's Championship Division C: Tuesday, July 27th-Sunday, August 1st

AUGUST

FIBA Women's U16 European Championship Division B: Thursday. August 5th-Saturday, August 14th

FIBA Women's U16 European Championship: Friday, August 6th-Saturday, August 14th

FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup: Saturday, August 7th-Sunday, August 15th

SEPTEMBER

FIBA Women's Polynesia Basketball Cup: Monday. September 6th-Friday, September 10th

FIBA Women's AfroBasket: Friday, September 17th-Sunday, September 26th

FIBA Women's Asia Cup: Sunday, September 26th-Sunday, October 3rd

NOVEMBER

International Window: Sunday, November 7th-Monday, November 15th

South American U17 Women's Championship: Monday, November 15th-Saturday, November 20th

*Fall Unannounced

EuroLeague 2021-22: September/October start (TBA)

EuroCup 2021-22: September/October start (TBA)

Russian league: September/October start (TBA)

Turkish league: October start (TBA)

FIBA Supercup: October (TBA)

NCAA: November start (TBA)

WHERE TO WATCH

FIBA/International/EuroLeague/EuroCup: FIBA YouTube and they may starting to stream on Twitch

WNBA: ESPN & WNBA League Pass

Turkish league: TBF YouTube, Tivibu Spor with VPN

Russian league: Russia Basket website, UMMC Ekaterinburg YouTube for home games

[Note: the list was made on April 18th so anything can change. Sorry if I got any of the days or dates wrong here]

Hope this is useful!

[kuramirocket]

This is going to be a story about why I’m choosing to play for the Mexican national team over the U.S. But while I have your attention, I also want to talk about something deeper.

I want to talk about my experience as a Mexican-American in the United States.

And I want to talk about depression.

But to really get it, you have to understand what I’ve been through, because it’s been a long path to get here. You have to know about my hopes and dreams.

You have to start in Oxnard, California.

When you grow up with Mexican parents in Oxnard, you’re not really living in the United States. You’re in Mexico.

My home was very Mexican, too. After my dad had come home from work and eaten dinner, he would put on a Mexican movie or — even better — a Mexican league game. And if he was really lucky, Chivas would be playing. My dad loves Chivas. My grandpa supports Chivas, too. You can basically go through my entire family tree, and everyone will be a Chivista.

So naturally my dream was to play for Chivas.

That, and to play for the Mexican national team.

I think a lot of my dreams were shaped by my dad. He had been a goalkeeper in his Sunday league team, so when I was four, I chose that position, too. He would always analyze the goalkeepers. We’d be watching a game, and he’d tell me, “You need to be like that guy. Look how good he is!” And I really wanted to be like those guys. I knew every goalkeeper from every team. I especially wanted to be Guillermo Ochoa.

Anyway, when I was 14, I got to play in the Dallas Cup with a local team. Thank God I did well, and I was spotted by L.A. Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Monterrey and Chivas. The Mexican national team had scouts there, too.

When I went to live at the Chivas academy in Guadalajara, they were so proud of me. My Facebook was bombarded with messages. ¡Mi hijo, que orgullo!

Chivas was my club, and I was playing for the Mexican youth national teams, so I was really close to making my dreams come true. I just couldn’t lose this opportunity.

Sadly, it never worked out because some FIFA rules stopped me from playing in the Mexican academy league as a minor. So I returned to the States, and luckily another door opened: I joined Real Salt Lake Academy. Things actually fell really nicely into place there. The academy was run by Martín Vásquez, who was a Mexican-American as well, and his staff all spoke Spanish. The goalkeeping coach was Mexican too.

In Utah, my performances led to a call-up to a Mexican U16 camp. I was about to go, but Real Salt Lake needed me for a tournament at the same time.

I did really well there. I was even called up to another camp to prepare for the U17 World Cup. But that’s when things got difficult. I was trying too hard to impress the coaches, and I ended up making silly mistakes. Off the pitch, I didn’t feel at home at all. There was nobody there who really understood where I was from, or even who I was.

That was the second time I felt depressed. Again I was working so hard without seeing results, and I got anxious about what would happen if I failed. Part of the reason was also that I didn’t actually know what was happening to me. I didn’t know that I was depressed. I just knew that I was hating my life again.

But then I got up to the U18s, and I met a goalkeeping coach named Des McAleenan.

He was Irish, but he had worked at an academy in Mexico, so he spoke fluent Spanish. He knew all of the goalkeepers in the Mexican league. We would discuss the games, the saves, everything. He would go out of his way to talk to me. He would hug me. He just got me. He believed in me. I trusted him with my whole life.

I loved his way of working. It wasn’t technique-based, it was more like flying everywhere and making big saves — the Mexican way. In the U.S. it’s more about gym work and technique. Mexican goalkeepers are skinnier and flashier, and I wanted to be like that. Sure, maybe they can be too flashy sometimes, but that’s why you fall in love with it, right? You want to pick that ball out of the corner and hear everyone go Whooooaaa!!

I became the locked-in No. 1 for the U.S. U18s. Then I was bumped up to the U20s for the U20 World Cup. There were more Mexican-Americans there, like Alex Mendez and Ulysses Llanez. These guys were just like me.

But then Des left to coach for the Colombian national team.

Des kept calling me every month. He kept watching my games. He was coaching players who had made it in the big leagues in Europe, and he would tell me, “You can be better than them. Not as good as. Better.” 

In February, I got the news that Des had apparently taken his own life.

Then I began to look at my own past and recognize that, yes, I had been dealing with depression, too. It’s weird, because when you’re playing soccer, you kind of go on cruise control, and then suddenly two years have passed. But now I could see the symptoms. I had been suffering, but I hadn’t fully understood what I was going through.

Thankfully, the dark thoughts belong to the past.

Last May, the U.S. called me up for the Nations League. Mexico had been knocking on my door for a year, and deep down that was still my dream.

The final against Mexico was weird. Sitting on the bench, I was obviously rooting for the U.S., because I was part of the team. But something in my heart was like, Wow ... these Mexican players are the ones I grew up watching on TV. Guillermo Ochoa was playing. I really felt that Mexico had a place in my heart.

In the end, I became the only player in the camp not to play a single minute. I did really well in training, and I wanted to show what I could do.

When we met Costa Rica after the tournament in a friendly, I was thinking, They have to give me this game.

We were playing where I play home games with Real Salt Lake, in front of my own fans.

At one point, the crowd was chanting for me to come on.

But it never happened.

I’m not gonna lie about it: I was frustrated. I was angry. I felt like they didn’t really believe in me. So when Mexico invited me to a training camp before the Gold Cup, I felt like I had been given the green light to say yes. Tata Martino had coached Barcelona and Argentina — and now he was saying that he believed in my potential. So I went just to train and check things out.

I enjoyed the Mexico camp so much. Nobody was calling me gringo. They were all talking to me, trying to get to know me, and I’m talking about the big guys as well. Héctor Herrera followed me back on Instagram. I know it’s funny how much I look into that, but it really makes me feel like, O.K., this guy is at Atlético Madrid, but he knows who I am. Guillermo Ochoa wasn’t there, but Talavera, Cota, they all were. The players who had been my heroes when I was a kid were right in front of me. They were my teammates.

After three days, I knew I was making the switch. I felt appreciated not just for the goalkeeper I am right now, but for the goalkeeper I can be, you know?

And I realized that, no matter how much I try, I will never be fully American.

So it’s about where I feel more comfortable, and something inside me feels more at home with the Mexican players. They are loud and fun and outgoing.

They even make me feel like I did when Des was around. And at this stage, that’s what I want to feel. I want to feel loved, and at home.

Basically, after all that’s happened, I just want to be happy.

So that’s why I’m choosing Mexico

I have another dream, by the way. I want to become a role model for Mexican-American players. There are so many talented kids playing soccer in little cities like Oxnard, but nobody seems to see them. There are more than 35 million people living in the U.S. who were either born in Mexico or have Mexican origins, but hardly any of them are playing soccer professionally here. It’s really weird, right? There should be many more.

So I hope I can play a part in changing that. I hope that Mexican-American kids can see what I’m doing and think, Wow, maybe I can do that, too.

Maybe some will even watch soccer on TV and say, “Dad, I want to be that guy!”

A kid from Oxnard.

A goalkeeper for Mexico.

A proud Mexican-American.