After the Women's World Cup in '99, there were a lot of grumblings at BigSoccer and various other sites about Soccer Moms being the big problem with the sport in this country. It really ticked me off that these women were being singled out as the major reason that soccer hadn't been embraced as a BIG sport in the US.

At that point, I'd been a fan of the sport for 35 years, and a youth coach for 9 years. During those youth coaching years, I'd seen how great soccer moms could be just by lending their support to me & their players in so many different ways.
Too often it was the dads who were missing from the equation. The dad/fans of the sport were there organizing, coaching and refereeing but the non fan dads left it to their wives to deal with the soccer duties.

Even when we organized outings to see the Fire, it was the moms who made the trips as the non fan dads could not be bothered to go to Soldier Field to see a MLS match. they were often the Jim Rome types when it came to our sport.

Anyway, starting in 2000, each Mother's Day, I've picked up flowers and made them available to my players to run across to their moms before the kickoff. For the past five years, I've extended that to include the opposition teams as well. Besides being important for our players to realize all the effort their moms have put into their playing, I wanted to have those moms understand that they are a valued part of the soccer community despite what some experts think.

So, I hope you other coaches will acknowledge the moms this weekend, whether with flowers or just a team applause before the match. It'll mean a lot, for all concerned.

BRAVO!!!!!!!

Great idea...but stay the fekk away from my garden! :D

Damn! Guess I'll have to find a new garden this year.

Yeah, we do that too. :)

^^ What she said!

Without (soccer) moms, boys wouldn't exist! :D

...unless you were a test tube baby :blink:

Click me!!
:D

Girls play footy too, Raciel! :huh: Sexist remark - reported to admin! :angry:





















































































:lol: :lol: :lol:

:D I'd forgotten about them...my old band played an opener for them at a punk gig in Belgium, years ago. An amazing evening - they were in the mosh pit for our gig - we were for theirs.
OLD SCHOOL PUNK ROOLZ!!

I figured of everybody on here, you'd be most likely to appreciate that! ;)

Odd that it ends up in a "soccer moms" thread, but there you go . . . :)

Nothing is odd 'round this forum Josh.

Glad that you guys salute the moms.

By the way, on the topic of mosh pits, my son experienced a mini mosh pit for the first time at the Arctic Monkeys show on Tuesday night. Funny how some things stick around years after you figured they'd fall by the wayside.

From today's Chicago Tribune:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-fire-headlines


MLS stars share memories of mom
May 13, 2007

They drive the mini-vans that take kids to and from practice and slice up oranges for postgame snacks.

To most, they are known famously as "soccer moms." To the players, they're simply known as "mom."

Some of Major League Soccer's biggest stars talk about the sacrifices their mothers made for them, the look on their moms' faces after they signed with MLS and the mother who dressed her son up as a girl for two straight Halloweens:

Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas forward: "I used to be really afraid of going to school. In 1st grade, I remember hanging onto the railing by the staircase because I didn't want to go. My mom pulled on my feet as I hung on. I don't know how she ended up convincing me to go. We had a good laugh about that one the other day."

Jeff Cunningham, Real Salt Lake forward: "My mom is very blunt. She told my girlfriend in college she needs to cover herself up and wear more clothes—and that was her first time meeting her. That's my mom. She doesn't know what she's saying sometimes, but she has good intentions. … I appreciate every moment I spend with my mom."

Freddy Adu, Real Salt Lake midfielder: "I'll always remember the look on my mom's face after I signed with the league. She had no one at that point. It made her feel proud, and that made me feel proud. I never had seen her like that."

Chad Barrett, Fire forward: "Every game since I was 7 or 8, no matter what the stakes were, I could always hear my mom yell, 'Go Chaddy' at the top of her lungs. I hate being called Chaddy. I told her to stop it, but she would say, 'Sorry, it just comes out.' She's coming for the game June 9 and I'm going to put her in the nose-bleed seats."

C.J. Brown, Fire defender: "My mom has always been my biggest fan. I miss her seeing every soccer tournament of mine. When I was having a tough day, my dad would tell me what I should have done. My mom would tell me, 'You're doing fine.' She was the mediator during the ups and downs."

Steve Ralston, New England Revolution midfielder: "I didn't want to go to practice one time when I was about 13 because I wanted to stay and play with my friends around the house. My mom said, 'Play out the season and then see how you feel.' I used the same line with my daughter the other day."

Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards defender: "My mom wanted a girl. She dressed me up as a Brownie for Halloween when I was 4 and as Raggedy Ann when I was 3. After a while my dad had to put his foot down on Halloween."

Herculez Gomez, Colorado Rapids forward: "I was well known in high school, so opponents were very aggressive with me. My mom was very vocal after every foul and would yell at the opposing players. She's the main reason I'm able to block out opposing fans now."

D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen: "I always liked our voyages across Pennsylvania. My mom would drive me two hours each way to practice in Philadelphia so I could train with better competition. It wasn't always easy for her to do that, but she did it. The happiest day of her life was when I got my license and could drive myself."

Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson: "One day growing up in the inner city, I told my mom she wouldn't have to work anymore. When I signed with MLS, it was a wonderful moment. Her job working with the mentally challenged doesn't pay much. I pay all her bills so she can just concentrate on her job. I work hard so that she doesn't have to."

larroyave@tribune.com