Clay
The Pennsylvania clay clings to the soles of my cleats. I forgot to
pound them after the game. The clay is what makes the game good. The
speed is right, the ball can be manuevered. How would it play out in
East Carolina sand or Minnesota River Valley Loam?
Of course we do
play indoors on astro-turf covered concrete, but that's a different
game- boards like in hockey, fewer players, smaller goals. Sometimes
in the summer the clay dries like in a kiln. Dust can be kicked up,
the ball runs ahead of you faster than your old legs can pump.
We were
talking today about how surprised the Europeans are that you can get a
bunch of old American guys to play in a pickup game. Europeans tend to
stop playing recreationally after a certain age unless they're highly
skilled and play in a club. The clay hardens after years in the sun,
many many sessions being molded and shaped. Ours is still soft and
malleable, hasn't been worked too much. The clay falls off the cleats,
dries on the carpet. In front of the goal today it was damp- you slide
when you plant too hard.. sometimes you might as well slide.
Some of
the Europeans come out to capture glory past- the new ones sometimes take
a while to learn that the Americans will beat them if they don't run
and pass- skills alone won't do it. But I generalize.
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