the dominican republic

one of the guys on the team i coach at fgcu, francisco, plays for the dominican under 20 national team and we were talking about his role on the team and this and that. anyway, he asked me about playing soccer and i told him that naturally i would much rather play than coach (as much as i enjoy coaching, its just not the same) and that if given the chance, i would jump on the opportunity in no time. he began to tell me about a coach he knew...i have heard that before and most of the time it turns into nothing more than the conversation that transpired...fast forward a couple of weeks, his coach came to fort myers to visit the campus and as we met he asked for my video, liked what he saw, and invited me to the dominican republic for a try-out with river plate of argentina. at first thought, "great experience but most likely full of shit."

after some negotiations with the finances, a cheap flight through spirit air, ($180 round trip for eleven days)and a cheap hostel, ($25 a night-bit more expensive than european hostels but it is a private room with a bathroom to myself) i was able to make my way to santo domingo, dr for a chance to play soccer... the way i look at it is that if i did not take the chance then i would be stuck at fgcu for the spring, coaching soccer, taking classes, and preparing for graduate school next fall. on the other hand, this opportunity may sling me into a career of football. i could be heading to argentina to play with any number of clubs in argentina, other south american countries, and even spain, or i could be stuck at fgcu for the spring, coaching soccer, taking classes, and preparing for graduate school next fall. to me, the idea of doing the two things i enjoy the most, soccer and travel, together rates second to none on my dream job list. and if i shall fail in my attempt, i will always be able to look others in the eye and say i took a chance and put my cards on the table, was blessed with an outstanding opportunity to visit a country that i otherwise probably would not have visited, experience the football culture of another land, meet and make many new friends, and say that river plate scouted me to play professional football. not a bad situation to be in.