LITTLE BY LITTLE

HELLO ALL

SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THE BLOG FOR A WHILE, ITS JUST BEEN SO BUSY! I’VE HAD TO HOST 2 TV SHOWS A WEBSTREAM AND A RADIO SHOW IN 1 WEEK AS WELL AS HELP THE TEAM PREPARE FOR THE TRIPS TO SEATTLE AND COLORADO

ITS BEEN AN INTERESTING FEW WEEKS FOR SPORTING KC, WHO’VE IMPROVED FANTASTICALLY AND LOOK A LOT MORE CONFIDENT.

LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO LAST WEEK, WE HAD THE USUAL RESEARCH OF THE OPPONENTS, PRESS CONFERENCES, TV PACKAGES AND INTERVIEWS TO PREPARE, WHICH WAS FINE, AS WELL AS OUR INDOOR PLAY OFF GAME WHICH WE WON TO FINISH 3^RD IN OUR LEAGUE!  SO AFTER A BUSY WEEK WE SPREAD OUR WINGS ONCE AGAIN AND FLEW TO SEATTLE. ONCE AGAIN, A CITY THAT I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. INFACT THE ONLY THING I KNEW ABOUT IT, WAS THE TV SHOW ‘FRAISER’ WAS BASED THERE. I SPENT MANY DAYS WATCHING THAT SHOW IN THE UK WITH MY MOTHER WATCHING NILES AND FRAISER DRINKING CHERRY. ANYWAY, I WAS PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEATTLE, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS REALLY. NUMBER ONE, IT WAS ANOTHER CITY I’D NEVER BEEN TO, TWO, I’D HEARD MUCH OF ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE CROWD AT QWEST FIELD AND PROBABLY MORE BECAUSE I WOULD FINALLY GET TO MEET THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS ANNOUNCER, FORMER BBC MAN ARLO WHITE. I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN MEETING ARLO, BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE I SPOKE TO WHEN IT FIRST BECAME APARANT THAT I COULD BE MOVING TO MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER. HE SPOKE VERY HIGHLY OF THE LEAGUE AND RECOMMENDED THAT I GET OVER TO THE STATES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO EVENTUALLY I DID MEET HIM, WE SPOKE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THE GAME HAD IN THE USA, THE RAPID FROWTH OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, WORKING FOR THE BBC AND OF COURSE, BEING A BRIT AND MOVING ACROSS THE POND. HE WAS A TOP LAD, ASKING ME HOW THE GIRLFRIEND WAS, MY CAREER PATH, ETC AND I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A BEER WITH HIM IN KANSAS CITY.

THE GAME ITSELF WAS DESPREATELY DISSAPOINTING IN TERMS OF THE RESULT. SPORTING MATCH THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS THROUGHOUT THE GAME AND DESERVED A POINT AND TO BE DENIED AT THE LAST MINUTE WAS BOTH PAINFUL AND DEPRESSING. WORKING WITH CLIFF MCGRATH WAS ENJOYABLE AND INTERESTING, WHAT A LOVELY MAN, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AT LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK IN THE REVERSE FIXTURE.  AFTER THE GAME, CRAIG (ONE OF THE ASSISTANT PRODUCERS ON THE SHOW) LEAD THE BROADCASTING TEAM AND I TO A LITTLE IRISH BAR ON THE DOCKS IN SEATTLE, WHERE WE ENJOYED THE DELIGHTS IT HAD TO OFFER.

THE NEXT WEEK LEADING UP TO THE COLORADO GAME WAS HYPED UP TO BE OUR BUSIEST YET, IT CERTAINLY LIVED UP TO EXPECTATIONS! MONDAY SAW ME HOST MY FIRST RADIO SHOW ON ‘610 SPORTS RADIO’  WHICH FROM MY POINT OF VIEW DIDN’T GO EXACTLY HOW I WANTED DUE TO THE LACK OF PHONE CALLS WE HAD. THANKS GOODNESS FOR THE PRE ARRANGED INTERVIEWS! TUESDAY WE HAD ANOTHER ALL STAFF MEETING AT 8AM AND SOON AFTER THAT’D FINISHED, JAKE AND I LEFT FOR TRAINING TO GET SOME FOOTAGE FOR THE TV SHOW. WEDNESDAY WAS POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING DAYS I’D HAD SINCE MY ARRIVAL OVER 2 MONTHS AGO (CAN’T BELIEVE ITS BEEN THAT LONG). I HAD MY FIRST TORNADO EXPERIENCE IN THE MID WEST. I REMEMBER ROB HENIEHMAN TELLING EVERYONE TO GET TO THE BASEMENT AS THE SIRENS WERE GOING OFF. AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME I HAD MY EARPHONES IN AND WAS EDITING SOME AUDIO SO I ACTUALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. I STAYED UPSTAIRS WITH A COUPLE OF THE SALES GUYS. I SOON REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW WHAT KCTV 5 WHERE REPORTING, BUT TO BE HONEST, I HAD SO MUCH WORK TO DO IN PREPERATION FOR OUR WEBCAST IN THE EVENING, I JUST STAYED UP STAIRS. SO ANYWAY, WE EVENTUALLY GOT TO THE LIVESTREAM OF OUR US OPEN CUP GAME (SIMILAR TO THE FA CUP IF YOU ARE READING FROM THE UK). I HAVE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY WELL DONE TO THE GUYS IN THE BACKROOM. THEY DID EXTREMELY WELL, BATTLING WITH ALL SORTS OF WEATHER AND WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A BROADCAST AT ALL. I ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION PLAY BY PLAY ANNOUNCER, BRAD AND I SEEMED TO CLASH A FEW TIMES IN TERMS OF LEADING THE BROADCAST, BUT I EXPECTED THAT, HE’S USED TO LEADING BECAUSE HE’S AN ANNOUNCER. ANYWAY, IT WAS WONDERFUL TO FINALLY COMMENTATE ON A SPORTING KC WIN, A 5-0 THRASHING OF THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION AT BLUE VALLEY SPORTS COMPLEX. IT WAS ALSO VERY GOOD TO HERE A HOME CROWD CHEER!

THURSDAY SAW ME GIVE AN INTERVIEW FOR ONE OF THE LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS HERE IN KANSAS CITY ‘THE PITCH’ AND I HAVE SEVERAL MORE PEOPLE ASKING FOR MY THOUGHTS ON MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AND SPORTING KC, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY WILL HERE NEXT WEEK AT SOME STAGE.

FRIDAY, WE FLEW TO COLORADO FOR THE SHORTEST FLIGHT OF THE SEASON, JUST 1 HOUR AND 20 IT TOOK. I HAVE TO SAY DENVER WAS REALLY NICE. THE ROCKY’S LOOKED SUPERB AND DOWNTOWN WAS VERY LIVELY AND SEEMED LIKE A FRIENDLY PLACE.

AS FOR THE GAME ITSELF, I THINK WE MAY HAVE USED THE WORD ‘PROGRESSION’ MORE THEN ANY OTHER TOWARDS THE END OF THE GAME. GREAT GOAL FROM SMITHY WHO’S NOT LET ANY OF US FORGET ABOUT IT AND I NOW REALLY BELIEVE WE CAN END THE ROAD TRIP WITH AN AWAY WIN AT TORONTO. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ROAD TRIP DOESN’T BECOME A DISASTER DOES IT? WE HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF AWAY POINTS AS NEW YORK WHO LIE 2^ND IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE, THE DIFFERENCE IS, THEY’VE PLAYED HOME GAMES, SO LITTLE BY LITTLE, SPORTING SEEM TO BE GATHERING MOMENTUM AND SEEM TO HAVE FOUND THAT CONFIDENCE THEY’VE DESPERATELY LACKED IN RECENT WEEKS.

DAY OFF FOR ME ON MONDAY, I THINK VIEWING AN APARTMENT OR 2 SHALL BE THE DEED OF THE DAY.

CHEERS

CAL