Hello there!
I can't believe its been over two months since I last did one of these! My sincere apologies; its been a very busy time for us. Lots to talk about over the last two months, results, travel, trades/transfers should all hopefully squeeze into this one.
So let me start right from the last time we spoke. June was upon us as was Euro 2012. After England surprisingly finished top of the group, the TV boys and I set our sights on what would be the longest and busy eight week stretch of the season. First up we got a solid home result over a poor Toronto FC. After that we set out eyes over to the pacific north west and a trip to Seattle. Really do like that city, great place and obviously its a great place for soccer. But we'll talk about Seattle Sounders a little later on, won't we ;-). From their we had the cross country trip to Philadelphia. Two coast lines within the space of four days. We got back to KC to prepare for the Open Cup quarter finals. A result at home in that game and then a radio commentary at home to Chicago Fire would follow (again, three days apart). If i'm totally honest, the months of June/July just seem like one big blur. This was our schedule since I last wrote on here -
JUNE
Sat 16th - TORONTO FC HOME
Wed 20th - SEATTLE SOUNDERS AWAY
Sat 23rd - PHILADELPHIA UNION AWAY
Tue 26th - DAYTON DUTCH LIONS HOME (USL) (US Open Cup Quarter Finals)
Fri 29th - CHICAGO FIRE HOME
JULY
Wed 4th - MONTREAL IMPACT AWAY
Sat 7th - HOUSTON DYNAMO HOME
Wed 11th - PHILADELPHIA UNION AWAY (US Open Cup Semi Final)
Sat 14th - COLUMBUS CREW AWAY
Wed 18th - HOUSTON DYNAMO AWAY
Sat 21st - NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HOME
Tue 24th - MONTPELLIER HOME (International Friendly)
Sat 28th - COLUMBUS CREW HOME
AUGUST
Wed 1st - STOKE CITY HOME (International Friendly)
Sat 4th - NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION AWAY
Wed 8th - SEATTLE SOUNDERS HOME (US Open Cup Final)
Sat 11th - DC UNITED HOME
This weekend we're away to Toronto FC. Lots of fun, but lots of work. Bare in mind preparing a TV show is not something that happens over night. It takes time and precision. Major thumbs up to Jake Yadrich (@jakeyadrich) who prepared every perfectly. Brad Mertel (@bmertell22), Abner Acevas (@abnerha) and all the rest of the video boys really did a fine job helping us prepare for that and they even had time to make some great in stadium video's including the three video's for the Open Cup final. Its the travel more then anything that kills you. We love it and we're very lucky we get to do it, but we don't get any time to see anything though. Maybe downtown for a couple of beers but I think we've maybe done two tourist things this season. But hey, its Ok, it really is, #itsokbecausewetravel (inside joke).
I think the hardest part of that schedule was getting up at 4am to head to Phily for the Open Cup semi's. We got there, did the game, then flew back to KC at 6am for a day, then was up again at 4am to head to Columbus. Think I may have swerved a little on the highway as I was driving to the airport. Doing broadcasts on top of that was testing, but major respect to the back room boys who got their even earlier then I did to set up! Also during this madness, helping the girlfriend Stacey (@staceygolub) move into her new place in 100 degree heat was a nightmare, but worth it in the end (she has a pool :D)!
We got to see two new stadiums in Montreal and Houston, both of which I liked and again is a clear sign as to where this league is heading. Houston was particularly good fun as Stacey came along to the game as she was visiting her sister, who also had an enjoyable experience. Hosting Stoke City was a lot of fun. I ended up doing a couple of interviews for the BBC and another local radio station in Stoke-on-trent (Signal radio) to help out an old friend of mine who covers Stoke City for a living. I felt like a proper journalist again, almost fighting people to get the interview that mattered; it was a lot of fun and I sometimes miss those days.
To the more recent times we go. Incase you missed it, Kansas City has a champion again! The last two pro titles in this town have been soccer titles when the then Kansas City Wizards won the MLS Cup in 2000 and the Open Cup in 2004, but before that, it was the baseball team 'The Royals' who won the World Series back in 1985! This game against Seattle Sounders was a BIG occasion in KC and I was privileged to be on the call locally for Sports Radio 810.
Here is the link to our commentary of the penalty shoot out -
http://www.stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=26&c=377&f=665371
Think I may have lost every ounce of composure i've ever gained in that moment. But what a moment it was. This club has made some major strides of the past two years, now they have something to show for it. I have to say there was a wave of emotion around the stadium that night. The scenes after the game were unbelievable. Every room you went in to, people were smiling, laughing, hugging each other, it really was a site for sore eyes and one night i'll never forget. Thanks for all the kind comments about our recent broadcasts as well guys, really appreciate it, just wish the whole of the country could see them.
Sporting then also reclaimed top spot of the eastern conference after a confident win over DC United. However, the week was already topped off by a wonderful event on Friday evening when Jake Yadrich got married to his fiancé Whitney (@whitneyyadrich). An absolutely lovely evening surrounded by work colleagues who've become close friends. The so called 'other half' was there also, to make it even more enjoyable. Again, another special moment to be apart of in this huge and very loving Sporting KC family.
Life is absurdly good right now. Very excited for what the future holds, but right now, I think i'll enjoy the present!
See you soon
Cal
