Soccer Schadenfreude

Though I know it will not become me, I’d like to take a moment to relish a bit of schadenfreude. If you followed my previous soccer season with the Professionals, you might be wondering why you haven’t seen an update on the team in a while. Well, that’s because I was given the boot at the end of last season.

It wasn’t anything personal, I was told; some prodigal players returned, making the roster too big. Since I was the last person to join, I was the first to get cut. The fact that many members of the team never showed up, leaving us shorthanded for many games, didn’t seem to influence the captain’s decision at all. That I did show up for every game except one, and that I did perform as well if not better than other players on the team (if I do say so myself, in all modesty), didn’t save my place on the team.

Since I was left off the roster this session because the team was “too big,” it seems fittingly ironic that the players who took my place on the team didn’t even show up to games, leaving the team shorthanded. As a result, the Professionals ended the season in last place, with a 0-8 record:


Now, the team has asked me back, but I’ve decided to pass. I need consistency on the team I play for. I don’t want to be shorthanded every game any more than I want to have an excess of players. Since I’m still playing with the Black Knights United F.C. (my outdoor team that continues to practice indoors for the off-season), I think I’ll play with them exclusively. They can offer me consistency and reliability. Plus, they’re a great bunch of guys.

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