The Reasons to Postpone Pre-season

The reasons I do not care much about the pre-season of the big clubs.

There are reasons I do not care about the hype of soccer pre-season during the summer. Not only there are star players absent but also the essence of completion as well. Also, as a fan I feel like it is necessary to get away and take a break from regular season because pre-season it is simply not the same.

It is not the entire team touring.

One of the reasons pre-season falls short is because it is not the entire squad in those matches. Though, you may be enthusiastic about a certain club visiting your country or your city, but unfortunately the star players that you see during the regular season might not even be touring with the team. Such is the case of Barca who is missing Neymar and Messi in their USA pre-season tour.

Give yourself a break from the game as well.

During the regular season there are so many matches going on that it is practically impossible to catch all of them. For instance; in Europe you have the regular league games, the Champion’s League and on top of that an additional cup played by qualified teams such as the Copa del Rey in La Liga and the FA Cup in the Premier League. For that reason as a fan I think that it is necessary to take a break from the beautiful game as well.

For some reason it’s just not the same! Not only there are certain stars missing from the squads but also it is simply not the same pace as regular games. The essence of competition is practically missing during pre-season matches. On the good note though the teams get to rebrand and showcase their style of play as well as rising stars that don’t get much playing time during regular season.

The absence of competition simply does it for me. There is simply not a major trophy to go after during pre-season; therefore, the matches lack intensity, quickness and precision. All the elements that keeps us hook on a regular season are not present such as star players, game results and of course most importantly the smack talk!

Seriously though as much as I enjoy the beautiful game I feel that pre-season does not do it for me. It is simply a matter of preference but a lot of fans would agree with what I have mentioned above!  

I simply enjoy this game!

I was not thinking that I was going to play soccer for too long.

While I developed my soccer skills playing with different teams at different times I was not expecting that my passion for the game would last too long. As a kid; I used to play the beautiful game in the streets or at an empty open space where cones, rocks or anything we could find would serve as the goal post.

Playing as a kid was the most fun because not only you get to dribble and make fun of your friends but also the exercise and skills improved everyday. I remember getting out of the house through a small window in the corner door. I was supposed to watch the groceries and other products that my mom sold in her store. Right!

After exiting the house, she screamed my name! Alex! Alex! Get back here! I would reply saying “I’ll be right back” But certainly I would return from playing with my friends after a few hours. The beautiful game was worth the spanking afterwards.

As I grew older I would put new cleats on and stepped to a soccer field to play with the big boys. I quickly made some friends that way; though some kids were not so friendly if I showed better soccer skills. I enjoyed when I started running from half field, dribbling some defenders and getting ready for a long-range shot. Sometimes I hit the post, sometimes I got blocked but a lot of times it just went up there to the upper 90. It felt so good.

Now I’m older; if I find the time to play in a pick up game I consider myself lucky. It is simply not the same anymore, I’m not as fast as I used to be, and I’m lucky if I can simply get a pass from my teammates. But, it is such a joy to find people in the afternoon to sweat and kick the ball around. The beautiful game is simply enjoyable!