I grew up in a town north of Peoria that only had 1,400 people. My whole county went to the high school and yet we still only had 300 kids total. We had soccer for youth until 6th grade, but it was coached by parents who had no clue about the game. I had very little exposure to higher level soccer until I reached college in 2003 and had a neighbor who played/watched. He got me interested in the game and then as the 2006 World Cup came about I was in a great position to watch. I was finished with classes at about noon and the games were on around 1 P.M. I would watch and cheer for the US and my ancestral homes of England and Germany. I had very little knowledge of the players but began to quickly learn. I started to really enjoy the game. I will never forget how great that final was! The game was amazing and seeing one of the few players I could name going into the tournament (Zinedine Zidane) fizzle out in such dramatic fashion was something to behold!After the 2006 World Cup, I lost the game for a bit. I didn’t know enough players to tag on with a club team and didn’t really know how to watch. Then came the 2008 Euros. I again knew very few players going into the tournament but knew that it was going to be top notch. I watched Portugal and Spain have a great tournament and my love for the game grew. I decided to start watching club teams and I gravitated towards Tottenham Hotspur (unfortunately enough for me!). I really loved the history and the style of play they exuded. I also felt a connection to Peter Crouch. Being a 6’5″ soccer fan I had a hard time relating to all these 5′ nothing soccer players! At 6’7″, Crouch made me feel more at home in the world of soccer. I have been hooked to Spurs ever since!During the 2010 World Cup my love for the game was higher than ever! America had a team worth cheering for and (after completely immersing myself in the sport for the 2 years prior) I knew nearly every player on every team. I found myself going crazy as Landon Donovan scored for the US in stoppage time against Algeria, being disillusioned by poor officiating against Slovenia and loving the draw against my second favorite team, England!Since that time, I have been a fan/student/lover of the beautiful game! In 2013, I met some guys from the newly formed AO BloNo group and started to watch games with them. I asked to start playing and being a rather large, athletic person I picked it up (albeit not very well!). I currently play anywhere on the backline for the American Outlaws FC in the Bloomington rec league. I was also appointed to the board of AO BloNo in 2014, where I have been active in trying to raise funds and further our involvement in the community.The 2014 World Cup is coming at such an amazing time! Soccer is at an all time high in the states. We are coming off of a year where the Premier League aired every game, every weekend! I can’t put into words how ecstatic I am about the future of the beautiful game in Bloomington/Normal.
Ryan Boarman