If you’ve put yourself through the journey of being a soccer player, you know all about the struggles. You can remember the 8:00 a.m. games; the long car rides blaring weird music with your parents; complaining to each other about having to wear the dreaded white uniforms; and the constant muscle and joint pain that has seemingly never gone away. We can bond with each other over the horrible fitness tests, the crazy parents and the refs that we swore were out to get us. Here are 15 other things that soccer players really and truly understand best.
1. Your shins never tan.
Literally never. It's like the sun has no effect on them anymore and probably won't for the rest of your life.
2. “Get on the line” brings back a feeling of PTSD.
We always said "What's he going to do if we don't run? Let's just boycott." But we always ran that sprint and complained about it after.
3. Carmel, Indiana has some of the best soccer fields. And a lot of round-a-bouts.
My mom had never really used a round-a-bout before and it was a really confusing time. I wonder why they didn't just use stoplights like normal cities.
4. Spandex is meant to be worn everywhere. Under dresses, sweatpants, around the house.
You know you've worn them under dresses to formals or proms or basically any function that makes you have to dress like a girl.
5. You complain about how much you hate running, yet you chose the sport with the most.
I can't even count the amount of times that I said "I hate running" and "I hate soccer". But for some crazy reason, I kept running. I should have stuck with tennis.
6. Your uniform number matters. It basically defines you.
Who wants to have a lame number? No one.
7. You always complained about being on the team that had to wear pennies.
Because that very thin layer of fabric basically made you die from heat stroke.
8. Pre-wrap is everywhere. It’s kind of like a fashion accessory at this point.
You can have every color of the rainbow and be prepared for every outfit. It's awesome and should really be a staple in every person's life.
9. There’s always going to be one person you want to say some choice words to at the end of the game, instead of “good game.”
Hopefully you refrained from saying them. But it was hard. Because they deserved a lot worse than mean words.
10. Chest trapping the ball can either be great or literally kill you.
There's a big difference than a chest trap and a boob trap. That boob trap can bring tears to anyone's eyes.
11. Feeling really cool when you get an imprint from a soccer ball.
You could show that baby off for a week. It made you feel like a total bad a**, even if you might've teared up a little when you got it.
12. Having random bruises everywhere and not knowing where or when you got them.
I can't even count the times I had to reassure my family members that I was not being abused.
13. Never wanting to wear white uniforms.
Ugh, I still hate them. They're ugly and there's always going to be someone who's having her period and doesn't want to wear them.
14. You ate Subway so much as a kid that you never want to eat it again.
If I have to order a turkey sandwich one more time from there, I'm going to throw a fit. I can't eat there without the flashback of being in a small town where there are only one Subway and a hundred hungry, adolescent girls.
15. You complained about the sport a lot, but you wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
Those were the best of times and the worst of times. You made some of your best friends during those years suffering through the best sport out there. Your team was your family and soccer will always be a huge part of your life.
