Purgatory Post

The winter months bring the joys of the holiday season, the intrigue of the transfer window, and some much needed rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, it also coincides with international soccer purgatory. With November friendlies far in the rear view mirror and club news hitting a lull, its tough to continue to churn out posts on the USMNT and the international game during these dreary weeks of slow news days and gray skies. It's for this reason that my output has decreased over the past couple weeks, as I have admittedly slammed face first into the proverbial wall.

I've lived in Philadelphia all of my life, so I haven't exactly had a hometown team to call my own (though this spring should bring an end to that, barring any catastrophic MLS lockout). And since I'm not one to follow a team without some kind of real connection, it's always been country over club and almost certainly always will be. I've always enjoyed the intrigue of the international game and the unique ability it has to unite even the most divided nations. It gives a snapshot into cultures and countries that most can't point out on a map, and it always seems to provide us with magical moment after magical moment.

Those are just a few of the reasons that I chose to focus this site on the international game and the USMNT, but they're also the reasons that I abhor the winter months. You can only talk about the same couple of topics over and over before it becomes trite and boring, so I'm hesitant to fire up another roster analysis or top 10 list. I'd prefer to differentiate my site and provide you with a reason to come here (which, thankfully, a pleasantly surprising number you have been doing in these first couple of months). But without international footie to preview, analyze, or review, I've found writing posts to be quite the difficult process of late. Maybe I was spoiled this year, with the Hex, the Confederations Cup, and the Gold Cup creating one of the most crowded USMNT schedules in recent years, and World Cup qualifying around the globe filling the few gaps that remained; I definitely was never at a loss for words in the previous 10 months or so. I guess it was just a matter of time before I had to throw on the brakes.

Thankfully, the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in less than a week, so I'll finally get another taste of international action. And while a match between Angola and Mali might not get you excited, it's just the hit I need to help me get to the USA-Honduras friendly and beyond. Hopefully I can build some interest in the tournament among my readers or at least give you a change of pace from the same old, same old of the blogosphere. Either way, the next couple of weeks should be the kick in the pants I need to get back into gear and continue to build the site in 2010.

This post was probably my first (but most likely not my last) that was more of a structured ramble than a thought-out post, but I think it's a good time to give everyone a peek into what is a difficult thing to do day in and day out. I applaud USSD's friends at Match Fit USA who have managed to keep it fresh and stay productive over the past couple months; it's a tough task and one that I took for granted until I actually jumped into the world of blogging last June. With that said, US Soccer Daily has enjoyed modest success in its first couple of months that has exceeded my expectations and has given me reason for substantial optimism. I thank all of you that have come and read my work, contributed your thoughts via email or comments, and spread the word about a new kid on the soccer blog block.

Let's hope the success of 2009 was just a precursor to an even better 2010, which will kick off in earnest in the coming days as I pull things back into full gear and continue to build this humble site into what hopefully will one day become a go-to destination for international soccer fans across the country and across the globe.


A belated happy New Year, everybody!