First Month Working in the MLS

When I arrived in Philadelphia I did not know what I was getting myself into.  I had no idea what to think about the MLS since I had not followed the league very closely since the late 90s.  The addition of David Beckham in 2007 seemed like a last gasp to me, but I have been proven wrong in my first month here.  I am a huge fan of soccer (international football), but I had always seen the MLS as a low level minor league.  The two teams I follow closely are FC Barcelona of La Liga and Hibernian FC of the Scottish Premiere League.  While Barca is one of the world's strongest teams and annually compete in the UEFA Champions League, Hibernian has been a near bottom of the table team most of the time I have been a supporter.  I have been lucky enough to see two games at Easter Road and ranked them as one of the top in-person game experiences in my life.  Now I have experienced the true MLS.  PPL Park is a wonderful venue to watch a match.  The new soccer specific stadium movement in the MLS I believe could lead to a great rebirth of the league.  Having 20,000 fans in a stadium that holds 20,000 make it extremely louder than 20,000 fans in a 60,000 seat stadium.  I am thankful I got the offer to work here in Philadelphia and more thankful I took the risk in accepting it.  This has been a great experience so far.

Living a Dream

Today I got to fulfill a dream I have had since I was a little kid.  When I was young my father used to say "Luke you should be the guy handing the play-by-play guy crazy stats".  Well today I was that guy.  I worked with Brad Feldman and Jeff Causey during their broadcast of the game between the New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union.  They are the play-by-play team for Comcast Sports-New England.  This was an amazing experience, one that I even got to share with my father since he was watching the game at home.

First Day with the Philadelphia Union

Today is my first day with the Philadelphia Union and I am both excited but nervous.  While the MLS is not widely considered a major sport in the US, this is the big leagues.  I have only worked in the minors or amateur level before today.  This will be a big step up for me and I will have to be on my game when it comes to writing and other assignments.  The connections I make here, while not being near my hometown, could help me find a full-time position in the future.