US-Honduras

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole! Ole, Ole!

Last Saturday night, around 55,000 fans filed into Soldier Field in Chicago to watch the US National Soccer Team face the Honduran National Team in a World Cup Qualifying match. And me, the avid soccer fan, couldn't miss the opportunity to watch the US National Team in action.

Those of you who follow soccer know that the following in the US is not great. The stadium was overwhelming filled with fans wearing blue and white (the national colors of Honduras). Moreover, the US was coming off a disappointing loss (1-3) to Costa Rica in San Jose just 4 days before. Yet, the atmosphere was magic... there truly is nothing like a packed and enthusiastic crowd at a soccer game.



So, facing a quasi-away game, the possibility of slipping in the standings, and possibly not qualifying for the World Cup (the next game is against Mexico at Azteca Stadium, where the US is 0-22-1), the US team responded in a 2-1 victory over the inspired Hondurans.

Honduras played well in the first 10 minutes of both halves but seemed to slouch towards the end of each half. Yet, there were moments of major concern for the US. After a mistake by a US defender, Honduras scored in the 5th minute of the game. The US tied the game before the half with a PK by Landon Donovan and then broke the tie in the second half with a header (slightly fluke-ish) by captain Carlos Bocanegra.

It was a great experience and I was able to have some interesting conversations with the Hondurans around us. I was able to go with a good friend of mine, Sean Wright, and it was truly an experience that I will never forget. Can't wait until the next home game (in my vicinity)!



I guess this is one of the benefits of living in a big city--important sporting events are located just an "el" ride away. Glad to see the US come away with a victory.

Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 EST on ESPN, the US will be taking on Italy in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. This will be a good test to see how far the US has come and how much the team still needs to improve before the World Cup in 2010.

That's all for now.

Love & Honor,

Matt Hoffman

Welcome Back!

Chicago at night.


A giraffe at the Lincoln Park Zoo.



Hey all,

So,I have decided to kick this blog-thing back up in style. So, I will deliver a little check-in:

I survived last semester and did fairly well grades-wise. It hasn't quite hit me that I am going to be a senior in college... in fact, its a really scary thought. Even scarier is that I just signed up to take the GRE in September!!! Ahhhh!

I had a difficult transitioning back to Miami. Its hard to move to a place where you aren't familiar with the culture and try to fit in. Its even harder to move to a place where you are supposed to feel at home and not feel that same connection. Well, I eventually felt at home at Miami... it just took a lot of reflection on my experiences and, perhaps, toning down the my opinions and thoughts a little.

But, I am doing well, all things considered. Now, I am in Chicago through a program with Miami. I have an internship at DePaul University in their Student Leadership Institute... where I am helping them retool some programs, working with students, reading a lot of literature about leadership education, and discovering what a [9-5] job in student affairs is like. And to be honest, I absolutely love it.

Additionally, I am working at a youth center on the south side...in a neighborhood called Bridgeport (by the White Sox stadium). There, I get to play games and help tutor local children. After CPS gets out of school, I will be leading a soccer club and helping to tutor a few students in the afternoon.

So far, I have been able to experience a lot of places in the city... but, those descriptions will have to follow. I do have a few general pictures to share. And, many more stories to tell. But, for now, I am signing off. I think that I have discovered that if I write shorter posts, I am more likely to continue to write them... so, we will try this method for a while.

Hope all is well!

Love and Honor,

Matt


Sean and me in front of the "bean" in Millennium Park.