Brian Sevald / Vermont Green
Meg’s Corner: Let’s build something different
I don’t think I could have experienced a greater juxtaposition of the two sides of soccer this weekend than watching Infantino’s Icarus moment and the fallout as I traveled to Flint, Mich., to watch the USL2 men’s championship as a fan of Vermont Green.
On my phone, I read about a fight over the soul of the World Cup as fans, players and policymakers stood up to Infantino’s scheme to further commercialize the tournament. It played out in snippy statements, with Infantino forced to back down. I’d read the best parts out to my friends for their real-time reactions. We traveled with a community of more than 150 supporters, friends and family heading 600 miles away on a week’s notice to watch the boys in green win back-to-back titles.
The highest levels of international soccer and local lower-division soccer might look like they have nothing in common beyond the laws of the game and someone lifting a trophy at the end, but the Green have given me such an incredible experience of being able to reconnect with why I love the sport (that’s me in the photo!), and how to be a part of something special as it’s being built — no matter how small people may think it is.
