As most everyone knows, both Brent and I are big soccer fans, and I was so saddened to hear about the death of Pele, the greatest player of all time, yesterday, aged 82, of complications of cancer. To see him play left took your breath away and dropped your jaw in amazement of all the skill he showed on the pitch. Even if you saw him play only on television, it was a sight to behold indeed. When he joined the New York Cosmos of the old North American Soccer League in the mid-70s, there's not a doubt in my mind he started popularizing the sport in the United States. He's also the only player to ever win three FIFA World Cup titles with Brazil, bursting onto the scene in 1958 with an amazing performance in Sweden. And a fun fact: The night he scored his 1,000th goal of his career in a club game in Brazil, playing for his beloved Santos FC -- he got sent off later in the game. I don't know the circumstances, but it was a bit amusing to say the least. There's no doubt in my mind that the growth of the game in our country started with him. Look how it's gotten now, with Major League Soccer becoming a very credible league worldwide, along with all the big European domestic leagues and competitions being shown on TV almost every day. It's quite amazing, isn't it? RIP Pele. Thanks for everything you did for world football and here's hoping you're playing in a great match, where the pitch is perfect.
Your'e welcome Sophia and it was my pleasure. Belated welcome back, glad you're doing well and congratulations on Argentina winning the World Cup. Messi finally got it! )
