OPINION - Life is like a soccer match

*This story was originally posted on an earlier version of my blog in October 2012

(OPINION) Yes. You read the title correctly. Life is like a soccer match.

I know some people (most people around these parts) don't really enjoy soccer.  I'm not sure why exactly. How many other sports can you watch for almost a full hour without commercial interruption? Anyways, I'm not here to convince people to like soccer. I just want to show you that life is like a soccer match.

Take, for example, Real Salt Lake's CONCACAF match against Herediano.  RSL needed a win to advance to the CCL quarterfinals in March. The team came out firing and was determined to get the goal it needed to win the match.  And it nearly happened.  Over and over and over......

RSL dominated possession and shots attempted against Herediano, but could never find the back of the net. Sure, the opposing keeper had a good night, but sometimes you just don't catch the breaks. RSL had a multitude of scoring opportunities, including a Fabian Espindola shot at an open goal less than ten minutes into the match. Espindola took a pass from a teammate and the Herediano keeper came off his line, leaving an empty net.  Fabian juked around him, wound up and fired a shot for a sure goal. Until one last Herediano defender got what seemed like a toe on the ball to deflect it just enough to move it away from the goal.  This seemed to happen all night long for RSL.

Finally, the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the game. The scoreboard read 0-0. What felt like it should have been an RSL win was just the opposite. RSL had been knocked out of the CCL tournament. There would be no chance to redeem itself from last year's heartbreaking championship loss. And to make matters worse, the players would be left to think about all the shots that could/should have found the net.

In the end these players were left with a choice.  They could let the loss consume them to the point of poor play, or they could remember that they still had the MLS season to play for.  RSL now has the opportunity to focus on one, single goal:  Win the MLS Cup.

RSL has one final regular season match this weekend, and then it's on to Seattle for its first-round playoff match against the Sounders.  The players are fired up, knowing they can still win an MLS title this year.  You know, this all sounds a lot like that saying about another door opening when one closes.

I could write about RSL all night, but this post is already getting quite lengthy.  It's time to make soccer connect to real life.

Many of us face situations like RSL everyday. We feel like we are in must-win situations.  We know we have to have the goal, and we throw everything we have at the keeper. But sometimes we can't find the back of the net.  Sometimes things just don't go our way.  Sometimes we have bad days.  Sometimes things we thought were great opportunities end up being more stressful than we anticipated.  Sometimes we might feel like we want to quit.

And just when it seems all is lost, and the referee is blowing the whistle, we are faced with the same choice.  Do I quit, or do I keep fighting?  Then is when we remember that we still have the MLS Cup to play for.

We realize that although we didn't score in that one game, we still have plenty to play for.  We find out that although more stressful than anticipated, the opportunity is too great and the experience too deep to just walk away.  So we keep fighting. We hit the practice field and gear up for the upcoming playoff match against Seattle.  And when we do, we realize something.  Life is fun.

Without ups and downs, bumps and bruises, and plenty of challenges, life would be boring.  It's the losses that truly make us cherish the victories. So on we fight because quitting is not in our nature.  We never forget to see the greater picture.  We never forget that there will always be another game to play. We keep fighting until when the final whistle blows on the next match, we are on top.

Life is like a soccer match.