Editor’s Note: Much is written about soccer from a host of different people covering the score, the games, the goals, the highlights, the transactions, the rumors, the playoffs, the rivalries and much more.
But cutting through all of that noise, what is it like from the perspective of the player?
In “The Soccer Life,” a periodic new series running throughout the 2017 MLS season, we talk with retired Portland Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury about what it’s like down on the pitch. Jewsbury enjoyed a 14-year professional career playing for both the then-Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and Portland. He became just the 38th player in league history to play 300 games or more and one of just three players in league history to play 150 or more games with just two different clubs in the league. These are his first-person accounts of some of the memorable moments, events, games, traditions and more covering the soccer life.
For the first six seasons of my soccer career, I wasn’t a parent and never gave much thought to one day having my kids watch me play. That all changed in 2008 when my wife, Brittany, was pregnant. By May of 2009, we had our first daughter, Aubrey.
I will never forget how much things changed from that day forward. The first few days, I was sleeping at the hospital while trying to prepare for a game. For a professional athlete, your routine is something you don’t usually mess with but when it came to being a father, all of that was thrown out the window. I can remember how emotional it was having my daughter with the rest of our family at games and getting to see her afterwards. It’s funny how quickly your perspective on life and even on sports changes when a child comes into your life. All of the sudden, losses don’t seem as bad. Ask any teammate of mine, I am the most competitive person you will ever meet—I mean, I won’t even let my daughters beat me in UNO. But there is something comforting about coming home after a game and not having your kid(s) even mention the result, whether or not you and the team had the best or worst performance of the season.
All they care about is if dad is going to read me a book, play Barbies or get them a snack.
A proud day for me was in 2010 in Kansas City when I was able to walk out for the starting lineups with Aubrey. Well, I guess I should rephrase that. I didn’t walk out with her as I had to carry her since she was a bit nervous about the spotlight. This was a moment that I had thought about for a long time and one that will forever be engrained in my mind. The reality is that she doesn’t remember the moment, but I definitely do. We have some great pics from that day which will always be near and dear to my heart.
Fast forward to 2011: I was traded from KC to Portland, and neither my wife nor I had ever been to the Rose City. As we all now know, our fans are incredible and one of the ways we as players thank them is by doing our postgame lap, walking around the field hopefully celebrating a good result with all of the fans. This was a tradition that has always been paramount to the club—regardless of the match’s result—and when I came here, it was made crystal clear that this tradition would carry on. Happy to oblige, the team started 2011 by winning our first five home games and victory laps were an amazing way for us to show our appreciation to the supporters that had make Providence Park such a fortress.
Before the start of the 2012 season, my wife and I had our second daughter, Taylor. Our oldest was almost three, and we were finally getting settled into a new city after the first season with the Timbers. As a still relatively young team in the league, few players were married and there were not very many kids around. This gradually changed over the years as some guys started having children and we brought some older players into the team.
What happened next is something that I hope will continue with the club just as the postgame lap has. Organically, without anyone telling us, players’ partners and kids started walking down the stands to the sideboards at the end of the game during the lap. Then the players’ kids started jumping over (or being handed over) and running onto the field to congratulate us when we won games. I can’t recall the initial game when it started, but I do remember the first few games my girls were hesitant to come out and I would have to carry them over the boards.
By 2016, before I could even make it to the southwest corner of the stadium near the Multnomah Athletic Club, my girls were already sprinting toward me, wearing pink tutus, cowboy boots, poodle purses and grinning from ear to ear. Let’s be honest, they probably watched about 39 seconds of the game and might not have even known the score. But they knew one thing: if they were able to come on the field, everyone was happy. When they got out on the pitch, something changed and they felt a part of something bigger. That is what this club is all about. Having my girls beside me, clapping to our fans and enjoying the moment is something I will always cherish.
When you retire from the game you love, of course you miss the locker room and the feeling of being a part of the team. But when I remember having my seven and four-year olds running towards me in my final home game last October, I start to tear up. I can’t tell you how emotional it is just writing about this. These moments that I was able to share with my girls on the field are some of the best memories I have of my entire career. They were able to be a part of my life in a way that I never imagined and I want to thank our fans for not only embracing me, but also my family. We will forever be grateful for all the memories made with you all!! We all are a family and when these moments happen, life is absolutely perfect – THANK YOU! #RCTID
