The first was a very close friend.
He was in my wedding. We met when he was out of his first year of college. He was fast, humble and fun to be around. We became immediate friends. He did not play soccer so much for himself as for the group. He never needed to stand out. We proudly dressed on the State Select team together and later Mn Thunder. He started every game. He was my friend for life.
Johan Cruyff died today.
When I was just discovering the game in Northern Chicago isolated suburb I had one magazine on the 1978 world Cup that I paged through everyday. Finding information on this new game for soccer was not easy back then.They were talking about Total Soccer. Cruyff was not there—but yet he was everywhere in his ideas and movements. Fascinated, I came up with a plan. If they could do it in Holland, why couldn’t we do it at Trinity College? I drew up movement schemes—I was the epitome of the Rumsfeldian saying “we don’t know what we don’t know” but that didn’t stop me. I remember my teammates rolling their eyes in confusion.
Cruyff was the best player of his generation. He was an enigma—like soccer was in america at the time. It was complex yet simple, fresh yet with a deep history. It challenged us to think different.
“Live and die by your own ideas” —Johann Cruyff
Death comes to us all to soon. But, our ideas live on.
These two understood that soccer (and life) was not about themselves—it was about others. They understood a relationship with those watching. It is like a living idea hoping-- in this world of competition, of trophies, dominance, functionalism--to take hold in the heart of a 10 year old—only for him--an idea to live on. An idea that says it is about the beauty and the promise, that joy is out there and is only revealed in effort of play, imagination and discovery.
“Life is all about working to become the best possible version of yourself.” --Johann Cruyff
These two, one a close friend, one a world soccer leader, Died this week. Both are gone. But their ideas are not. Romantic in their vision, truthful in their search for beauty in the game, they understood why we play. Not for ourselves, but for others. We play for teammates and other team, and the spectators and our coaches and mentors who have guided us. Our parents who love us unconditionally, and the young kids and the old men watching. We play for the struggle and to win--but not to win in the score, this is clear and the other side's biggest miscalculation--the instead we play to win in the hearts and minds of everyone who ever hoped to be the best they can be--we play to pass along a brief glimpse absolute grace--we are role models for each other and for the future.
We play for each other.
Rest in peace JB an JC
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