El Floppo
Footballguy
oh- just noticed who started the thread and remembered a moment from HS- was with soccer team in germany training at the same facility as the Cameroon national soccer team who was there preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations (this year's version coincidentally just wrapped this last weekened with Cameroon winning).
the facility was for a german pro team and was out of the way- nothing to do but eat, sleep and train. they also had a bar there, where a gb and I would sneak in (I think we were legal at 17 or 18 for beer). ended up having beer and lengthy discussion one night with Roger Milla- Cameroon's Michael Jordan of soccer- was a big international star at that point... other than the US of course. talked mostly about US v Russia arms race, with me doing my best to translate in limited HS french.
our team got to play that cameroon team a couple days later- got destroyed, something like 7-0(and not even that close)... at one point I hit one of the best shots of my life- driven, dipping and curling into the upper corner. the goalie was a guy named N'kono (also internationally known at that point) who had been standing with arms crossed at about the PK spot (12 yards from goal) when I took the shot... I thought for sure I had just scored against Cameroon, but he uncrossed his arms, took one giant backwards leap onto one foot and then sprung up and back, finger-tipping the ball just over the bar. best save I've ever seen.
the facility was for a german pro team and was out of the way- nothing to do but eat, sleep and train. they also had a bar there, where a gb and I would sneak in (I think we were legal at 17 or 18 for beer). ended up having beer and lengthy discussion one night with Roger Milla- Cameroon's Michael Jordan of soccer- was a big international star at that point... other than the US of course. talked mostly about US v Russia arms race, with me doing my best to translate in limited HS french.
our team got to play that cameroon team a couple days later- got destroyed, something like 7-0(and not even that close)... at one point I hit one of the best shots of my life- driven, dipping and curling into the upper corner. the goalie was a guy named N'kono (also internationally known at that point) who had been standing with arms crossed at about the PK spot (12 yards from goal) when I took the shot... I thought for sure I had just scored against Cameroon, but he uncrossed his arms, took one giant backwards leap onto one foot and then sprung up and back, finger-tipping the ball just over the bar. best save I've ever seen.