Goalkeepers Matt Reis and Pat Onstad shake hands after the SuperLiga final that was decided in penalty kicks. At 41 Pat Onstad is the oldest active player in MLS. Just a few weeks ago Reis and Onstad actually played on the same team as they were the two goal keepers selected to play in the MLS all-star game.
Can anyone offer any background on the soccer/football tradition of swapping jerseys?
2 comments:
It's just a sign of good sportsmanship. Most players opt to trade jerseys with their opponents after an international contest—whether it's part of a tournament like the World Cup or just a friendly exhibition game. According to an excellent 2003 article by the Washington Post's Steven Goff, the practice dates back to the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. The most famous swap took place in 1970 between the top players for England and Brazil—Bobby Moore and Pelé.
When a match ends, each player seeks out an opponent for the swap. In general, they trade jerseys with the guy standing closest to them, but in some cases they'll go over to an old friend or try to position themselves near a notable rival. Quite a few players on the Italian team will have their sights on the jersey of France's top player, Zinedine Zidane. (Goff writes about an equipment manager for the New York Cosmos who used to bring more than two dozen Pelé jerseys to each match so that all his opponents could get one.)
Players on the U.S. team get new jerseys before every international game. They can trade them on the field or give them to friends and relatives. A veteran player might collect hundreds of jerseys over the course of his career. Some shirts get tossed in the closet; others get mounted and framed."
Wow... you really know your stuff! Can you make acorn butter?
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