Welcome to From the Upper Deck

So here it goes. I have decided to start a blog. I have been thinking about doing this for a while now. I have wanted a place where I can share my thoughts in more than the 140 characters that Twitter allows me. So, welcome to From the Upper Deck.

From the Upper Deck will be my blog primarily about Real Salt Lake and soccer in general. Those are the things I am most passionate about. But I might end up writing about other various topics as well. We will have to see. Why call my blog From the Upper Deck? Well, I do admit I struggled to find a good name for my blog. I wanted something related to soccer in some way. That is when the name hit me. The upper deck is my favorite place to watch a match at Rio Tinto Stadium. To go along with that, my thoughts are kind of from a higher perspective. I don't get to go to as many RSL matches as I would like. I have no inside information and very rarely make it out to practice. So my opinions come primarily from what I see on TV or farther away than many others that write RSL blogs. Kind of like watching a match from the upper deck.

So who am I and why am I qualified to write about RSL? I am 36 years old, married with two kids. I attended my first soccer match on August 12th, 2006. This was the RSL match vs. Real Madrid. Up to that point, I had been a very casual fan of RSL. I caught a couple of matches on TV and would listen to interviews on the radio but didn't give them too much thought. When I heard that Real Madrid was coming, I knew that it was a big deal, but didn't really understand why. I didn't really even think about going or anything when I got lucky and won two tickets on the radio. So my wife and I headed to Rice Eccles Stadium for our first ever soccer game. We both were instantly hooked. Since that match, I have become a die hard RSL fan. I also love watching USMNT matches and have also become a big Tottenham fan as well.

I would like to thank all of those RSL blogs that came before me. I have pretty much read them all and appreciate all of their writers. From the AYL soccer blog, to Mind of Scads, to KIR and now with blogs like RSL Soapbox and Real Soccer Nation. You have all helped me shape my own personal opinion of RSL. I want to give special thanks to RSLFM. Her's was the first blog that I ever found and although I didn't always agree with her, she truly helped my RSL fandom grow in its infancy. How I wish she could have seen the type of organization that RSL has become. I know she would be proud.

There you have it. A little bit about myself and an idea of what you might find here. I am eager to really jump into my first post about RSL. The RSL/FC Dallas match finished not too long ago so I have many thoughts that I would like to write about that match. I hope that this will be a blog that someone will find some worth in.

-Charles (ccb1212)