KICKIN' IT WITH DAVID

Ronald McDonalds House

2012-01-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

Help me out as I rais money for Ronald McDonald House by dying my hair pink and shaving my head. All and any donations are appreciated, click below and donate today. Feb 2nd is the deadline to donate so please do it quick and help a good cause.

https://www.registrationlogic.com/hairmassacure/Fundraiser.aspx?F=1018

2012-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

FC EDMONTON 2012 SCHEDULE

NASL 2012 Schedule has been officially released. April 7th marks the date of our first regular season game vs Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and April 22nd is the day of our HOME opener vs Minnesota Stars FC.

Below is the link to our full schedule.

http://www.fcedmonton.com/content/fc-edmonton-game-schedule-2012

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #13

2012-01-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

WHATS GOING ON EVERYONE?

I can't complain about how thing's have been, especially since I've been back in town.After a good session this morning, I feel good and ready to enjoy the weekend. This weekend I'll be celebrating the birthdays of @kyleporter19 and Dominic Oppong along with the rest of the guys. We'll probably go out for dinner on Saturday altogether, and find a way to get the waiters to embarrass the guys by singing them happy birthday real loud in front of everyone. Then we'll do the usual, invite some friends over to meet up at someone's place, play video games and just joke around. It'll be a good time.

Tonight is the night when things will get really interesting though. I've been invited by some of the other guys on the team to play hockey. Yeah I said HOCKEY! A sport that I tend not to be very good at. I used to play street hockey all the time when I was younger (a lot younger). In my old neighborhood in Toronto, the kids would play every sport depending on the season. Like typical Canadian kids we played street hockey in the fall and often we even competed against other neighborhoods. But this was a while ago and not on skates, not to mention I was often thrown in net because I would play with my cousins and I was usually the youngest. First I have to get used to skating again, something I haven't done in years (I can't remember the last time), then I have to get my stick handling down and then I have to finally learn how to shoot a puck and have it lift off the ice. I think I'll be going. I'll have to rent skates and find a stick to play with somehow. It'll be a good time and I'll keep you guys in the loop! I'll be bringing the video camera so if you want to laugh make sure you check the blog out next week!

KICK IT AGAIN is coming along great. We have a lot planned for the organization and I personally am very excited to see it grow and become a recognized community-focused organization. If you'd like to know more please feel free to check out www.KickItAgain.com where you can leave your email and receive some information from us.

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME..... @davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #12

2012-01-25T18:09:00.000-08:00

BACK IN YEG

Happy 2012 everyone.

Writing this blog today feels a bit weird after 3 weeks of not doing it. I guess you could say my vacation included a break from everything I've been involved in, including the blog. I'm not going to lie I missed it but it was nice having absolutely nothing to do for 3 weeks.

I landed in Toronto with Pele (my dog) to a snowless, warm(ish) and traffic infested Toronto. Right away I couldn't help but feel right at home! I swear, I could walk off the plane and out of the airport blindfolded and know I landed in my city after the first breath. The smell, the sound, and the feeling you get when you’re home, you just know you’re somewhere great. The people that know me know that I take pride in my city and always talk about it. So obviously I enjoyed my time at home.

At home I had a lot of time to do nothing and just be lazy. I stayed home and just took full advantage of the benefits about being there, like mom's home cooked meals. Being home for the holiday's is special to me but even more so because it’s Christmas, New years and my birthday. This year I spent every occasion with family and my close friends. My birthday consisted of having people over the exact day of and then on the weekend we had a night out downtown Toronto where I had close to 25 people there to celebrate with me. Christmas was spent at my aunts house where this year I was selected to be "Santa". In my family Santa is the person who distributes the gifts at midnight to the rest of the family. New years we went to a family friends house where we, along with about 50 other people had dinner together before dancing to salsa and other traditional Colombian music. Besides those 3 occasions I didn't do much going out.

I spent a lot of time concentrating and putting my effort towards KICK IT AGAIN. It's something I've been excited and been looking to put together for a while. The idea was presented to me by a very good friend of mine, who inspired me to do something that would help people. KICK IT AGAIN is my way of doing so, by collecting new or gently used soccer equipment and distributing it to underprivileged youth. By doing this we'd be providing them with the opportunity to experience the joys and benefits of participating in organized sport. When I started to talk about the idea of starting this I was lucky to have the support of FC Edmonton, my family and friends. This is still the case today and with their help this will be a great way to give to the community. KICK IT AGAIN is something I've become very passionate about and take a lot of pride in, although we are still in the stages of development I know it's going to make a big difference in the lives of youth. More information will be up very soon and available to you through Facebook and Twitter.

I also was invited to join the good guys at the footy show to be apart of their weekly "Take Your Kick" pod cast. I've been on the show before and it's never anything but a good time. The usual came up, as we spoke about the EPL, took questions from fans on twitter and just cracked a joke here and there. It's definitely worth the listen.http://blogs.thescore.com/footyblog/2012/01/04/the-footy-shows-take-your...

Now I'm home and looking forward to picking up where we left off. Pele came back with me and it's obvious he enjoyed Toronto as much as I did. He's not as happy as he was when we were there, he had a lot more people around him showing him the attention all puppies crave. He's not around any other dogs here as often as he was when we were in Toronto. But he's getting over it and starting to get used to being back in Edmonton. Since we've left Edmonton for the holidays he's doubled in size and weight, he's now 30lbs and only 3 and a half months old. He's going to be a big boy.

The teams been training this week and some new faces have joined us. A couple trialists are here as well as Kevin Hatchi, our newest signing is now training with us. Everything has been looking good so far. It just feels like the seasons so far away and it's not fun having to wait to get on the field and compete. But I know we'll be ready to compete for a championship once we travel to Florida for our opening game in April.

For those interested in getting involved in KICK IT AGAIN, more info will be made available to you through Facebook and twitter. So be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter @davidamonsalve, @_KickItAgain and@FCEdmontonNow.

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME.... @davidamonsalve, PELE and all of us from@_KickItAgain

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #11

2012-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

HOLIDAY BLOG

I’m writing to you from my living room once again...and to be honest with you I'm writing to you in a bit of a rush. It's because I’m preparing everything before I jump on a flight to Toronto. I usually leave everything to the last minute before I fly anywhere but this time it’s a lot different, this time I forgot to calculate one crucial thing. PELE. Having a dog with you while you fly is a lot of stress. I have to make sure he eats well 4-6 hours before the flight, I have to bring his toys on board with me, I have to make sure I have proper documentation for him to fly, I have to keep him awake and not let him nap in order to ensure he is calm and sleeps the whole flight and if that doesn’t work it was recommended I give him something to make him drowsy. So as you can see, for a procrastinator like me it was a little hectic.

With that being said, it doesn’t take away from my excitement to be home. It’ll be nice to have some time off and time to spend with my family. I’m excited to introduce Pele to my family and to the dogs that are in my family. It’ll also be good to celebrate my birthday and the holidays at home with the people I hold closest to me. I’ve grown to really enjoy this city and the people that I’ve met while being here, and it kinda sucks that I can’t spend the holidays with everyone.

And now for the moment we all have been waiting for in anticipation…..THE VIDEO is out. Beyond the Pitch is a short video of Kyle and I training and talking about what we do best. It's a fun and interesting look at a bit of our lives. It’s the beginning of many more projects we have in mind. I’m sure you guys will enjoy it. Please feel free to comment on the video, send us questions or anything at all to our Twitter accounts. We enjoyed making this and working with the producer Jordan on the project and hope you guys enjoy it enough in order to give us the opportunity to do more of these types of videos/projects.

I apologize for the short blog but the video speaks for itself. View it and enjoy it…

Kick it with you next time….

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #10

2012-01-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

INTERESTING LOOK AT WHAT WE DO

Last week I mentioned to you guys how important it is to have good people surrounding and supporting you in order to get through the tough situations life often throws our way. This week I’d like to tell you how right I was when I said that. Haha… this week was a much better week, I’m proud to say I have a lot of good people around me that made all the difference in keeping me focused on the positives. While going through what I was going through last week I was told that “it could be worse” and those words really got me thinking. It is so true that “it could be worse”. I along with many of you live a comfortable life, where we have friends and family and live in a society where we all live pretty much equally. This immediately got me thinking about the places soccer has given me the opportunity to see and experience and the fact that living in a community with equality and comfort isn’t always the case for a lot of people in the places I’ve been. Many people don’t have the same privileges we have. Something as simple as playing an organized, competitive sport can be difficult to be a part of. Being a pro athlete myself it upsets me to know that kids are denied the opportunity to experience something as wonderful as a competitive, organized sport due to lack of funds or equipment. I think it’s something every kid should have the opportunity to be a part of, being on a team of some sort helps shape the person you become and can positively influence someone.

This is why today I’m excited to tell you guys about the progress we’ve made with the projects I mentioned in my past entries. I’m refering to the charity I’m very eager to launch. The charity is still in it’s developmental stages but much closer to being finalized and ready to get out there. The name is now concrete and like I mentioned, it’ll be up and running soon. I hope to see it make its first contribution to the community early in the new year and keep growing as it gains experience. I know I’m not going into much detail about what the charity is about but I plan on explaining exactly the services the charity will offer in the next few entries. I feel It will be great for the people we are targeting to help out, as well as for the local soccer community as we invite them to participate and contribute as much as they possibly can.

Another project that is now complete and ready to be released is the video I’ve been mentioning lately. The video features @KylePorter19 and I going about our day as we train and speak a bit about ourselves. This project was done by a friend of ours who’s good at what he does, Jordan Oram (@jyeOram) did a great job putting together this production and we’d like to thank him for having the patience and drive while working with us. I enjoyed doing this and I hope you guys enjoy watching it, it was something that was fun and different from anything I’ve ever done or been a part of. Be sure to check it out, it’s an interesting look at what we do. It’s something we decided to do to give you guys an idea of what our life is about. Click the link below to be directed to the video and keep up to date and informed by following me on Twitter. Feel free to comment on it, send us questions or just say hi.

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME ...@davidamonsalve

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo-bKCEw1Ck&fb_source=message

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #9

2012-01-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

"PELE SIT"

I want to start off by saying that this week was the unluckiest week I’ve ever had to deal with. Without going into much detail I’ll tell you that a number of unlucky situations led to me feeling the way I do about this week. It was one of those weeks where nothing goes your way and everything that could have possibly gone wrong did. It’s one of those weeks that make you question everything, I found myself reflecting and questioning things I usually don’t think twice about. I felt like all this bad luck had to be a sort of pay back for something I must have done wrong sometime in my past, Karma as some of you guys might call it. It got to the point where what was happening to me was such bad luck that I just started laughing in disbelief. Often when you're in situations where you find yourself struggling in any way, you start looking for guidance or comfort in some sort of way. This is what got me through it, I’m happy to say I have a great group of family and friends who support me and help me when I’m not in the best of moods. I can’t stress enough the importance of positive people in my life. That along with Pele (my dog if you don’t already know) is what got me to stop thinking about this week and allowed me to concentrate and enjoy the time I get to be on the field.

Personal life can sometimes interfere with what happens on the field. A distraction off the field can lead to off performances on the field. That’s why I’ve always looked to have positive people in my life. I feel that’s the most important thing to have in order to be ok. And it works both ways, sometimes off days on the field may lead to off days off the field and in turn effects the things most important to you. Pele has been one of those things that have kept me real busy but very distracted. Pele has been a lot of work and I definitely don’t recommend anyone get a dog if you live a busy life. I leave the house for training and I try and make it back as soon as possible because I can’t imagine it’s fun being in a kennel for 3 or 4 hours straight. It’s a huge responsibility and pretty overwhelming to be honest but after a full week of having him it’s been a bit easier. I’m happy to say I’ve taught him a trick in the short time I've been with him. I've taught him how to “come” and “sit”! It’s not at all perfected but I think it’s progress and I’m proud of my boy. Check out the video I’m going to post with this blog entry. And like I’ve mentioned before I’ve been updating my Twitter with pictures of Pele. I’ll continue to do that so make sure to follow me and keep up to date with what I’m doing and what Pele is up to.

On the field things are looking positive. The guys seem to be closer to top shape and looking sharp. Trialists are in and out as we all hope to find the guys who can come in and contribute to the team. We’ll be having a few come in every week, from now until the beginning of the season. Finding players of good quality is crucial and necessary in order to do better than we did last year. We're all looking forward to putting together a great campaign in 2012.

In my past blog entries I've mentioned a video that @kyleporter19 and I have been working on, well it’s almost ready and I cant wait to show you guys how it came out. It’s a video simply showing us as we do what we do on a regular day. Again, follow myself and kyle for the latest, not to mention the rest of @fcedmontonnow for their updates…

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME…..

@davidamonsalve and #Pele

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #8

2012-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

PELE IS IN EDMONTON

What’s up everyone? I’m writing to you today from my living room again as I’m on the foam roller, rolling out the knots in my muscles. This week like most was an exhausting one, and I’m a bit sore. We start our week off on Monday with a TRX workout at Goodlife Fitness, it’s a workout that forces you to use every muscle in your body and it really gives your core muscles a good workout. Tuesday through Friday we train indoors (of course, it’s like -20 outside….CRAZY!!!!) for a couple hours each day, at a pretty intense level. It becomes exhausting but it’s what we love to do, so can’t complain at all. But I am glad it’s the weekend, we have it off to give us time to recuperate and just chill out and enjoy sleeping in. It also gives me time to enjoy the TV I bought last week.

If you remember I left you guys with the news of a new TV. Well now I’m coming to you this week with the fact that I feel it was well worth buying. Before getting it I wasn’t the type of person to watch much TV, but all of a sudden I find myself turning it on wether I’m sitting in front of it or not. It’s a 50 inch and besides it looking great and sounding great, it also does a good job filling up the empty space in my living room. This week there’s a few other new additions to the house. A couple of trialists are here looking to make an impression on the coaching staff and win a place on the squad for the 2012 season. I wish both of them the best as they continue to work hard and strive to become a part of the team. But the addition that I’m most excited to tell you guys about is the fact that I’m pleased to announce the arrival of Pele in Edmonton. Ye, that’s right I said PELE.

Pele is in Edmonton. He is a foot tall, 20 pounds and has a golden coat. If you haven’t already realized, I’m not talking about the great Pele of Brazil who’s played in World cups and famously ranks as one of the best footballers of all time. No, I’m talking about my two-month-old dog. He’s half golden retriever half chow and I decided I’d name him Pele. I decided to name him after the great Brazilian footballer because the name is a symbol of greatness and well I know my dog will be great! I’m hoping to train him well, raise him in a good home and make sure he’s always taken care of. I got him on Wednesday and since then I’ve done nothing but try to accommodate to the needs of a puppy. From the suggestions I got on twitter I went down to G&E pharmacy on the south side and bought him everything from food to a crate. I’ve watched YouTube videos on how to best train a dog and like I said, I asked my followers on twitter for any help or advice they might have. Today, only after 3 days of having him I’m proud to say he waited by the door for me to let him out so that he could go to the bathroom. So I’m doing well as a first time pet owner. If any of you guys have any advice or guidance you can offer please make sure to follow me on twitter and send me a message, I’m very eager to learn and obviously happy to make this run as smooth as possible, especially after having to clean up a few accidents. I will regularly be posting up pictures of Pele and updates on he’s doing so all the pet owners or non-pet owners who like animals, follow me and feel free to send me a line or tell me about your pet. Hope to hear from you guys…

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME…..

@davidamonsalve and PELE

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #7

2012-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

SO FAR SO GOOD

As the weeks pass, the level of play in training becomes higher. I think now after a few weeks of training everyone is comfortable and used to the routine. The quality of play is very good and seeing this only helps with motivation to keep pushing and become better. So things seem to be going according to plan, the idea was to come back from our time off to develop the team and strive to be better then last year and so far, its looking good!

The new additions to the team this year so far clearly show the comitment the ownership has to raising the level of professionalism in our club. Having a goalkeeper coach whose sole purpose is to help make the keepers better, bringing back an internationally experienced coach who's familiar with the team and signing a defender who not only has European experience but also experience in the NASL is exactly what I'm reffering to when I say the club is looking good.

Along with the development of our play, the development of our relationship with the community has grown too. This week we made apperances at schools across the city, encouraging the kids to participate in drills and games. I went on two school visits myself and had a lot a fun at both, seeing the kids happy to meet us meant a lot. It reminded me of when I was in elementary school and had the Toronto Argonauts (Toronto's CFL team) come in and do the same types of activities with us. It was motivating to have a pro athlete interact with us on a personal level and that's the feeling I hope the kids left with after we went to their school. We played with them, answered their questions and signed some autographs. We encouraged them to come to our games this season, check out our website for updates and to come out and train in our camps.

I haven't mentioned it in any of my past blog entries but we've been running camps Wednesday and Thursday evenings. It's been cool so far to be honest and I actually like going to them. My group is just keepers and It's nice to see the kids respond to me the way they do, they come back every week excited and ready to learn. They've come back knowing what they learned last week and ready to add to that. These camps are a way to help develope the kids in the Edmonton area as soccer players for the future. And so far so good!

On a more personal level, I added a piece of very important furniture to where I'm staying. I never realized before because usually I'm busy in the afternoons but on Wednesday of this week I found myself at home, bored and quickly realized I don't have a TV....well I do but it's really small and not very cool when you have friends over and all you can offer them is a small 20inch screen with minimal volume. Basically it's a TV that can fit in the head rest of one of those pimped out rides on MTV Cribs. So I was on the Internet on Wednesday looking for a better one and after a few hours of searching for one I was on the phone arranging to pick up a BIG 50 inch screen TV. I'm going to pick it up today and next week I'll definitely let you all know how awesome it is.

I'm going to post a video of a question we were asked in today's school visit, check it out. And to see more pictures or videos take a look at FC Edmonton's Facebook fan page or on my Twitter account @davidandresmonsalve.

http://youtu.be/IOUlP_C3Xas

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME.....

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #6

2012-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

KICKIN' IT WITH DAVID

What's up everyone? I'm writing to you today from my living room where I'm preparing to have some of the guys over for dinner as we watch the Canadian National team take on St.Kitts for World Cup Qualifying. It's almost time for kick off and the guys should be getting here very soon so let me start telling you about my week.

This week was the most challenging I think I've ever had while being apart of F.C. Edmonton. For the first time in club history (I think), a goalkeeper coach was brought in to train us. If you're a goalkeeper reading this blog entry, you can relate and understand the importance of a coach whose sole purpose is to help you develop. Having a coach who concentrates on creating drills and exercises specific to the position is mandatory in order to get the best out of your goalkeeper. like I told you, I felt challenged and because I was able to push myself I felt I was improving as I kept training. The fact that the club is investing effort towards my development and the development of the other goalkeepers, it makes me happy and shows their support and belief in us. I look forward to having a goalkeeper coach around all year!

Antonio (Rago), Kyle (Porter) and I went to the Farm Fair Rodeo on Tuesday, yeah I said it, the ro-de-o! Like horses and other animals and people screaming "YEEEE HAWWW". At least that was my initial thought of what it would be like. I've never been to an event like a rodeo so I had no idea what to expect. At first we got to the Expo Centre and had dinner with people who were directly involved in the festivities as well as a group of Mexican farmers who were in town to experience the difference in agriculture here in Canada. We then signed a few autographs and greeted people, as they passed us before they made their way to the rodeo. We were right behind them and eager to see what the Farm Fair is all about. It was honestly a good time as we watched teams from all over the country compete in different events to win a spot in Saturday's Final at Rexall Place. In one event we saw horseman rope cattle and try and get them on the ground in order to (pretend) brand them. We got it on camera so be sure to check it out.

Some progress was made on the projects I mentioned in my past blog entries. The video project kyle and I were part of is soon to come out and is looking great so far. The charity I've been working on is coming along and I'm very excited to be get it officially started and out in the community helping others.

Before I go I'd like to leave you with something I felt was real nice to be apart of. Today November 11, 2011 at 11 a.m. the team gathered at centre field and we had a moment of silence, a moment of silence well deserved for the people who fought for our freedom. Lest We Forget.

KICK IT WITH YOU NEXT TIME.....

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #5

2012-01-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

The first week back in YEG has been extremely eventful. I've been on "non-stop" mode from the day I left Toronto. First of all my journey here was a long one that had Kyle Porter and I driving all the way from Toronto via U.S.A. We passed through Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, North Dakota and then made our way across the border into Saskatchewan (where we were searched thoroughly before being given permission to cross). From there we passed through Regina and eventually to our final destination. We took shifts driving, usually about five hours before switching. As you can imagine it was still a long way from point A to point B, but we managed to get here safely.

We made it here just in time to have breakfast and go straight to training. Our first training session was light and was just to get back into the swing of things. It's nice to be in the routine and nice to be apart of the team again. Being with the team and training daily reminds me why I enjoy being a professional so much, it feels good to be competing and being in an atmosphere with other guys who are trying to accomplish the same things I am. It makes waking up in the morning a lot easier when you're working towards a common goal.

Two evenings this week we coached our academy kids at the eastside soccer centre. I was there Thursday night where I coached my kids to victory and enjoyed working with them. Besides them having a winning attitude they also were willing to learn and made my job a lot easier and the experience enjoyable. I hope to see more kids come out as the academy goes on into the new year. As I coached the kids I saw how important it is for youth to be involved in a team activity. It obviously can be a very positive influence in their lives, this made me come up with an idea for the charity I mentioned in last week's blog entry. I'm hoping to start a charity that I can relate to, so obviously I'd like to have it soccer related. I had some good suggestions last week and hope to get more this week, I'll be looking to combine the best ideas with my ideas to come up with the perfect cause. I'm looking to be more involved in the community because I remember how much it inspired me to have people I looked up to encouraging me to follow my dream.

This Tuesday (Nov. 8) I will be with a few of the guys and staff from the team at the CFR (Canadian Finals Rodio) hanging out. Come out and enjoy the festivities with us, don't hesitate to say hi and hang out. Hope to see you there.

Kick it with you next time.....

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #4

2012-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

TIME TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

Another week has passed, wrapping up the end of my time off. Its always the case that the last week I'm home before I go back to where I play is always the busiest and this week was no exception. Like I've mentioned in my past entries, I've been working on a few projects and this week has been all about organizing my ideas and working towards getting those projects started. This week, along with Kyle Porter, we shot a video of ourselves. A sort of "day in the life of", something we thought could be fun to show the supporters what a day in our lives could be like. The video is a fun visual of what we do, it gets personal and was a lot of fun to be a part of.

Another project I'm looking to start is a charity. Ever since I started my career professionally I've always been happy and willing to work towards helping others. This year I'm hoping to get an organization together in order to give back to our community. I'm not exactly sure what the charity is going to focus on exactly, but I am sure I want it to be soccer related. With the help and support of FC Edmonton, together I'd like to make a difference in other's lives by helping them one way or another. You all know that I'm always replying to your messages and tweets on Twitter so please feel free to throw some ideas my way. If you have a favourite charity or have any stories to share with me about times you've been apart of a foundation or organization that gave back I'd like to hear it. The stories I get from everyone will be mentioned in my next blog and the person will be invited to a meeting we'll be holding at a future date in order to continue to help us. This I hope sparks interest and helps me get this idea off the ground.

Im looking forward to getting back on the field and working towards next year's goals. With that being said I'm left with a bitter sweet feeling, it's always nice being home but never fun when I'm not playing. I'm packing up, I'm running around taking care of things, saying bye to friends and family all before I get back to YEG for the rest of the year. Let's see what this season has in store for us. It's been very fun but it's time to get down to business.

Make sure to check out my Twitter for updates on everything I talk about on my blog and other things that don't make it to the blog. Be sure to support all of FC Edmonton by following the guys on the team.

@fcedmontonnow, @kyleporter19, @KyleYamada10, @KylePorter19, @6Saiko, @DoctorDre5, @antoniorago24, @MCox19, @phamilton88, @chriskooy20, @_shawnchin, @NikoSaler12

Kick it with you next time....
@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #3

2012-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

MOVING FORWARD

I made my way downtown Wednesday morning as I was invited to be a guest on The Score's Footy Show podcast (Take Your Kick"). It's an easy going show where a panel of analysts answer questions about recent games and news in the soccer world. It was a lot of fun being on the show again. Luckily this is the third time I've been invited back to be on The Footy Show. Those guys are great and made it very easy to enjoy myself in an environment I'm not usually in. Like I mentioned, it's very easy going and it gave me the confidence to go in and be myself. The second time I was on, a lot of jokes were thrown back and forth but one in particular stuck and went on for weeks. The joke came up this time around and made the experience that much more enjoyable. I won't spoil it by telling you what it's all about but I do suggest you check it out for yourself.

Champions league was one of the focus point of the show. The usual power houses were mentioned; Man. City, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Man. U... But not only was UEFA Champions League mentioned but CONCACAF Champions League as well, something that directly impacts us. Tuesday night Toronto FC joined Montreal as the only Canadian clubs to make it to the knockout round of the tournament. I'm very happy to hear that, and as a Canadian soccer player/fan I congratulate TFC. This shows the growth and improvement of soccer in Canada. The way I look at it is that we (FC Edmonton) can be there one day. If we continue to grow and develop the way club ownership envisions, who's to say we can't one day be the third Canadian club to make it to the knockout round of the CONCACAF Champions league and beyond. It's incredible to see the growth of soccer in Canada, and I'm proud to be apart of it. When I first started I had no idea that Toronto as a city would embrace the sport and the team with such enthusiasm and support. The same can be said for Vancouver and Montreal, the numbers that come out in support on a weekly basis in both cities are something that six years ago would have sounded crazy. This is something I see happening in Edmonton and excites me to know that the city and club are moving forward in the right direction to get there. Watching the Champions League got me motivated and definitely made me feel like making it to the tournament is a personal goal of mine.

On a lighter note, I've been enjoying home...this weekend I'm preparing for Halloween as it's one of my favourite holidays. I'll be shopping around for decorations for the house and for a costume. Any ideas? I've also been pretty lazy and haven't been training much. I feel we do deserve the time to be lazy after a year of hard work, but with that being said, I have to get back in the swing of things.

You know to leave me any questions and/or suggestions on my twitter. Make sure to also check FC Edmonton's Facebook fan page for the latest updates.

Kick it with you next time....

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #2

2012-01-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

STAND UNITED

As you know I'm in Toronto, more specifically Brampton where my family lives now. Coming home after being away for a while is always nice and I'm enjoying every second of it. From my sister's birthday and celebrating it with my whole family and close friends to seeing my friends play with the national team.
This past Tuesday Canada played against Puerto Rico at BMO field. I don't want to talk to you guys about the result or what I thought about the game, I just want to tell you guys about the feeling I get every time I step in that stadium. It's the field where I made my professional debut, the first time I stepped onto the pitch of a sold out stadium. I get reminded of that every single time I'm there. When I see guys playing it makes me want to suit up and jump in, the crowds vibe gets me hyped up and ready to go every single time. For those of you who have been to an FC Edmonton game, remember how loud it gets and the emotion you feel when one of our guys scores. Now imagine what it's like when you multiply that by 10, it's an overwhelming sound and sight. It's an amazing feeling.

Its been a while since I was that nervous 18 year old kid making my debut against Aston Villa (of the English Premiership). Luckily since then I've experienced playing in a few stadiums with 10,000 plus spectators. Having a crowd behind you in a facility more suited for a professional environment makes a big difference. For me I'd best describe the feeling as... motivating. Having all the supporters scream the team's name with such passion and belief gives me a sense of urgency to do well and not let my team or supporters down. I'm confident in saying that this is something my teammates and I would really like to have in our home. And this is what I'm getting to, Edmonton is set to be one of the host cities for both the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014 and the full Women's World Cup in 2015. With those announcements came the expressed interest of mayor Mandel to work with FC Edmonton to build a soccer specific facility for the world cups that eventually will become our home. This obviously got me excited and eager to be a part of the whole process. I just hope you guys share my excitement and Stand United to help us get to where we can continue to be a good example of pro soccer in Canada. This I can very easily say can become a dream come true. Growing up I always thought playing professionally would take me away from Canada and now thanks to the growth of soccer, it's no longer the case.

Doing this blog is something I enjoy and im sure everyone can enjoy. Find out what's going on on a day to day basis by following me on twitter @davidamonsalve. This week will be an interesting one, as I'm working on a few projects and as I'll be starting my training soon. Feel free to send me feedback, suggestions, questions or anything at all to my twitter. I'll make sure I respond personally or answer any questions in the upcoming entry.

Kick it wit you next time.....

@davidamonsalve

Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #1

2012-01-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

A LITTLE SOMETHING...

Hey everyone, I'm David. A goalkeeper for FC Edmonton. And the Canadian National team. I love the game of football, I love what I do and this a little something for you guys to read, I want everyone to know a little more about myself and give you guys a bit of an insight of what really happens with the team and more specifically ME.

I've been with the team for almost 3 months and since then I've been a part of wins, losses, draws and all in order to battle for a playoff spot. I even got to play the last game of the regular season against the Montreal Impact despite my late arrival to the team. Playing that game in front of 12,000 plus people is always fun and one of the reasons why I love what I do. This experience has been nothing but good so far and I have no doubt it'll only get better.

Like I was telling you, we made the playoffs. The first game had us playing an away game in Fort Lauderdale. We went on to the pitch with confidence and excitement. Unfortunately our playoff run was cut short after losing our first game. It was tough for us to swallow after feeling like we had the potential to win it all. But even though it was tough we quickly brushed it off and looked forward to the upcoming season.

We regrouped days later to discuss the vision and our plans for the near future. But like all things, a new year means many changes. This of course means some guys were let go as they didn't fit in to what the club has planned for the upcoming season. This is never a fun situation and never in my 5 years of playing professionally have I felt so attached to a group than I do to the players and staff we had this past season. Even though my time with the team has been short, I quickly got along with all the guys. I want to wish the guys who won't be with us next season the best of luck wherever this wonderful game takes them (except against us).

Now that the season's behind us, we've been given some time off to relax and prepare for next year. This for me means I get to have some fun away from football. I've already left Edmonton and very quickly got back into the fast paced life Toronto has to offer. Toronto is a beautiful city where a lot happens. I invite you to keep checking up on me through this blog, it's going to be fun. I plan on including pictures and videos along with my blog entries. I'll be talking about everything from what I do during the week to what's going on with FC Edmonton and the national team. I look forward to sharing my life with you, stick around and I promise you'll be entertained.

Also follow me on twitter for a day to day look of what I'll be up to. Now I have to go as I have to cheer on my friends and fellow teammates as they take on St.Lucia in World Cup Qualifications.

Kick it with you next time.....

DM

Update...

2010-03-18T07:57:00.001-07:00

I was suppose to do this a long time ago, but I get a bit lazy haha.
well here is the latest with "How I'm Living" and how I was living during my break at home...... Enjoy

Comming soon....

2010-02-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking when it comes to blogging. It's been because I've only been in Finland a week now and since my arrival I've been really busy settling in.
Any ways, soon I will be posting up pictures and stuff about my time at home and the many events that took place during that time. I'll also be talking about my first game with the mens national team and my whole experience as well as writing about how I'm looking forward to the beginning of the season. so don't forget to CHECK IT OUT!
-David

vs Jamaica

2010-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

CSA Release

Canada announces roster for January match against Jamaica

Canada's men's national soccer team announced its roster today for the upcoming camp in USA and Jamaica. The camp runs 18 January through 1 February and includes the international friendly match against Jamaica on 31 January. Coach Stephen Hart has selected 17 players for this first camp of the 2010 season.

"We brought in many young players for a number of reasons," said head coach Stephen Hart. "We want them to experience an international senior camp and become familiar with our methods. We also want to observe them in an international match."

Canada's lineup features players whose clubs are currently on a winter break. A number of players were not available for selection because of ongoing club seasons in Europe as well as winter tournaments during the break. Canada is expected to add another goalkeeper to its lineup before the start of camp.

Of those 17 players selected, six of them come from Canadian clubs - five from Toronto FC of MLS and one from the Impact de Montréal of the newly-formed USSF-2 NASL division. Beyond the 11 players on North American clubs, there are five players from European clubs and one player from a South American club.

Of note, four players have received their first call to the full national team: goalkeeper David Monsalve of FC Inter Turku, defender Nana Attakora of Toronto FC, midfielder Carlo Rivas of Club Deportivo Universidad de Concepción, and midfielder Massih Wassey of FC Schalke 04 II.

Canada's national team will be in Ft. Lauderdale, FL from 18-29 January and then in Kingston from 29 January to 1 February. Coach Hart hopes to see as many players as possible in the 31 January match against Jamaica.

"Jamaica at home is very strong, as it demonstrated two years ago in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers," said coach Hart. "The opportunity to view our players in such a match is ideal."

In 2008, Jamaica won all three of its home matches in the semi-final stage of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, including a 3:0 win over Canada. Like Canada, Jamaica did not advance beyond the so-called CONCACAF "Group of Death". In 2009, Canada and Jamaica again faced each other as group opponents, this time at the 2009 CONCACAF
Gold Cup in Carson, CA. Canada won that match 1:0 on a goal by Ali Gerba. This time, Canada advanced to the quarter-final stage while Jamaica failed to advance beyond the group phase.

CANADA

G- Monsalve, David | FIN / FC Inter Turku | Brampton, ON, CAN
D- Attakora, Nana | CAN / Toronto FC | North York, ON, CAN
D- Cann, Adrian | DEN / Esbjerg fB | Thornhill, ON, CAN
D- Hainault, André | USA / Houston Dynamo | Hudson, QC, CAN
D- Hemming, Tyler | CAN / Impact de Montréal | London, ON, CAN
D- Sidra, Eddy | GER / FC Energie Cottbus | Edmonton, AB, CAN
D/M- Jakovic, Dejan | USA / DC United | Etobicoke, ON, CAN
D/M- Jazic, Ante | USA / Chivas USA | Bedford, NS, CAN
D/M- Serioux, Adrian | CAN / Toronto FC | Scarborough, ON, CAN
M- Ribeiro, Antonio | USA / San Jose Earthquakes | Montréal, QC, CAN
M- Rivas, Carlo | CHI / Club Deportivo Universidad de Concepción | Toronto, ON CAN
M- Wassey, Massih | GER / FC Schalke 04 | Calgary, AB, CAN
M- de Guzman, Julian | CAN / Toronto FC | Scarborough, ON, CAN
M- De Rosario, Dwayne | CAN / Toronto FC | Scarborough, ON, CAN
F- Johnson, Will | USA / Real Salt Lake | Toronto, ON, CAN
F- Gerba, Ali | CAN / Toronto FC | Montréal, QC, CAN
F- Ademolu, Stephen | LTU / FK Ekranas | Windsor, ON, CAN

Head of delegation / Chef de délégation : Steve Reed

Head Coach / Entraîneur-chef : Stephen Hart
Assistant Coach / Entraîneur adjoint : Tony Fonseca
Goalkeeper coach / Entraîneur des gardiens : Paul Dolan
Video Coordinator / Coordinateur de vidéo : Vic Mendes
Manager / Gérant : Morgan Quarry
Equipment Manager / Gérant des équipements : Ryan Bedic
Doctor / Docteur : Dr. John Philpott
Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Garret Kusch
Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Dave Foley

Toronto snow fall timelapse

2009-12-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

This Video via 1 LOVE TO

Toronto Pre-Winter Storm Timelapse, at Annette and Runnymede Streets from Torontoist on Vimeo.

Boxing Day Tournament

2009-12-11T13:59:00.000-08:00

For More Info CLICK on the picture for more info

GK CAMP

2009-12-09T08:08:00.001-08:00

OPEN TO ALL AGES

When I'm not concentrating on my own career I still spend a lot of time on the field trying to share my experience with others. This coming christmas break (dec 21-22-23 & 28-29-30) I plan on joining the coaching staff of International FC as a goalkeeper coach.

I will be teaching the campers how to become the best goalkeeper they can possibly be, wether they have aspirations to go pro or play recreationally. I'll be covering the basics such as, ball handling, proper positioning and kicking. The camp will be split in to two 3 day weeks and will be held at terrasport training complex.

For more information please contact me at (416) 666-8672 or email me directly at davidm_12@hotmail.com

Camp Info

- located @ terrasport ( 149 Rowntree Dairy Road, Vaughan)

- Time: 9am - 4pm

-Cost: $75 a week/kid

- Days will be split in two halves. First half used to concentrate on goalkeeping specifics and the second half will give the keepers the opportunity to apply what they've learned in game situations.

About ME

I grew up in the GTA playing for C.S. Azzurri. After years of hard work and dedication I was lucky enough to be selected in to the Provincial and Canadian national programs where I was spotted by Toronto FC. I went on to play my first 2 professional matches with Toronto FC and to this day hold the record for being the youngest goalkeeper to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) history. I now play my club soccer with FC Inter Turku in Finland, where I played a significant role in winning the finnish cup.

Here are a few links to help you learn a bit more about me.

Thank you and I hope you can join us at Terrasport this upcoming christmas break.

Contact me for more info.... davidm_12@hotmail.com

CSA press conference

2009-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the national teams new head coach, Stephen Hart.

GOALKEEPING CAMP

2009-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

OPEN TO ALL AGES

For more information please contact me at (416) 666-8672 or email me directly at davidm_12@hotmail.com

Camp Info

- located @ terrasport ( 149 Rowntree Dairy Road, Vaughan)

- Time: 9am - 4pm

-Cost: $75 a week/kid

- Days will be split in two halves. First half used to concentrate on goalkeeping specifics and the second half will give the keepers the opportunity to apply what they've learned in game situations.

About ME

Here are a few links to help you learn a bit more about me.

Thank you and I hope you can join us at Terrasport this upcoming christmas break.

Contact me for more info.... davidm_12@hotmail.com

Rednation interview

2009-11-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the guys at Red Nation for the oppertunity to speak with them. A fun interview, speaking about a number of things....check it out.

Video Interview
(If you are using Firefox 3.5, and cannot view this video, please click here)

Rednation Speaks with Canadian Goalkeeper David Monsalve of FC Inter Turku from Rick Evangelista on Vimeo.

Suomen cup final hightlights

2009-11-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

a basic recap of the game.... FC Inter Turku vs Tamperes united

Canadain soccer blog

2009-11-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

www.canadiansoccerblog.ca

Audio Interview after the cup victory. "Some Canadian guys talking about soccer" gave me the oppertunity to come on their show and answer a few questions. I'd like to thank them for the chance to be heard by all of the Canadian soccer fans. heres the link to the interview and their blog, as well as a few pictures celebrating.

INTERVIEW...(you need quick time player to listen to it)
www.canadiansoccerblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/scgtas18-110209.mp3

CHAMPIONS...suomen cup 2009

2009-11-01T03:06:00.001-08:00

Thank you to all my family and friends who watched the game...means a lot to me. I love you all

Article on Rednation..

2009-10-31T00:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to www.rednationonline.ca for the article on the team. Today we play in the CUP final in Helsinki. here is the link to the article http://www.rednationonline.ca/home.shtml
and here is the link to watch the game LIVE at10:30am Toronto time http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=54657&part=sports

Semi Final Victory vs FC Lahti

2009-10-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

more of Veikkausliiga...

2009-10-26T06:41:00.001-07:00

Some Pictures I left out from the game against HJK (helsinki)

bored...

2009-10-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Vs FC Lahti

2009-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last regular season game against FC Lahti.

Goofing around...

2009-10-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

A video of me goofing around with the Argentinians...using my iphone recorder.

Inspiration

2009-10-07T10:55:00.001-07:00

If this doesn't inspire a soccer player then I don't know what does....

-- Post From My iPhone

Veikkausliiga picture update...

2009-10-06T10:27:00.001-07:00

iPhone updates...

2009-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just got a new application on my phone that will allow me to make post with my phone...I think this is the begging of lot more updates! Keep on the look out for my new post via my iPhone...

-- Post From My iPhone

game vs JJK

2009-09-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Drake- Forever ft. Eminem, Kanye West and Lil Wayne

2009-09-24T08:09:00.001-07:00

Mayor of NYC

2009-09-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

great performance by Jay Z and Alicia Keys...(unfortunately crashed by lil mama)

Veikkausliiga pictures

2009-09-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Vappu BBQ

2009-07-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Before we went to the centre to check out the whole celebration we had a bbq..check it out!

Vappu!!

2009-07-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Finnish people LOVE to drink....any chance they have to get drunk they pretty much take advantage. This particular post is focussing on 'Vappu"...It's the first holiday of the spring/summer seasons...In the winter people here dont get out much, i mean i dont blame them because honestly it's too cold to do anything, so when may comes around and you get one or two days of 15 degrees or so then WHY NOT?! haha... but as you will see it comes to a suprise to me and a few friends. The holiday is further explain in the video. This video takes place in the centre of the city by the river. Enjoy

FINALLY

2009-06-30T09:16:00.001-07:00

Finally, Thanks to a friend of mine(Jhumar) I'm able to put videos up on the blog...I have a lot of Videos like I mentioned before but for now I leave you with a video I found of myself in Training when I played for Toronto..check it out..it's not bad!
Keep checking out the blog to see more

check it out

Training Video with TFC

2009-06-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

UPDATE..Things to look out for

2009-06-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so a lot has happened since I've been in Turku....Many games have been played, a lot of random activities, a lot of foolishness really and I have videos of all of that AND I finally figured out a way to easily upload them to the blog so that all of you guys can see. I have videos from months ago! so as soon as I'm done uploading them all I'll be putting out a video everyday or so. So make sure you check out the blog on a daily basis! THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR...we built a kite and attempt to fly it, road trips on the bus and my favourite, Surprised reactions from family members from when I went home!

2nd Place....

2009-05-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

We currently sit in second in the standings of the Veikkausliiga....Today we have a big game against VPS. A win today will keep us in the top two posistions in the leaugue and get us back on our feet after losing to Haka last week 2-0.......lets hope all goes according to plan!

comming soon....

2009-05-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

I've been extremely lazy lately but I'll be back soon with some good stuff!

To the BEST mom a kid can ask for....

2009-05-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

Many people refer to her as Adirana or Age or Tia but I simply refer to her as Mami! Shes one of the main reasons I've made it as far as I have and one of the reason I will continue to work towards where I want to be! Thank you for eberything, I miss you and Love you very much mom. Sorry I'm away from you on both your birthday and Mother's day yet again but I am thinking of you and I always do! HAPPY BIRTHDAY(may 4th) and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY....YOUR THE BEST!

Happy Mothers day to you too tia's! Love you both very much!:)
ENJOY!

Food!!!!

2009-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing like moms cooking, but I like to think I do a decent job hahah
check out a few plates I've created the few times I decided to cook for myself.

I like to call this picture... breakfast in bed

David the builder...

2009-05-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

For a while now I've been trying to get my placed fixed up..when i first arrived the furniture was ugly, used, small and unbelievably filthy and my walls looked out dated with the wall paper that was on it! So i decided to do something about it..with permission from the land lord I stripped the wall paper and I am currently in the process of getting everything ready (stripping the walls, getting the tools and choosing the right shade of grey) so I can begin to paint! take a look at the process so far.....

Win puts us top half of the standings.

2009-04-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Another goal by Gilly Grot gives us the win and puts us tied for second place. Record is 1 loss and two wins. Saturday is our next gane vs Mypa.

FC Inter 1-0 Jaro

Team update

2009-04-29T02:12:00.000-07:00

Our first game we traveled to Mariehamn to play IFK Mariehamn. We had to travel by boat becasue its a small island between Finland and sweden. Unfortunately we did'nt play well at all and lost that game. Our second game we played at home against Mypa (where My friend Tosaint plays) and were leading the whole game until they tied they game up 1-1 in the 90th minute...we thought that was it but out of nowhere in the 94th minute a goal from Gilly gave us the win....here are a few pictures of us traveling and the stadium in mariehamn.

GOLDEN ARCHES

2009-04-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

The Golden Arches is recognized all over the world by billions of people....Since Kids we related that BIG yellow m with the good tasting burger, incredible fries and ofcourse the toy that came with every Happy Meal. As you get older you graduate to other meals like the BIG Mac and the McChicken...McDonald's also reinvents themselves generation after generation...growing up I remember having 50cent vanilla ice cream cones, apple pies and personalized pizzas..at one point they even had potato weddges as well (soooooo good)...now they have the Mcflurry with a bunch of flavours and they have cherry pies and blueberry pies, they have chicken wraps and a whole bunch of other stuff!! McDonalds has been around forever and for that I'm thankful haha every country I've been to I try to have McDonalds just to see how it tastes (and yes there is a difference in taste most of the time)...Here in Turku there are a couple of McDonalds that a I know of and one of them I have visited on more then one ocassion =) check it out!

Stockholm, Sweden

2009-04-29T01:31:00.000-07:00

When I had jsut signed with the team we had a preseason camp in Sweden...We were there a week for two friendly games. On our day off we all jumped on the team bus and explored the downtown area. It was real nice, bigest city I've been in since I arrived in europe so for me it reminded me of holm a bit..the crowded areas, the big malls and ofcourse the cold weather! well here are a few pictures of STOCKHOLM.

It's been a while!

2009-04-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

So If you didn't know I had problems with my internet connection here in my apartment. This was the main reason as to why I had'nt posted anything new. I'm writing to you this morning because the clubs tech guy came to work his magic so that the problem was solved. I decided to get straight to work and let you guys know whats been going on these past few weeks.....so enjoy and dont for get to leave COMMENTS!!!! ((((but dont forget to leave a name so that i know who its from))) I recieved a few with no names and I dont know who it's from.
Kiitos!!

COMMENTS

2009-04-16T10:19:00.001-07:00

When you all check out the blog, leave a comment or two...let me know what you think or what you want to see, or let me know if you have any questions I can answer for you...Just do something! so i know your actually checkin it out
MISS HOME
talk to you soon!

FC INTER TURKU

2009-04-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Weekend....

2009-04-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

I havnt updated anything on my blog lately because this Weekend was the most eventful weekend I've had here in Turku... Like I posted earlier, my friend Frank came to visit me from Oulu, Finland and so that meant I had to show him around town.
Friday : Traning, picked up Frank, went bowling with a few friends, went to Gilly's house(teamate) and then went to the club.
Saturday: Paintballing and then we went to a cottage and BBQ'd before the new comers to the team were welcomed to the club.
Sunday: chilled out, took it easy and made dinner for ourselves.
Like I said eventful!It was good for a change but I like just chilling at home on my MAC blogging. Here are some pictures of the weekend.

Doing it myself

2009-04-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well this easter weekend most of the shops and restaurants were closed including the stadium restaurant where the whole team eats lunch and dinner if they choose to. So since I couldn't go eat there Claudio and I along with Frank (friend who came ot visit me) got together and cooked some chicken with rice and french fries. To my surprise it came out real good. I know all of you are thinking that my friends must of cooked everything but I asure you I played a significant part in the cooking process :) We also made some real good pasta and sauce but I didnt take any pictures of that....Here are some Pictures of the dinner along with my breakfast.

A Guest...

2009-04-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

"YOOOO GUYYYY"
Today Frank Jonke will be visiting me. He plays in Finland as well for AC Oulo and will arrive by train today at 6pm...We played together for the U23 Canadian National team. He'll spend the weekend here and leave monday morning. Here is a bit about him as a player.

Frank Jonke
\| AC OULO \|
Position:	Forward
D.O.B. :	January 30, 1985
Age:	24
Birthplace :	TORONTO
Hometown:	Pickering, ON, Canada

Xbox 360...

2009-04-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

I got Xbox 360 hooked up now...so now I have something else to entertain me while I'm here...FIFA 09, NBA 2K9 and HALO 3..I have some good games so as soon I can hook up my internet to my Xbox I'll be playing against people from home!

MAGAZINE article

2009-04-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today an article in a magazine came out here in Turku...Here is the link to the whole magazine.....

http://www.fcinter.com/VOL_1_2009.pdf

COMMING SOON.......

2009-04-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

An idea for a series of things came to mind (I kind of stole the idea)...I'm thinking of having a episode of Dtv where i show you my house, what I drive and anything else that comes to mind that has to do with "HOW I'M LIVING"...the segment will be called "How I'm Living - CRIBS" and as time goes on I'll show you my apartments developement, like new furniture or some sort of decoration/artwork that I recently put up...Also I thought I'd have episodes where I show you how some of my friends who also play overseas professionaly are living...that will be called "How Their Living"...It's an idea open to suggestions, so send me some feedback with ideas or suggestion in order to make things a bit more interesting.

A sunday in Turku

2009-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is just a random video of myself and Gilly driving home from the stadium being followed by Claudio...

A card that means the world to me :)

2009-04-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

Before I left I recieved a beautiful gift from a very special girl in my life..she my cousin and god daughter, Julia Marina. She wrote me a card and drew me a picture...It was real nice and now I've put it up for everyone who comes in my house to see! here it is.....

"Bye David I am going to miss you and if you miss me to you can look at this picture....Good Luck!"
- Julia Marina
she also gave me a little token of an angel and on the flip side it says "Always with you"
love you Julia!

TFC Update

2009-04-05T01:56:00.000-07:00

My favourite club in the world is without a doubt TFC. Thats where I've learned a lot and where I played my first two prfessionla games with 20,000 loyal fans screaming at me with nothing but support. Who wouldnt love Toronto after that? Anyways....I've been following TFC during preaseason and suring the few season games that have past and I feel like it's comming...They have the players and the structure to do well this year. I hope that they do.....

Toronto FC despite their efforts and previous unbeaten streak lost yesterday to Seattle Sounders FC. The last couple of games I watched looked like TFC is heading in the right direction, although I didn't see the game yesterday I trust they played hard for the fans who packed BMO field. In time they'll be better and eventually compete for a championship!

beloware is the link to TFCtv where you can watch all the highlights of the game and some exclusive interviews.
http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/console.jsp?catid=2&id=491

DavidTV (Dtv) INTRODUCTION

2009-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this small introduction I just put together for you guys. First Dtv segment. ENJOY

HOW I'M LIVING

2009-04-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

OK guys as promised here are a few pictures of "how I'm Living"...My living room/kitchen/dinning room/bedroom/entertainment room/anything else you can think of.. HAHA as you can see its a bit small but it's just fine for me. Hope you guys enjoy.

Comming soon....

2009-04-03T01:57:00.000-07:00

Everyone, I'm on the bus on my way to a game a few hours away and I already have some videos...unfortunately my connection on the bus isn't great so I can't unpload any videos yet but I promise they will be up soon! for now I'll leave you with nohting, just un update..but its COMMING SOON.....

2009-04-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to check out my page...If your reading this, it's because your someone I hold close to me. This site is simply for my close friends and my family to experience my life through pictures, stories and videos that I plan on posting. My plan is basically to bring a camera almost everywhere I go and show you "How I'm living"....Road trips, team events and practices are just a few things I will be telling you all about, in hopes you all get a better understanding of what’s going on in Turku, Finland. It's going to take me some time to learn how to use the site and learn how to make everything look and sound good but I promise it will be interesting (at least I hope so). Please don't tell anyone about this site yet, only because I want to show my family and close friends how I'm living before anyone else does....
Again, thank you very much and I love you guys very much.

Your son, nephew, brother, cousin and friend!

David Monsalve