Kickin’ It With David - Blog Entry #5

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

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

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

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

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...

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....

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