So, for those of you who don’t know me in “real” life, I am moving from Washington DC, where I live now, to San Diego, where I will be starting a PhD program in anthropology in the fall. I’ve been thinking about my trip across the country and how I can make it more interesting than a mad dash from Point A to Point B.

One idea I’ve had recently is to try to make into an American Soccer Road Trip. It occurred to me recently that, without going too far out of my way, I could stop in most cities with MLS teams (Washington, Columbus, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles). I like the idea of building my trip around these teams and cities rather than, say, truck stops off the highway. Update: Here’s a link to a map for a potential route I could take.

But, if you have read the blog with any regularity, you know that I’m interested in stories behind the headlines. So, while I’d like to stop and visit all of the MLS teams I could (even if it’s just to see a practice and interview a player or two), I’d also hope to find interesting soccer stories that not many people know about. A league for Mexican migrants in Nebraska, a Polish soccer club in Chicago, etc.

This is where you come in. I’m posting this in the hope that some of you will have ideas for interesting stories that I might try to cover on my way across the country. Really, as long as it is soccer-related in some small way, I’m probably interested in it (yes, I’m obsessive), so please don’t hesitate to holler at me with an idea or two. I know I have readers from all across the country (and the world) and I’m hoping that your collective expertise can make my trip a “great success” (say it like Borat does). I’m leaving at the end of August, so keep that in mind.

Oh, and one last thing. I’m going from being an elementary school teacher to being a grad student, both things not known for being lucrative. So, if you live along the route I sketched out above and want to put me up (I’m not opposed to sleeping on couches), I’d be immensely grateful.

Please leave a comment below or send me an email at david [at] cultureofsoccer [dot] com. Thanks in advance for all of your help!

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I will be out of town this weekend so there will be no updates until next week. Thanks for reading.

I apologize for the lack of updates all last week. I was visiting UC San Diego, where I will be entering a PhD program in anthropology in the fall (part of my research will look at the role of soccer among Spanish-speaking immigrants in the US). Posting will resume as normal now.

By the way, if you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to see me cover, please contact me. My email is david[at]cultureofsoccer.com (remove the [at] and replace it with @).

Apologies for the lack of updates in recent days. I’m out of town until next weekend. I’m trying to put together a profile of Dor Yasur, a member of Guatemala’s U-20 team whose family is Israeli. I interviewed him last weekend and he has a fascinating story. So, I will try to get that up this week sometime, but it will likely be the only update this week.