Jake Gibbons Intro

Hi my name is Jake Gibbons. I am leaving for Europe today on a Soccer Adventure. My goal is to play professional soccer in Europe. Even if I have to just grind out a living, I have always dreamed of playing over seas.

I was born in LaCrosse, WI and moved to Minneapolis on my first birthday. I am the oldest of 5 kids and we all play/played soccer at some point growing up. I grew up playing soccer in the back yard with my brothers, Dad and neighbor Sydney DeVictoria-Michael. My first organized soccer was at Fuller Park, playing co-ed with other 5-6 year olds. My Dad tells me that in my first game, I stood with my hands on my knees, “ready to go!” But I didn’t actually ever go after the ball…I just watched.

I eventually played traveling soccer with the Minneapolis United Arroz for a couple of years, before making a Bangu team. I was also involved in ODP for 6 years and was lucky enough to travel around the U.S. with my Bangu team for Regionals and playing college showcase tournaments. I played HS soccer at Minneapolis South and had fun playing with my twin brothers for a few years. I grew up watching MN Thunder games and some of my best memories are waiting after games to get player autographs.

I also played golf and a little hockey growing up but soccer has always been my passion. Most recently I played on the UofM club team, EC Aris FC and MN Twinstars (both in the NPSL) and some MASL men’s teams. I wanted to finish my BS before going on my soccer journey. I was playing indoor men’s league at Augsburg about 15 months ago, and a player on my Dad’s over 30 team mentioned that he (Michael Peterson) had connections in Denmark. After watching me play a few times he contacted his uncle who is with AGF AArhus and AGF Fremad to see if they would have any interest. I have to say a big thank you to Michael for all he’s done to help me get setup up for training and evaluation trials with AGF clubs.

I worked with some other contacts to get trials in Norway and Sweden as well. I will start out in Oslo, Norway, training and trying to show well for some 3^rd and 4^th division teams. A good friend and former UofM club player, Lars Stormo, lives in Oslo, Norway and plays for Oldenborg Idraetsselskab.

Thanks to Manny Lagos for letting me train with the MN Stars this winter/spring. I’ve been training, doing fitness and playing every day for months. I am excited, nervous and optimistic. I will mostly be blogging from a smart phone, and will do my best to post something on a regular basis.

Joga Bonito,

Jake

A Plead For Civility

At the request of a number concerned readers, I am once again asking those who comment on stories and 'chat threads' to be civil. In a recent email from a concerned parent, a very eloquent plead for civility was requested:  

"...Online impersonation has become a crime in California which clearly represents that the freedom of speech of online posting comes with responsibility. My husband read the blog and said it's just one big pissing contest of superegos. To read the blog, you'd never convince anyone that youth soccer is "all about the kids." Requiring people to identify themselves increases the civility of debate. I urge you to allow only those who are willing to take responsibility for their words by identifying themselves to post on your blog. If we preach to our kids that sportsmanship, fair play and integrity are what we value, shouldn't we adults play or blog by the same rules?"

This blog has significant number of younger readers. The new direction of the blog will feature content from MN connected players who are working hard to get to the next level in their game. I hope this new content can both inspire and entertain. I would like to keep the blog interactive, open and to encourage responsible commenting.

At the suggestion of a number of readers and other bloggers, I am considering allowing only registered users to post. However, historically, this drives both readership and interaction down to almost nil. For the sake of keeping this forum a place for fair exchanges of opinions and a place that younger readers may use as a resource, please:

1. Know that while you may post as anonymous, you can be tracked through your ISP by your IP address
2. Stay on topic and be civil
3. Do not insult others, use racial slurs, and otherwise unkind comments
4. Do not call out youth players by name or team+position, unless you have something nice to say

A good rule of thumb for online behavior is that if you wouldn't say it to someones face, then don't post it.

If you have input please contact me at mnfutbol@yahoo.com.

Thank you,

Tim Gibbons

Changes Coming Soon!

The MNFUTBOL blog will see a slew of changes over the next week or so. Fresh new look, new content and a new direction for providing unique content and stories. Please be patient as some new components may be buggy or the site may be inaccessible for brief periods of time. Thank you.

Chat: Euro Futbol/Champions League

Chat: 2011 Regionals

Chat: USWNT: 2011 Women's World Cup

Chat: USMNT: Gold Cup & Friendlies

Chat: '11 Boys HS Soccer

2011 Boys Minnesota State High School  Soccer

Chat: '11 Girls HS Soccer

2011 Girls Minnesota State High School Soccer