3 comments about The education of an American soccer player.

1. 5 Stars? Take your pick, it is a fiver or merits four stars; there really are so many good soccer/football books out there; but I'd go out on a limb and say this is one of the better American written soccer books around until one of our American illuminaries writes their autobio, Lalas or Wynalda! The game of their lives is probably the best American soccer book but this one gives you a good feel of how the soccer environment was in the US, mainly in the East in the 1970s.
   
   But I think, all soccer/football aficionados would benefit reading about Shep coming up through the system. Reading about his playing for the USA soccer team in the 1972 Olympics as well as before and after is worth the book.
   
   Shep comes out of an era; where really, free spirits, non conformists were part of sports and about everything else in the culture; I saw "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton mentioned; well, I haven't read that reknowned book; but do see Shep as being a sort of counterculture figure.
   
   Messing relates many memorable antecdotes; but above all, he was a goal keeper (and a beer drinker). It is a classic of football/soccer books for Americans; and surely, well worthy of reading by other English speakers. A real snapshot of the North American Soccer League and of course, the New York Cosmos. With a revival of interests in that league; this book should prove to be enjoyable reading by many.



2. Messing was a rarity in the 1970s--an American-born star in the foreign-dominated North American Soccer League. In this book, he offers an insider's look at life in the league, both before the arrival of Pele and after. Messing does not pull punches, whether he is criticizing the bias against Americans in the league, the bias against the sport by the American media, or the complete mishandling of the Cosmos. Along the way, there are also funny moments. All in all, an essential part of any American soccer fan's library.



3. This was one of my favorite books as a teenager. It's still a good read today. The book relates Shep Messing's story -- that of a pro soccer player (and goalkeeper) with the NY Cosmos, playing on the same team as Pele. Messing tells about his antics at establishment schools and his growth as a player. There's more to it - and for those wishing to revisit their soccer fan pasts of the seventies and eighties with the NASL, or those who just have an interest in athletes, athletics or soccer, this is a good read.

No comments about For the Claret and Blue.

No comments about My Idea Of Fun.

No comments about Colossus: The True Story of William Foulke.

No comments about Sam Bartram: The Story of a Goalkeeping Legend.

No comments about The Trouser People: A Quest for the Victorian Footballer Who Made Burma Play the Empire's Game.

4 comments about Ronaldo!: 21 Years of Genius and 90 Minutes That Shook the World.

1. This book mostly talked about his life off of the pitch and all the stress he went thourgh in the the World Cup.



2. i got this book for my birth day a i read it. i thought that itall talk a bout soccer, but it didn't. i taked abot how he grow up inbrazil and how the enverment was so diffecult in there. how he escaped from all bad things like gaging and drug and alcholes. his father was not so lucky. he smoked and he had alot of alckholes and drug. he was very unkind to his wife and his son. there fore, his wife decided to built up her self and her son.



3. This book is GREAT! It explains Ronaldo`s footballing life and his personal, and public life, and many secrets only a few on the earth know.



4. Ever since the final whistle of the World Cup final I have had a big unanswered question. Why did the world's best player in the world's best team play so badly in the one game, the most important game, of his life so far, giving one of the world's worst performances in front of the world's biggest ever event audience of 2 billion. Months before the world cup the papers were full of Ronaldo. How Ronaldo would score more goals than ever seen before. How this would be his world cup like Pele's 1970, Kempes' 1978, Rossi's 1982, Maradona's 1986, and Romario's 1994. TV Programmes showed endless clips of his sublime skills, his genius. Months after the tragedy that was France '98. No credible explanation has appeared until now!! Clarkson's book to answer the question of what happened on that fateful day in Paris.He gives a complete picture of what makes up the man - Ronaldo. Clarkson delves into Ronaldo's childhood, giving an account of the early flashes of brilliance, his love of the game, his disappointments, the influence of his family and even his lack of confidence with girls. Then he takes us through Ronaldo's early career in a lowly 2nd division Brazillian League team. Then the breakthrough and subsequent move to Europe followed by stardom and megabucks. Then we are told of the trials and tribulations of his life in Europe. The immense build up to the World cup and the account of what actually happened to Ronaldo's Brazil. I must confess I did not let the book go until i had read in from cover to cover. Clarkson has a lovely smooth flowingly style of writing which captures the essence of the story. After reading the book I felt i had understood one of the most intriguing mysteries of footballing history.

1 comments about Tony Meola (Grolier All-Pro Biographies).

1. I'm a HUGE fan of Tony's and I have never found a book totally dedicated to him.....until this one! This is a GREAT book full of A LOT of infor about my favorite soccer player, and yours. Its got sooo many pictures (including ones from his childhood). I would now like to personally thank Mr. Stewart for writing this book!

No comments about The David Beckham Story.

No comments about Jay-Jay Okocha (Robbie Readers) (Robbie Readers).