I was shaped by
Tucked-in uniforms and muddy cleats.
Smelly shin guards and fluorescent sweet spots.
Virgin pre-wrap and white tape.
Bloody toes, blistered heels, bruised to the bone knees, midnight muscle cramps, and ever so swollen ankles.
Ibuprofen, Vaseline, slush buckets, and icyhot.

I was shaped by
Team after team.
Coach after coach.
Warm ups and cool downs.
Disciplined practices.
Dreadful Conditioning.

I was shaped by
Long car rides,
Hotel etiquette,
And energy bar breakfasts.

I was shaped by
White lines surfacing potential green grass.
Captains, coin tosses, penalty kicks and corners.
Dull whistles, loud whistles, squeaky whistles.
Yellow cards.
Red cards.
Obnoxious fans and sideline coaching.
Respectable referees.
Kick in the face referees.
And referees in general.

I was shaped by
Hard tackles, gnarly goals, and memorable assists.
I was shaped by
The life of a soccer player.
And the feeling that sprints through my body when a ball touches my feet.