What a special kind of feeling! The first game of the season and my first goal for CD Torrijos in Round 1 of the Trofeo JCCM. 

In this “Derby” game against rivals CD Toledo, I was given a late chance to come into the game. But being sent on at the 88′ meant no time to waste. By 93′ I had my chance. And it was sweet.

First Game

Enjoying the highlights with a new team

The coach told me afterward:

You don’t know what you’ve done Max. In the last 15 times we have come up against this team, we’ve had 13 losses and one draw.

CD Torrijos Coach

Superstitions and the first game

Some think it’s silly but soccer players often carry a lot of superstitions into each game. For me, I don’t want to be wearing brand new boots. This is more of a practical consideration than a superstition. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go into a game with brand new boots. You need to be comfortable in your shoes. Others have quite elaborate pre-game routines.

I bought these Nike Tiempo boots in Australia from a local sports shop. At the time I was keen to get new boots right away. Sydney was going through the wet weather that has characterized the whole year. I was shocked to see so much rain. And my old boots were not keeping my feet dry. So I needed to grab a new pair fast. Through my previous coach, I had organized some off-season training with his team, the Western Sydney Wanderers Men’s 2nd Division. I was not going to walk out of the shop empty-handed and I was limited to what was in store and in my size.

At first, I didn’t gravitate to these Nike Tiempos. The color wasn’t my usual choice and when I’m trying something new, I tend to look at the more modern styles first. But in the end, there were only two pairs of boots in my size. After trying them on, I was pleasantly surprised both by the fit and the ‘traditional’ aesthetic. This is a classic soccer boot. And the name “Tiempo” means both “time” and “weather” in Spanish, so it fit my situation perfectly.

I was also pleased to have the leather upper. This is definitely my preference for fit and the shoes are much easier to break in.

So these are my NEW lucky boots for the first game with a new team. I punish my boots and I’ve already broken one of the cleats so I expect I’ll be ordering another pair soon. Get them while you can! I have a feeling they will not be on the shelves much longer now that the season is underway.

Watch my first game of the season and this stunning goal: you be the judge

In the meantime, enjoy the goal in the 88th minute of the game. From the highlights real, the magic begins at 1:30.