Boot Review – Total90

Introduced in 2007, Nike launched the Total90 football (soccer) cleat that drastically changed how cleat manufacturers have designed and enhanced football footwear.

The first obvious difference between the classic leather boot and the “new and improved” Nike Total90 is the concentric rubber rings (shot-shield) on the top of the cleat. Being the main feature, this material is claimed to improve accuracy, swerve and power when striking a ball. The cleat also boasts an “e-Vent” membrane over the supposed “tongue” of the boot – increasing breathability, while blocking absorption.

Numerous Nike-endorsed players – such as Carles Puyol, Diego, Fabio Cannavaro, Wayne Rooney, Rafael Márquez and Fernando Torres – all had the privilege of testing the Total90 cleat at some point throughout its six generations of revisions. The latest version – the Total90 Laser II – features a refined “sweet spot” and reduces the area of exposed laces.

I had the pleasure of testing a pair of Total90 cleats myself. Sadly, I couldn’t afford the nearly $200 pair of Total90 Laser II, but my $85 pair of Total90 Strike held up perfectly for two full years. My touch was impeccably better, comfort and breathability were perfect, and in two years, I never had a blister – that says a lot for a cleat, especially for the cheaper version.

Stud Rating: 5 out of 5 Studs

Passion for a Team

“Uniiiited! Uniiiited!” The chant still rings in my head.

Swarms of people were chanting while entering their home-away-from-home. Older men hugged and shook hands as if they hadn’t seen each other for years before they analyzed the awaited match. Streams of red, black and yellow flooded the streets around the lit-up old stadium. The high energy was contagious.

The rapid British-English dialect, mixed with multiple conversations fighting for importance over one another, created chaos between the hordes of people. It was overwhelming. But in this energetic atmosphere, a connection was made through one word – United

A group of twenty to twenty-five year old men, faces painted in intimidating red and black, progressively grew in booming unison…

“Uniiiited!, Uniiiited!, Uniiiiiited!!”

The chant continued to grow. Conversations stopped as Old Trafford’s corridor echoed from the shouts of the fans…

“UNIIIIITED!!, UNIIIITED!!!”

…it ended with a roar of cheers, claps from everyone and the group of men that started the chant exchanging successful “high-fives.” They had achieved their goal – they created passionate unity.

We searched for our section and climbed the small flight of stairs. First blinded by the bright lights towering over the pitch, I stood paralyzed by the sight of a perfectly cut field, the smell of meat pies and beer, and the sound of an array of chants. I was in a world of my own.

I was at a Manchester United football match.

I was living my dream, and because it had been my dream for so long it didn’t feel real, even though I was physically standing there. I was in a place where people understood how I felt about the game of soccer – football – and specifically Manchester United.

So what is passion for a team?

Love.

The passion for a team gives a person something to always look forward to, or fall back on, or confidently converse about with equally passionate people. If you’re passionate about a team you undeniably love the team and display this love through your knowledge of the team and the game.

That night at Old Trafford I felt connected to the fans through the incapability to describe the emotional bond to the game and to the team. When Dimitri Berbatov wound up and struck the ball into the upper left corner to make the game 1 – nil, the volume of cheers rose so high the city of Manchester could hear the celebration. The celebration of the team, Berbatov congregating back with Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and other Man U members, truly choked me up inside. Looking behind me at the crowd, the celebration on the field resembled the celebration of the fans as people hugged and “high-fived,” regardless if they knew each other. Through the endless smiles and cheers, the passion was inevitably present.

This love, this passion I have is similar to the millions of others that have a passion for a sports team, a movie, an actor/actress, a food, etc., and I am proud to say I am obsessed because no matter what happens I will love MY team. Win or lose, I will be a Man U fan.

Forever the chants will gladly be embedded in my head as I reminisce in my experience and continue to support the mighty reds…

“Take me home, United road, to a place that I belong, to Old Trafford, to see United, take me home, United road…”

True Greatness

Full name: Wayne Mark Rooney
Date of Birth: 24 October 1985 (age 24)
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Club: Manchester United
Playing position: Forward
Number: 10
National Team: England

The name speaks for itself – Wayne Rooney. Are words really needed?

No.

If you’d like a few hundred words on why Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi is an arrogant child that doesn’t truly appreciate the gift he is given, then yeah, I could say something. But when illustrating why Rooney exceeds other footballers, it’s truly difficult to do in words and not justifiable when attempted.

But I’ll make a valid effort to help the uninformed understand.

When the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche stated that “God is dead” it’s because he knew that the true Lord – yes, the real God Almighty himself – had yet to be born.

Rooney is God.

He may not have his name on the list of “most this” and “most that,” but true greatness isn’t measured merely by how many goals are scored. It’s measured by personality, desire, work ethic and, most importantly, by your love for your team and the love for the game. Wayne Rooney is the definition of all those attributes. He’s the playmaker, he’s the leader and he’s the essence of the greatest team to walk onto the pitch, Manchester United. He is the “glue” of the team and the reason we love the game.

Unlike his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo (who I sadly admit standing up for when everyone said he only played for money – sucks to be wrong sometimes), Rooney is dedicated to a team. His dream as a child was to one day play for the Reds and he didn’t stop until it was accomplished. He debuted in the striking red uniform on Sept. 28 2004; he accomplished his dream and now he continues to live that dream. Why leave your dream once you’re living it? That’s a great question to ask pretty boys Ronaldo and David Beckham.