Hello beautiful people,
First and foremost thank you for stopping by.
Eight years ago Dan Katz asked me to write a few blogs about the World Cup because I was his only soccer-obsessed friend. I had no idea what I was doing at the time, and probably still don't. I certainly did not foresee it becoming a full-time hobby into which I would pour countless hours and from which I would make tons of similarly soccer-obsessed internet friends. But, welp, here we are.
Blogging begat Tweeting. Tweeting begat Instagramming. Instagramming begat podcasting. Podcasting begat merch. Who knows what merch will begat.
My life has changed immeasurably since 2014. Dog. Wife. House. Kid. Another kid. One constant has been Sam's Army and a passion to share my love of soccer, and more importantly the daily interactions with people all over the US and even world. I can't tell you how grateful I am about everyone who read blogs (ripip), chatted on social media and/or listens to the podcast.
After working quietly behind the scenes for a long time I was recently granted unfettered ownership of the podcast (and essentially the brand). I don't know exactly what the plan is but I am very excited to try new things. Merch is just the beginning. Unfortunately for you that may mean I won't be able to remain quite so anonymous. It will probably mean putting my face out there a bit. Apologies in advance for that. As for what's next... Videos? Game watches? Kick-abouts? Perhaps all of the above.
Long story short, I don't know if anyone will actually buy the merch but the thought of seeing someone out in the wild wearing a Sam's Army hoodie or (if I can figure out the logistics) scarf makes my heart skip a beat. Thanks again for your support, and more importantly for making this little corner of the internet so much fun. Here's to the next eight years!
Cheers,
-Sam