Mexico lost. That means the end of my Gold Cup 2013 stint. No trip to Chicago to see USA beat Mexico in the final. And the most disappointing part of it all is that the game between Mexico and Panama was terrible. Think of the most cliched stereotypes of hispanic soccer and that’s what happened – stupid, hard fouls; stupid dives and acting; fairly stupid officiating; and all around poor quality play. It was hard just being at the game.
This assignment provided challenges in a work capacity as well. The client was very specific about needing every photo to contain at least 3 players. If you know soccer, you know that ‘bunching up’ is a very bad idea. So getting 3 or more players in a shot is difficult. I managed to do it often enough to meet the minimum requested number of shots, but the basic nature of the game coupled with the horrendous play meant none of those images were very good. That’s the way it goes, sometimes.
I enjoyed the overall experience and the challenge of meeting specific client needs. Getting to watch USA play up close was a thrill – and being able to relax and make some good pictures of the game with no pressure was fantastic. I really need to find a way to shoot more soccer.
