About
This here soccer blahg was concocted in the City of Brain Power: Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sadly, we’ve never tapped into the local overflowing pools of intellect that are MIT and Harvard. Instead, our laboratory rests across the Charles River at Emerson College. Out from the piles of Kurt Cobain and Tim Burton wannabes emerged a couple soccer fanatics eager to regurgitate their thoughts on to a WordPress slate. Out came The Third Kit. A tangible collection of soccer jokes and absurdities started by two former roommates/enemies/rival gang members.
Given its namesake, the focus of this alternate of a soccer blog is to provide an abnormal viewpoint on the world of soccer. In doing so, we hope to provide you plenty of interesting angles, tickling opinions, and belly jiggling coverage of soccer topics other people may take too seriously. But honestly, we just needed a hobby.
Since its start in February 2010, the TK has scattered itself across the country. 5 writers, 4 cities: Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Iowa City.
Let’s get intimate:
Peter Karl
A salubrious Virgo in his 23rd year of existence, PK is the creator and co-founder of this blog. At the start 2010, PK decided to begin applying his journalism education to the soccer blogosphere. While his dedication to sports journalism dates back to high school, his soccer obsession only began once he left the nest, attended college in Boston, and discovered there is more to the sporting world than baseball, sunflower seeds, and Budweiser. PK now loves to travel, make sandwiches, and eat sandwiches while travelling. He just recently relocated to Los Angeles with his closest college friends, who aspire to open their own café and start a production company. Perhaps it’s a pipe dream, but when no one’s hiring, may as well hire yourself.
PK hails from Connecticut and holds close his roots on the East Coast. With his inevitable riches, he promises to one day purchase the New England Revolution, demolish all the trashy bars in Fanueil Hall, and erect a soccer cathedral in their place. PK is immersed in the culture surrounding American soccer and plans to inject as much humor and style into this blog his footie beating heart possibly can.
PK & Anne in Amsterdam
Supported Clubs: Liverpool FC, New England Revolution
Favorite Players: Steven Gerrard Mbe, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Stevan Jovetic, Brandy Chastain (Oh, that bra… that bra)
Favorite Movie: Trainspotting, Jumper (Fell for Hayden Christensen after new Star Wars movies)
Favorite Band: Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Seal (Kissed by a Rose fanatic)
E-mail: pkarl18@gmail.com
FIFA ’11 ID: PK ThirdKit
Sam Mathius
The 20 year old Mathius grew up deep in the Amazon rain forest, where he was raised by a band of headhunters after the tragic demise of his parents (Tony Parker and Eva Longoria) to the hands of piranhas when Mathius was an infant. Upon his release from the tribe at the age of 5, as is customary with headhunter raised children, Mathius settled where anyone would: Louisiana. The cheap crawfish, abundant sun, and cypress trees were particular attractions for the worldly juvenile. He quickly grew a fondness for the game with the round ball and no hands. Once he was adopted by his foster parents (Drew and Brittany Brees), the couple saw Sam’s talent for footie, and quickly harbored his raw, unmatched skill. Playing with his brother (Xabi Alonso), and sister (Bridgit Prinz), enabled him to become the star of Louisiana soccer, winning the High School State Championship by 6 years of age. By age 7, he was receiving offers from clubs across the world. Once he turned 17, he choose to sign a contract with Liverpool FC, his boyhood team. However, the young Mathius’ soon woke up from his ludicrous dream and realized he better get a move on if he wants to get to downtown Boston for his noon class. After throwing on his ’04-’05 Liverpool kit (he’s been a Liverpool fan since the early 2000′s), he decided to write for a football blog. Ever since, he has used his unconditional, sometimes perverted, love of the sport to bring the oddest perspective to what some people might call, “journalism”. His knowledge of the game is broad, and he favors European play over the little league that could (MLS). However, despite being a critic, he is an avid supporter of US Soccer, and a major advocate of the MLS. Teetering on the edge of sanity, expect the peculiar when the BigSleezy posts.
Big Sleezy: An Eagle Scout
Supported Squads: Liverpool FC, US National Team, Croatia National Team, Dutch National Team, New Orleans Jesters, Hajduk Split, New England Revolution
Favorite Players: Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Djibril Cisse, Thierry Henry, Luka Modric, Yoann Gourcuff, Joey Barton, David Silva, Jozy Altidore, Xavi, Marek Hamsik, Edinson Cavani, Nelson Valdez, Mia Hamm (Just to get close to Nomar)
Favorite Movie: Anything With Daniel Day Lewis or, The Life Aquatic, How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days (Chick Flick Guru… ladies take note)
Favorite Band: Oasis, The Meters, Billy-Ray Cyrus (Miley Cyrus take note)
E-mail: SamMathius@gmail.com
Fifa ’10 ID: FK_THA_POLICE
Pasha Korsakov
Young Pasha Korsakov was conceived when Bear Grylls snapped his fingers after coming up with a great idea for a raft to take across the Okavango Delta. After completing the journey, infant aged, but fully grown, Pasha realized that living on a houseboat in the Thames wasn’t for him. While journeying across France in search of new surroundings, he came across a pub owned by the Wenger family in Strasbourg where the family’s son Arsene was preaching the ways of proper football to all who would listen. Of course, as soon as the Italian Department of Boring and Gruesome Soccer (D-BAGS) heard about this, they raided the bar in their continuous attempts to destroy all things good about football. Pasha and Arsene were stowed away by the family, but the crates in which they were hidden accidentally went to different locations. It was here that Korsakov ended up in the slums of Rio de Janiero and befriended a boy named Ronaldo, taught him everything he knew, and engineered every one of his transfers throughout his career. With his duties as an apostle to Arsene complete in Brazil, Pasha decided to move to Iowa (he was drunk at the time). He realized that the Midwest needed to hear the word of Arsene, so he covertly infiltrated a Russian family and has spread the Arsene Gospel ever since. (Also, he got a biology degree because people will listen to you more sometimes if they think you’re a smart scientist.) Throughout his travels, he met a mild mannered Serb who encouraged him to spread the Gospel through the internet and so signed with ThirdKit on a free transfer. Pasha will hopefully entertain TK readers with wit, humor, and a bit of analysis of the crazy but always fascinating world of football.
Pasha: Crossing the English Channel on the way to Mr. Wenger's home.
Supported Teams: USA, Arsenal FC, Corinthians, Des Moines Menace
Favorite Players: Cesc Fabregas, Ronaldo (the real one), Zinedine Zidane, Theo Walcott, Tim Howard, Lisa Leslie (Loves a woman that can shoot the three ball)
Favorite Movies: Pulp Fiction, The Life Aquatic, The U (anyone that has ever enjoyed even one second of college football needs to watch this movie)
Music: Led Zeppelin, The Boss, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Slade, Spice Girls (Scary Spice weak spot)
Email: pasha.korsakov@gmail.com
FIFA ID: no longer has a roommate with a PS3
Petar Madjarac
At the age of seven, Petar made headlines across the globe when he was hired by then US President, Bill Clinton, to fix the tanking job market in the states. The young Serbian’s penchant for economic reform led to an era of wealth and stability in America. However, after a falling out over Petar’s contempt of the President’s favorite sandwich, peanut-butter and banana, Clinton went on a ruthless campaign to capture the young Serb. The ensuing operation resulted in the bombing of Belgrade and other Serbian cities under the disguise of NATO’s Yugoslav campaign. Faced with the dangerous reality that was his life in Serbia, he made a cunning decision to move to Des Moines, Iowa. (Where better to hide from Bill than in his own back yard.) After paying off an overweight woman to have sexual relations with Clinton, Madjarac was able to embarrass the President with the biggest presidential scandal in history, proving that the Serb was a force that shouldn’t be messed with. Clinton smartly backed down, and Petar was able to come out from the shadows. He traveled the world to further his economic education, where he fell in love with the silly set-up of Football’s business side. After convincing China to allow more free enterprise, which has propelled them to unprecedented levels of affluance, Petar decided to settle down and take it easy. Currently, he lives a quite life as a certified flying-squirrel breeder by the American Squirrel Society (ASS). When not combing the hair of his prize Gray-cheeked Squirrel named Cesc, he writes about the money side of the game for TK.
Petar: Fled to the Balkan Mountains to escape Bill Clinton.
Supported Teams: Arsenal FC, Serbia
Favorite Players: Cesc Fabregas, Diana Taurasi (In a sexual way)
Favorite Movies: Revolver, Snatch, Veggie Tales
Music: Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Jonas Brothers (Nick Jonas obsession… also sexual)
Email: pmadjarac@gmail.com
FIFA ID: N/A (what a loser)