On this page I present Soccer, my favorite subject in the realm of Sports Photography. On the left, we see high-speed dribbling with the outside of the foot by a U11 player. It is very exciting to see a player this young do it well. The picture was taken during a tournament at the Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Washington. The picture on the right was taken after a rain-soaked game in Olympia. Below is a co-ed team of U18 players (soon to be Seniors in high school); these kind of teams are often regarded as lowly "Rec" teams, but believe it, the players on such teams are often groups of friends, self-coached, and they are playing only because they love the game!
The picture below on the left was taken during a Rainier Challenge Cup Tournament in 2010, while the one on the right is from the BU13 State Championship Final game May 2, 2010.
This page presents only a few images. I photograph mostly for teams that I know. I specialize in candids and action shots of high quality. My subjects are the players, coaches, managers and parents. All images on this page are copyrighted and permission must be sought before any use, personal or public. .Contact me: brucej@oregonphotos.com
Above left, State Championship game May
1, 2011. A disputed Ref call late in the Game. The finalists were
Washington Premier Black vs Crossfire Premier Black. Crossfire
won, retaining its State Championship title for at least the third
year in a row. I call them the Barcelona of Washington State.
Above right, GOALKEEPING. the keeper sometimes appears to just stand there
far from the main action, but the truth is that they are absolutely
crucial to the proper functioning of a high level team, and, in
fact, are responsible to analyze the action in front of them and
with loud voices to suitably arrange their defenders, encourage
them, and tear into them if needed! This part is not very evident
when watching soccer on television, but go in person to any teen
or adult soccer match where you can hear the keepers and you will
hear a near-constant stream of alerts, cautions, orders, and some
praise for defense well-done. A top-drawer keeper needs to be
courageous and brave for those big saves, but also needs to be
very quick-thinking, decisive and able to inspire his "back
line" with confidence and loyalty. It's a tough combination
to achieve, but the best keepers possess these qualities.
Soccer isn't always fun; injuries from time to time are to be expected, especially in high-level play in the older age divisions, such as here in high school varsity play. That's a father and the team's Athletic Trainer leading the player off the field. In this case, luckily, only stitches required; no concussion.
(Crossfire Premier B96-A Spidahl
vs Washington Premier FC '96 Black)
(Picture Below) On August 14, 2008, at Qwest Field in Seattle, my son and I had the privilege of meeting internationally famous goalkeeper Kasey Keller. The occasion was the public announcement of Mr. Keller's acceptance of the goalkeeping spot for the new Seattle Sounders FC--- it's the Nation's newest MLS franchise. I was impressed by Mr. Keller in general, and was especially pleased to witness firsthand the comfort he has with youth players. In the picture, Kasey is on the left, and on the right is Adrian Hanaeur, the Sounder's General Manager. Washington is Keller's home State, and Mr. Hanaeur is one of the people instrumental in bringing Mr. Keller back to the Puget Sound area -- it's where Keller began his soccer career about 18 years ago, as a youth player in Olympia, Washington. In fact, there's even a city street named after Kasey in the Olympia/Lacey area, near where he lived as a youth.
brucej@oregonphotos.com