2017

New York Red Bulls 3-1 Orlando City SC | August 12, 2017 | Red Bull Arena

I probably screwed myself over a little bit by doing one of these last year. I told myself, "Oh, wouldn't it be fun to recap the year annually?" I'm a bit less enthusiastic to perform the task this time around.

There is not anything in particular that makes me more of a grump; maybe the fact that I could not sleep last night makes that the case. Maybe writing this during this awful West Bromwich Albion-Arsenal match is doing it. Maybe the general state of the year that was 2017 is the reason.

No one that reads this will need me to recap the events of the last 12 months. From the soccer world to everything else outside of it, there was quite a bit of chaos in 2017. I am thankful that I would not describe my year, on a very personal level, as chaotic. There was plenty to enjoy, from my own personal achievements to those of my loved ones. On a personal level, it turned out to be a pretty good year, one with some genuinely fond memories.

Graduating from college last spring provided quite the cause for celebration, and I also hit some career milestones. I covered U.S. Women's and Men's national team matches for the first time in 2017. I also had my first experience with a Premier League team over the summer, as Tottenham Hotspur made the rounds during their preseason.

All of them came with their own challenges, and some of it was not perfect. The writing, at times, was not, but as my freshman English professor at Fordham said, "Writing is never finished, only due." (She may have been quoting someone else.) I remember the imperfections clearly, but I do not look down on those experiences. They are all learning experiences, and were genuinely fun in some way or another.

I look forward to repeating some of it, learning from other bits, and experiencing other new things in the new year.

I suppose I will leave it there; I do have a Hoddle to do, after all. If you have read anything I have written, from tweets to articles, thank you. See you in 2018!