NORWAY WITH WEAVER >>

Monday, April 16, 2007

League play is under way here, and our team has played two matches so far. We lost our first match, which was away against Moss. This was not the start we had hoped for, but we were able to win our home opener against Sparta Sarpsborg.

These first two matches gave me my first taste of what European football fans are like. The main difference I've noticed between fans in Norway and fans in Seattle is that the fans in Norway are much more passionate and involved throughout the whole match (i.e., singing songs and chanting).

I'm not saying you don't hear that stuff in the states, but it seems like here a higher percentage of the fans join in here.

I was glad to score my first goal in the home opener on a penalty kick. I was taken out in the box by the keeper after receiving a long pass over the top and touching it past him.

There are high expectations for me to score goals here. I can't count the number of times fans and media personnel have asked me how many goals I'm going to score, so opening my scoring account helped relieve a little bit of that pressure.

My parents also visited this week to watch the first two matches, and we enjoyed some sunny weather that made showing them around Haugesund much more pleasant. We also got the chance to drive into the country to visit a beautiful waterfall called "Langfoss" that plummets into a fjord, and enjoy the first signs of spring in the scenery.

I'm really excited that the season is underway, and the long, warm summer days are just around the corner. Estrella and I have been doing a lot of hiking around Haugesund. It is pretty amazing that we can walk out our front door and be surrounded by hills, forest, and lakes within 10 minutes, while also being only a 15 minute walk from downtown.

I look forward to following the USL this season, especially the Sounders. It sounds like they've signed a good number of quality players, and I predict that they'll be back in the playoffs this year.

- Cam

photo: haugesunds-avis.no