The Adidas Indoor Super Grun at $120.

More pics after the Jump…

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While they’re made for Indoor, these Adidas Telstar 2’s are dope and affordable at $55.

image via Adi

Obviously there’s a huge difference between indoor, futsal and full field, but these are some incredible athletes with some amazing abilities.

He’s appeared in 6 games for Chivas USA so far this season, has started 2 of them and scored his 1st Major League Soccer goal this Sunday in a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution at the Home Depot Center.

So what right? This kid, Justin Braun has an incredible story, one that should give hope to all young players.

Justin’s going to be a regular contributor to this site (much like Sacha Kljestan, Herculez Gomez and Dante Washington) and I’ll let him tell his own story, but I’ll give you a little tid bit first.

I’ve known this kid for two years now. I met him after a scrimmage I played in up in Salt Lake City after I moved back with my wife. Big strong kid, lots of pace and an ability to take players on.

Tried telling some people about him, but you know how that stuff goes. Ended up playing Indoor Soccer with him over the course of these last two years twice a week and the kid just got better.

Between classes at the local Community College and working at a Soccer Store called Soccer International, Justin worked on his game as much as he could. And then he got his chance in the form of a man named Preki…. who says Developmental Contracts are bush league?

We’ll have his story in his own words later in the week.

image via Chivas-USA.Blogspot.com

My sprained ankle from 8 weeks ago is still not fully recovered as I have been playing on it every Monday and Thursday. As I limped off the field of my indoor soccer game last night and into my car, I nearly began to cry. Not from pain, or anger–but from the sheer love I have for the game! We had just completed 50 minutes of all out intense soccer. It was the type of game that you love to play in! Everyone running through balls, tackling hard, and overcome with desire. If you have ever played in a game like this, then you know what I was feeling. Here I am 30 yrs old, with a swollen ankle, playing through pain for really what boils down to an organized pick up game! Why would I do this?

Because it is games and moments like these that make me utterly miss my youthful “competitive” playing days. When I was in high school I took for granted those games…knowing that college lay ahead. When I was in college….I took those games for granted hoping that someday I may have a professional career. As my collegiate days faded and the reality that I would not be playing in the MLS took hold, my heart couldn’t let go. My mind won’t let go. Soccer has given me some of the greatest moments of my life. In fact if I were to make a quick list of some of the best days of my life, I can assure you that a soccer game would show up in that list several times. No feeling in life, compares to the feeling of competition. Nothing can bring emotions out of me like soccer can. Nothing stirs up such love, frustration, and intensity like soccer does to me.

I live the sport of soccer, I love it for everything it has given me and will give me in the future. It has taken me to countries around the world, and given me friends for life (yes, Dunseth that includes you). Soccer is just a game to many but to me it made me who I am. It instilled in me passion, love, desire, camaraderie, friendship, dedication…the list continues.

So as I limp to work each morning I can feel that pain in my foot. You would think I would despise that twinge in each step….but it reminds of my past and why soccer will always be who I am.

Joe

I woke up Tuesday morning, a little short of breath and my back/chest quite sore. I thought, well I am almost 30 and this is to be expected. In my men’s league game I had taken quite a thrashing. Several ex-high school “all stars” (still reliving their Glory Days as if they can hear Springstein in the background the whole game) did their best to tackle me in mid air and propel me into the boards.Their speed and skills longs since depleted have been replaced with reckless abandon and lunging tackles. I spent just as much time picking up my turf burned knees up from the ground as they did picking the ball out from in back of their net. NOW, don’t get me wrong I love men’s league soccer–it is an amazing way for people like me, who still love soccer with a passion, to pretend that for 50 minutes I am still in my prime. It allows me to work out..without really working out, and since I was a pretty decent player in my day (Dunny can back me up on this) I seem to do ok.

However, in the end I am there to have fun. I am not there to fight, injure, or talk inordinate amounts of trash because in the end it is a Monday night men’s league in Massachusetts. Bob Bradley is not in the stands ready with an invite to the next National Team camp for any of these guys. This past Monday I met the king of all trash-talking, used to be good, a$$holes I have ever played against. After beating him three times to his left, he decided he had enough and a la Karate Kid (1984) pulled a Bobby on me and jump kicked me into the boards. Yikes..I calmly rose to my feet and continued to play and simply suggested.

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