Real men wear pink

Photo credit: Joe Nuxoll
at centerlinesoccer.com

It was hard to miss Quakes rookie goal keeper David Bingham at last night’s friendly against WBA last night: his magenta\fuschia\hot pink kit (you make the call) stood out against the black of his team mates.  As the game kicked off, the fans were still settling in for a beautiful, if cool, evening and admiring the pink tinged clouds as the sun was setting.  All of a sudden the crowd stirred as we realized that the routine goal kick had gone long, taken a bounce at the 18-yard line, over the head of the WBA goalie Boaz Myhill, and dropped into the net for the opening goal.

A more conventional shot from distance from Khari Stephenson put the Quakes up 2-0 right as the clock ran out in the first half.  Bingham also made three good saves, including an impressive deflection of an 18-yard blast from Thomas in the 20th minute. The game finished 2-1 to the Quakes, after Jerome Thomas pulled a goal back in the 53^rd minute for WBA. 

David Bingham is a rookie goal keeper who came to the Earthquakes from the University of California in a weighted lottery after this January’s MLS SuperDraft.  It’s only the third time an MLS goalkeeper has scored from his own half of the field in recent years, and at 90 yards Bingham’s goal is now officially the longest goal scored by an Earthquakes player.

Yes indeed, real men wear pink.

P.S. Dear Quakes, Re: the team sheet - there's no 'h' in Wales.  There was some great Moby Dick banter when Ishmael Miller came on.