Still shopping?

I came across a number of nice soccer balls on sale. Gee, you'd think I was a soccer ball salesman.

Things you might like in a soccer ball are a polyurethane cover ("PU"), hand stitching, 4 layers of lining, and either a latex (soft, good touch) or butyl (retains air longer) bladder.

Special bonus features might include a carbon-latex bladder, which is soft but holds air longer than straight latex, and good looks.

32 panels is the standard and those balls stay round well, whereas MLS uses balls with only 18 panels and those balls curve more easily in the air - great for those "banana" kicks from the corner.

At EastBay I found:

• Diadora Calcio Soccer Ball for $7.99 (32 panel, hand-stiched ball with a PU cover and a butyl bladder)

• Puma MLS Replica Team Soccer Ball for $17.99 (Polyurethane cover, six-wing latex bladder, and MLS team logo -- the Earthquakes!)

• Nike Geo Vector II Soccer Ball for $19.99 (Hand-stitched PU casing, carbon latex six-wing bladder, AirBloc II valve system offers superior air retention. Nike Geo Balanced Technology delivers precise roundness for superior flight and play.)

• Nike T90 Hi-Vis 250 Soccer Ball for $24.99 (high visbility yellow! 32-panel, hand-stitched polyurethane casing, carbon latex six-wing bladder with AirBloc II valve system)

At the AYSO Store I found:

• SCORE Club Ball for $8.95 (Soft touch foamed PU/PVC composite 2 tone silver cover. 4 ply linings, high quality butyl bladder. 1 year warranty for shape and stitching.)

• SCORE Kids Zone Ball for $10.00 (32 panel hand stitched. Premium high quality PU. Soft touch for better control. Multi-layer synthetic lining.)
  

All these balls come in a full "Size 5".

Not all soccer balls are quite the same, but they all do great things when at a player's feet.

It is amazing to think you can procure an X-Box replacement for only eight bucks (uh-oh, I'm risking mutiny, I fear!)

P.S. Anybody got the "Scissors" move wired? [Scissors movie]

See you Saturday!

Coach