Kristen M. Interview
USA Soccer Fans Online
The site includes sections on Major League Soccer, the US men's team, the US Women's team, Chants & Songs, International Stars, and more. Kristen took some time to answer questions for Soccerphile.
Soccerphile: Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Kristen: I live in New Jersey in the US. I don't really have any staff [working on the site], just a few people who like to write articles. I started the website for fun and just to make soccer in the US more noticed.
Soccerphile: How did you get started?
Kristen: I got it started by making an account with geocities and from that I got my site.
Soccerphile: What are the purpose and goals of the site?
Kristen: The purpose is to attract people to soccer in the United States.
Soccerphile: Based on a cursory look at the site, you seem to have the greatest interest in US Women, US Men, and the Premier League (especially in the 'International Stars' section). Why?
Kristen: Well, I basically just followed the national teams in the USA rather than MLS and the WUSA. Also, there are simply too many players in the WUSA and MLS combined to do an extensive site on all of them. The International Stars was put there to attract people who only follow USA Soccer to soccer around the world.
Soccerphile: Do you play?
Kristen: I no longer play for a club due to the fact that there are none around me. However my friends and I get together all the time to get in a few good recreational games.
Soccerphile: What are your future goals.
Kristen: My goals are to maybe play in college and if I could be so lucky as to get to play at a college level, perhaps the WUSA or National team.
Soccerphile: Have you been to MLS games? If yes, which?
Kristen: I have not attended any games, although I watch as many as I can when they are on tv. MLS Soccer Saturday!
Soccerphile: Do you support any one team?
Kristen: My favorite MLS team is the Columbus Crew. Of course Brian McBride is my favorite player.
Soccerphile: Have you been to any of the US national team matches (women or men)?
Kristen: I have not attended any men's or women's national team matches either. Again though, I do watch them all on tv. I make sure that I am not busy for the time slot of all games.
Soccerphile: Which foreign stars do you follow?
Kristen: The foreign stars that I like are (women's) Sissi, and Homare Sawa, as well as (from the USA) Shannon MacMillan. Some other stars that I follow are Beckham, Totti, and Davids.
Soccerphile: Are you into David Beckham? Did you follow the 2002 World Cup?
Kristen: I am totally into Beckham. His incredible style on and off the field is something that really attracts me to him and his game.
Soccerphile: Did you follow the 2002 World Cup?
Kristen: I did follow the World Cup. I thought it was very exciting with the upsets and the under-dogs coming up out of nowhere.
Soccerphile: What other web sites do you read?
Kristen: I really just check out any web sites that people tell me about or I just seem to come across. I like to go to sites about teams that I don't really know about so I can learn about the popular leagues.
Soccerphile: Are you afraid of being labeled a 'geek' for running a web site? Do you any of your friends have web sites?
Kristen: I am not really afraid of being labeled a 'geek'. None of my friends really care that I run my own site, and those who do think it is cool. They don't really bother me about it much; it is just something I like to do in my spare time.
Soccerphile: Are you from a soccer family?
Kristen: I don't come from a soccer family. My family is actually a baseball family. Most of my cousins play or played and I play softball. My interest in soccer started at a young age and continues now.
Soccerphile: How much interest is there in your web site?
Kristen: It seems that my website has become a little more popular. I have been asked to do a few interviews including this one, as well as being asked to help work with other sites.
Soccerphile: How many hits does the site get a month?
Kristen: Since my site is rather young, and not advertised for much, it gets around 450-500 hits a month.
Soccerphile: How do you plan to expand it?
Kristen: I plan to expand it by doing more interviews, helping other sites, maybe partnering up with other sites, and just keeping at it. I have to make sure that the content is fresh to keep the hits coming.
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