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Steve Ralston Signs With AC St. Louis

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This is a nice feel-good story of local boy made good:

It took AC St. Louis exactly one signing to establish its St. Louis coaching and player connection.

That connection is midfielder Steve Ralston, who was announced Monday as the first player signed by the new professional men’s soccer team. Ralston, a native of Oakville, also will serve as the team’s assistant coach.

Ralston has played 14 seasons in Major League Soccer, the last eight in Boston with the New England Revolution. He’s been part of the MLS since it began, was the league’s rookie of the year, and holds several MLS records.

“My contract was up in New England, and negotiations were going OK,” Ralston said. “When I heard about this team in St. Louis, I asked my agent a couple weeks ago to give them a call and see what was up with that. It all snowballed pretty quickly.”

Ralston said he could have played another year in the MLS, but saw AC St. Louis as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help build a new team from the ground up in his hometown. “It was a chance to be part of something pretty special here,” he said.


It's great to see Ralston so pumped up about going home to build something, and I have to think the soccer fans in St. Louis are getting just as excited.

But, I'm in a quandary. I don't live in St. Louis anymore, but I'm still emotionally tied to the community. It never mattered in soccer (except the college game where I support SLU), as St. Louis didn't have an MLS club. My attachment to DC United it thus secure. However, in the lower leagues I've been following the Minnesota Thunder, as they are only forty minutes away and I can make multiple games a season. Do I switch to AC St. Louis now?

Ugh... I've no idea who I'm gonna wind up rooting for.

UPDATE:

Of course, I should have said "Un-named team formerly known as the Minnesota Thunder" but old habits die hard. Of course, if no teams comes together maybe I won't have an issue at all. That would suck. I've enjoyed going to the matches.
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