By Christopher Pepe

Until last year, my son was playing for a U.S. Soccer-sanctioned Pre-Development Academy soccer team in Northern California. A young competitive team, eager to play 11-aside on a large field against much older kids. Well-coached, and filled with raw athleticism mixed with the bounty of racial diversity afforded in the USA, the squad was competitive even playing against faster and stronger kids from San Francisco and beyond.

After 15 years in Silicon Valley, however, we decided that we would throw caution to the wind and take a Family Sabbatical to Italy. A luxurious and foreign concept, that had us jettisoning team affiliations, jobs and friends alike. A frivolous and financially irresponsible endeavor to be sure; and a notion reserved for late night dreams and drunken dinner conversations. Certainly not for real life.

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Source: http://www.socceramerica.com/